Thrift Stores

Today I went to Goodwill and although they tend to be a bit more pricey then local thrift stores, you can find some good stuff. I found a small tea light candle holder that is shaped like a present, for Christmas, with star shaped holes in it to allow the light to come through. Also, a neat pot and a small bowl to hold Scramble's treats. Now until we do get some good local thrift stores, I will just have to make due with Goodwill. I miss home where we had amazing thrift stores scattered all over the desert. When I go home I'll just have leave room in the suitcase for my finds.

Crunch Time

There are six days until Christmas and I am feeling the pressure. I have a few projects that I need to finish, well some that I need to start and finish, and some that I should have had done already. I just don't seem to have the motivation that I need to get the ball rolling. I have plowed through the entire 1st season of L.A. Ink and have now resorted to a terrible movie called Food Boy to assist in my procrastination, so instead of feeling the satisfaction of being done, I now have the desire for a tattoo and I'm hungry. Everyone has their presents, it's just that these little projects are the icing on the cake. Wish me luck.

Christmasy

I love Christmas time and I guess I didn't realize how much until I left everyone else who took care of the Christmas cheer for me. My mom has the best decorations to get you into the Christmas season and Mindy always has a killer Christmas playlist that played nonstop starting Thanksgiving night. Now, I am the one in charge of all that and I am finding that I can't wait to get it going. I had music on before Thanksgiving and a few presents under our tree the night it went up, which was before December even started. I have gone crazy with twinkle lights in the apartment and now have the beginning of a little Christmas village. There are two silver Christmas trees that I made out of mardi gras beads that sit over our stockings and Christmas themed dishes that are filled with Christmas candy. The tree is full of awesome ornaments and there is a plethora of gifts under the tree for Dom and I.

Before we had family dinner over here the other night, I was looking at a couple more Christmas decorations with Dom at the store and he said that if we tried to be anymore Christmasy that he would have to gain two hundred pounds and wear a red suit. I thought that might be taking it a bit overboard and decided that we had enough decorations for this year.

Pain

I can't move, just a touch to the skin kills, and going to the bathroom has turned into a work of art. Dom and I have played walleyball the past two days with his brother and cousin and since I haven't worked out since Dom and I got married, due to some knee problems, my muscles are in shock! Walleyball is volleyball played on a racquetball quart with a men's height net and you can use the walls during play. I had so much fun diving and hitting and playing with my husband, but in my current condition, I am beginning to wonder if it was all worth it. I have to use what's around me to lower myself into a sitting position and I have to make sure that my limbs don't rest on one another due to the sensitive muscle pain.

Playing volleyball again was like drinking a cocktail of happiness and adrenaline. I love the game and my sincere devotion only comes when it's played indoor and on a court, so this was right up my alley. As I recover, I think that I am learning to appreciate what it is to be "in-shape." Once I can work out again, I am going to make sure that a couple games of walleyball don't send me to traction.

The Sled

I have this other post that I have been working on slowly that updates you all on my recent trips but I know if I keep waiting to finish it I'll never blog again. I'll just update you on what happened today and if I feel like telling the story of my business trip to San Francisco or vacation to Napa Valley, Monterey Bay, and Atherton, or my trip home this past week then I will later.

Today Dom and I went to the mall to buy "Our First Christmas Ornament" and the first house of the village I want to start collecting. We live about a mile from the mall, if that, and we decided that with the holiday traffic that we would just walk there. Well, today happens to be our third rainy day this week and we got soaked but it was great fun. We stopped at Starbucks on the way to enjoy some goodies and then headed out into heavier rain.

We found our ornament at Crate&Barrel! We looked at Macy's, Sears, JC Penny's, and Hallmark before we found it. It's a wooden sled with little red mitten's attached to it. I am so excited about it and about starting this new tradition. I don't think I'll let this tradition slip away from me because it involves shopping. Unfortunately, we didn't have such great luck with finding the village house. My mom owns a small village, one house will fit in your hand, and she has a whole collection. The place she got hers from is closed now and all the ones we saw are about the size of my head and they light up. They look adorable but I don't know where I will put them once the collection really gets going. I think that I am going to give in though and buy a Department 56 village house.

All in all, I had another great day with my husband, especially since this was all his idea. :)

P.S. "Fail" I forgot to put up pictures from my last post but it's been so long that I didn't want to dedicate this title to my failure. :)

San Francisco

Next week I am going to San Francisco for a work conference. It is pretty much a trade show but I won't be working at the booth. I will be meeting and greeting and trying to get a better understanding of the Hemophilia world that I work in. Seeing my parents again is what I am really looking forward to, I will take the train in on Thursday morning (I am so excited for this) then stay with my family for the night and Dom will come up the following day after work and then we'll have our own room. We didn't stay in a hotel on our honeymoon and haven't really gone anywhere since, so I am looking forward to our first hotel stay together.

Sunday is going to be devoted to sight seeing and hanging out with my family. As long as we get out a little and explore the town I am happy. What's going to be best is having my wonderful husband there to share it with me. Things are much better with him around. I will hopefully have some fun pictures to put up when I get back but we'll see if I remember to whip out my camera or if my next post title is, "Fail" then I definitely forgot.

Weekend

So, Friday night went fantastic. We did end up sitting by older people with children that are full grown and out of the house and some that are in high school so that part of the night was a little bit of a let down but, to my astonishment, I actually really enjoyed learning more about our church! I thought that it would be a big lecture all about the church history and what they are doing now but our pastor and the executive pastor got up and said a little bit about themselves and about the church's beginning but most of the time it was Q&A. We learned about ministries and the church's views on some tough issues. The food was great and we finally got to meet our pastor face to face. He is super tall and really expressive but so nice. We loved hearing more about how he prepares his messages and a little bit about his beginnings as a pastor. All in all, Dom and I had a blast

Sat. was a relaxed day but something that I thought was funny happened right before we went to bed. I was mad at Dom for something and I was being ridiculous as usual. As we were laying there in the dark, not talking to each other and trying to fall asleep, this is how the conversation went:

Me: I don't like going to sleep mad at you.
Dom: Then don't.
Me: But you're a butthead.
Dom: You're a bigger butthead.
Me: OK.
Dom: OK.
Me: I love you.
Dom: I love you too.

Then we snuggled and fell asleep quickly. Oh the joys of marriage. :)

Sunday was also fantastic because I finally got to go to Apple Hill with Dom. His family has been telling me about this place since I met them and I could never go with them since the season to go was always during school. Well now that I live up here I could finally make a trip to see the famous High Hill and ginormous crates of apples. It was much different then I though it was going to be. The only details I heard about was there was a great pie shop, lots of apples in huge boxes, a High Hill that the boys used to storm and that's it. Nobody ever said that there were a couple dozen different apple orchards that spread out over three exits on the freeway and each orchard had a pie shop, boxes of apples, and crafts like at a swap meet. I guess they failed to mention that the details that they had shared were just of the places that they like best of all the ones available at Apple Hill.

We went to a few of them and I saw the famous High Hill that Dom and his brother used to storm. What I mean by storm is that they would run up it. I pictured a tall grassy hill that they would run to the top of. No, it was basically a ditch that looked like a half pipe that was all dirt with some trees who's roots lined the ditch. I ran it with Dom and it was quite fun. Your momentum leads you up the other side quite quickly and hince the tons of fun I have heard about for two years. We had great pie and bought apples and amazing apple cider. This was a wonderful memory I finally got to be a part of. ;)

New Comers

Tomorrow night we will be attending the New Comer's dinner at church. We signed up in order to meet new people but I am sure that it is going to be sufficiently awkward and that Dom and I will try and stick to ourselves to avoid it, but I do have hope that we will be strong and put ourselves out there. It is going to be catered, which I'll admit is one of the reasons that we signed up, and they are going to be explaining to us more about the church, where they are heading and goals they have, things like that.

All I want to gain out of this is one good conversation with someone I have something in common with. That seems pretty dismal but I don't want to get my hopes too high, expecting to come out with three new best friends, or couples that Dom and I will dine with every other night, no, I want to be level headed and realistic. I will tell you that I thought about these things as possibilities when I first heard about the dinner but I have realized that whenever I think like that I am usually very disappointed in the actual outcome and so now I take precautions when I make my predictions.

Anyway, I am excited to be getting out with Dom and consider it something resembling a date. I know I will fret about what I am going to wear and how to do my hair but I will be having loads of fun trying to decide each.

We got tickets.....

This Saturday we went to the gun show. We want to get a gun for home safety and decided that the gun show would have a wide selection for cheap. We got there and were sadly disappointed. There were two large buildings filled with guns but most of them were rifles and then a bunch of collectible paraphernalia. We found about two cases filled with hand guns and only a few of them were 45 caliber, which is what we want to get. We did find one that was in our price range and the caliber that we wanted but we didn't know much about the brand. We asked our parents (dads) if they had idea if Ruger was a good brand for a gun and they each said yes. We decided not to buy it though because we still weren't sure and then we left the gun show.

We still wanted to look for a gun though so we went to another place that sold guns and they said that Ruger is a great brand and that they have them on order but because of the democratic take over in office, people decided to stock up on their guns and replacing them is taking a long time. So, we went to another gun store that had a Ruger but it was still more expensive than the one we saw at the gun show. We decided to have a family meeting and figure out wether or not we should go back and get the gun we saw in the first place. We decided yes and took off back to the gun show.

We got there and the gun was gone. Someone bought it and they didn't have anymore. We were disappointed but I guess it just wasn't meant to be. My dad is going to try and get us one, the same one we were going to get, in Arizona. Apparently California is a pain when it comes to buying guns and the paperwork and laws are ridiculous so Arizonia might be a little easier. Dom and I both hope that my dad pulls it off and that we will be the proud owners of a new Ruger P 345 single, double action gun soon. :) If not then we will continue to be on the hunt.

Psycho Puppy

Now that Scramble is getting bigger he is getting a bit more rambunctious. He freaks out whenever Dom is trying to get ready in the morning to go to work. He follows him around everywhere, which is normal I grant you, but when it comes to tying his shoes or hugging me goodbye Scramble is all over him.

During the day while Dom is away he now tries to attack me while I try and do anything. I was knitting a scarf on the couch the other day and he decided to lay on the scarf while trying to chew on the knitting needles. Also, now that he is getting bigger he can reach things better like the counter. He still can't get his head on top of it to grab anything but he does like to sniff so when I am cooking he is sniffing away.

When Dom gets home then he is just a whole different dog. He jumps up all over Dom, which is something that we need to control, and then he starts barking if we don't pay attention to him. He'll jump on the couch and try and play with you. Then, if he is just too frustrated that you aren't playing with him and aren't listening to his barking then he will just start doing laps around the apartment at top speed. This is extremely entertaining but also nerve wrecking. I always think he is going to eat it big time but he has been lucky so far.

Now I know that all of this sounds more like our fault, that we are being neglectful owners and not teaching him right but seriously, I think he is moving into the puppy equivalent of the terrible twos. He is still absolutely adorable and has a sweet side it's just that he doesn't like to show it as much these days. :)

Six or Eight Legs?

On Monday Dom and I went to Grassvalley to have dinner with some friends. We saw their adorable new Jack Russel Terrier puppy and Scramble had so much fun playing with their mom's older Wippet mix. We had some delicious barbeque and ate it outside so we could watch the dogs play. It started to get a little dark and when I sat down at the table outside I felt my feet and legs go into a cobweb, I moved over a little and didn't see a spider so I thought I would be ok. Later on my foot started to itch all over and when we finally went inside and had some light I saw that I had been bitten a few times and one on the only toe that had a toe ring. I thought that maybe there were a couple ants and I would be itchy for a little while......

Once my toe started to swell I thought that the creature that bit me might have had eight legs instead of six. My toe ring started to get a little tight but I figured the swelling would go down soon enough. I was wrong. It just continued to get worse through the night and the entire next day. I turned our closets upside down looking for wire cutters but couldn't find one. Dom saved the day by bringing home a ring cutter that sawed through my toe ring with no problems. Taking it off felt so much better, however, it made me sad since I have been wearing that ring since 2004 without ever taking it off. It was a gift from a close family friend. Dom is fixing it though so it is only a matter of time before I have it back on again.

Now, there is a line from where the ring used to be on my toe and above it my toe is purple. I have three bites on my foot that I can see that have now turned into itchy white bubbles. I know this is extremely gross but I am not oozing or anything and I have all the hope that this will clear up soon enough, at least I hope it will heal before Dom and I go on our three day backpacking trip this weekend.

Current Hobbies

Lately I have been wanting to read a good book and something that I know I'll get caught up in. Well, a couple of friends suggested the Harry Potter books because they loved the whole series and I thought that I should finish it up. I have read the first three but couldn't get past the big Quiditch match at the beginning of the fourth. I know that I may sound like a nerd to you but I like them and I have started to read them again. I am on the second book and I am determined to read the entire series this time. Dom gives me a hard time about reading these. He says it hurts his soul to see his wife reading these books. I am hoping one day he will just give it up and read them too. I got him to read Twilight but he says Edward would kick Harry's butt any day. Whatever.

Something else that I have been up to is Dom and I have started to watch Lost. He was sucked into the fourth season when his roommates were watching it and so now we are starting at the beginning. It's so weird but they have a knack for leaving you wanting more. Cliffhangers are their specialty. There are 25 episodes in the first season alone and they aren't short episodes either. I don't know what we are on now but I am sad to say that I am actually getting into it. I think that I should be able to use this as leverage to get Dom to read Harry Potter with me but somehow I just don't think it will fly. Anyway, this is what I have been up to lately.

SoCal

I got back on Friday from a wonderful trip to SoCal where I saw family and friends. Dom and I got in late on the 7th and just kicked back on Saturday with the family and their amazing pool and then on Friday we went to a beautiful wedding by the beach. I don't know if any of you Biola people know the couple, Allison Remmington and Joey Ross. It was really fun to see all of Dom's old roommates and their girlfriends. We had a really great time. That Monday Dom and I spent some more time by the pool and then it was time to say goodbye to my wonderful husband. He had to go back home that day in order to be back to work on Tuesday. As a special treat though my dad, who is getting his pilot's license, flew Dom to the nearby International Airport in Ontario for his connecting flight. Dom said he had a lot of fun and was only nervous in the beginning. He is a brave man.

That night with the husband gone, I had some of the girls come over for a sleepover. Taylar, Stephanie and Brooke all spent the night. It was so fun staying up late and talking about our lives and friends and Twilight. That next morning was filled with doughnuts and hugs as I said goodbye to the girls. The rest of that day was so lazy. Wednesday morning was a movie with mom, The Proposal and then she dropped me off at Brooke's house. It was so nice to hang out with her all day. She was leaving early that next morning so this was the last time we would get to hang out until she comes and visits me in September.....hopefully she comes to visit. That Thursday was shopping with mom which was amazing and the pool. Friday we left early to take me to the national office of my parents company for me to see first hand the products I order for our patients and then I was off to the airport to go home to my husband.

Now when I would come and visit Dom while we were dating It would just be heaven when I saw him and we would try and stay out as long as we could so we could be alone together before we went back to his house. It was so nice to be able to be alone the whole night. I was so happy to see him again and to be able to have a whole night alone with him. When we got home I opened the door to a super clean apartment. The night before, after we got off the phone at midnight, he vacuumed, cleaned the kitchen and took out the trash. He is just too good to be true.

That next day we went to the river with some friends and then we picked up my baby. :) He is so big! I could hardly believe how much he had grown in only a week. I was so happy to be back with my little family even though I had such a wonderful time at home. Everything is better with Dom around though. :)

Homeward Bound

I am visiting home tomorrow!!! I am so excited about it. Dom and I leave tomorrow night and he comes back on Monday and I come back the following Friday. I am hoping that next week is filled with visits with friends and time with family. I can't wait to be on my home turf. I has been a little difficult for me being here, so far away from everyone I know and in a "foreign" place. It will be nice to be by the familiar and such great people that I love. :)

Even though I am just going back home, I am excited to pack up and get away. I love packing for trips. I am a weird packer I guess but this is how my mom packs and so I learned to do the same. I pack in outfits. Funny right? I always pack too much and usually stay up late trying to figure out what I want to wear for the next week or so. I am thinking it might be a little easier this time since it is just home and I don't really have anyone to impress. I also need to pack up for Scramble like he's my kid or something. I have a list of what he needs and what I have to take to my In-Laws for him. I even typed up instructions for how to take care of him. I could be going a little overboard but I like going that route rather than missing something and having a problem.

All in all, I am stoked to be going on a trip home!

Follow Up

So, as a follow up to yesterday, I actually got most of my list done and in good spirits. Scramble was pretty calm and it was nice to have his company when I did my chores. I gave him his medicine in the morning and there were no problems. He swallowed it all right up and didn't squirm. I ended up not needing to call the doctor's office because I received a letter in the mail that gave me all the information that I was going to ask for. I really lucked out on that one. :) It wasn't the best news but I was happy not to have to make the call. I cleaned the whole apartment, even more than I was planning on doing and in good timing too. Scramble was out of his crate and just follow me around. He got a pretty decent amount of NOs yelled at him but for the most part he was a champ. All of the pieces are cut out for my friend's bag and the letters for Scramble's bed are cut out as well. I am very happy with what I accomplished yesterday and I am hoping that by the end of today one of the sewing projects will be done. :)

P.S. Emily- Thank you so much for your suggestions. I love that you give me advice. :) I was thinking I was going to do a little something more for Scramble's doggy bed. I wanted to put a space of fabric in between the top and bottom layer. This is what is intimidating for me but I think I might just do what you suggested that way he has a nice bed that is done this year. Thanks again.

Against My Will

I have a few chores today that I do not feel like doing. The chores are as follows: give Scramble his deworming medicine, call my knee doctor's office, clean the apartment, make Scramble's bed, and make Mimi's bag. Now these things seem pretty simple and could even be considered fun to some people but today is not the day that I consider them fun. I am in a lazy mood and when things intimidate me I really don't want to do them. I shall explain my apprehensions for each chore.

First off, giving Scramble his medicine is really not that hard. It is this yellow liquid that is in a syringe that I just put in his mouth and have him drink. I just know that he doesn't like it and that it tends to fall out of his mouth once he takes it. This happened last time. I am just not looking forward to fighting him and then cleaning up all this yellow gunk but he needs it and it must be done.

Second, calling my knee doctor should be a quick and simple thing right? Wrong. I need to call and see that the knee surgery that I am scheduled to have on Aug. 18th will be completely covered by my insurance and find out how much the physical therapy is afterward. I am a complete dope when it comes to insurance stuff. I can't for the life of me understand premiums and coverage, co-payments and deductibles. It's just way over my head and that is basically what I need to call and figure out. I miss having my mommy take care of everything in this department for me.

Third, cleaning the apartment is something that I do consider fun as weird as that sounds but it has now become a little more difficult with Scramble in the picture. He likes to be involved in everything you are doing and that is a little difficult when you are working with chemicals. I need to do this with him in his crate and hopefully I can without him whining. I feel bad when I put him in there when I am in the house and awake.

Fourth/Fifth, making Scramble's doggy bed and my family friend's bag. I bought the fabric and zipper for his little bed and it should be very simple but I just don't know how to "free hand" a project like this. I am definitely intimidated and keep putting it off, even though poor little Scramble keeps laying on our throw pillows or Dom's clothes. I think he'll really like it, I just need to figure out what I am doing and just do it. The bag that I have to make is definitely doable and it isn't so much intimidating as it is time consuming. I have made two of these bags before and one just the other day but it took me all day and I messed up a different way for each bag. I am hoping that the third time is a charm and that it goes smoothly.

Now that I have thoroughly complained about mundane projects that I need to accomplish today I will share with you a bit of exciting news that I saw this morning. I am friends with our wedding photographer on Facebook and he posted a link to an article he wrote about wedding photography and one of the pictures from our wedding was in it! I was so excited and hope that you have time to take a look. Here is the link: http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/2251. Thanks and I hope everyone is having a stress free, productive day. :)

Tired

People say that having a puppy is pretty similar to having a baby. Getting up in the middle of the night, watching them constantly, making sure they're ok. I don't think it is the exact equivalent but after taking care of my baby brothers, I can say that there are some similarities.

Scramble is slowly learning all the things he needs to. He went from getting up every two hours to three, then four, and now he sleeps seven hours in a row. Almost a full night through. He knows how to sit and come and occasionally he will lay down when commanded to. My favorite thing he is learning is asking to go outside to go to the bathroom. I am trying to make sure that whenever he is near the door I say, "outside" and then take him outside so he knows that's how to ask. Well, yesterday we were in my bathroom together and he wondered off like usual and I went after him and I found him sitting in front of the door patiently waiting for me to come and let him out. I did and he went potty right away! I was so proud of him and so thankful. He did it again today.

Something else he is learning is to ride in the car without freaking out. I heard most dogs don't do too well their first time or two and Scramble was no exception but now he just lays down and sleeps. I took him to my In-laws yesterday which is half an hour away and he did just fine. The next thing I would love for Scramble to learn is how to walk on a leash. For now he gets distracted too easily and runs into my feet and gets tangled up in his leash. I want him to be able to walk by my side or in front of me. I need to give him time. He is after all still a puppy.

So even though I am tired and always on alert about what he is doing, I love this adorable little puppy and I am so thankful that he is here with us.

Professor Scramble

Introducing Professor Scramble:

We finally got a puppy!!!! Yesterday I was searching on Craigslist as always and found some Min Pins for sale and asked Dom if we could go take a look (he doesn't particularly like that breed of dog) and he said yes. When we got there we saw tons of Min Pins in a cage but this little guy was just roaming about the property. I asked if this was the breeders personal dog and he said no, that he bread Springer Spaniels as well. He was just too adorable and Dom liked him better than the Min Pins so naturally we asked if he had a girl. He said there was one and when we went to look at her she shyed away from us and ran to her mom. She never came near and the entire time we were there the puppy shown above tagged along next to us. He played with me and nibbled on Dom's shoe lacies.

We did take the time to look at the Min Pins, especially since that was the type of puppy went to see but we kept going back to the little puppy that chose us. After some discussion and a little haggling, we took Professor Scramble home with us. :) We had a little bit of a rough beginning, what with car sickness, fleas, and pottey training, but in the end we just kept saying how cute he was and he gets more used to us by the minute. Dom's family came over last night and took pictures and played with him and Dom's mom and sister came over again today to do the same thing. It has been so fun and I am just so happy about the new addition to the family. :)

P.S. An explanation of the name: Dom's little sister has a number of stuffed animals she has collected over the years and each time she gets one she names it. When she was younger she would ask Dom what she should name the new addition and he would always say "Scramble." She would just roll her eyes and name it somehting else. So now that he can name his own real pet we decided to go with Professor Scramble. We just say Scramble but on our Honeymoon we came up with this full name and decided to stick with it.

"Busy"

This is just a life update blog. I have been semi busy this week. Monday: doctor's appointment, Wednesday: movie with sister-in-law, dinner with Dom's parents and sister, Thursday: lunch with Lindsay, doctor's appointment, Cold Stone run with Dom as celebration for our two year dating anniversary, Today: dinner with the entire Parisi family at his brothers. I am hoping that this weekend is just relaxing with my husband alone.

Update on the puppy search: So Dom and I really want a Shiba Inu and they are quite expensive so Dom has been calling breeders seeing if they are willing to trade for jewelry. He has gotten a couple bites but nothing concrete yet. Meanwhile my mut hunt has been put on hold until he is done with his trade attempts. I think this is good though. As much as I want a dog I might have to wait a little longer since I will be gone in August for a week and wouldn't be able to take the pup with me and then I am going to get knee surgery soon so I can't take it for walks for a little bit. God is still in control but trust me, the overwhelming desire to have a puppy is still very much alive.

Productivity

My main responsibilities of the day include: picking up after myself and Dom, doing whatever work orders come in, and making dinner. I have recently become accustomed to actually doing most of my chores at the beginning of the day (besides making dinner) and then having the rest of the day to do whatever I want. Before I got married I pictured that I would spend this time reading and sort of self-educating myself, try and get some culture. I really like to read and have done quite a bit lately but my biggest weakness has gotten to me again. I watch way too much T.V. I have been watching more T.V. then I have been reading and I at least realize my problem but now I am trying to figure out a solution.

I figure maybe I can take up a hobby that I can do while the T.V. plays in the background and while I am not reading. I like to knit but I am not that great at it and need to go back to Dom's mom for lessons. Unfortunately, I forgot everything she taught me because I didn't keep up with it. Something else I thought I could do and have always wanted to do was to take sign language classes at the local JC but either their classes have already started or they are at a time that I cannot attend. Since I also suck at sewing/quilting mainly because I have no clue what I am doing, this is another flawed idea. This leaves me at a loss of how to spend my free time.

I want to be productive but I just don't seem to have the motivation to get past the learning stage of a hobby enough to truely enjoy it. I have a problem where if I don't get/understand how to do something right away I don't want to do it. I need to learn to push past the beginning stages of things and learn to persevere if I want to get anywhere in life, especially if I eventually want my children to have this characteristic. Now I would love some ideas or suggestions on what I can do with my free time that would seem productive. If you have anything for me just leave a comment. :)

I Want A Puppy!

A while ago I posted about future family members and they were the dogs that Dom and I want to eventually get. Well, we decided a few weeks ago that we wanted to get a puppy now and are looking for a small female dog that doesn't cost us a limb. Since we decided that we were going to add to the family I have been following every source possible to find a reasonable pup. The local paper, the Pennysaver, Craigslist, animal shelters, etc. Unfortunately, after weeks of searching we are still dogless.

The kind of small dog that Dom and I agree upon is rare and when we find one the female is either gone, too old, or too much money. I love how they say "small" rehoming fee and then charge $300. That to me is not small. Anyway, this has been getting to me lately because I just want a little K-9 friend that I can hang out with while Dom is gone. There are many other reasons why we want a dog but that is a big one for me. Lots of people say it takes a while to find the right dog and to be patient but I am getting really ancy and discouraged. I just hope that God is working in this and taking his time in picking out the right dog for us. I can't wait to post pictures of our new little friend but it might be a while.

A Good Day

After a long morning of nothing, I went to Auburn to get my hair cut by a friend I have known since Jr. High who happens to live up here now. It was a fun little social time and it felt nice to be around a girl and have healthy hair again. Once she finished, I made my way back home. I proceeded to continue my day of nothing by watching some episodes of The Office.

My husband came home just as I had finished "The injury" from season two. Now I had taken chicken out in the morning to make these baked chicken kabobs but what I failed to realize is that they already needed to be thawed in order for me to finish the recipe early because it needed to marinate for hours. I had to call my mom to see if it would be sanitary to put the chicken back in the fridge and use it the next day, it was so I did. I have to call my mom for everything still. I am getting the hang of it but I'm not a seasoned house wife yet. I then decided that I would try and talk Dom into going out for dinner by saying that we could take our change from around the house to Coinstar and deal with the percentage they take out for converting it to cash and use it for dinner and a movie. I have really been wanting to see Angels & Demons since I finished the book a few days ago.

When he came home I pitched my idea and was shot down....it was sad until he said we should just go out to dinner anyway without doing Coinstar. :) I chose CPK and we split a pizza. After dinner I tried again to talk Dom into taking me to see the movie and he said no again but wouldn't give me a reason why. On the way home he then surprised me by saying that we were going to see the movie and that he had been planning on taking me all day. I was so stoked! We saw it and they changed a lot and it will never be as good as the book but I rather enjoyed it. What I enjoyed most was a night out with my husband. I had such a great time and I'm glad I have such a wonderful husband.

Came and Gone

As I have previously mentioned, Dom and I had some visitors this past week and a half. They are all gone now but the excitement still lingers. It starts off with Kelsey. It was so fun to see her. We had lunch and we did some catching up. She told me about a pretty sweet church that Dom and I actually like and plan on going back to. It was nice to have a friend around again. Next was Brooke. Her visiting was awesome! It was so nice to have a piece of home here and I just love her to bits too. I picked her up Friday around two or something and then took her home to do work. We were having our open "house" party that night and I still needed to make a couple things. I put her right to work and we made the enchiladas. The people started coming over and she got to meet all of Dom's family again. She survived Dom's dad and captured Dom's mom and aunt. They are still talking about how nice and sweet she is.

The party was such a success. We didn't think a lot of people would show and the ones who did would leave half way through but everyone we invited showed up, with food and stayed the whole time. We mingled, ate, mingled again, had cake and coffee and then watched Count of Monte Cristo. Some people hadn't seen it and enjoyed the story. Dom and I were extremely pleased with how it all turned out. Having Brooke there really calmed my nerves. I was pretty much stuck to her all night.

That next day Brooke, Dom and I went to see The Hangover with April up in Auburn. We had seen the previews and thought it looked hilarious and Brooke's friend said that it was so funny and that it wasn't ronchy either so we were stoked to see it. Well, the friend totally lied. There was full on nudity, cursing, and it just wasn't that funny. I was sadly disappointed. After that we all went out to coffee and Brooke and Apey got to catch up. Later we went on a little hike under the Foresthill Bridge and after that we headed home, packed up Brookie and drove her to Davis to drop her off with her posey. It was sad to say goodbye but she said that she wants to come and visit again and that she would stay longer next time so I was satisfied.

That Sunday Katie Newman came over for some coffee with Dom and I and she is just so much fun to talk to that we had a blast seeing how her life is and catching up. She said that we have to go floating down the river over the summer and we are so ready to that, I think we made it a plan but we'll see what happens. She left and headed off to her house and we chilled at home since we missed church. Oopsies.

Next, we had Austin come to the house. He came last Monday and he flew in. Now he is twelve years old and he was flying alone so my mom wanted me to go to the gate to pick him up. In order to do that you need to check in with the ticket counter and get a fake little pass to go through security. The guy who checked me in noticed that my brother and I have different last names and he looked at me skeptically and asked about it. I told him yes we do but that was all. Then he asked if I was going to pick up my boyfriend and me being an optimistic idiot thought that maybe he was hitting on me and said, "No but I am going to take him home to see my husband." I said it with a little bit of attitude as well. It wasn't until I realized that he sent me to the wrong gate, a gate that didn't exist, that he wasn't hitting on me he just thought that I was using the brother excuse to pick up my boyfriend. I felt like such a tard.

The week with Austin went pretty smooth. We watched movies, walked through Auburn, bought a plant, played cards with Dom and read. I felt bad for the little guy cause Dom and I don't have the most exciting lives and I thought that most of the time he was bored out of his mind but he said he had a great time. That Thursday the rest of my family flew in and they brought us an XBOX 360 as a house warming present. Dom and I were so excited because we had been wanting one since it can do so much entertainment wise. If you get this wireless adapter thing then you can play your Netflix, Hulu and other shows through your TV instatly and you can also play your iTunes through your soundsystem. Then we all had dinner and hung out, it was so nice to be around my family again. I had missed them terribly.

The next day Dom got work off and we all went to Sacramento and walked all around. We saw the capitol, the governer's mansion, old town Sac. and pretty much everthing else you can think off. We did so much walking. After that we went home, had a two hour break, rejoined to have dinner at CPK, my fav., and then made dessert at our place. Brownies, ice cream, whipped, cream and chocolate syrup, yum!

Sat. was supposed to be spent hanging out at Rowland's lake but the weather was too cold so we went on the Foresthill trail that we took Brooke on but we went further this time and even went down to the river that the trail runs along and the boys and Dom went swimming. There was this sweet tall rock that they could dive off of. This little hike got us all pretty tired but after this we went up to Dom's parent's house and had dinner. The boys got warn out by Havilah who happens to have the same energy level as Logan and if you know my brother you know that it's an insane amount of energy. We walked down to see the horses and Craig and I helped pick up poop and bring the horses in. This concluded the evening and on the way home my brothers passed out in the back of the car because they were just exhausted.

The next day, yesterday, was Father's day and my parents were leaving at 8am and I wanted to get up and say goodbye to them. I also decided to bring them coffee and doughnuts as a Happy Father's day gift as well as a goodbye. I had to get up real early because I know they do and I didn't want them going to get gross coffee from the lobby before I got there. I showed up around 6:30am, right after their alarm went off. They were surprised and happy to have the Starbuck's coffee. I got to hang out with them as they continued to get ready and then we all went out to breakfast at IHOP. Dom didn't join us because it would have been way to difficult to get him up that early especially when he didn't have to. So he stayed in bed and I brought him breakfast. Anyway, I gave them all huge hugs goodbye and sent them off on their vacation. It was pretty hard to say goodbye but they'll be back. And so concludeds our busy week and a half with family and friends. :)

Just Dropping In

Lately I have been a little homesick, missing friends and family terribly and I guess that God wanted to cheer me up because all of a sudden I have a couple weeks full of friends and family. The family was planned and they will be here next week but the friends were a total surprise. Normally I don't do anything important during the week and Dom and I just hang around on the weekends but this week we actual had plans with his family pretty much the whole weekend. Out of nowhere Brooke texts me asking what I am doing this weekend because she is coming up last minute to visit! Not only was I surprised but totally stoked. I didn't care if I had plans because they definitely take a backseat to Brooke's visit.

Then, later that night I get a phone call from Katie Newman saying that she will be in town on Sunday and wants to see me. Again I was totally surprised and starting to find it quite comical that my usual laid back weekends, and this one that actual had a plan, was now being infused with much needed visits from friends. On top of all this excitement I get a text from Kelsey saying she is in town until Thursday and wants to hang out! At this point Dom and I just start laughing in amazement.

So, to recap I see Kelsey on Thursday for lunch, I have a "house" warming party on Friday with Dom's family and Brooke, who will be staying until Saturday, and I see Katie on Sunday for morning coffee, not to mention the welcome home party for Dom's cousin that same day. Wow, God is so good. I can't wait to tell you how it went.

1/4

Tomorrow Dom and I will have been married for a quarter of a year. Now I know three months doesn't seem like much but when you put it in those terms it seems like a bigger deal. It's hard to believe we were only engaged for about this long (three and a half months total). Anyway, we decided to celebrate today because of reasons I will explain later. How we celebrated was sleeping in and I mean really sleeping in, we didn't really get out of bed until around 1:30 p.m. Then we went to a free piano concert at the Sherman Clay piano store. They have this amazing Steinway & Sons concert hall and give concerts for free occasionally, all you have to do is sign up to be notified about the next concert and you're in.

This concert was performed by Richard Glaizier who is a Steinway & Sons pianist who played classic American music for us. Songs like Rhapsody in Blue, Over The Rainbow, some ragtime, and few others by Gershwin. It was a wonderful concert and it was fun to get all dressed up with Dom and enjoy it. After that we went to dinner at T.G.I. Friday's. I chose this place because of an advertisement that I saw for them online about a two for twenty deal they had, two appietizers and entrees for twenty dollars. When we got there I asked about it and they looked confused, apparently I got the resturaunt wrong and that deal is at Applebee's. Oops. They said that happens often but I still felt like a dork.

Next, we made brownie sundaes at home and enjoyed some Mad About You. It was a great anniversary celebration. The reason that we didn't celebrate tomorrow on the actual day was because we are going to see Up with Dom's sister and mom and so we wanted to celebrate today alone. See, Dom wanted to surprise me on our anniversary day by making me dinner and then taking me to see Up but when we went to visit his family on Friday his sister told him she watched it and she wants to see it again. Dom said that he wanted to take me to see it and so she asked if she could join us, well he couldn't deny her and that is how our little arrangement came about. I like that we will be going to see it with his family and that today was a great day alone with my wonderful husband. :)

Working Hard For The Money

This weekend was spent moving Dom's office to a new location. Now this might seem like a simple task but seriously, it was one of the most intense weekends ever, at least work wise. He owns a Jewelry repair shop with his family and he runs it. His office includes all of the jewelers equipment and work benches, large gas and air tanks, tons of different jewelry repair machines that are made out of heavy metal and a thousand pound safe, not to mention all of the normal office stuff you would think of.

The safe was the hardest part and the most scary. People's lives were in danger including my husband's which made me quite nervous. Did I mention that his office was upstairs? Yeah, this definitely complicated things. Taking the safe down the stairs on this power dolly thing took the might of 5 men and even after that they were all exhausted. One more thing to mention was the safe has a piece of glass in it and if you break it the entire safe is unusable, it's a safety mechanism installed to protect it from thieves but it just sucks when you're moving and can't jostle it too much. We did eventually get the thing moved but man oh man it was hard.

Moving day was Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent setting up the shop for work on Monday. It is difficult to set up equipment you don't know how to use and I ended up being a little work mule and runner. Any errands to go do I was the person to do it. Dom's whole family was there to help with everything too but this Parisi couple put in a few more hours since it is his shop. All in all, tough weekend but a lot was accomplished.

Netflix

So I know the last entry was a little raw but it's a blog, practically an open diary and that's how I was feeling. The response I got was something I desperately needed and thank God for. His encouragement always comes in unexpected ways. Thank you Emily. :)

Now, to talk about something of no importance I would like to chat about Netflix. For a wedding gift we received a year of Netflix. I am a huge movie/tv buff and was stoked to get this gift. The best part of it is, is Netflix surprised me with a little something. You are able to watch things instantly on your computer as well. See you can order the new DVDs that you want to see and they'll come in the mail but certain movies and tv shows you can watch instantly on the computer. This was a bad discovery on my part becuase it definitely sucks me in.

I have watched the beginning of The Babysitters Club (you know you would think about it if you saw it), The Other Boylen Girl, Penelope and my latest obsession has been CSI: Las Vegas. Now I have always loved this show but being able to watch it whenever I want without commercials is great. I watch an episode and then I can't help but watch another and another until I realize it's two o'clock in the afternoon and I am still in my pj's. I can' t help it though. It's just too good.

I still manage to do all my work and clean up the apartment so I don't feel too bad. I have the time to watch but I admit it isn't very productive. Oh well, I get to watch crimes get solved by hilarious agents. I need to get a hobby, a productive one and fast. :)

Melancholy

Do you ever just feel melancholy? Like there is something wrong, some void that needs to be filled and it makes you sad until it has either been fulfilled or has simply passed with time. I used to feel like this when I was younger, before I knew God. Since we started a formal relationship in jr. high/ high school I feel more content and that void was never so overwhelming. Well it's back and I think I know why.

I have everything I have ever wanted. A wonderful husband, a degree, and a place to call my own but it pains me to say that the void has returned. I am almost certain that it is the God shaped hole I experience so long ago. Due to my lack of discipline, passion, and flat out desire to pursue any kind of relationship with God my heart has slowly begun to harden and the overwhelming feeling now rests in me. Any urge I experience to learn about my savior gets batted away when I think of other things that I could be doing, things that don't help me grow as a child of God or free me from a life of meaninglessness. I don't just want to be a Christian, I am not feeling guilty for not reading my bible for a certain amount of time everyday or saying so many prayers in an hour, I don't feel guilt because that to me means I viewed those things as works but I feel "guilty" in the sense that I am letting my Father down. My creator who wants nothing more than my attention and regard.

I want to be in a relationship with God. I want to read the Bible because I want to know more about him not because I think I'll get brownie points. I want to pray unceasingly because I never want to have a second that he is not involved in. I want to be a servant to Him and those around me without ever wanting a thank you or any sort of praise, to do it because his character radiates through me. These are the things I am missing, the things that create a deep longing in my very core because my spirit, my very essence miss their creator.

I experience so much happiness but the joy that I could live would be to share all of it with God, to properly acknowledge that these are all gifts from Him and He would love nothing more than to experience them with me to the fullest.

Sweet Husband Of Mine

Last night I fell asleep reading the Da Vinci Code in bed. Dom was reading his book and I don't think he noticed for a little bit or he just let me sleep while he kept reading his book, I'm not really sure since I was asleep. Anyway, all of a sudden I get woken up by Dom gently taking the book out of my hand and then turning off the light. I was extremely groggy and never fully awake, I didn't even say thank you to him but still he tucked me in and then fell asleep next to me. As tired and out of it as I was, I was so touched by this simple act that I just had to write about it.

I woke up in the middle of the night not knowing where I was or how I got in bed all tucked in but I eventually remembered that Dom did it and fell back asleep smiling. This morning I couldn't stop telling him how sweet he is and he just laughed not thinking anything of it but I honestly felt so loved. He takes care of me because he loves me and doesn't give it a second thought. What a sweet, wonderful husband.

Indecision

I am the most indecisive person that I know and it always tends to get me into trouble. The most recent trouble that I am involved in is an unfinished apartment. We have been unpacked for a little while but things are still lining our hallways and rooms that I need to hang but I just can't figure out where I want them. Poor Dom attempts to get me to make a decision by just constantly asking if he can hang this or that. Well yesterday I took care of most of it but I still have our room to do and I can't do that until I figure out exactly where our furniture will be because I still have yet to pick out a nightstand.......I'm ridiculous.

Today on my list of things to do is make returns to Wal-Mart, BB&B, and Michaels. These are all returns on things I bought for the apartment and decided I didn't want or they didn't go. I am hoping that one day this little quark of mine will go away or at least I can learn to deal with it faster. If I were a type A personality with this problem I would have at least been done the week we moved in. Even now that I have most everything hung it still looks funny because the frames, most of them at least, still have the picture that they came with. I have yet to order wedding pictures since I have them all in digital format or other pictures to put in our frames. We are surrounded by pictures of people we don't know. Weird.

We want to have guests (Dom's family) over when we are finished with the apartment but that is being delayed a little since I haven't gotten my act together but apart from that, I am really excited about it. I love his family and I want them all to see our wonderful apartment and share in our happiness with us. There are just a few kinks in the plan, one, there will be quite a few people over, twelve altogether to be exact, and although our apartment is spacious it isn't for twelve people. Two, I don't know how to feed twelve people. I just assume that when you invite people over around dinner time that you feed them and when it's at your place you make the meal. I would feel like a failure if I just ordered pizza or something. They are going to think I can't cook for my husband but we'll see how it all goes down. Lastly, entertainment. How do you entertain twelve people in a little apartment? Dom wants to show a movie but we have a couch that seats three and a chair. Grown ups don't like to sit on the floor and table chairs are uncomfortable after a while. I suggested a game but I would have no idea what game to play. Hostessing stresses me out but I find the anticipation and preparation thrilling. I need to figure out what we are going to do and soon.

Dom would say that I am just being silly, which I know I am but I have always been this way. Even living with Mini, I would freak out when Heidi or someone was coming over and go on a cleaning rampage and cooking spree. I like doing all these thing but I just wish that I could do them with a calm spirit and a little confidence that it will come out ok. Anyway, I am still looking forward to the "house" warming party and showing off all our hard work but until I say goodnight to the last guest I am going to be prematurely aging due to unnecessary stress. :)

Future Family Members

Don't get any ideas, I am talking about pets that Dom and I eventually want to get. We both want a Shiba Inu. They are just so cute and seem like a great dog for us. There is a picture of it on the left. The way I explain what they look like is the mix between a Pomeranian and a Husky. We love it.

The other dog that I want to get is a French Bulldog. This animal is more for me and that is why I have asked for it for my 25 birthday. This way we have time to save up and since we don't want pets for a little while, it gives us some more time. I have attached a picture of this breed too on the right.

I have been a little lonely during the days while Dom is gone and would love to have a little puppy to play with but it is just a lot of responsibility that we aren't ready for just yet. We don't want to have to find a dog sitter if we decide to go out of town on a whim or pay the additional fee that comes with owning a dog in an apartment, or watch it's weight to make sure it doesn't go over 25lbs. since that is the limit for dogs here. I think it's best to wait but I find myself freaking out whenever I see a cute dog anywhere. I do the whole pouty lip thing and baby talk. It's getting pretty bad.

On a more happy note, today is our two month anniversary!!! We have been married for two whole months. :) Wow, it has been so great growing with Dom and living with him in our wonderful apartment. I can't thank God enough for the wonderful man that he gave to me. He is my other half and I love being his wife!

Sporadic

First off, I have some running around to do today. My list reads: nails with heads, spray paint, button down shirts, and furniture....maybe. Last night Dom tried to set up our sound system and figured out that we need nails with heads which I did not buy at Home Depot the last time I was there, which means I have to go back. Going to Home Depot for me is like picking out makeup with your girlfriend for a guy. I have no idea what I am looking at and I just want to leave. But I am going to try and be a brave soldier and get what is required of me. I get to look at spray paint which seems fun enough because I am going to use it to change the color of a decoration I want to hang in our apartment. :)

The button down shirts is round two of my fashion consultant requirements for Dom. We got the jeans, now we need the shirts. I am so excited to go to Ross and pick out clothes for my husband. I feel like such a wife doing that, or at least I think that I will, it will be my first time. :) Last but not least, furniture shopping. I tried to go yesterday to the Salvation Army and Goodwill to see if I can find an end table or anything for the apartment but the Salvation Army I found was the church, social services branch of the Salvation Army and they didn't have anything to sell. I was disappointed so I looked up the nearest thrift store and found one close by. From the windows it looked really nice with some potential purchases but when I got to the door I saw that they were closed and said that they would be back at 8am. Their hours are 8am - 3:30pm.......I got there at 3pm. So lame but I think that I might try again today, if not I will drag Dom with me this weekend.

Later tonight I will be cooking the lasagna I made last night. I finally got around to preparing the overnight lasagna and let's just say that I am interested to see how it turns out. The meat sauce isn't so much a sauce as it is chunks of sausage with some red sauce. Dom and I laughed when we looked at it together. In the process I managed to splatter it all over myself and the kitchen. It took a little while to clean up and the shirt is in the washer as I write. I am so excited to make it tonight though. I got garlic bread sticks to go with it and if Dom and I like it, this might be one of our main dishes. :) I'll let you know how it goes.

Looking forward to Saturday

Yeah, I know, it is Saturday but since Dom and I have gotten our own place we haven't had a normal Saturday. Our first one Dom had to be at work at 9 am (a half hour earlier than work during the week) for a meeting and this one he had to be at RPM racing early for his brother's bachelor party and next Saturday we have his sister's piano recital. I don't know what the next Sat. holds for us but I am hoping it is nothing and that we can lay around with each other, snacking and reading and relaxing, like our honeymoon.

I don't think I am asking for too much but life happens you know. On a different note, Dom and I went shopping the other night after our dinner of Orange Julius and Cinnabon. We needed to get him jeans and converse shoes. It was fun but poor Dom had to try on about a million pairs of jeans. I am his new fashion coordinator I guess and it's pretty fun. He looks good but he looked good before so it's harder to improve on something that was already fine. :) Anyway, I have been getting a little home sick and it came to a breaking point this week. Some tears flowed and Dom was there by me but I think I am going to ask him if we can go visit SoCal this summer.

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying their Saturday. :)

House Wife

There was no lasagna the other night. I realized that it was an over night recipe and I had about 4 hours so that wasn't going to work. I went to the store instead and got stuff for tacos and Spanish rice, which turned out pretty good. I just had some for lunch. Yum. That was just a little update for you if you read the last blog. :)

I have finally finished unpacking!! The only thing that I haven't done is hang stuff up. I have a lot of pictures and frames that I need to fill. I want to order pictures from the wedding to frame but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I get to see them whenever on my phone or computer so I haven't felt the need until now. I'm kind of excited about it.

I have realized that I am a house wife. Now that we are all moved in I cleaned today. I am still in pajamas and I smell like pledge (orange scent, so it's not that bad). Yesterday I went around to places to look for some furniture for the apartment and will go looking again today. Things are too expensive but little things here and there that are affordable still make the place a little homier. I have a part time job for my parents but I do the work from the house. I always wanted to do this, especially while I was sitting in boring business classes talking about how to behave in the corporate world. This is the life and living it with Dom by my side is heavenly. I love being his house wife, in a non-possessive way. :)

Home Sweet Home

Well, we finally moved into our own place. We have been here a week yesterday. :) I can not even express how happy I am or how much I am enjoying having a place of our own! We just got internet today which is really nice. I have been dying to update this blog but didn't feel like doing it with someone else's wireless. I have so much to tell but I don't even know where to start.....

We have been unpacking the entire week. That is what I do during the day while Dom is at work and then he helps me at night. I wish I could say it has been a smooth experience but I would be lying. I doesn't help that I am an indecisive, pack rat with a slight case of OCD. I have so much stuff and no storage since we are just starting out and don't have a lot of furniture, so my stuff has been sitting around on the floor until we could get some storage. I finally put it away in the nice, neat way that I wanted it but that took forever because I couldn't decide what I wanted where. Uh, I hate moving, but I wouldn't trade it for the world because it means that I am finally living with Dominic. :)

It now feels like our marriage has officially started. I absolutely love it!!!! It is so much fun. We don't have to worry about saying goodbye in the middle of the night or sharing the TV with someone else or making people feel uncomfortable while we cuddle. No doors have to be closed and everything is ours. It sucks being without him all day but once he calls to say he is on his way home from work I get so giddy and the second he walks through the door I greet him with a huge kiss! I haven't been the best wife yet in the sense of cooking but we are still getting our bearings, or at least I am. I think I am going to try lasagna tonight. This will be my first time and we'll see how it goes, my title for tomorrows blog could be "Yummy Homemade Lasagna" or "Crap On A Plate" who knows. I hope it's the former. :)

Hopefully I will be posting some pictures of the new place soon but that will probably be on facebook and I have to get the apartment all set up before that happens and we still have a few more purchases before it's complete. Oh how I wish money did grow on trees. Honestly, this new chapter of my life has been the greatest blessing ever and I can't wait to spend another wonderful night with my husband in our Home Sweet Home. :)

Old Woman

Sometimes I feel like I'm an old woman in a 22 year old's body. I creak, crack, and feel achy most of the time but most of all I love old woman hobbies. Knitting, quilting, baking, etc. I bet you I would love water aerobics if I ever tried it. I brought this up because this morning my mother-in-law showed me some baby stuff that she has quilted but mostly knitted. They were so cute! A soft fuzzy baby quilt, booties, beanies, and sweaters. Not going to lie, it made me think about children. Neither Dom or me want children for a very long time and are both very adamant about that but looking at these adorable little things made me think, aww, babies........don't worry, it didn't last.

It is nice to know though, that our kids will have two grandmas that are going to spoil them uncontrollably. Doting upon them with home made goods and name brand clothing. :) I feel very blessed to have such an amazing family.

Housing update

Here is the update: we lost the house. I had mentioned earlier that we were having a little trouble with the loan well, it turned into a lot of trouble. What happened this time is that our broker made mistake number 978. If I ever meet this man it won't be pretty. He didn't give us proper, or any, warning about some documents we were supposed to provide and by the time he did it was too late. This little mistake put us back about 2 to 3 weeks and that's even if he could still come through......turns out he couldn't, I'm not surprised. We can no longer ask for extensions and because of the loan situation and it creating the downfall of our economy they are no longer easy to come by, especially if you own your own company.

Now we are looking for an apartment, which is completely fine with me. I am just so excited to be done with it all and finally moving into our own place away from family. Again, I love them but it's time to go. Loosing the house was a bummer but it's not the end of the world, we will look again when the time is write which is looking like next year and we won't be as rushed and will know never to work with this broker ever, ever again.

Monday the 13th

I am trying to remember back to high school when you would look forward to the weekend after a long week in school but I am having a little trouble. My thought is that, yes the weekends were great and anticipated, but the week wasn't that bad (of course I didn't think that at the time but in retrospect). You spent the whole time with friends and got out fairly early in the day so the week wasn't a total loss. Then you moved on up to college, which was like a field day. The times you did have class and went were only for a few hours and then you had the rest of the day to do whatever you wanted. The weekend was just an extension of that freedom. Now it's a little different.

Weekends are my oasis after a week in the desert. OK, maybe it's not that bad but it's not like high school or college anymore that's for sure. Dom has a 9-5 job Mon. - Fri. and I miss him. I go with him about half the time just so that I can be around him and have internet but there is no ditching or socializing with friends. After work we have an hour long commute home and then we just unwind. By the time we have shook off the day of work, it's time for bed. I guess I just need to get used to the adult life but I now see why people have the Monday blues and look forward to the weekend so much.

Doughnuts

As some know, I have an extremely unhealthy obsession with doughnuts. This is what happens in the mornings when I go to work with Dom, we get up and eat cereal together around 8 a.m. and then get to work around 9:30 a.m. and then I am hungry again. Sometimes one of his workers brings in doughnuts and somehow my stomach has now interpreted that to mean that every morning around this time it should be getting a doughnut.

Today was a no show with the doughnuts and so I want to walk to the nearest shop to get some. It is about a mile away but this is in Sacramento. My husband doesn't like the idea of me running around alone in this neighborhood and doesn't think I should go. Now how sad is it that I want a doughnut so bad that I may disregard my husbands concern for me and walk the one mile in Sac. just to satisfy my craving, on our one month of marriage anniversary nonetheless.....I'm sick. If anyone knows how to treat this problem or reads this in the next few minutes and wants to talk some sense into me, please post your comments.

............... 30 Minutes later..........

You're too late.

Ohana means family

Alright, here goes a little venting. We are living with the in-laws right now.....enough said? Don't get me wrong, I love my in-laws. They are amazing people who have opened their home to us once again but when you are newlyweds living with your parents, free rent doesn't bring as big of a smile to your face.

Here's what happened. We have a house but technically it's not officially ours. We are in contract to buy it but we are just waiting on the loan. Our broker promised us that we would be in on the 23rd of March, which in the day after we got back from our honeymoon but what happened was that a few days before we got back we got an email (not even a phone call) to tell us that he had to drop our loan from the lender he was going through because there were complications and has to start the process over with a different lender, meaning we would have to ask for an extension and get into our house even later than the original closing date.

Well, since this was dropped on us a little too late to look for an apartment and we don't have the money to stay in a hotel for a few weeks we ended up back at the folks. Now to be fair I should let you know that they are extremely considerate. They always give us our privacy and offer to go out to give us more time at home alone but somehow it's just never enough.

I love learning about a strong Christian family foundation from them and seeing how they interact with each other. I also love the many home baked goods that his mom makes but how we both view it is that our marriage hasn't officially started yet. I mean duh, we are married but we have yet to live on our own and take care of each other and ourselves independently. I really do believe that this was orchestrated by God and that I am supposed to gain something from this time which I feel I already have but I am ready to appreciate the new house and the alone time with my husband. In other words, I am ready to say goodbye to the "Ohana."

My Happy List

This is pretty much tradition for each blogger I know or at least friend. It was started by my Mini and seemed to really catch on. I started mine but haven't gotten too far. You are supposed to come up with 100 things that make you happy but most only blog their first 25 and I have at least 25 so here they are in no particular order:

1. A smooth lane sweep on the freeway.
2. My brother's laugh.
3. The sound of my mom's voice.
4. Surprises.
5. When the butter spreads really easily on the bread.
6. Feeling comfy (the weight of blankets on top of you or soft sweats).
7. New clothes.
8. Dom (In particular his laugh, smell, jokes, thoughts, and personality).
9. Feeling competent.
10. Finding the right song for the moment.
11. Fresh shaved legs.
12. When you don't want to put down a book.
13. When my hair does what I want it to.
14. Being married to Dominic!!!!!!
15. Showing off anything Dom did.
16. Big coffee mugs...I don't know why, I don't even like coffee.
17. When my nails are painted.
18. Movies.
19. Real accents.
20. A clear picture.
21. Candle light.
22. Seeing someone you actually want to see unexpectedly.
23. Making things.
24. Staring at my rings......Made by Dom.
25. Clean laundry.

Sugar Badger

So I had this dream the other night about my husband and myself. It started out in a car and we were with my family and family friends. We were not even dating at the time, just friends but Dom had been in love with me for a long time (conceited I know but hey, I was unconscious) I was madly in love with him too but had a lot of fun just knowing he wanted to be with me and that he in particular felt that way about me but I wasn't ready to make a commitment so nothing was official between us (again unconscious).

Well, come to find out that he was tired of waiting, even though we both knew he still wanted to be with me, and started liking another girl. Some little blonde tart that I am pretty sure was a cheerleader and happened to look just like Hayden Panettiere (that girl from Heros). Of course after I found this out I was finally sure of my feelings for him and wanted to let him know, since now our potential perfect relationship was in trouble. So I told him I loved him, not to be dramatic or anything. This seemed to hurt him more than make him happy and he didn't respond. I am pretty sure it was because he was a little upset that I led him on for so long without doing anything even though I felt the exact same way as he did. Let's just say that reality Candice didn't blame dream Dom.

Dream Candice however decided to act desperate and stupid. For some reason I and my family and family friends met up with her and then went with him to the girl's house. It was just her and her mom and when we walked in her mom was in work out clothes, exercising on the Wii. She was playing some ridiculous dancing game that had really weird names for levels. The second we stepped through the door "Hayden" started to join in the game with her mom, no doubt to impress Dom, and started dancing like a lunatic. Once she was done she annouced that she made it to the Sugar Badger level. I was conviced that Dom would eventually see straight and realize that she had lost it and come back but the dream ended with me silently fuming at the girl while simultaneously feeling crushed at the thought of potentially losing Dom.

Weird right? I of course told Dom right away and he couldn't stop laughing and has now added "Sugar Badger" to his list of pet names and has thrown it out there a few times. Each time he gets in trouble but when his punishment is a kiss I don't think he learns his lesson.

He Is Completely Mine

This is how I begin the new chapter of my life, basically part two, as...completely Dominic's as he has vowed he is completely mine. The title of my blog was derived from the first line of my husband's vows to me. If you didn't already know, I just got married to the man I was made for. He is my match in every way and these past couple weeks have only solidified that feeling.

The wedding was on March 7th and it was brilliant. Elegant and gorgeous in my opinion. Let's start at the beginning of my day shall we? It started around 6am. I couldn't sleep and continued to bug one of my bridesmaids about how this was the "last time" that I would spend the night like this with her ever again. I used this "last time" line mainly to annoy her and it worked like a charm. After that I started the day, breakfast, shower, and a good luck from a stranger on my impending marriage. Then the fun began.....

My mother, myself and two bridesmaids went to get our nails done and then moved onto to my makeup. We were running a little late but what bride isn't late right? Next was hair. It was about this time that our lateness started to worry me even though the show couldn't go on without me. I pressed my family and friends to speed but warned them about the copious amounts of cops lurking around in Northern California, proved by my first speeding ticket received two days prior to my wedding. Once we finally got to the venue the fun really began. Pictures started immediately as me and the girls got dressed and ready.

The moment had finally arrived and I was told that it was time to see Dom. :) I walked out to the aisle while his back was turned toward me and once the photographer gave us the ok, he turned around. It was so great to see his huge smile and hug my very soon to be husband. After this we took all of our pictures, tons and tons of pictures. Once we started seeing more and more people coming we headed back inside until the ceremony began.

I watched from the side of the Inn as my little brother, the best man, and the groom sat all of the important women. Then my girls, the ring bearer and the flower girl made their way down. Then it was my turn, the big moment. I said, "I love you" to my dad before we began and then we walked down the aisle. I was a little nervous and was absolutely bursting with smiles but it seems like those decided to stay on the inside as my nerves took over my expression. I didn't notice this until I watched a video of it later. :) We finally made it to the end and that's when I became lost in another world with Dom. We joined hands and from then on no one else mattered. We exchanged our vows which were extremely emotional for me but I managed to spit them out nonetheless. I guess not many people could hear us so I decided to put them up here for you to enjoy.

Vows:

To Dom

From the beginning you have been my source of light, my joy, my friend and the greatest gift that God has given me. Your compassion softens my edges and forgives my flaws, your strength and approach to life have changed my fears of the unknown to excitement for the opportunities that lay ahead, and your love and devotion have opened my eyes to the type of love that God has for us. I have learned so much from you and the fact that I can continue to do that fills me with a happiness that is incomparable and unfading. I want to encourage you like you have always encouraged me and never leave your side like you have never left mine. I love you with everything that I am and can't wait to walk through life holding your hand. :)

To Me

Candice, I am completely yours. You are beautiful to me in every way. Your smile makes my heart race, and I am overwhelmed by the depth of your love for me. You make me forget all my weaknesses and trials, and you help me to see the good that is in me.
You make me better. ;)
I don't know what our future holds. What good times and bad we'll have to go through. I don't know what pain or happiness lies ahead for us, but one thing I do know. I know that through it all, no matter what happens, I will be by your side to share in your laughter and your tears. There's no where I would rather be.
You are my best friend, my favorite person to spend time with, and spending the rest of my life with you is joy that I didn't think could be possible.
I love you with all that I am, and I will for the rest of my life.

This was the most special and important moment of my life! It was also my favorite part of the wedding. He had such a huge smile on his face the entire time he spoke to me and gave me a kiss that would have any woman never wanting to let go. We walked away as Mr. and Mrs. Parisi!

The reception was amazing, great food, beautiful ambiance, and lots of laughter. The speeches made me tear up a little and also made me crack up. The last line of Brooke's speech went something like this, "Marriage can be rough and it's full of its ups and downs but just try and keep it in the bedroom." I died laughing! Mindy's had some great quotes in it and some revealing information and Angelo went with the tasteful story that warmed your heart. I loved my bridal party!!! We then cut the cake and nicely placed the piece of cake into each others mouths but while no one was looking we smashed the second piece into the others face. :) Our dance was wonderful, full of smiles and I love yous but realizing we were married was the best part. Then came the rest of the dances. It was so much fun. A lot of people got up and joined in and seemed to be having a good time.

The bouquet toss was done to the song, "All My Single Ladies" by Beyonce and the flower girl caught it and the garter belt was retrieved to the Mission Impossible theme song. My little brother caught that....a little disturbing. Through out all the dancing Dom and I got a little tired and wanted to have a moment alone. We decided to take a little walk outside by ourselves and sit on a bench to take in the fact that it was our wedding day. I loved holding him and breathing him in as my husband. He is so precious to me. After about ten minutes we rejoined the party and continued to have a fantastic time. Our last dance was to, "Save The Last Dance For Me" by Michael Buble (thanks Lindsay) and then we ran through a line of our closest friends and family as they threw rose petals at us and wished us the best.

And so there you have it, the most important and amazing day of my life. I now share all my time with my adoring husband and can't thank God enough for bringing him into my life. :)