Saturday, May 30, 2009

*sings* "I want to be a producer....."

Well, not much luck on the job front so far.  I wish I could write saying that the phone is ringing off the hook with offers, but alas... not the case.

A few weeks ago, I had applied to be a Morning Show Radio Producer for a local radio station.  (random, I know!).  I knocked it up to the fact that theatre and radio aren't all that different, and since I have so much experience in theatre that i'd be a good candidate!   Ha!   I guess it got someone's attention because I got a call on Friday asking if i could come in this week for a quick meet and greet.  We'll see how that goes!

Other than that, no other job interviews.  :(  I really wish I could get an interview and job at either Microsoft or the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  It's going to take some time I fear....

...but then again, who knows!  I could be an AM Radio Producer!  Personally, I don't think I stand a chance, but seriously, how hilarious would that be?


ps.  PLEASE HELP!  What does one wear to a meet and greet at a radio station?  I HAVE NO CLUE!

Friday, May 29, 2009

Fun Foto Friday

I've decided to introduce a new weekly header to my blog. 

Fun Foto Friday will display some fun picture(s) that I've found or that others have sent during that week.  Enjoy!


Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Top ten ways the Bible would be different if it were written by college students

1.  Last Supper would have been eaten the next morning - cold.
2.  The Ten Commandments are actually only five, double-spaced, and written in a large font.
3.  New edition every two years in order to limit reselling.
4.  Forbidden fruit would have been eaten because it wasn't cafeteria food.
5.  Paul's letter to the Romans becomes Paul's e-mail to abuse@romans.gov.
6.  Reason Cain killed Abel: They were roommates.
7.  The place where the end of the world occurs: Finals, not Armageddon.
8.  Out go the mules, in come the mountain bikes.
9.  Reason why Moses and followers walked in desert for 40 years: They didn't want to ask directions and look like freshmen.
10.  Instead of God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh, He would have put it off until the night before it was due and then pulled an all-nighter.


Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Weekend Update

Jen was here this weekend and we had a great time!  Saturday we picked her up from the airport and went straight to Seattle.  We walked around the market for a bit and up the streets to window shop.  It was great!  We came home and A grilled out.  He made some amazing chicken with some new spices he picked up downtown.  He also made some grilled onions and asparagus.  MMmmm!  

Sunday we woke up and went to church after breakfast.   My back was hurting pretty bad so A and Jen went for a quick bike ride while I iced my back and took some meds.  We then went out and took Jen out for her very first Geocaching experience!  She's a pro now!  We hit 4 for 4!  Dinner was out to our favorite sushi place and ate sushi til our bellies burst! We headed home for a movie and shesha night consisting of THE ROCKER and NIGHT AT THEMUSEUM.

Monday, we drove east and went hiking all day at Wallace Falls.  It is absolutely beautiful there with huuuge water falls that just take your breathe away.  When we came home, Jen and I played some cards while A made his famous pizza!!!  We watched SLUMDOG MILLIONARE and went to bed for an early for a pre-sunrise trip to the airport.

Thanks for spending your memorial day weekend with us Jen!  Come back anytime!!

I'll leave you with some pictures of our hike....
A view from the start of the trail

A hike at the bottom of a waterfall.  See it above in the distance?

A stream from the tail of a waterfall

yay!  We did it!

Friday, May 22, 2009

It could be worse

I've been feeling really depressed lately.  I've been having back problems that have been causing me a lot of pain.  Because of this, my Chiropractor tells me to cool it on the work-outs this week.  I've really been enjoying my workouts, seeing results, and feeling great!  Not being able to work out for a whole week is going to be tough!  In addition, this job loss is really hitting me hard.  What's so wrong with me that my company had to let me go?  Am I not a good worker?  Do I not add value?  Do they not see worth in what I do?  I think it's this combo that has really gotten me down.

It's these times that I need to count my blessings and not give into the depression.  For one, A still has a great job and is trying hard to succeed.  (i'm so proud of him!)  We dont have any debt, and in fact have a little bit of savings that we can use if times get tough.  I have two beautiful furry children that show nothing but unconditional love!  And my back problem is only temporary and hopefully I'll recover in no time!

As bad as things are right now, they COULD be a whole lot worse.  We don't have to stand in line for food... We aren't going to lose our house and have to go live with our parents.  I have an amazing husband who is still making good money who will be keeping up afloat until I can find work again.  And at least i'm not pregnant with triplets!  hah!  In the grand scheme of things, we're doing ok!

I just needed to write that all out to give myself some perspective.  :)

In other news, Jen is coming to visit this weekend... We're going to have a great time enjoying the beautiful Seattle weather and it'll be nice to have some family around! :)

Monday, May 18, 2009

Weekend Update

It was a glorious weekend weather wise.  The sun was out, the birds were singing, the sky was blue and A and I spend as much time outside as we possibly could.

Friday after A got home from work, we found that a new geocache was posted.  We threw on our shoes, grabbed our GPS and headed towards the cache.  It wasn’t long before some other local cachers joined us and soon, we had 6 people looking for it.  For those of you who know anything about caching, it was a micro (maybe even a nano) that was a 5-star.  This thing was evil and no one that day found it!  We’ll be back though.

 Afterwards, we went to a local brewery that just opened down the street about a month ago.  It’s got our attention because the name of the brewery is called Black Raven.  That’s the name of one of A’s businesses; Black Raven Enterprise.  So naturally, we had to check it out.  Since they are still new, they dont serve any food, and they still have a small selection of their beers, but the ones they do have are really good.  We definitely found our favorite though; a Kristale Wheat Beer:

(from website)  The Kristale is a filtered German style wheat beer [Kristallweizen] that is rarely produced in the US. Light in color and alcohol, the Kristale features subtle banana and clove components layered onto a flavorful wheat and pilsner malt base. This is our lightest style beer and perfect for

 warmer weather. Who says you have to give up flavor to enjoy a lighter style beer? Not with the Kristale! 


Mmmm, it was SOOO good!  We’ll definitely be back!  We bought some beer to go and came home and made some burgers.  Beer and burgers… now there’s a meal my dietitian would approve of!! :P

Saturday A and I went bike riding on some trails nearby and happened to stop at a few geocaches along the way.  We hit 5 for 5 that day!  Later, we got dressed and went to this new area called The Landing.  It’s this new area where they have restaurants and shopping.  It’s pretty fun down there but still new.  We had a snack at the wine bar; a glass of wine and some bruschetta.  Doesn’t it look Delicious?

Sunday was another glorious day!  We went downtown to the 5th annual cheese festival.  There were tents and tents of free cheese samples from all different vendors.  It was soooo crowded as expected so we didn’t take a ton of cheese, but we had enough to satisfy our pallets.  While down there, we also did 3 more cache’s.  8 found cache’s this weekend, not to shabby!

 We came home and A planted some more things in his garden; strawberries, lettuce, onions, watermelon, and round 2 of the bell peppers and basil.  We’re going to have some good eats this fall!!

Next weekend... JEN VISITS!  We're looking forward to that!  :)

Sunday, May 17, 2009

FUNNIEST thing i've seen in a while...




Now tell me, how hard did you laugh?

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Happy Birthday Mom!

Oh how I wish I could be in Chicago today with you to celebrate, drink some wine, and make you RELAX!!   I really hope you are able to take some time for yourself and do what you WANT to do today instead of what you think needs to be done.  That stuff can wait til tomorrow!!


In honor of your Birthday, here are 10 (out of thousands) reasons I love you:

1.  You are one of the best shopping partners I've ever had!
2. You're always so put together and look great all the time, even if you're just running to the corner to pick up some eggs!
3.  You and I make a great team together.  If we were closer, we'd have a VERY successful business.
4. You have an amazing talent for always keeping your house SPOTLESS.  How do you do it?!
5.  Umm.. you STILL look  like you're 40!  Hope you passed that gene down to me!
6.  You are unconditionally considerate, loving and helpful to people even if they don't always return the favor.
7. You're a great cook, always trying to serve your family healthy and nutritious food.  
8.  I love how you're a sun-goddess and always want to be outdoors.
9.  You step outside your comfort zone and are trying to learn more about computers so you can keep up with your family
10.  I love it when you take time for yourself.  You don't do it NEARLY as much as you should, but when you do, it's wonderful!!

I love you SOOOO much!  Have a blessed day!!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Deck before/after

Our deck is finally complete!  We're so excited with the results we can't wait another moment to share with you!

This is our ugly, boring deck before:

And this is the after:

I know!!!  We are so pleased!  The curtains are custom made by A's mom.  She did a FANTASTIC job!  They really make the space feel more comfortable.  Our poor neighbors yelled over to us as we were putting them up, "I promise we're not spying on you!!"  haha, we told them it's more for decor than privacy.

So, what do you think?  Who's excited to come over and drink a glass of wine with us on our new outdoor space?

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to my two favorite mothers!

Mom, you're a wonderful mother,
So gentle, yet so strong.
The many ways you show you care
Always make me feel I belong.

You're patient when I'm foolish;
You give guidance when I ask;
It seems you can do most anything;
You're the master of every task.

You're a dependable source of comfort;
You're my cushion when I fall.
You help in times of trouble;
You support me whenever I call.

I love you more than you know;
You have my total respect.
If I had my choice of mothers,
You'd be the one I'd select!

By Joanna Fuchs


I Love You!  Hope you have a wonderful day filled with blessings and love!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Happy Birthday Astro!

Happy Birthday to our little man!  He's grown up sooo quickly!

from a little kitten...

playing with this 'oversized' toy...

to a full grown 2 year old kitty!  


In honor of Astro's birthday, I've decided to stay home all day with him so we can play and have lots of belly rubs.  (it's a joke, cause I dont have a job now so I stay home anyway!)  :P  but.. there were a lot of belly rubs involved!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast

For those of you who wanted my recipe, you can find it on the bottom of this post:  Cooking for my husband pt.1

Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Job Less

** UPDATE**  Looks like I was one of those people let go today :(  Funny what life throws at ya...

The rumors are true.  Yesterday rumors were spread that TODAY, there would be another round of lay offs at Microsoft.  This morning, as soon as I woke up, I checked my email and sure enough, an email from Steve Balmer.

There will be about 2,000 people who will walk into work this morning and their manager will come by and say "Can we talk?"  :(  I am so sad for all the people who have been affected by this economy.  

I consider myself VERY blessed that A and I still have our jobs.  We most likely will not be affected by these Microsoft layoffs, however, keep those who ARE affected in your prayers!

It's going to be another somber and dark day at Microsoft :(

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Weekend Update

This weekend was absolutely glorious!!  Friday was perfectly sunny and got to the upwards of 80 degrees.  A and I played hookie from work.  (I'm starting to see  a pattern of me not working on Fridays... hehehehe).  I ran a bunch of errands while A got a little work done.  Then we went to this amazing mexican restaurant in downtown Kirkland called Cactus.  It's been featured by Rachel Ray and listed in many magazines and newspapers.  That's not why we went, we went cause it's good.  period.

Then, off to do some geocaching.  We had a pretty successful day getting 3 of the 4 caches.  We came home to do some more gardening (I pretty much just soaked in the sun).  A planted bok choy, two different kinds of onions, rutabagas, two different kinds of beans, peas, cucumbers, dill, parsley and some chives.  Yay for getting our garden started!!!

We ended Friday night with some home made pizza and  a movie, Syriana.  

Saturday we went fishing all day.  The picture on the left is where we went.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  A caught 2 little perch fish, too small to keep.  I didn't catch any but it was still a lot of fun!!  It will definitely be part of our summer activities!

All that fishing made me hungry for some seafood so A made us a wonderful Salmon dinner as we watched Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  Never seen it before- GREAT movie!  I highly recommend it.

Saturday was also the day that my 2nd brother (kinda), Brian proposed to his gf!  Contrats Bri!!

Sunday was a day of caching for me!  5 of 5 today!  I ROCKED it! :D  A stayed home to do some more garden stuff and cleaned out the garage.  Then... we had a quick lunch and off to fish again! A and I both caught little trout this time!  Once again, too little to keep :(  We'll switch up our location next time in hopes to get some bigger fish to bring home and eat.

A and his little trout


Me and my trout.  Looks bigger than it actually was.  And yes, completely freaked out because it was flapping all around like... well... a fish out of water!  :P