san diego recap

Prayers work! Jolene's BIL had positive MRI results yesterday. We'll keep praying Leeney!

Monday – After leaving about 30 minutes late (my fault), we made it to San Diego to have lunch at CPK with Holly, Isaac and baby Ezekiel. Could Ezekiel be any cuter?

Seriously, how precious is Ezekiel? The Deken family

Proud daddy

Happy mommy

Rob and Ezekiel

It was really nice catching up with Holly and Isaac. They are going to be such incredible parents to that little boy! It’s amazing to me that just 11 years ago, Holly and I graduated from high school…and now she’s a mommy! Time goes so fast! I’m so happy for her – she’s so proud of being a wife and a mom. I can’t wait to watch her in action as Ezekiel grows up and their family expands.

After lunch, Rob and I headed to the Bodies Exhibition. Wow, that was pretty cool! It was amazing to see the innards of how our bodies work. I’ve never been one for anatomy, but I really enjoyed this exhibit. It was definitely enhanced by the audio guide – I mostly listened to the kids version. I tried the adult one, but it got very technical and frankly, a bit boring. I just wanted the top-line to each display. Rob saw Body Worlds a couple years ago in Chicago and actually liked that version better. I guess Body Worlds 3 is coming to LA in a year, we definitely recommend checking it out.

A funny story: When Rob and I walked in to the exhibit, he recognized the greeter and turns out she was one of Rob’s high school girlfriends. While she was really nice and gave us a discount and also the audio guide for free, I felt a bit uncomfortable. Not jealous, more like I was being checked out, which always makes me feel self-conscious. I’m sure it was just me feeling that way, but needless to say, I was relieved when we left.

We spent the night at my dad’s and had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant down the street from his place. It was really nice to catch up with my dad and just relax with him.

Tuesday – We woke up very early to have breakfast with Laura and Jeff. I ate banana pancakes and they were good, but Egg’s Etc. in Long Beach has a fluffier recipe. It was such a gorgeous day in La Jolla.

I heart La Jolla

Jeff and Laura

After lunch we stopped by Laura and Jeff’s office at UCSD to get a sense of where they spend all their time. As we walked in their office, I instantly felt a bit dumb with all the smarty physics PhD candidates there. Once we walked out of the office and headed to the beach, I felt instantly smarter and less burdened.

"Vacation Rob" (us pale people need an umbrella)

After a couple hours at the beach in La Jolla we headed home to have dinner with our friends Crystal and Dick. Dick is the best BBQ’er ever! We watched some Styx, ate Golden Spoon and soaked in the jacuzzi. Their pool and jacuzzi makes me want a house!

Our next mini-vacation is Santa Barbara. We leave on Sunday and return on Wednesday. Rob starts his first consulting assignment on the 6th, so our time is quickly coming to an end, but I’m so thankful for the time we’ve had together!

sleeping beauties...

Or something like that...We woke up at 9:30am and then fell back asleep at 11:30am until 2:30pm! Today is officially our laziest day yet! I'll do my San Diego update tomorrow. I need to take care of some things around the house now. However, today what I am doing, is praying for Jolene's BIL, Henry!

fro-yo madness and under the big top

Saturday - Rob and I went to the Orange County Flyers baseball game with friends from church. While the game was good (I think), I mostly enjoyed hanging with friends over hot dogs and peanuts. After the game, Band from TV played and we danced along to some oldies by goodies tunes. They were actually good and Bob Guiney, previously from The Bachelor, was really good! Even Hayden Panettiere made an appearance, which actually wasn’t that good. But it was fun to say we saw them and for a good cause too – the concert benefited several charities including Save the Children and the Guitar Center Music Foundation. All this was great and all, but the highlight of the evening was definitely my first experience at Yogurtland! Oh my gosh, it was so delicious! I’d go as far to say that it was better and creamier than Golden Spoon…Yikes! I went a bit crazy with all the options and ended up with chocolate, peanut butter and cookies-n-cream yogurt flavors with cocoa puffs and strawberries on top. I thought it was yummy but Rob thought it was a bit of a fro-yo explosion. He went for the less is more theory and had chocolate mint and vanilla yogurt with cocoa puffs, cookie dough and mochi on top - a bit of a topping explosion if you ask me. I can’t wait to go back – it’s definitely worth the drive!

Davis, Tammy, me, Rob, Crystal, Dick

Going crazy in Yogurtland
Yogurtland's end result

Sunday - Last night we went with our good friends Kristi and Brent to see “The Greatest Show on Earth”, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Kristi had free tickets through work, which is why we went. It was a fun and random night at the circus! Before venturing over to the “Big Top”, or rather, Staples Center, we ate at Engine No. 28, a beautifully restored firehouse. I haven’t been to the circus in years and years and while it was fun, I prefer Cirque du Soleil. I have a feeling we’ll have to go back once we have kids. At least it’s much cheaper than Cirque du Soleil. I mostly felt terrible for the tigers and the little [ugly] poodles. The carmel apple made it all better though.

Me, Kristi, Brent in downtown LA

At the circus

The poor tigers...

The poor elephants...

My favorite circus act!

In about an hour, we’ll be off to San Diego to visit some friends and family and walk around BODIES…The Exhibition in La Jolla. I’m really excited!

rockin' girl blogger

WeezerMonkey recently named me a Rockin’ Girl Blogger. Thank you!

WeezerMonkey said the following about me:

Charming newlywed chronicles her adventures in L.A.

Now it’s my turn to select another 5 Rockin’ Girl Bloggers:

A crazy little thing called LIFE
Jolene writes honestly about her everyday experiences and life’s struggles

just a little slice
Emily chronicles her little slice of life being married to the man of her dreams while impatiently waiting to add to their little family

Natale Moser Photography
Natalie’s blog shares her beautiful photographs, mostly weddings but family portraits and mommy-to-be shots as well

My Life with Lola
Mrs. D writes about her life as a puppy princess mom. She also shares the latest on her life, puppy tales and recipes

LJT
Laura writes about her grad school journey while living her dream

Go on ladies, select another 5 rockin' girl bloggers!

10 reasons why vacations are the best...

1. I'm not front of a computer all day (downside: I don't read my favorite blogs daily)

2. Rob was able to lead a couple of worship songs during Vacation Bible School


3. We can stay out really late (like 3am) on a Wednesday and go to Korea Town (or K-Town like the regulars call it) and go to a karaoke bar with our own private room. An unusual event because Rob absolutely hates karaoke. We only went because it was Rob's good friend and former boss Mike's farewell party.

Rob and Paul singing "Daydream Believer"

Rob caught me in mid-dancing action "Bye, Bye, Bye"

5. We can sleep in until 10am and still take a nap during the day

6. We can enjoy long workouts at the gym

7. I can stay up late to watch the rebroadcast of Victoria Beckham Coming to America. I kinda like her now. She's funny - not at all what I thought she'd be like. I also LOVE her hair - I wonder if only she can pull off the slick on one side and kinda messy on the other side look...

8. I bought 3 new books that I can't wait to read: Madeline Wickham's The Gatecrasher, Mia King's Good Things and Morag Prunty's Recipes for a Perfect Marriage

9. We can go to the beach on a Friday afternoon

10. We can go on mini getaways during the week (San Diego this week and Santa Barbara the following week)

Week 1 of my vacation is over...3 more weeks to go before reality kicks back in and new teacher trainings begin. Tonight we are going to a baseball game, the Orange County Flyers, with friends from church to celebrate Pastor Tom's birthday. His son is the bat boy - it should be a fun game! On Monday and Tuesday we are heading down to San Diego to visit some friends and family. Looking forward to visiting my old stomping ground...

Until next time...

a dozen donuts

I have to remind myself that we are not independently wealthy and that this “time off” is just a phase. While I feel incredibly blessed that we have almost a month off together, wouldn’t it be great to be independently wealthy? Hmmm…back to reality…

This morning was really a dream. Not because we did our little run/walk at the beach and then ate delicious banana pancakes, but because Rob and I made a bet that I think I can win. I grew up on donuts, nearly 1 every morning, and to this day I have to absolutely refrain from eating them, especially if they are in front of me. As we were driving to the beach, I was dreaming of warm, gooey banana pancakes and Rob jokingly said, “We can go to Domino’s Pizza instead.” My reply, “You can go to Domino’s and I’ll eat donuts.” I continued to tell Rob that I could totally eat a dozen donuts in one sitting (I’ve been saying this for years). Rob, I think tired of me drooling over donuts, said, “How much do you want to bet?” Music to my ears! My husband thinks I’ll get sick if I eat that many, I however know that I can eat a dozen. Anyhow, not sure when this bet will occur, but in hindsight, I wish I would have bet more than $20…

As I suspected, the banana pancakes at Eggs, Etc. were heavenly (I can't find a website, but they are located on Redondo Ave. just after 7th St. in Long Beach). After some errands and a nap, I made some dessert for tonight – a simple lemon cheesecake pie (a recipe from a Jell-O box). We ended the day having dinner with a former co-worker at Sushi Studio, also delicious. It’s really fun connecting with friends that we don’t have an opportunity to see as frequently as we’d like.

Looking forward to tomorrow too…I’m helping a friend serve lunch to a local physical therapy office. She’s a great cook, but more importantly, she’s great company. I always feel wiser after we’ve spent time together. Also just borrowed season 6 of the West Wing – can’t wait to start that! Season 5 ended with a cliffhanger!

banana pancakes

My blogging updates are off...now that I'm not working, I'll likely make my updates in the evening. I may also try a weekend update - otherwise my Monday recaps are so long and they take me forever!

Friday after I left work (for the last time), Rob and I celebrated my last day with a movie date. We saw Evan Almighty and absolutely loved it! Afterwards, we were starving and I was totally craving breakfast food so we went to our local Hof’s Hut and ate cinnamon french toast and banana nut pancakes. Both were delicious!

Saturday was spent with the Tuckers in Orange County. First we visited Rob’s Uncle Howard in a nursing home. He’s thankfully recovering from a bout of pneumonia. Afterwards, we went to Rob’s parent’s house in San Clemente for lunch. We also met Laura’s new boyfriend, Jeff. He was a trooper, actually everyone was, as we sat through a bunch of our wedding photos. A few are always fun, but we went through way too many, per Rob’s mom’s request (bless her heart). I’ll post my favorites soon. Laura and Jeff also returned from a recent trip to Wisconsin to visit Jeff’s family, so we watched a picture slideshow from their trip too. As usual, it was a wonderful day with the family!

Sunday after church we had a house project to complete. Rob bought the condo several years ago, but there’s still plenty of work to do. We learned rather quickly that we are not the DIY’ers that we had hoped. The weekends are really the only time to be productive and who really wants to do that? Before Rob quit his job, we (or I) were very close to hiring a handyman. Once he gave notice however, we decided that wasn’t the most economical option. Rob has become very handy around the condo over the years – replacing countertops, sinks, faucets, toilets, doing electrical work... Sunday, the project was installing a cabinet in the master bathroom, easy enough we thought. Our place has very limited storage space, so we’ve had to get creative. In order to make room under the sink, we needed to install a cabinet. I’ve wanted to do this for years, literally! We finally bought the cabinet a few months ago and it’s been sitting in our guest bedroom collecting dust. Sunday was finally the day. After 2 trips to the local hardware store, a few small expletives, and a Diet Pepsi Max, we got the cabinet installed! I am always so proud of Rob when a house project is done. I know he’d much rather do a slew of other things than install something. The day didn’t stop there, surprisingly…(I was so tired at this point). After our weekly Bible study, I was hyped on Skittles and watched Because I Said So with Mandy Moore. It was really cute! I would highly recommend this chick flick! My husband of course had nothing to do with watching it, but I enjoyed it.


Today, the first day of my unemployment, I woke up early with Rob and drove up with him to Santa Monica. He had a meeting with a former colleague about some potential work and I wanted to walk around 3rd St. Promenade. It was so fun to walk around at 10am! As Rob sat in a business meeting, I visited the Coffee Bean and Old Navy. I haven’t been to an Old Navy in a long time and walked out with a few items that I’ll add to my new teacher wardrobe. I love the comfy dresses and blousy shirts that are in style right now:





While part of me wants to be super lazy, I’m also really looking forward to being active with Rob and doing things that we normally wouldn’t be able to do together on a weekday. After Rob's meeting and my quick, somewhat guilty shopping excursion, we met up for lunch with Daniel, a friend Rob used to work with, at The Counter and enjoyed delicious gourmet burgers. Seriously, this place is yummy if you like a good burger! Even Gayle, Oprah’s BFF, added The Counter to her list of the “20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die.” She’s totally right too!

This week at our church is Vacation Bible School, VBS. We’ll be there each afternoon to help with snacks and also so Rob can sing a couple worship songs with the kids. It’s really fun for Rob and I to help together. In the past either he was able to leave work early to help or I was able to leave work early to help. We’re excited that we both get to help together this year. After VBS, I was exhausted, but we already committed to one another that we’d do something active each day, so off to the freakin’ gym we went. It was the hardest workout I’ve done in a long time. All I wanted to do was take a long nap (isn’t shopping and eating a burger enough?). I think what got me through was thinking that I didn’t have to work tomorrow…Speaking of tomorrow, I’m really excited! After we run/walk at the beach in the morning, we are going to this little restaurant, Eggs, Etc. to try their banana pancakes. Jack Johnson’s song, Banana Pancakes, has been in my head when I realized that Rob and I would have some time off for a few weeks. Here are a few lyrics from this song:

But baby, you hardly even notice
When I try to show you this song
It's meant to keep you From doin' what you're supposed to
Like wakin' up too early
Maybe we could sleep in
I'll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now
And we could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just rainin'
There ain't no need to go outside

I’m so excited to pretend like it’s the weekend…

good-bye!

Yeah, today is my last day at work and I'm so happy! It's been a great day of well wishes and hugs. I'm looking forward to sleeping in on Monday with my hubby!

Happy Friday!

it’s definitely time for a break…

This morning as I was getting ready for my second to last day of work, I put this on my arms and legs…

Instead of this...

Today, I’m feeling more excited to have time off than I am to start my new teaching job. I’m sure as the new school year approaches, excitement will take over, but for now, I’m looking forward to lazy summer days, especially lazy summer days with my husband!

I was listening to my iPod as I was updating my blog and this Flight of the Conchords song came on and it cracked me up! I had to share...



Enjoy!

dinner, a walk, gs, hooray!

In the past, my husband would get home from work sometime after 8pm. Meanwhile, I would keep myself busy working out, hanging with girlfriends, or watching chick-flicks that Rob wouldn’t want to see. Now that he’s a free bird and consulting, we actually have time together. We don’t have to cram everything in on the weekends. When I got home last night, Rob was also on his way home from his first gig…He got home at 6:30pm!! It’s been years, literally, since he got home from work at that time and didn’t have to work from home. We actually ate dinner together, went for a walk, then hit up Golden Spoon before coming home. It was really the perfect weekday night. Hooray!

Once home, Rob did stuff on the computer and I TV flipped – like Weezermonkey, I played along with the Singing Bee contestants. I enjoyed the cheese-factor, the dancing bumble bees, and Joey Fatone, but I can’t guarantee I’ll watch again unless I happen to be TV flipping. One show I’ll try to tune in for is MTV’s X Effect - If you were reunited with your former love, would you close the door on the past or re-kindle the flame? How fun is that? Last week I also caught Engaged and Underage - Ah, to be young and in love -- holding hands, passing notes in class, sharing a first kiss and planning a wedding. Who cares if people think it's too soon to get married! We usually don't get MTV, but for some reason we have it right now so I'm enjoying all the silly reality shows!

This afternoon, my team at work is throwing me a farewell pizza party. I’m looking forward to saying goodbye, but I’ve been back 4 times now, so who knows, I may be back during my summer breaks – I hope not though! I’m looking forward to enjoying a work-free summer in the future. After today, just 2 workdays left! Yipiee!

a nightmare

According to Wikipedia, the definition of a nightmare is:

A dream which causes the sleeper a strong unpleasant emotional response. Nightmares typically feature fear or horror, and/or the sensations of pain, falling, drowning or death. They can be related to physiological causes, such as a high fever; psychological ones, such as unusual trauma or stress in the sleeper's life; or commonly for no apparent cause. Nightmares can be so stressful as to suddenly wake the sufferer in a state of distress, which may prevent falling back to sleep for some time.

This definition is accurate…I woke up very distressed early this morning, yelling and crying. Not sure why, though I’m thankful Rob was next to me holding me and calming me down. It took me at least 2 hours to fall back asleep, just in time to wake up for work. I can’t really remember what my nightmare was about, but I was fighting and trying to escape…it was terrible!

I can’t wait to fall asleep tonight and get back to my usual sweet dreams.

transformers

I woke up Saturday morning not knowing much about the Transformers, other than I didn’t have any interest in seeing the movie and I went to sleep Saturday evening looking forward to the next Transformers movie. Rob and I kicked-off our weekend with dinner at BJ’s with some friends that we haven’t seen in a long time, Terry and Jen. Those pizookie’s are incredible! After dinner, they came over to our condo for some wine and surprisingly, cards. The only reason it’s surprising is because Rob hates games, but I think we made him a switcher. We had a great time playing Uno and a game called “Thumper”.

Saturday, we hiked out to Valencia for Corbin’s 4th birthday party – Transformers theme of course. We’ve been to several kid parties over the last several weekends, but this is our last one for a while…used to be weddings that we went to all the time – guess that means we’re growing up. Corbin is the cutest little boy with such a great personality. I tried to capture highlights from the party, especially the piñata – that was hysterical, but also a little dangerous too with all the little kids not really knowing the harm a bat can cause. It was seriously a frenzy with all the parents shouting to keep the kids away from the flailing bat.

Corbin, the birthday boy, at bat

Little Sarah wanted in on the fun too...Chaos!Corbin was so proud that HIS hit opened the piñataSarah didn't have such luck with the piñata, but her thumb made it all betterThe happy boySarah's first Capri SunThe guys without kids...

After the party, we went to see Transformers. I actually really enjoyed the action and the effects. After waiting in line for an hour, I thought if anything, the movie would be a good time for a nap. I was immediately engaged and didn’t even want to leave for a quick bathroom run (I eventually had to though). I’m really glad I didn’t see License to Wed while Rob and the boys saw Transformers. At Rob’s request, I obliged and saw Transformers, so soon it will be Rob’s turn to see my movie pick…Rob actually used my line when I told him I would rather see License to Wed, “Honey, don’t you want to experience this movie with me?” I couldn’t believe he recycled my line! I’m glad I did though. After the movie, our bellies were empty so we went with Corbin’s mommy and daddy, also known as Susan and Griff, to BJ’s (again!).

The family (Susan, Griff, Corbin)

Griff likes to teach Corbin faux-gangster signs

The happy kidless couple

I had a serious dress malfunction during the eventful day which resulted in a quick shopping trip to Angl (I can’t find a website for this store, but it’s great and inexpensive). During the party, one of the straps on my sundress broke. Fortunately, there were lots of mommies with diaper bags and safety pins. While waiting in line for the movie, my other strap broke. This time though, I was out of luck with mommies…I was just with the daddies. I put on my jacket and buttoned it up, but was being poked by the adjustable piece during the movie. When we decided to grab dinner, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to purchase a replacement dress. While Rob, Griff and Susan waited for our seat, I ran to Angl and ended up with a cute dress! When Susan found out that I needed something to wear she said to Rob, “I could have brought Alyssa something to wear.” Rob replied, “You’re missing the point, Susan.” My husband knows me way to well…

Sunday after church we grabbed lunch with some friends and then rested for the entire afternoon. We met up with our pastor and another friend for dinner at Mimi’s Café. With all the junk I ate this weekend, I’m looking forward to hitting the gym tonight. I’m oddly happy it’s Monday…looking forward to Friday!

my name is alyssa and i’m a frozen yogurt-aholic…

Yesterday afternoon I met Melanie at Golden Spoon. Last night after dinner Rob, David and I went to Pinkberry. I could have (or should have) said, “I’ll pass tonight since I had Golden Spoon this afternoon.” But I didn’t say anything and I happily enjoyed my second frozen yogurt treat of the day. I just can't resist the creamy goodness...

Happy Friday!

blah, it’s thursday…

The absolute best way to enjoy lunch the day after a holiday that falls in the middle of the week is a pedicure!

My toes and Jen's toes

I agree with Jolene, it totally felt like Saturday yesterday! I was pretty sad this morning when I once again remembered it was actually Thursday. Especially after I abruptly woke up this morning when I heard the street sweeping truck make its way down our street…I groggily yelled, “Crap, it’s Thursday and Charlotte is on the Thursday side.” Our street sweeping is 5am-8am, a particularly inconvenient time. It’s never enjoyable waking up that way. Not to mention, our household has now received 4 parking tickets in the last month – we are usually far more responsible. We got one last Sunday on 2nd St. when we realized that the parking meters are now in effect on Sunday (a new enforcement we clearly didn’t know about) and Rob received a doubly-whammy a few weeks ago for not refilling the meter and also for not having a front license plate. I’ve digressed…

We had a wonderful 4th of July! It was a special day for my husband as he really did celebrate a personal independence day! Tuesday, the 3rd, was his last day of work and now he’s now officially a free bird! He can now call himself a digital media consultant - we’ve been looking forward to this day for months! I’m so proud of you honey! After a great workout, where I alternated between walking and running sprints on the treadmill (inspired by Nanette) we made a yummy breakfast and relaxed around the house until about 2pm before heading to Crystal and Dick’s block party. We arrived just in time to enjoy Dick’s delicious BBQ! I ate really well until Crystal brought out the dessert, when I had absolutely no will power and ate a couple of lemon bars and a rice krispy treat. After staying there for a little while, we made our way to the Granda Hills area for another BBQ at Joel’s house. It was really nice to catch up with Joel – we haven’t seen him since our wedding in February. I refrained from enjoying more rice krispy treats, but did indulge in a gigantic hot dog…it was 4th of July, right? We left Joel’s around 8:30pm and watched fireworks all the way home…not a bad way to see a firework show really. 4th of July for me isn’t the 4th of July without fireworks, even if it is watching them from Rob’s car on the freeway.

Crystal, me, Emily, Tammy, Gloria ("the church ladies")

Last night before bed, Rob and I laughed, again, at this hysterical Starburst TV spot. We saw it a while back, but it was so funny to me last night and I giggled this morning too as we sang the Starburst song…





Until next time...

crafties, la rocks!

Melanie, a girlfriend of mine, just sent me an article about the Akbar in Silverlake and their new Wednesday evening classes – adult craft night! Each Wednesday focuses on a different project. The DIY classes in July include foam beer cozies, canvas tissue box covers, beaded necklaces and making a jigsaw puzzle! Really, craft night at a bar…how perfect is that?

boys and their toys

It’s official…my husband has his new gadget, that I’ll sometimes refer to as his second love. I’m his first, which I had to make sure of last night as we drove home from Chatsworth (an hour drive for us) where he maybe spoke 10 words – he was very focused on his iPhone and learning all about it.

Friday afternoon we made it to an AT&T store in Long Beach on 2nd St. at 5pm where we waited in line for about 2 hours (they were really really slow) when we found out they were nearly sold out. Luckily we discovered that the Apple Store in South Coast Plaza still had a bunch available so we quickly drove there to check out the scene. We waited in line for maybe 10 minutes before we made it inside the store where the employees cheered as we walked in – it was pretty cool experience actually.

An AT&T employee hiding before the madness

Rob makes a friend while waiting in line...What do you think they were talking about?

Rob and Pastor Tom (Tom wanted in on the experience too)
Rob sealing the deal

I'm still proud of Rob's name appearing in the ads

Saturday morning was the first morning in a very long time where we actually had no plans. Rob eagerly sat at his computer to go about the installation process with his iPhone while I sat on the couch to watch an episode or two of the West Wing. Not a few minutes later a church member called and needed some help moving, so we got dressed to help. Not what our original plans were, but at least we were helpful. We only had a couple of hours to help before we had to get cleaned up for a wedding. A cousin of Rob’s was getting married at a community center in Long Beach. It was a really special event. The newlyweds are in their 60s, so it was a more casual wedding than I have ever attended, however the emotion was like any wedding I have ever attended. The groom had is grandson stand as his best man and the bride’s daughter was her matron of honor. They cut cake, shared a first dance and even tossed flowers and a garter, it was a great afternoon!

Orlando waiting for his bride
Karen was escorted down the aisle by her sons

Mr. and Mrs. Rivera

First dance

Cutting the cake

Taking off his bride's garter
My MIL and FIL (it was a country western wedding)
My FIL's first Krispy Kreme experience
The old newlyweds

Saturday evening Rob, Laura (my sister-in-law) and I went for a nice long walk near 2nd St. It was an exciting evening, Laura had her first Pinkberry experience and Rob was able to use Laura’s computer to set-up his iPhone…something about not having the correct operating system on our home computer would have prevented Rob from using his iPhone until we get a new computer. Whatever, I’m just thankful Laura had her Bernice (that’s her laptop’s name) so this new gadget can be used.

After church on Sunday was the annual Tucker BBQ in Chatsworth. Fortunately, we were able to rest for a little while before making the commute out to the valley. Who am I kidding, Rob didn’t rest…When we finally arrived to the BBQ, needless to say, it was scorching hot, but it was so great to see family that we haven’t seen since our wedding. The iPhone was obviously a huge hit, but we were able to share some wedding photos using it (the clarity of the screen is incredible). As usual, the evening concluded with some Tucker music…seriously, they are all musically talented; a modern day Von Trapp family really (except for me…I’m the non-musically talented outsider).

Terry, Mary-Elizabeth, Rob, Laura
Rob and Laura

Our weekend was so busy and when I woke up this morning I couldn’t believe it was a work day…I was so sad and felt so unrested. Fortunately, Rob’s last day is tomorrow and my last day is a short 8 1/2 days away. The light at the end of the tunnel is quickly approaching! Can’t wait to have some time off before school starts and Rob begins his new consulting gig…

Happy Monday – yeah, it’s a short week!!