06.29.09

Miami Glow

At least 5 years ago, I had this perfume called Miami Glow by J.Lo. I got it while I was working at Gottschalks, actually I think I might have won it in some store contest. Anyway, once the bottle was used up I could never find it again...and my fragrance worker friend told me it had been discontinued. Well, today I found it at Target! Way overpriced for the size of the bottle, but it smells like heaven. Actually, it smells like summertime...sunscreen, coconut, fresh beach air...I love it!

06.28.09

Heatwave

We were in the bay area today and it was the hottest I remember it being in a LONG time. That only means that once we got home, it was even hotter here...about 100 degrees at 8pm! Thank goodness for air conditioning, our apartment was cool in no time.

06.27.09

10 Year Reunion

I thought about putting up a picture of me and Anthony, then I thought I should put one up of the coolest wives of the night (me and Barbara)...but really, it's all about these two guys. Their class reunion was all about bringing back memories for them, seeing people they literally haven't seen in 10 years. There was not as big of a turn-out as we thought there would be, but we had a great time talking to people and catching up. It was nice that we had a room at the hotel too, because we ended up with a fun group coming up for the after party. We talked, laughed and drank until close to 1am...definitely a fun time.

06.26.09

Bread Pudding

I got this recipe from my father-in-law last weekend and it's one of Anthony's favorites. It was super easy to make, except with our stupid oven you have to turn the knob from preheat to bake..and I always forget! So it's a little crispier on the top than it should be, but the middle seemed perfect. The true taste test will happen when Anthony tries it, but for now I think I did a good job.

06.25.09

Shocked

Ok, say what you will about Michael Jackson...we all know he was definitely weird, had some serious issues and obviously had a thing for small children. But honestly, he was a legend. A friend on Facebook posted something to the effect of "this must have been what it was like when Elvis died, except for our generation"...and I hadn't thought of that, but it's so true. Obviously there is a reason MJ was crowned the King of Pop, just like Elvis was the King of Rock n' Roll. And you can't tell me that you don't feel like dancing when Billie Jean comes on the radio...or that you haven't watched the Thriller video at least a dozen times....or that you haven't attempted to moonwalk, just once.

06.24.09

HP 1350 all-in-one

I love this printer...it's also a scanner and copier. I got it when I was living in Sacramento and it was so useful when I had to make copies for a class. Now, it's been helping us out with this home buying process...scanning and copying contracts and such. I can't wait for Anthony's printer to finally kick it so we can make the switch to this wonderful invention.

06.23.09

Handmade from the Heart

A family friend of Anthony's made this quilt for us as a wedding gift. She has a machine that stitches everything together, even using special stitches with designs. Then, she embroidered a tag on there with our names, the date and a special message so we would never forget who made it. The colors even ended up matching our bedroom perfectly! It's so nice to have something handmade, just for us, to sleep under every night.

06.22.09

Spinach & Artichoke Heaven

Tonight we went to Applebee's to take advantage of the 2 for $20 thing they have going on. Normally, we don't go out for dinner during the week (at least we really try hard not to!) but lack of grocery shopping this weekend meant there was only frozen chicken at our house. Anyway, the 2 for 20 deal is really good...especially if you only get water to drink, your bill really is only $20! Plus, it's a good reason to get the delicious dip you see above.

06.21.09

Happy Father's Day
Photo Credit goes to Whitney

06.19.09 and 06.20.09

Oahu by Boat

Another no picture couple of days...I need something that forces me to remember to take a picture. For now, enjoy the Oahu coastline...this was taken on our way out to the Atlantis Submarine.

06.18.09

Stockton Ports

Tonight we used my dad's season tickets and went to the Ports game with Tim & Annette. The weather was perfect, we had really great food in the Comcast club, and it was dollar beer night! Can't beat getting two beers for two dollars at a baseball game, even if they are in smaller than usual cups. Thanks for the tickets Dad, we had fun!

06.17.09

In My Element

Today I subbed for a friend who text me late last night...so I covered for her today and her class was awesome. When you know most of the class, it makes your day go by so much smoother. We got done with all of the routine stuff and had some extra time to play a fun game where students have to guess the word I choose by listening to the letter sounds individually and blending them together to create the word. While I was on campus I ended up picking up a job for Friday too!! Just when I think I should find a profession that will find me a steady paycheck more quickly, I have a day that makes me realize teaching is where I need to be.

06.16.09

Good Read

I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (about a year late, I know) and now I'm reading this book. Thanks to Whitney for introducing me to Jennifer Weiner, this is the 3rd book I've read of hers now. If you get a chance to read Good in Bed or Certain Girls, do it...in that order though because they go together. So far this one is turning out to be great, I always love a good murder mystery with some funny added in.

06.15.09

Recliner = Instant Sleeping

06.14.09

RoastBeef & Two Chile Grilled Cheese

Yep, another tasty recipe from Sarah's Test Kitchen...after this one, she's 3 for 3! It's super simple and can be made vegetarian if you aren't a fan of meat. My only complaint is that it was too spicy for me, so next time I won't use the pepper jack cheese on my sandwich. Anthony is a pepper jack fiend though, so he was all over this one. Let me know if you decide to try it!

*We don't own a panini press, so we used our George Foreman Grill. It worked perfectly!

*I made this for just the two of us, using pre-packaged roast beef from the deli meat section of the grocery store...I also just bought pre-sliced pepper jack cheese*

Makes 4 sandwiches
15 min

1/4 c mayonnaise
1 tbs canned chipotle chile (minced)
4 fresh kaiser rolls
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 lb pepper jack cheese
1/2 lb sliced roast beef (or heirloom tomato for veggie option)
1 small can mild green chili. Seeded and split in half.

1. Combine mayo and minced chipotle chili in small bowl.


2. Preheat panini press or grill pan. Brush outsides of rolls with olive oil. Spread rolls with chipotle mayo then top with 2 slices cheese, 2-3 slices roast beef (or thick tomato slice), 1 green chili and 2 more cheese slices.


3. Place in panini press or in grill pan (I don't have a panini press so I used a pie plate as a weight on top of sandwiches while they cooked). Grill until cheese is melted. Slice in half and serve.

06.13.09

Annette's Bridal Shower

Today we celebrated the soon-to-be Mrs with a bridal shower in my parents backyard. A couple months of planning, some amazing food made by her Noni, the most perfect weather, and some really fun shower games made the day great. Annette got tons of gifts that I know she will love using, and some that were meant especially for Tim. The whole day went exactly as planned, and when you're planning something like this that's really all that you can ask for. Thanks to a great group of bridesmaids for helping out in the kitchen, with the games and with the clean-up!! I can't wait for the wedding....

06.12.09

Peanut Butter Pizookie

Once again, I forgot to take a picture today. So here is a picture of my favorite dessert...a peanut butter pizookie from BJ's Brewery. We had dinner there a couple weeks ago thanks to some gift cards, and when you're there you can't pass one of these up. Trust me.

06.11.09

The Final Chapter

I'm finally reading the final book in the Harry Potter series. I kept telling myself that I would wait and read it in paperback, since I wanted to add it to the box set Anthony bought for me. But my mother in law bought me the hardcover months ago, when she saw it on sale for only $5!! I have never read an entire series of books before...(ok, not true, I was pretty obsessed with the Babysitter's Club books when I was younger)...but these books are soo good. I can sit down and read for two hours straight, sometimes more and totally get lost in the story.

06.09.09 - 06.10.09

Diamond Head, Oahu

Once again, I completely forgot to take pictures for two days. So I'll give you another picture from our honeymoon....it was impossible to take a bad picture in Hawaii!

06.08.09

She sells seashells...

For about a year I've been looking for some bathroom art. We have this blank wall that faces the mirror and I was just not down with the poster of a beach scene that Anthony's had since his "bachelor pad" days. Today I found this prints at Marshall's and they match my bathroom colors perfectly! I love when you go in looking for something totally different, in this case my mom needed some art for her kitchen, but come out with something for yourself for super cheap.

06.07.09

Do me a favor...

Today I drove up to Elk Grove to help Annette make wedding favors. She came up with the best idea ever...and Whitney and I offered to help her make it a reality. We spent some time in Michael's getting all the crafty things we needed...stopped off for a quick lunch...then headed back so we could get to work. And work we did, for about 5 hours straight we cranked out 90 favors that include "the cutest flowers in America" (direct Whitney quote). I definitely will not tell you what they are, you have to wait and see them for yourself...or on this blog after September 5th. But trust me, either way, you're going to be super impressed with our work!

06.06.09

Commencement

Once again I didn't take a picture at the actual event, but today we went to a graduation party for my cousin Marc. I can't believe how grown up we all are, my youngest cousin just turned 20 on Monday. It was a nice day, awesome weather and we got to chat it up with our favorite people. We got home pretty early and decided to be spontaneous and show up at a birthday party for a friend in Milpitas. It wound up being a fun night that ended with a trip to Dave & Buster's with some great friends. We realized on the way home that we have busy weekends until the middle of July...I promise I'll take pictures then!

06.05.09

Creamy One Pot Pasta

Another new recipe that turned out great, thanks to Sarah's Test Kitchen! Instead of posting the whole recipe, I'll let you read it for yourself here. It has so few ingredients, I was sure that it was going to end up not tasting right...but it was super good. And the best part is: easy clean-up! You only use one pot the entire time you are cooking..amazing! Next on my list of things to try from this website: Margarita Cupcakes. Yumm!

06.04.09

Music in the Park

Tonight we went to the summer Music in the Park series with my parents, Aunt Sue and Uncle Bob. It was a coverband, called the Cheeseballs...obviously named for their tacky costumes. They played a mix of 70's and 80's, and even a couple songs from current musicians like the Pussycat Dolls and Lady GaGa. It was nice to sit outside and listen to a free concert, they do this every Thursday so I can't wait to go next week. It was unusually cold for the beginning of June though, so it will be nice when we don't have to sit with our sweatshirts on!

06.03.09

Smells so good...

06.02.09

Summer's on it's way...

I found a summery welcome sign this weekend, in the dollar bin at Target. I like having something to hang on my door, on the off change someone comes to visit. Tonight, we started our summer activity...riding our bikes! Remember, I got this for my birthday? It needed some tuning up, but now it rides perfectly so we rode up part of the bike trail in our town. We ended up going about 5.5 miles, which is pretty far if you haven't really ridden a bike in awhile. I'm excited about going again tonight...if I end up in better shape and with a nice tan by the end of summer, the bike has paid for itself!

06.01.09

Tropical Mojito

I think Mojito's might end up being my summer drink of choice. This one in particular is from BJ's Brewery (gift cards are awesome!) and it was delicious. It had pomegranate syrup in it, so it was sweeter than a normal Mojito. I need to figure out how to make these and I'll be set for summer.

05.31.09

Isolated Incident

Tonight we went to see Dane Cook perform at the HP Pavillion in San Jose. It was Anthony's birthday present from me, but really...a present for the both of us. We have been laughing at Dane Cook for years, ever since our friends Kellie and Curtis told us about him. Tons of people don't think he's funny, but guess what...I think he's hilarious, and the arena was sold out. I laughed my ass off last night, until tears streamed down my face...the best kind of laughing really. He had all new material, with throwbacks to some of my favorite quotes mixed in. If you've never heard his stuff, listen to it...if you like it, awesome...if you hate it, don't tell me :)