Happy Halloween (For The Goodwill Fans)

Cinderella Or Sleeping Beauty

The dress has been worn six times.Twice for testing, twice for pictures, once at Matt/Kim's and tonight. It is destroyed, I made the comment earlier that it looks more like Cinderella after the ball than Sleeping Beauty. She liked it, that's what counts.

The Better Beverage

Starbucks has a new rule that says the Baristas can only make one drink at a time. They want the Baristas to focus on one drink at a time in order to deliver a "better beverage". After seeing this in action for greater than a week I can tell you two things:

(1) My drink does not taste any different than it has for the last ten years
(2) I am waiting significantly longer to enjoy it than I did two weeks ago. Last weekend I waited 15 minutes for my drink at the Starbucks on Sierra Madre and Huntington.

Hopefully this is one of those management decisions that will just be reversed.

Halloween 2010 at Matt & Kim's

Last year we started a yearly Halloween tradition by going to hang out at Kim and Matt's. Tonight we hung out, ate great food (including hot dog worms, spiderweb dip, hardboiled egg eyes, spider cupcakes, butterfinger skull dessert and finger tip rolls) checked out the scary front yard (don't know how I missed the pics of this) and got cool gift bags with goodies. A good time was had by all!!!!

The Dell Streak

It's awesome!

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The Halloween Starbucks

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The Starbucks Bathroom Monitor

Every once in awhile I will work at the Starbucks in Pasadena. When I do, I pick the table that is all by itself in the corner that is close to the restroom. I find that when I sit there I am constantly asked questions or general commentary about the restroom like:

Is there someone in there?
How long has the person been in there?
It seems like whoever is in there has been in there forever (To this I respond that the door sometimes self locks and they should go get a barista to unlock)
Do I have to go get a key for the restroom (No, there is no key required)

Today after many comments I decided to place a tent card note at my desk stating "Starbucks Bathroom Monitor" after a few minutes I was approached and asked if it was cold inside. I find this an odd question since the person asking was already inside (As opposed to someone inside asking if it was cold outside). In response to this question I added "Temperature Control" to the sign, I also should have added noise monitor since I insisted my favorite Barista turn off the music.

Central Coast Oh How I Love Thee

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Brooke Explores the House

It is rare that we go into the living room as we tend to hang out in the back of the house. The girls both consider the living room a privledge and last week I decided to let Brooke explore it for the first time. Watching both girls crawl (Here is Sydney) through the living room for the first time at 7 months is interesting (for their mom). Both did great but Sydney is so much faster, Brooke is more pensive but I love how both periodically stop and monitor their progess.

I'm So Sorry

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Ice Cream A Year Later

Two sort of flashbacks: The from behind collection and the 2009 Ice Cream

The Late Nite Cat Lady

My Disney Princesses

We have been a bit challenged so-to-speak with professional pictures the past year or so. Sydney gets extremely nervous, won't smile and last Halloween it was terrible getting her into costume. So in order to avoid the costume problem, we have been dressing her up periodically in her "I Know" costume. Friday night I decided to take the girls for Halloween "practice" photos hoping that (1) We could get their one on one shots done and (2) it would help Sydney be calmer when we go with the cousins later this week. Love the one of my two princesses!!!!!!

Happy Third Birthday, Elizabeth!!!!

For the next six months you will undoubtedly be my favorite three year old ;)

I love you so much, you are my sweet perfect little niece and I can't wait to watch you grow this year!!!! XOXOXO Happy Happy Birthday!

Thursday, Brooke Will Be 8 Months Old

I feel like the time has flown by way quicker, I'm sure it is because work has been so busy-too busy-and has kept me away from her much more than I was ever away from Sydney. I have missed a whole bunch with Brooke and it really makes me sad, this girl just couldn't be any cuter and I want all the time in the world with her.

*She started creeping around in August but started really crawling in mid September.


*She didn't sit up until right after she started crawling (within a week)

*She loves to stand and has been pulling herself up constantly since the last week of September

*Barely started holding her bottle by herself, everytime I would try to get her to hold it she would stick her hands up over her head (odd I know). She has picked up and held everything else though for a couple months

*No teeth yet

*Likes food but without the teeth is struggling on the finger food

*She couldn't look more like her father

Happy Birthday, Kim!!!!!

One Of The Best Lock Photos

Is This A Strategy Session?

Apple Picking and Pumpkin Patch-2010

Sunday we went on our annual fall trip to Oak Glen. We picked apples, drank apple cider and finished our day off at the pumpkin patch. Thanks to mom for driving and making breakfast and lunch!

Grocery Shopping Extravaganza

I ran out to Vons today and went I walked in all I could see was bare shelves everywhere. Then I noticed the sign, 50% off everything in the store, the sale started yesterday (the store is being remodeled) and 90% of the stuff was already gone. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of the empty store. Still, I managed to spend $220.09 (saved $234.21)

We have more canned goods in the house than we have ever had. (Great for Earthquake prepardness, too bad they were out of water)

The great news is that they had Nutramigen! Nutramigen is the incredibly expensive (and I mean to the tune of $80 bucks a week) formula that Brooke uses. I got $190.00 of Nutrimigen for $95.00-Excellent.

P.S. Unfortunately Vons was out of everything I needed for my meals this week so I had to go to Ralphs and spend another $50 bucks.

Field Services in Alaska

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Update On Dougs Lunch

I have received clarity on the beef issue. Roast Beef is out, other beef is fine.

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The Fish Pill and Sushi

It's no secret, I really didn't enjoy being pregnant (either time) from the Vitamins to the heartburn, to the bed rest, to the headaches.....I could go on and on. The only thing I enjoyed was the girls kicking-and that was awesome. The fish oil pill (good for brain development) I absolutely despised, so much so that Brooke is lucky her brain works at all. ;)

Yesterday, Anne Marie and I went for a sushi lunch and along with Salmon and Spicy Tuna Roll I ordered Albacore. I had never ordered Albacore and before it arrived she said "I don't usually get Albacore because you never know if it is going to taste good or not". A less politically correct statement would have been "Run for the hills". It was terrible, I ate the first piece but wouldn't touch the second piece. It tasted just like the fish pill!

Five hours after eating it I was on my way home and all of a sudden I tasted the fish again-just like the fish pill!!!! Lesson of the day: Put Albacore on your sushi avoid list.

P.S. During lunch I was sharing my story below about Doug's lunch and when I got to the part about Lenore telling me Doug doesn't like beef Anne Marie interrupted me and said "Well, that's not true, he always orders a hamburger"......

Ideamints Or Annoyamints?

I never eat mints but the other morning at Starbucks I decided to pick some up. As I was chewing one after the next, (Really, why) I said to Laura, "I think these are ideamints" a few minutes later she was on a conference call and started eating the mints, she put herself on mute and then she proclaimed "I think they are annoyamints".

After a few hours they were "Strategymints". Today I had another one it was angramint, I am hoping tomorrows is a happamint.

Things That Offend Me Part 3

HP and Starbucks partnership, really?

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An Open Letter Regarding Doug's Lunch

On most Friday's Doug and I are in Pasadena and many times we end up grabbing lunch together. A couple of weeks ago I could tell that he was swamped and asked him silently (he was on a conference call) if I could return the favor (from a few weeks earlier when I had been swamped) and bring him lunch to his office. He nodded yes.

Walking out of the office I called Lenore and asked her what Doug likes to eat for lunch and she responded that she wasn't sure. Last week I received the following email from Lenore:

Subject: Hint
Message: I asked Doug what he does and does not like for lunch. He said he likes most anything except beef. Thought this might come in handy when planning your Friday lunches.

So my question is how come every time I have lunch with Doug he orders a cheeseburger?

Happy Birthday, Joshua!!!!!

My favorite 4 year old is now my favorite 5 year old! I hope you have a very happy birthday and I can't wait to see you later!
I Love You, Buddy!!

The Alaska Cruise Recap: Day 7

It's ok, say it, thank goodness this was only a seven day cruise. LOL! Day 7 took us to Victoria, Canada. I love Victoria and haven't been there since the 80's! We definitely didn't get enough time there.

Disney On Ice

Matt and Kim arranged for us (Kim, Vicki, Micah, Mom, Becca, Joshua, Elizabeth, Sydney and I) to go to Disney On Ice and sit in the front row. It was great but unfortunately some monkeys skated right up to us at the beginning and freaked Sydney out forcing Sydney and I to sit further back for most of the performance. A good time was had by all!

Happy First Birthday, Micah!

Way to do some damage on the cake! I love you!

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