Looking Glass Self

Castles and Such....

2009-04-07T12:43:00.000-04:00

Inside a moldering castle.. I haven't used the word 'moldering' before. That's fun. Moldering.

Today we got passes that would get us into many historic sites for the day. As it gets to be a better deal the more sites you visit, I knew it was going to be a tiring day. We started with a tour of a whiskey distillery and then hit the road stopping at as many places as possible. Our last stop was at Dunnottar Castle. These ruins were featured in Mel Gibson's "Hamlet". I had visited them once before with my friends when I was studying in Italy. It was different this time. There was a car park and wide path all the way to the castle. When I was here years ago, we had to search to find a small little trail head and then hike a mile or so and approach the ruins from the side. It was a slippery slide down some neglected steps to the facade which was built into the rocky sides of a cliff. There wasn't another person there and it felt as if we had randomly come across it. This time, there were many other people there and it was a short leisurely walk to the vista point. The stairs looked new and there was even a hand rail taking you down to the entrance of the castle. Being older and more prissy now, I appreciated the pains that had been taken. Part of me though, the romantic and mud-loving part, preferred the first time I had visited it.

In Elgin Cathedral.

On top of a moldering castle.

The group in front of Dunnottar Castle

Jason and I walking very dramatically away from the moldering ruins of Dunnottar Castle. Ok, I'll stop.

On the long drive home, we stopped to visit with these friendly Scot fellows.

One of the only pictures I took on the trip!

Bangor Cottage and Culloden

2009-04-06T23:02:00.000-04:00

Last night as we were pulling into our new cottage, the dark night and dead broken trees surrounding us on the long driveway in, were enough to start us off fearing our new abode. In the morning, we decided to face our fear by exploring. After all, we technically had acres upon acres at our disposal. We walked to the cliff to look down at the river and the sight didn't soothe our fearful hearts. Down on the banks of the river was a tiny little house surrounded by ruined trees. It looked as though a sonic boom had emanated from the tiny place annihilating everything around it for a hundred yards.

We made our way down the steep embankment to the river and found a swaying bridge to get to the other side.

A view of our cottage from the other side of the river

After our little jaunt, we decided to go grocery shopping at the Tesco in Inverness. I have fond memories of Tesco from my last trip in Britain so I was excited to peruse the aisles. Michelle and I wanted to visit the Culloden battlefield as the Outlander books went far in inspiring our trip location. We walked through the visitor center and through the battlefields to find the marker we wanted!

Jamie's clan

That night we feasted on haystacks and relaxed in the parlor talking long into the night.

Nothing could have tasted better than those haystacks!

St. Andrews

2009-04-05T22:45:00.000-04:00

After checking out Edinburgh Castle, we headed back north, driving through St. Andrews on the way. After an excruciatingly long time, we finally settled on a place to eat lunch. Such is the way with 5 vegetarians and 1 flexitarian traveling together... The pub we ate at had vegetarian haggis and I partook! It was delicious!

St. Andrews has the distinction to be known as the birthplace of golf. We walked around the famous golf course and then the beach where Jason picked me up and flung me about.

We walked the streets for awhile and explored some ruins before getting back in the van to drive to our next rental house, Bangor Cottage.

We wanted to see some of the grand houses behind the stone walls!

Edinburgh Bound

2009-04-04T22:33:00.000-04:00

Today we drove down to Edinburgh to briefly see the city. As we are thrifty folks, we all stayed in one hostel room together.

We walked around the city craning our necks at the beautiful architecture and peering into souvenir shops looking like complete tourists I'm sure. Which we are so that is ok.

I even got a picture with a piper!

We walked up the million claustrophobic stairs to the top of the Sir Walter Scott Monument.

Beautiful views abounded.

Jason captured this stunning view.

We Get Around

2009-04-03T21:45:00.000-04:00

We had quite the adventure today. You may notice that I am in most of the pictures that I will post on this trip. Indeed my rule for this photo blog is that I must have either taken the photo or be in it. As the only one of the group not to have brought my own camera, I am sure it seems like I have my own entourage of paparazzi.

We started the day with a walk along the River Ness. This river flows through Inverness and into Loch Ness. The river walk was quite pleasant, the winding paths and bridges took us from the river bank to some little islands, passing quaint houses all the while.

Next was a drive along Loch Ness, which is quite a drive indeed. Loch Ness is very long. We stopped and had a look at its pink rocky shores and at Urqhart Castle before finally breaking from the water to drive Northwest toward the Isle of Skye.

On the way, we found some peat in this grand setting.

Running towards the peat fields

Peat!! Don't ask me why it was so exciting...

We stopped whenever the urge hit us. Which was quite often. With landscape like this, can you blame us?

When we reached Eileen Donan Castle, we decided it was time to turn around as we had a lengthy trip back to the castle we call home.

Eileen Donan Castle

As we were driving through Invermoristen, I glanced out the window to see this scene whizz by.

I yelled at the driver (poor driver) to stop and back up. He did and we spent the next hour romping around the woods and scrambling over the rocks of the river. It was a long day but very fulfilling.

Muckrach Castle

2009-04-02T21:36:00.000-04:00

Today Jason and I, Jason's brothers Chad and Matt, and their wives, Holly and Michelle, arrived in Glasgow, Scotland. After leaving the airport we headed to a vegetarian restaurant I had scouted out in the guidebook. We had our first taste of Irn Bru (a very Scottish soda apparently) then got in the car and started driving north. My name wasn't on the rental car driving list so I will be spared driving this whole vacation. Which is fine by me! About 7 years ago, I had to learn to drive stick shift on these same roads chauffeuring my two drunk friends around. I have no need to relive those sweaty-palmed terror-ridden lurching drives through roundabouts in the dead of night.....

On the way up, we stopped at a couple picturesque towns with castles but mostly hurried to the castle that we would be calling home for the next two nights. Muckrach Castle in Moray.

Jason, Me, Chad, Holly, Michelle, and Matt in front of Muckrach Castle upon our arrival.

It is very well kept inside and we are quite happy! After arriving, we drove into the nearby town to have supper at the local pub. It was a very friendly experience with GOOD food! Some locals told us to watch out for the castle's ghost. We intend to do so.

Jason used 12 minutes of his life on this capture alone. Worth it? I say yes!

On Our Way to See the World

2009-04-01T22:08:00.000-04:00

*Note- This may confuse you to see posts appear that seems to be 2+ years old. I am trying to finish my 25th year photo journal. I have the photos but didn't finish posting them. I would like to finish this before the New Year.

On my way to Scotland!! I thought I was going to have to fly into London all by myself as Jason was starting our trip from a different location but he surprised me by showing up at the airport in New York to fly that leg with me! I'm so excited!

Couch Maiden

2009-03-31T23:06:00.000-04:00

My mom fell asleep on our chaise lounge today. Mosey was snuggling with her but ran off right as I got out the camera.

Office Perks

2009-03-30T15:01:00.000-04:00

Got a free massage today at work. A massage therapist came in and gave those who signed up a 15 minute back massage. Felt good!

Don't I look relaxed?

Puggle and Poop: A Perspective

2009-03-29T17:59:00.000-04:00

Mosey took me on a walk today....

Annie Liebovitz I'm Not

2009-03-28T14:54:00.000-04:00

Yes folks, that is the picture I took for the day. A blurry up-close picture of my dog's healing wound.... For posterity's sake.

Our Stowaway

2009-03-27T14:43:00.000-04:00

We are packing for our trip to Scotland and Mosey knows something is up. He's not about to let us leave without at least trying to come with us.

On the Mend

2009-03-26T17:35:00.000-04:00

Mosey is feeling a lot better today. We were pretty worried about him last night. He was really out of it. We woke up several times to make sure he was breathing. Jason was tired this morning but feels ok about his test. He was home early and we took Mosey on a walk up the hill behind our house.

No More Dog Park

2009-03-26T02:16:00.000-04:00

Today Mosey was attacked by a dog at the big dog park. His neck was ripped open (ok, so that is true but a bit melodramatic. What can I say, I'm a dog mom) by a border collie with an unfortunate predator instinct. The aggressor's human mom seemed to think it was Mosey's fault that her dog picked up my baby by the neck and shook him not once but twice. Therefore, I believe I am too upset to ever go back to the big dog park. So there you are, today Mosey lost the thing he likes the most but at least he didn't lose his life. We went to the vet and got him stitched up.

Mosey gets especially snuggly when sick or at the vet and today was no exception.

Here he is after being fixed up.

He is heavily drugged, so now that the terror has worn off, I find him really cute.

He should be ok. Jason has a test in the morning and it is really late now so I hope he can sleep. It is always upsetting when something like this happens....

Taco Tuesday Baby!

2009-03-25T00:54:00.000-04:00

Spring!!

2009-03-23T23:10:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh..... I love the smell of orange blossoms! I didn't realize how much so until I moved here. That first spring, every time I wasn't in a hurry, I would take the 'back roads' through the orange orchards with my windows rolled down and my head dangerously hanging out the window. It was so clean, fresh and sweet smelling, it made me happy every time. This spring, all I have to do is go out on my back patio. My blood orange tree is blooming! Yum!

Torture

2009-03-22T18:35:00.000-04:00

Jason rigged up this torture machine for Mosey while I was grocery shopping. He strung a kong from the ceiling with fishing line and filled it with irresistible treats. Mosey's job was to try to get them out. It gave Mosey lots of exercise as you can see from this video...

It was a beautiful day today. Here is a picture of the mountains.

Arroyo Canyon

2009-03-21T21:26:00.000-04:00

Today we woke up to a foggy overcast day. It was cold (comparatively) and not very pretty. We decided to go hiking at Arroyo Seco anyway. I am so glad we did! When we got into the mountains above Pasadena, the clouds and fog gave way to sunny blue skies and perfect spring hiking weather.

We wandered along the beautiful creek and had a grand time!

Mosey is much more comfortable in the water.

He even retrieved for a while in a bitterly cold pool as you can see in the video below:

So far we think that this hike is our favorite in the area. There is water,

trees,

wildlife, other dogs for Mosey to sniff,

and a good time to be had by all.

Clean and Drive

2009-03-21T00:06:00.000-04:00

Jason and I cleaned the office today and rewarded ourselves with a drive to Yucaipa to try to find a trailhead. We never found the trailhead but we did find this nice vacant lot full of flowers. Beautiful!!

Dreamy Orange Smoothie

2009-03-20T00:03:00.000-04:00

I love these milkshakes at Red Robin!

Prune Happy

2009-03-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

I pruned our tomato plants today. Hopefully this will help them start bearing again. Probably not, I don't actually know what I am doing...

As I Was Driving

2009-03-17T23:47:00.000-04:00

I was lucky enough to get my camera out in time to take a picture of this fellow.

In case you can't see well enough, here is a closer picture.

Man: "Honey, I have some bad news. I bet the car at poker night and lost. But I did win this lamp!!"

Wife: (silence)......BANG!

Curse the Girl Scouts!

2009-03-17T01:17:00.000-04:00

It is because of them that I cannot stop eating these thin mints..... -scowl-

Hockey!

2009-03-16T01:11:00.000-04:00

Today I saw my first professional hockey game! Jason is going a rotation in family medicine right now, and his attending invited he and I along to a hockey game with the clinic. It was the Ducks vs. the Sharks.

I was expecting something like a baseball game where I spend most of the time walking around looking at the food and singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" while only occasionally glancing at the field. Au contraire! I couldn't take my eyes off of the rink! It was very exciting. Here were are being excited.

Holy Jim Falls

2009-03-15T00:41:00.000-04:00

Today we went to Holy Jim Falls. It was a really nice hike and we enjoyed being outside and around fresh running water. Mosey had a good time going with us and posed for a picture very cooperatively.

Why no picture of the falls? Huh. I don't know. I guess that wasn't the highlight of the trip.

Ratatouille and Cutie

2009-03-14T00:46:00.000-04:00

At Trader Joe's they had fresh ratatouille for sale. I wasn't sure how to use it but luckily for me they had it sampled that day. They put it over some tricolors noodles and it was excellent. I did the same thing tonight and it was even better! Yum!

This morning after I got out of the shower, I found Mosey like this:

Pho

2009-03-13T00:43:00.000-04:00

I love pho! Pho is Vietnamese noodle soup. I always get the vegetarian kind. The best place to get it around here is Adong restaurant. They have lots of vegetarian options.

I think Jason should like it to but he says it is "girl's food'. Oh well..

Due Again??

2009-03-12T00:48:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it has already been 6 months since I went to the dentist! Actually, it has been more than six months but just barely. Today I went in to get my teeth cleaned and make an appointment for some fillings that I neglected last time I came in. I got a different dentist this time and he seemed to be in a hurry. When he was checking for stickiness in my molars, he missed and jabbed his tool into my gums. He told me that if he hurt me while he was cleaning my teeth, just raise my hand to let him know. I had that hand up almost every tooth! It was very disconcerting to see the suction tube sucking up bright red blood out of my mouth. I made an appointment to get my cavities filled but made sure I specified that I wanted the other dentist. My gums are already swelling up.....

Lily Tree

2009-03-10T23:54:00.000-04:00

I was walking to get a sandwich at Subway today when I passed this beautiful tree! I had never seen a tree like this before... It looks like a lily tree! Anyone know what it is?

Monthly Meeting

2009-03-09T23:59:00.000-04:00

Tonight I took my two new lia sophia advisors with me to our monthly lia sophia meeting. The sky was beautiful when we arrived but unfortunately, this is the best picture I could get. It doesn't really do it justice.

California Bounty

2009-03-09T00:02:00.000-04:00

One thing I will miss about California when we leave is how many things you can find growing all around you. Not that it is green where we are, but there are lots of hot weather fruit trees around. Here is a bowl of fruit that were handpicked by me or a friend near my house.

New Sunglasses

2009-03-07T00:06:00.000-05:00

I lost my favorite pair of sunglasses so I had to resume wearing a pair that my great aunt gave me. They were stylish, don't get me wrong, but didn't flatter my face as much as my other ones. Then Mosey sat on those and broke them so I have been without sunglasses for a few months now. I hadn't realized how much I depended on them! I really missed them! So today, I went and bought somemore! Do you like them?

Ciao Antoinetta!

2009-03-06T00:18:00.000-05:00

Today I was sitting at school when in walked my Italian teacher from Italy! I hadn't seen her since I left almost 6 years ago (has it really been that long?). She is interested in getting a group from Italy to come take ESL classes in my department. Isn't that exciting? Here we are in my office.

It turns out that I worked with several other people who studied at the same school as me but different years. Here is a picture of Odette Ferrera, the Director of Adventist Colleges Abroad; Dr. Norma Alban, my Spanish teacher; me, the Director of English as a Second Language here; Raquel, who studied at Villa Aurora and is now that school registrar; Jankel, who studied at Villa Aurora and is one our school bigwigs; and Antoinetta, Director of Italian as a Second Language at Villa Aurora in Florence Italy.

What a small world huh?

Junk Food

2009-03-05T00:31:00.000-05:00

It has been a pretty stressful semester. On top of which, my schedule doesn't allow me to go home for lunch very often. I haven't got the motivation to pack my own lunch so I usually end up eating this:

We just got a vending machine at school and this is what my lunch has looked like for the last 3 days.... Ugh.

Oh Great.....

2009-03-04T00:34:00.000-05:00

Oh goody! Just what I wanted to do on my lunch break!

Ernie Maxwell Trail

2009-03-01T23:24:00.000-05:00

Today Jason and I were itching to get outside. Jason found us a nice trail to hike and off we went! There was still snow on a lot of the trail but it was easy hiking because Mosey pulled us the entire way. Here is Jason resting.

I emphasize Jason because Mosey never rested. Here I am with Mosey at the end of the trail before we started back.

It was a wonderful day!

Pathetic Puppies

2009-02-28T23:37:00.000-05:00

We went to the pound today against our better judgement... We just happened to be driving past. We were able to resist taking a puppy home with us. But it was close. Could you have resisted?

Naughty Jason!

2009-02-27T23:21:00.000-05:00

Today my mom, Jason and I went to the Old Spaghetti Factory. Jason was bored so he spent most of the time on his iPhone.

Here we are right after he received a text from me telling him to get off his phone.

As you can see, after my little warning, he was as enthusiastic as me to be there!

Can't Get Enough..

2009-02-26T23:29:00.000-05:00

I really can't stop taking pictures of Mosey. Here is another one.

Canon Mark II 5D

2009-02-26T00:21:00.000-05:00

We got our new camera yesterday! Take a look at our first family portrait session.

Note that the first 2 pictures are taken in a dark room without a flash. It takes video too! Here is the first video we shot.

New Camera!

2009-02-24T23:18:00.000-05:00

We got our new camera today! Jason is very excited, not that you can tell from this picture. ;]

Closer....

2009-02-23T23:14:00.000-05:00

I am getting closer to using my creative side again! I bought this palette box to keep my paints from drying out between painting sessions and also some pink soap. Pink Soap is cool because it cleans the paint off the brushes really well. Anyway, soon maybe I will start painting the picture of my niece. Wish me luck!

Blog Book

2009-02-22T00:19:00.000-05:00

Jason began working on our blog book today! This has been a long time coming. We kept a blog during our honeymoon so it seems sad to waste 250+ pages by not publishing them into a coffee table book. It is too much of an overwhelming project for me so I am 'letting' him do it. :]

Foriegn Coinage

2009-02-21T00:15:00.000-05:00

I used to keep a coin collection but I am not sure where it is now. A student gave me this Panamanian coin today. Apparently, it is worth 1/100th of a penny..... Now if I can only hold on to it until it is worth something! :]

Through the Eyes of my Students

2009-02-20T00:10:00.000-05:00

I came back from a short class break to find a drawing of me on the classroom board.

Nayoung is my student and the one smiling in the second row of chairs on the left.

Becky was the artist and is proudly giving a peace sign to the camera.

Valentine's Day Part II

2009-02-19T00:08:00.000-05:00

Jason got my this coat for Valentines Day! I love it! I haven't had a new coat in years and it was really fun to pick out a high quality one that I actually like.

Pretty Winter Day

2009-02-18T00:05:00.000-05:00

It was really pretty today as it turned from day to dusk. I ran outside and took this picture.. It doesn't really capture how nice it felt but everything felt clean, fresh and saturated with color.

Ahhh, addictions...

2009-02-16T23:44:00.000-05:00

If anything, I am addicted to reading.... (and the internet). The Outlander series doesn't help this addiction at all. I am on the third book and it is getting in the way of my relationships. Here I am trying to multitask....

Native Foods and IMAX

2009-02-15T23:38:00.000-05:00

Today we went to Orange County with Jesse and Louisa to watch "Under the Sea" in 3-D at the IMAX there. It was so good! It really felt like you were scuba diving. Jason thought they spent too much time following cuttle fish but I thought they were kind of cute...

Afterward, we went to Native Foods. Native Foods is a great vegan restaurant in so cal. It only has like 5 or so locations and like nerds, Jason and I are trying to visit all of them. Here is Jason indulging in the portabella sausage burger.

SO GOOD! And there is nothing like sweet potato fries....

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T23:00:00.000-05:00

Often times, Jason and I kind of forget a holiday is coming up until it is the next day. That is what happened with this Valentine's Day. Luckily, both of us are pretty easy-going about such things so neither of us were upset that the other forgot. :]

My mom didn't forget however. She texted me at about 7pm and told me to check my mail box. I checked my email and didn't see anything. Then realized maybe she was talking about my real mail box. Pathetic huh? So I headed outside and found this big box of chocolates in my box.

I happily brought it back inside. Jason saw it and without missing a beat said, "You're welcome!" He thought maybe he would be lucky enough to have a anonymous chocolate box put in the mailbox, that he could take credit for. He wasn't of course, but I giggled at his audacity.

Mission Inn

2009-02-13T21:14:00.000-05:00

Jason, Jesse, Louisa and I all went to Las Campanas restaurant inside the Mission Inn. It was pretty good food! We got into an argument about politics which is funny because we all basically think the same things. Go figure!

Getting Close to Valentine's!

2009-02-12T21:11:00.000-05:00

Today the school had a bake sale and I bought one.....ok fine two, of these delicious strawberry cupcakes. I love cupcakes!

Another one!

2009-02-11T21:09:00.000-05:00

I have another advisor signed up under me in Lia Sophia now. I didn't have to recruit her, she found me! Very nice!

Nice Day!

2009-02-10T21:05:00.000-05:00

It rained over the weekend so we had some beautiful views of snow covered mountains! Too bad this photo doesn't do it justice...

Mosey the Masochist

2009-02-09T18:25:00.000-05:00

It seems that Mosey enjoys inflicting pain upon himself. If chewing up a light bulb isn't enough, he has to gnaw on the jagged plastic from a golf ball like it is a gummy worm.

Rockband

2009-02-08T00:08:00.000-05:00

Went over to Emily's sister and brother-in-law's house and played Rockband. I liked the guitar based parts the best. Here is Emily singing.

Ummm.........

2009-02-04T20:02:00.000-05:00

Thank you Mosey for this little welcome home gift....

Jason and I duct taped the cushion back together and flipped it over. Hopefully that will last until we move...

Stylin' Ice Cubes

2009-02-04T00:08:00.000-05:00

I bought this ice cube tray in Boston. I have a thing for the leaves and twig motif. My only complaint is that they melt too quickly so you can't tell that they are leaves for very long. Maybe I will make chocolates with them someday.... yeah, we'll see.

The Outlander Series

2009-02-03T00:05:00.000-05:00

I love this book series! This is the second book. I am almost done with it. SO glad I have the 3rd so I don't have to wait when I am finished...

My Family

2009-02-01T23:17:00.000-05:00

Nothing like a relaxing Sunday afternoon in your bathrobe.

Auditioning

2009-01-30T23:08:00.000-05:00

Today I went to an audition for a student film. I had to memorize a monologue before hand so adapted one from my favorite childhood book and have been memorizing it for the last few days. Here I am with my headshot about to go in.

I did well on my monologue, but could have done a lot better on the improv they asked me to do... it's either one thing or it's another.

In other news, my brother Michael called me from the hospital this morning about to go in for an emergency appendectomy. I wasn't as worried as I would've been because Jason went through that a few years ago. But I was VERY glad to hear that the surgery was successful and he is now in the recovery room.

This is HUGE!

2009-01-29T22:51:00.000-05:00

Today was that day that many people at work have been looking forward to. Today, our first two students were granted OPT. Basically, it means that they can stay here and work as nurses for one year. It has been a long road to get our school and our program to this point but here we are!

We played a slightly mean trick on one of the approved students. Called her into the president's office where all, and I mean ALL, the faculty and staff were gathered. We all kept very serious faces and the president slowly began, "We have called you into my office because, well, I will let Mrs. Hamel tell you..."

That was my cue to say, "Well, we have some very serious information for you. We just received word today that you have .............. been approved for OPT!!!!!!" Then we all jumped out of our chairs and started cheering.

To celebrate, we grabbed everyone still hanging around and went to Red Robin.

Here am I, the Program Chair; Julie, who did all the paperwork and processing for the OPTs; and Natty, the student we played the trick on.

Ahhhh, feels so good to have something to tell the students that they won't glare at me for...

Woe is Mosey...

2009-01-28T22:49:00.000-05:00

Look Carefully!

2009-01-27T22:47:00.000-05:00

It's not what you think it is.... unless you think it is lava cake from Trader Joe's. Yum!

More Jewelry!

2009-01-26T22:46:00.000-05:00

Got two more pieces of lia sophia jewelery today!

The Gear Closet of Doom

2009-01-25T22:44:00.000-05:00

Jason and I have a gear closet which always quickly turns into a nightmare closet. Today is the day that Jason cleaned it out. Not for the first time ever or anything. Looks organized doesn't it?

Mosey's 'Biscuit'

2009-01-24T22:39:00.000-05:00

Mosey has a security blanket. Except it is more like a security bed... Every time Jason or I leave the house, Mosey curls up in it. Jason calls it Mosey's biscuit.

The Usual Bedtime Position...

2009-01-23T18:33:00.000-05:00

New and Unexpected Class

2009-01-22T18:31:00.000-05:00

Well, I wasn't planning on teaching Advanced writing this semester but some extenuating circumstances required it. Sigh. My first class is tomorrow and I have to prepare...

Mean Parents

2009-01-21T18:27:00.000-05:00

Today we tried to lure Mosey into a box trap with a treat. He was naturally quite suspicious and it was hard work to trap him, even with the treat. I felt bad after succeeding because Mosey was too worried to eat his treat when he got trapped.. Poor little buddy.

Why did we do this you ask? Well, because Mosey is so cute as you can see from the video below.

Inauguration Day

2009-01-20T17:53:00.000-05:00

Well, today was the day that many people have been looking forward to. Me? Not so much. I think today is the day that America is going to start changing for the worse. I hope that I am not right, but I think I am. Anyway, we had a little school get together to watch the $100+ million inauguration. I told my students to be there and they were pretty much the only ones who showed up.

All the students who actually contributed a vote to this travesty, I presume are at home, playing PSIII and thanking the hip new president for getting them a half day off school to veg out. ;]

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2009-01-19T17:46:00.000-05:00

I have today off work. School starts tomorrow so I decided to pull weeds in the lawn. Look at the taproot on this one!!!

Mosey was very exciting when I finally jerked it out of the ground..

Gaslight

2009-01-18T17:41:00.000-05:00

Today Jason was studying so I went to Redlands Footlighter's Theater to watch a play. This is the same theater I performed in almost exactly 2 years ago! Gaslight was playing. It was a very well done Victorian thriller. The movie is pretty good too if you care for older movies.

Here is the view during intermission.

Diving at Laguna Beach!

2009-01-17T17:35:00.000-05:00

Today Jason, Mosey, Rudy and I went to Laguna Beach! They went diving

(I have decided to stick to warm water diving) and I hung out on the beach with Mosey.

It was a perfect day!

A Belated Gift

2009-01-16T21:01:00.000-05:00

My mom didn't want us to open her Christmas gift until she was around so we had to wait awhile before we could see what was in the gigantic box. It was a nice little station that we can hang on the wall! I have always wanted one and this one is quite nice. It looks very nice in our study.

Jason and Mosey were really tired after installing it....

Ahhh.... Relaxation

2009-01-15T20:59:00.000-05:00

I needed a little bit of rest and relaxation after a stressful day so I took a nice bath.

Drum Roll Please!......

2009-01-14T20:55:00.000-05:00

We bought our tickets! This April we are going to........

SCOTLAND! I am so excited! Jason has never been before and I have been itching to go again ever since I went about 5 years ago. Jason's two brothers and their wives are going with us which is great because I find that traveling is always more fun when you can enjoy it with people you love. Anyway, I look forward to posting in April so you can see all our pictures!

Queen of Sales!

2009-01-12T20:53:00.000-05:00

I went to my monthly lia sophia meeting tonight. I always having a good time but tonight was especially good because I got queen of sales! That means I sold the most in my team last month. I was surprised but really excited because I won these free movie tickets. Yay!

Christmas is over.....

2009-01-11T20:44:00.000-05:00

We took down the Christmas tree today....

But I also helped out at baby blanket making charity thing! I loved the house we were working in.

Nature's Jewels

2009-01-11T02:39:00.000-05:00

I have always loved how pomegranate seeds look like rubies.

It makes the fruit that much more fun to eat. Here are the enchiladas we made today.

I thought they looked pretty cool too. We didn't have any shredded cheese so we made do with this sliced pepperjack. Food is great....

Torture

2009-01-09T22:35:00.000-05:00

Jason rigged up this torture machine for Mosey while I was grocery shopping.

He strung a Kong filled with treats from the ceiling using fishing line and then had Mosey try to get the treats while the Kong was swinging through the air.

Here is a video of the results:

Infomercial

2009-01-08T18:30:00.000-05:00

Tired of your shirts having hanger marks on them? Sick of all your clothes falling down into a pile on your closet floor? So am I! That is why I use huggable hangers! Plus, they double as excellent chew toys!*

*this claim has not been approved by the FDA or VAA (Veterinarian Association of America)

Jewelry Displays!

2009-01-07T18:20:00.000-05:00

So far when I give lia sophia parties, I have just been strategically arranging the jewelry on a table cloth. I ordered some jewelry display pieces so now I can show off the beautiful jewelry better! Pretty huh?

Puppy Eyes

2009-01-06T18:25:00.000-05:00

Yum, Brie!

2009-01-05T23:29:00.000-05:00

Today Jesse, Louisa, Jason and I had a baked brie feast. I bought some herbed brie from Trader Joe's, baked it and we all dipped bread and chips into it! YUM!!! So good. I forgot to take a picture before we ate it but you can see how much enjoyed it since just the covering is left....

Winding Down After the Holidays...

2009-01-04T23:27:00.000-05:00

Forest Falls Again

2009-01-04T00:02:00.000-05:00

My friend Typheni's boyfriend, Anthony, is visiting this weekend from Tennesee. We wanted to meet him so we all decided to hike up Forest Falls. We had never hiked all the way up to the falls before. Mosey pulled me up the whole way basically; he is a very good hiking dog.

Jason stayed at the bottom because his back was hurting him. Here are some pictures at the top!

Afterward, we decided to go back to Typehni's house and hit the hot tub. We made ourselves some berry smoothies and relaxed.

Great day!

It's a new year!

2009-01-02T23:57:00.000-05:00

New Year's resolution: Spend more quality time with the family.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-01-02T01:00:00.000-05:00

We wanted to do something special for our 3rd anniversary but kind of procrastinated. I decided to call "The Melting Pot", a really good fondue restaurant to see if they had any availability. They had a special menu, for $65. I figured $65 for an anniversary dinner for two was a pretty good deal so I made the reservation.

Everything was beautiful!

We had a very private little booth and a set menu so we didn't even have to fight over what we would order. The first course was cheese fondue with vegetables, bread, and chips to dip in it.

The second course was our main course in which we boiled some vegetables and ravioli.

We downed our complimentary sparkling apple cider and sat back to enjoy each other's company. Our final course was chocolate fondue with beautiful fruit to dip in to it.

Here we are smiling just to be close to each other!

What a stress-free meal we had! Then we got the bill. That is when we realized that the $65 was per person. When I had been to the restaurant before, the price had been per two people. That dampened our spirits to say the least. I told Jason it would make a good story. So we try to tell it to everyone to get our money's worth.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T02:59:00.000-05:00

Jason and I were determined to stay up to welcome in 2009. We decided the best way to stay up would be to watch a movie. After many disagreements and false starts, I picked one for us to watch all the way through. Right before 12:00am, I turned off the movie and went over to the chaise lounge to celebrate with Jason. Except Jason wasn't there. Mosey was, and Jason was chivalrously sleeping on the ground so Mosey could have the chaise.

This was right before I woke him up to count down with him. I can tell that he was really into the movie.

He's a Cutie Pie!

2008-12-31T00:51:00.000-05:00

Beautiful Dishes

2008-12-30T00:37:00.000-05:00

As you have seen, we have been getting rid of somethings that we don't use or is trash. These dishes unfortunately fit into the "don't use" section. It breaks my heart to give them away but that is what we did today....

Shocker!

2008-12-29T00:45:00.000-05:00

Today Jason let me throw his shoes away. I have been trying to throw them away almost since we started dating. He has had them for over 10 years, and even we when they were new they weren't stylish.... Ok, so I am not being materialistic but really, they are falling apart and ugly.

Anyway, I am really proud of him for letting me throw them away.

Tired Little Buddy

2008-12-28T00:41:00.000-05:00

After watching us clean all day yesterday, Mosey is exhausted. Little does he know we aren't done.....

Spring Cleaning....?

2008-12-27T00:38:00.000-05:00

So it isn't exactly Spring, but Jason and I decided to clean out the garage today. There was so much stuff in there that we had a hard time getting out of our car when we needed to. We went through everything and this is the pile of trash halfway through our cleaning. It feels pretty good!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-26T00:35:00.000-05:00

Usually we open presents on Christmas Eve but since Jason was working last night, we opened them this morning. I am not sure why we don't have any pictures of the actual opening of the presents... But we do have a couple pictures of Mosey eating his gift. :] Himself.

Merry Christmas Eve!

2008-12-25T00:32:00.000-05:00

It is Christmas Eve! Jason is going to be working in the Emergency Room until 11pm tonight. Jesse and Louisa took pity on me so I am headed over to their house for Christmas Eve dinner right now. Here is a picture of our lovely tree.

Day Before Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T00:29:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it is almost Christmas! Time really flies when you have to work right up until the holiday. I have to work a half day tomorrow.... Man, I miss being a students sometimes...

Here are some of the cookies I did last night. Ok, can you find Mosey in this picture?

Starting to decorate!

2008-12-23T00:26:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally started to decorate the gingerbread boys. What is the big deal you wonder? Well, we don't just decorate gingerbread boys like regular people, we REALLY decorate them. Here is one of my first finished cookies.

King's Canyon National Park!

2008-12-20T22:57:00.000-05:00

Jason, Jesse, Louisa and I decided to go on a little trip this weekend to celebrate Jason's completion of his surgery rotation and just to get away. We rented a cabin right outside King's Canyon National Park. We got a special deal because of the economy apparently. :] As you can see, the view from the house is amazing!! Jason took some great shots this morning as the sun was coming up.

Then it was off the park. We climbed through a log,

and hiked toward the National Christmas tree, General Grant. As you can see, it doesn't really look very Christmas tree like, it is just big and famous. Here is Jason and I standing on a fence to seem big like the tree.

Here is Jason accidentally pushing me off the fence.

While I was on the fence by myself, I was pelted by a snowball to try to get me to fall off.

That wasn't very nice.... :] It wasn't snowing but we threw some snow in the air so that it felt like it was snowing.

After that, we took the dogs running in the snow. It was pretty difficult for their short legs but they managed alright.

We sledded and drove around and then headed home where Louisa fixed us some Indian food and we played games until we felt like going to bed. What a great day!