Vacation? What is that?

I need a vacation. I really, really need one. Any ideas? Anything that does not involve too much planning or too much money. I was planning on going to NYC in October but the hotels are crazy expensive! Should I go to Hawaii? Or should I just stay local and go to Napa for a calm weekend? Ideas? Advice? I need a break!

I'm losing track of the months, I can't believe we are already HALFWAY through July! Well, not really, but next week will be the middle! : ) I remember my summers would drag when I was in elementary school. Why can't time slow down like it used to so long ago?

See ya in August!

In case you missed it

Yeah, it has been a while. Sorry. It is not that I don't have anything to post about, just that I haven't had the time to sit and think and actually write something of substance. A holiday weekend seems like the perfect time to catch up with the one or two people who actually follow my quiet little life.

First thing first. Has anyone noticed the "What I'm reading on Bart" section on the right? Yeah, the section that has had the same Lincoln book for the past three months? I keep trying to get myself to continue reading (I'm in the middle, right when the civil war is about to begin) but I just can't get myself to do it. What do I do instead? Check out all the gossip blogs and cry on message boards about the cancellation of the show Life. Sheesh, I have priorities you know. I promise I will finish before the year is over. And write a 10 page paper to prove it. Maybe. Yes. No.

So what have I been doing? Well, as many of you know, I don't really take vacations. Not the get away for a week and travel the world type. I usually take a Friday off from work and drive somewhere or just stay home to sleep late. Ya see, I usually spend my daily life planning. Bill planning, errands planning, walking Sullivan planning, organizing planning. So when I go away, the last thing I wanna do is plan a vacation. I wish I had someone to plan everything for me and send me away. But alas, that is not the case so I decide to stay home and sleep. And rest. And not plan. Vacation heaven.

So ANYWAYS, all that rambling just to say that I went to Pasadena! My friend Nora moved out there last year and I finally had a break to visit. We didn't do much but eat and just hang out. One of my bestest getaways ever. We (or maybe just me) even got to watch Twilight. Ha. It was great to hang out with Nora and enjoy the warm SoCal sun. Our last night there, my sissy cooked a great dinner and just chilled with wine and good company. I came back home relaxed and ready for trial.

In addition to my get-away, I also got to run a half marathon in Santa Cruz. Beautiful course. It was REALLY hot that day and really felt it towards the end, but I totally forgot when I saw the ocean and the beach boardwalk as I got closer to the finish line. It wasn't one of my better runs, but the views and people made up for it. I'm running another half next week and I'm hoping it will be slightly better. Even though I have not trained AT.ALL. Ugh.

Now I gotta go enjoy my time off. I don't know what is in store for me in the summer months (the way the economy is right now I'm just thankful for what I have day by day), but I am praying that things stay pretty much the same this year. If we all stay healthy and everything goes as planned, my family will have a FANTASTIC holiday season this year. I will probably post something later this summer, but I I'm very hopeful.

And people, don't forget. . . .

Ugh.

Sorry for the lack of updates. I will update with something meaningful as soon as I get a chance. Lot's of stories to tell, not enough time to sit down and write them all.

And I promise I have not just been goofing around. . . .

Really.

Carazy Mr. Sullivan is now 1!

Wow, time does fly. I remember when we brought the little monster to our house when he was only 8 weeks old. Now he is a 50 pound dog who thinks he is still 7 pounds little. On his birthday he got a long walk with my mom and wet food instead of the same old dry stuff. No big celebration, but in Sullivan's world, every day is a party.

<--And you can tell from the pic that he wasn't fond of the party hat, but he sure wanted to tear it apart!

Oh, and Mr. Conan also joined in Sullivan's birthday fun. He also got his own little hat! -->

And we end on a positive note. . .

I had a great weekend. Read a bit, walked in the park with Sullivan, had brunch with the familia for my mom’s birthday, and watched endless coverage of our new president’s road to the inauguration. Weekends like these should come by more often. They remind me of the beauty of life when everything around me is falling apart. Of all the things in this world, family and hope are the strongest. And I am going to sleep tonight with both filling my heart.

That is all.

2008 in review, Dear Diary style

Everyday life amazes me. I get up in the morning, sometimes tired, sometimes ready to run out the door, but always thankful that I have the energy to get up and just keep going. From the moment I open my eyes in the morning, I try to plan my day. But it is hard. I tend to always think in the future. Not "what am I going to do tomorrow?" future, but "how will I support myself when I'm 80?" future. I slap myself every once in a while to stop it, but I can't help it. My mind is always 20,000 steps ahead of me. So when another year goes away to the past, I am sad that the happy moments I lived through will not be back again, but at the same time I'm hopeful that I have gained enough experience to be content in the future (tomorrow future, or 40 years from now future). At least that is what I keep telling myself.

Present-wise, things are bad. Like, hide under the blankets for about 5 years bad. In a matter of months, my home value went down 50%, people I know are losing their homes and jobs, and to make things worse the little bit of 401K I had saved up, is gone. My only hope is the change that will step in on January 20, 2009. The very thin thread of hope is still strong because of this change. I'm crossing my fingers.

But 2009 will come soon enough and will have lots to tell. Today, we will remember the weird yet great year of 2008. Three things consumed my small world in 2008: A puppy, weddings! and my life obsession, The X-Files.

**First, my little puppy (50lbs of little) Sullivan. I don’t know why I decided to bring a puppy into my life. I only know that when a friend told me that a friend, of a friend of a friend had some puppies I thought, “hey, why not?” And when I saw the pictures, I was smitten. And so Mr. Sullivan entered my life in April, full of energy and a whole bunch of caraziness. Half beagle, half basset, I thought I would get a quiet lazy pup who would run around when I took him to the park. Oh no. He is full of energy that only bursts with even MORE energy when I take him to the park. He always wants to run and jump. Run and jump. Run and jump. That is Sully in a nutshell. He went to puppy classes (even though he missed the last two classes, Val calls him a puppy school drop out. Ha) and learned how to sit, stay and lay down. Granted he only does those things when there is no one around, but hey, that’s a start right? He only turns 1 in February but he already has gone through so much. After being diagnosed with elbow dysplasia, he had to have surgery on BOTH his front legs in mid-November. Almost two months later, he is doing extremely well. I think he will be ready for his normal neighborhood walks soon. He is a survivor!

**Second, Weddings! This summer was the busiest of my entire life. Yes, entire life. And I had a blast. From May until mid-August I was busy with bridal showers, bachelorette parties, gift and clothes shopping, out-of-town family coordinating, bridesmaid tasks and dress fittings to name a few items checked off in my to-do list. I even lost 10lbs without working out!

First wedding, my little brother and new sister got married on July 12th. I might be a bit biased, but I honestly think their wedding will never be beat. Not even mine (if I ever have one). They did an amazing job coordinating the entire day, made all the guests feel welcome and made my entire family cry. Cry with happiness that we had gained a sister and daughter. I am still in awe of their wedding. Everything was perfect.

On August 17th, my super best friends Julie and Sean got married in the sweetest wedding I had ever been a part of. Their ceremony was a record 10 minutes long! Short and sweet like people say. Throughout the night, Julie and Sean glowed. They were truly happy, which passed along the feeling to all their guests. Everyone had a great time.

At the end of the summer, I had gained a sister, lost 15lbs, and learned how walk down an aisle (ha)!

**Last but definitely not least, my X-Files obsession topped this year. Not to the point of my fandom when the first movie came out 10 years ago (I was 21!), but it was bad. I am not going to lie that I almost screamed out loud at work when I saw the first promo pictures for their new movie in January. I couldn’t believe it was really happening. I still don’t believe it. I got all the excitement I felt when I was a college student all over again and it was FANTASTIC. I got to see David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in person at Wondercon which was a highlight of my year. Well, seeing them in person was the highlight, not the people dressed up as storm troopers. And the original Hulk was there too charging $20 for a picture! What?! But anyways, read my quick summary here. Long story short, plot was not great, but M&S were fantastic. This whole experience made me feel 21 again. Sigh.

And now starts 2009. There are many things I have yet to experience and live through. I think I’ll name 2009 as the year of learning. It has been years since I have tried new things and opened myself to new experiences. I need to grow and who knows what is planned? What I do know is that I will wake up every morning ready to face whatever comes my way. Hopefully I will also have a cup of coffee in hand.

Sullivan the Warrior

About a month ago I noticed that Sullivan would limp in the mornings and in the evening after his regular walks. I took him to the vet to get checked. A few X-Rays later he was diagnosed. Elbow Dysplasia on both front legs. At only 9 months! Surgery was the only option or we could risk him getting full blown arthritis in two years if we didn't operate. So on the Monday before Thanksgiving, I took him for a drive to the vet and dropped him off. I picked him up that evening and he was walking around like NOTHING.HAPPENED. I swear. Even the doctor was amazed. Yes, he was a little out of it, but his personality was still there. I could see in his eyes that he wanted to jump up and wag his tail to greet me. *picture below was taken right after the surgery*




Almost two weeks later, and he is close to being his same old crazy self. We haven't ventured out of the house yet, but he is back to barking, following us around the kitchen and eating anything that slips through our fingers. He also doesn't limp. We saw the change the very next day! I'm so proud of my little pup! He survived a really tough surgery with his spirit intact. I hope I can start walking him around the block again soon. I can tell he gets super excited when he sees me grabbing my keys when I go out somewhere. He thinks we are going for a ride. Poor puppy!