Daily Dose of Dorman

Sparkle

2012-01-03T16:17:00.001-08:00

Sparkle:
1. To give off sparks
2. To give off or reflect flashes of light; glitter
3. To be brilliant in performance
4. A. To shine with animation: He has eyes that sparkle.
B. To flash with wit: her conversation sparkled all evening

My 2012 "one little word" is sparkle. I contemplated using shine but I think that shine implies that the glow is emitting from me and I want 2012 to be about me reflecting all that is bright and wonderful from God onto others. You can't help but smile when you see something sparkle (think about when you first saw that dazzling engagement ring, or glitter! It makes everything more spectacular!) And I hope to bring that same warmth into the lives of everyone whom I come into contact with this year!

A little bit of Happiness

2012-01-03T16:08:00.001-08:00

Sometimes it's the small things that give us great happiness in our life. You know, the things make you smile when you notice them like a small surprise present that is filled with delight.

I recently found one of these small things on my own life and I have already been delighted by it several times. I added contact pictures to my frequently dialed numbers in my phone's address book. When I make the calls every day or so it makes me so happy to see my loved ones' beautiful faces smiling back up at me... it's the small things.

My husband writes a popular blog about his life and I felt a wave of happiness when I saw that he had given my sister a shout out in a post. Imagine my delight when I glanced at the side bar and saw that he was directing readers to check out my etsy shop! So kind of him and a great small happiness!

Sometimes a paradigm shift can keep happiness from being stolen from you. As I was rushing to catch the bus after work today I saw a bus pulled up to my spot, but alas I was too far away to make it! Was it my bus I wondered as I fumbled for my glasses so I could see the tiny numbers. As it rounded the corner I thought to myself why does it matter? Seeing the bus number could only do one thing: rob me of my happiness and leave me in discontent. Besides, as my sister so eloquently put it "you didn't miss your bus, you just showed up early for the next one". (I must've showed up real early though because I'm still waiting!)

Keep an eye out for small happiness instances in your own life this week!

Chinese Food & Almond Champagne

2011-11-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we got the keys!!! Daryll and I are officially homeowners now! We are incredibly excited to start on the new adventure of homeownership! We broke in the new house in cheesy romantic comedy fashion... with a bottle of almond champagne and Chinese take-out straight from the cartons on the dining room floor. "How weird! This is our house now!" echoed off the walls of our furniture-less home more than once as we sipped champagne from 2 mugs dug out of my starbucks collection. It was perfect.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

2011-11-12T18:45:00.000-08:00

We're moving! Daryll and I are mere days away from closing on our first home! It's such an exciting time, with all of these new "firsts" for us! I've found myself day dreaming about rugs and paint colors over the past few weeks and I am so looking forward to making the new house into a home.

As I've started packing up the boxes I can't help but be a little sad that we're leaving the first home we lived in as a married couple. We have had so many great memories in this home, working on projects together (painting and repainting, woodworking, to name a few...), to inviting others to share in our lives through parties and countless dinners.

I'm going to miss watching the dogs peek their little heads over the balcony at us and seeing Ella dart up and down the stairs after her ball. I'll also miss our fantastic and friendly neighbors who have kindly watched our dogs numerous times while we were out of town.

I know that our new home holds a lot of memories that we will spend years unlocking, but I will always cherish the memories that we made in our first home.

The final pictures will come off the wall and the final fall decor will be boxed up on November 19th. Then it's out with the ugly green carpet, and in with the new adventure of home ownership!

The Bahamas!

2011-05-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago Daryll and I got to take a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and fly away to the Bahamas for a week of relaxation! The trip had the perfect amount of relaxation (floating down the lazy river, sipping strawberry daiquris by the pool, meandering through the menage of aquariums, and reading by the beach) and adventure (a catamaran dinner cruise, water park rides, jet skiing, and snorkeling with sharks)! It was a wonderful time for us to recharge and reconnect with each other without any distractions. You know it's a good vacation when you wake up in the morning and your only agenda is to look out over the ocean with a caramel latte in hand before casually asking each other what we wanted to do that day. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the vacation:

Sorry, the upload is going to slow and I've got to get to work! But hope you enjoy the pictures that made it up!

Lately...

2011-04-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

Daryll and Megan conspired to surprise me for my birthday.

I was surprised again with friends at Rockin' Baja Lobster that night.

We went to Sea World where we ate frozen lemonade.

And saw the most amazing Shamu show (5 whales in the tank!)

Daryll went to Cabo on my birthday.

While I worked with these crazy kids.

At least we got to eat cupcakes.

Our mini lemon tree is making lots of lemons.

And the front of our neighborhood got a makeover.

I got really sick for 2 weeks with a double ear infection. And I lost my voice.

We went to Burbank for the weekend and Amy and I took a mustache picture.

We went to see Water for Elephants with Mom.

We went to Easter Sunrise Service at Brand Park.

Mom and I took a cute picture there.

I kissed a fish at Georges.

Then unwrapped "the box"... George's best year yet with the contact paper!

After an hour, I finally got it open.

We celebrated Easter with Daryll's family.

*Not pictured (because the pictures are on Daryll's camera): Daryll's parents came to visit us for a weekend.

My 26 List

2011-04-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I celebrated my 26th birthday, and in honor of the occasion I have created my "26 List" aka 26 things I want to do while I'm 26. Some are easy, some are hard, some are obscure. We'll see if I make it through. In no particular order, I hereby present my 26 List:

1. Participate in a flash mob
2. Take the bus to work one day
3. Eat fish tacos at South Beach
4. Try to stand up paddleboard
5. Go to a rodeo
6. Spend a weekend out of state with some of my girlfriends
7. Redecorate my craft room
8. Take a woodworking class
9. Visit a museum in Balboa Park
10. Try out for a reality tv/ game show
11. Cook at least 1 recipe from every cookbook I own
12. Throw a jewelry-making party
13. Scan all my old pictures
14. Go to the Bahamas
15. Go to a ballgame at every California stadium
16. Find an organization I'm passionate about to volunteer with regularly
17. Do something that scares me
18. Try a new restaurant during San Diego Restaurant Week
19. Shop at a farmers market
20. Spend an entire afternoon at the beach reading
21. Grow my etsy business
22. Go river rafting with a group of friends
23. Get a group together to go beach camping up the highway
24. Paint my living room
25. Surprise someone with a small delight
26. Start a new tradition

That's it! How many do you think I'll make it through this year? And which ones do you want to do with me? (Flash mob or river rafting anyone? :-)

Gratitude - Weeks 6, 7, & 8

2011-03-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

I'm falling behind on these gratitude posts! Here are weeks 6, 7, & 8...

On Baseball- Daryll

2011-02-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

1. “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled
by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased
again. But, baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray.
It reminds us of all that once was good, and could be again.” (Field of Dreams)

For as long as I can remember, I have loved baseball. I remember throwing a tennis
ball against our wood garage door, I remember practicing diving for imaginary baseballs while
playing on the Pirates in tee ball. I got to meet Terry Pendleton of the Braves as a 5 year old
and he also played my position. As I grew up, baseball grew with me. The junior high baseball
team, high school freshman, then JV, and even getting cut from the varsity team; one of the
hardest days of my life. (Yes, I realize I have lived a great life when getting cut from the varsity
baseball team is one of the lowest points of my life). As I made it into college and moved to
San Diego, taking my love of the Atlanta Braves with me, I was able to see the great Tony Gwyn
before he retired.

I continued to advance my life, and baseball still remained. Soon I would meet my wife,
an Angels fan herself, and baseball bound us. Baseball reminded me of what was good in my
life and worth treasuring.

Another great baseball memory is playing catch with my dad, my own personal pitching
coach, and as I advanced in baseball he always kept me grounded. We had our own language,
which if I couldn’t hear while I was in “the zone” on the mound, he would remind me by
standing up and demonstrating in the stands. Lift, Lever, Leg!

More than that, baseball can lift friendships to extraordinary and memorable heights.
I’ll never forget watching the 2004 Red Sox / Yankees playoff game and Dave Roberts, when
everyone in the stadium, everyone at home, and the greatest closer in baseball history
knew…stole second base. The Red Sox beating the Yankees was more than just that – it was for
everyone who feels that things are impossible. The one constant through all the years. Though
the Braves will always be my “we” team – I was captivated by the Padres this past season and
said I saw it coming after making my wife and I made our annual mecca to Peoria, AZ and
watched Wade LeBlanc 1-hit the Dodgers for six innings and win the game. Certainly signs of
greatness, right? I tried to will the Padres to the playoffs, tried to personally break the
devastating ten-game September losing streak, but in the end it just wasn’t enough. Which
when you think about, is okay. Because in baseball, you can always wait ‘til next year.

On Leadership - Daryll

2011-02-23T13:28:00.001-08:00

“When the leader makes himself smaller and smaller, the people no longer see the leader, only the
vision.” -Shane Claiborne

Reading a great book right now by Shane Claiborne and John M. Perkins called Follow Me to Freedom.
John M. Perkins is a civil rights leader (inspired the Switchfoot song “This is the Sound”) and Shane
Claiborne founded The Simple Way. Right now in my life, the subject of leadership is really coming up
in a lot of areas. It’s funny, because I think I have been poised in many areas to take my leadership skills
to the next level, but only now am I beginning to take the reins if you will and grasp on to my higher
potential.

In marriage, I’ve been married for nearly two and a half years now, but really feel like nearly just now
have we really started to take a breath (despite that not being true on our actual schedules!) and build
our marriage to a higher level. We’ve taken a big step in purchasing a new car for Trish with more exciting things on the way!

At work, though I’ve been a “manager” for over 2 years, I think I’m in a spot now that gives me more
of a growth opportunity than just managing to every month. I also have a great new boss who is
encouraging, listens, and responds to email at the weird/late hours that I send them. This book speaks
to my general theory/motivation of leading as well, in that it’s easy to see the negatives in current
systems – the leaders should be the ones to step up and actually MAKE change in them. You can’t
change things overnight, but I think with the experience I have as a sales rep for three years, a manager
for two, it gives me a unique perspective to really see things from a fresh perspective.

At church, all of a sudden our church is over a year old! Our one-year celebration was such a great time
and so amazing to realize how many friendships I have made through City Bible. Though still a “new”
church, I also feel like it’s time for us to step up our game as well and grow. Leading a small group with
Ray has been a great experience, and great to be back in a spiritual leadership role for the first time
since college really and good old Campus Crusade! It’s exciting to be a part of a small church where my
voice and opinions can be heard.

I think the quote above can apply to really all three areas I’ve talked about here – and I think the vision I
have for each area is clearer than it’s ever been.

PS Also am the “commissioner” in a Yahoo Fantasy League for only the second time in the 50 leagues
I’ve been a part of in the past 7 years. Baseball season back in just over a month!

Please Come to Boston...

2011-02-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

Where do I start with this trip...

- 5 Days
- 3 Servillo Girls
- 20-40 degree weather
- 10-12 inches of snow dumped
- 1 Snow Angel made (by my Mom!)
- 3 delicious cannolis
- 2 Italian dinners
- 4 tourist stops: Fenway Park, Cheers, The Kennedy Library, and Quincy Market
- 1 Snowman spotting
- 3 Irish pubs: The Purple Shamrock, Durty Nelly's, and Hennesy's

- 1 AMAZING TIME!

Thankful - Weeks 4 & 5

2011-02-07T22:08:00.000-08:00

Hopefully posts about my recent trip to Boston and the Chili Cook-Off soon, but until then here are my Gratitude 52 weeks 4 & 5:

From the Mister Dorman...

2011-01-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

Guest post from Daryll D:

Well the month is already nearly over! 2011 is already 1/12^th done. I would say the first month of the year has been a pretty productive one for both Trish and me.

Our sermon series at church right now is called Forward: Making 2011 Count. I really like the series so far and think Trish and I have done a pretty good job of making some application of the series to our lives. This morning Paster Jeff talked about all of the distractions that can get in the way, and how true is that? (In Nehemiah of all places…)

One of my New Year’s Resolutions was to read the whole Bible in a year. Never done it before in a formal way so thought this would be a good time to do it. So far, so good! Yet it has been an interesting example of things as well. It’s so easy to get distracted by the smallest of things, even when your goal is a simple one. Whether it be your sleepself telling your brain, “Just five more minutes…” or “I know your alarm went off…but you can hit dismiss and still get up…”, to leaving my Bible in the car, wanting to get into work early, promising myself I will read double tomorrow…the easy part is to come up with an excuse, the hard work is defeating those excuses. As the month has gone by, it has gotten easier and excited for what February will bring, especially now that our fast is over and I can drink coffee again! (Our whole church went on a fast at the beginning of the January…but I wasn’t quite ready to go all the way so modified mine to be a “no coffee/no soda/no alcohol” fast – still challenging considering my usual beverage habits!!) The key is knowing WHERE you want to go. Because everyone will end up somewhere – so you have to make sure you end up where you WANT to end up. The example in this case being to read the whole Bible in a year – but this is true in life as well.

I’m also very proud of my wife Trish. Recently we made our biggest financial investment together – getting a new car!

Money is always a tough issue for marriages – it was certainly probably our biggest struggle our first year- but I really feel proud of where we are and where we are going. I think this car is a big step in that; symbolically showing our readiness and as well as now Trish gets to enjoy power windows and door locks, not to mention driving in style! She goes off to Boston this week with her mom and sister. Very excited for her but will also miss her! I’ve even already bought some ingredients to make a meal beyond macaroni and cheese this week.

Thursday heading out with Greg for our own little Through Painted Deserts-style road trip. Should be a fun time, then Super Bowl Sunday for our third annual Chili cook-off!

New Blog Design...

2011-01-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

Just testing out the new blog header and signature... what do you think?

Gratitude- Weeks 2 and 3

2011-01-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

Here are my week 2 and 3 submissions for my gratitude journal:

Gratitude

2011-01-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

I'm starting a new weekly gratitude project. Here's my week 1 submission:

Some New Years Inspiration for You...

2011-01-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

Quote of the Day:

"Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today, because if you enjoy it today you can do it again tomorrow."

― James Michener

In other words, perhaps I should make it a priority to change my blog out of Christmas mode... ;-)

The Good Life

2011-01-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011! I missed posting on 1.1.11, but I still got to write it on this post, and I have to say it's pretty satisfying! ;-) I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! I didn't quite finish the #Reverb 10 project with the busyness of the season in full gear, but I was really happy with the posts that I was able to do and hope you enjoyed reading them as well! Now onward to 2011...

I've been doing a lot of thinking about New Years Resolutions, like the past few years, and I have to say that I haven't come up with any yet. It's a little unfortunate because I had a 100% success rate with my 2010 resolutions...

As I moved into this year I've been considering Ali Edward's "One Little Word" project. I love the idea of focusing down into one manageable little word. Then today at church Pastor Jeff's entire message was about "One Thing"... seriously! So, my own one little word for 2011 is: GRACE!

Dictionary.com defines grace as:

- elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.

- a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment.

- favor or good will.

- a manifestation of favor, esp. by a superior

- mercy; clemency; pardon: an act of grace.

- Theology:

-the freely given, unmerited favor and love of god.

-the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them.

-virtue or excellence of divine origin: the Christian graces.

-Also called state of grace. the condition of being in God's favor or one of the elect.

I feel so compelled to live my life graciously. I know that I'm rough around the edges sometimes and I also know that it it something that God has convicted me to work on in my life. So I shall work on living with more grace. And when I mess up, luckily I know that God has a lot of grace for me too! :-)

Another quote that caught my eye this week on the Reluctant Entertainer's blog is this:

"The good life – the one that truly satisfies – exists only when we stop wanting a better one.
It is the condition of savoring what is rather than longing for what might be."

-Chuck Swindoll, Wisdom for the Way

I would love to live my life that way. How amazing would it be to get to that point? The good life. I think I'm living it!

Friendship

2010-12-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

December 16 – Friendship How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst? (Author: Martha Mihalick)

I don't think that my perspective has been changed by just a single friend this year; I have learned lessons from all of them. The most poignant perspective change has been learning to have a little bit more faith. This year especially I feel like I was surrounded by friends who weren't always in the seemingly greatest circumstances, financially or otherwise. The common denominator amongst these friends was the faith they had that God is bigger than their circumstances and a trust that He will pull them through the other side.

I've always been a thinker and planner (over-planner?). I like to have all my ducks in a row before I make a decision of consequence and I like to have control of the situation. One thing that Daryll and I have been talking about a lot lately is just having a little bit more faith that everything is going to work out okay. In large part this is because of our friends who have displayed that level of faith to us.

5 Minutes

2010-12-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

December 15 – 5 Minutes Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010. (Author: Patti Digh)

Ok, I already mentioned that I have a terrible memory so thankfully this isn't a real scenario. So here it goes...
-Wine tasting with the Dormans in Napa
-Weddings galore: Brandon & Meagan, Natasha & John, Crystal & Adam, Rock & Ashley
-Sip, Savor, and Stomp with Daryll and Megan in Temecula
-Spring Training in AZ with Dad and Daryll
-Epic Superbowl Chili Cook-Off Party
-Daryll & Don taking first in the splash and dash
-Awesome leadership camping trip with KA
-Building an entertainment center and bookshelves from scratch
-Easter outreach with CBC
-Teaching sewing for the first time
-Big Bear trip with Jeff & Lindsay, and Greg & Jen
-Natasha's Bachelorette weekend in Palm Springs; lounging and laughter
-Apple picking with Don and Andrea in Julian
-The tastiest Poblano and Cilantro Roasted Turkey for Thanksgiving with
-St Patty's Day and Halloween at George's
-Stagecoach festival!
-Palm Springs for p-club and 4th of july
-Del Mar Mud run!
-Visit with Dave, Claire, Rose, Fiona, and Ricky in Santa Barbara
-2nd place in the Refugio v-ball tourney
-Megan living with us for 6 weeks
-Trips to the Shout House
-USC losing to Washington and wearing purple! Woof!
-A week antiquing and getting lost with my mom

Ahh, I'm out of time! And I admit that I cheated and looked at some pictures to refresh my memory before doing this ;-)

*Oh, and I spent some extra time making this collage of my memories ;-)

Appreciate

2010-12-16T11:58:00.000-08:00

December 14 – Appreciate What’s the one thing you have come to appreciate most in the past year? How do you express gratitude for it? (Author: Victoria Klein)

There are a lot of things that I have really learned to appreciate this year: good health, the lessons of budgeting, a husband who loves me, the joy of spontaneity... to name a few. But one thing that really stands out:

I have really come to appreciate the friendship I have with my sister Amy.

At just 19 months apart, I can't remember a time when I didn't have a younger sister. When we were young Amy and I fought like cats and dogs, and our personalities were as different as our physical features. Throughout high school we had softball as our common denominator, but even then I can remember a specific incident my senior year where I broke a pre-game superstition and had Amy's wrath to pay. One of my favorite things to think about are the times when we have stood up for one another. It's one thing for me to say something about my sister, but it's totally another when someone else says something about my sister!

I am so thankful that as adults Amy and I have had a chance to get closer. We share many common interests now and a lifetime of secrets that only sisters can share. We still drive each other nuts from time to time, but it makes my day when I get a text like she sent me yesterday saying, "Sister I CAN'T WAIT for you to come in next week!"

I don't think I say it enough, but I am so thankful to have a sister and especially one as funny, unique, and beautiful as Amy Leigh. I love you Sister!

Action

2010-12-14T13:56:00.000-08:00

December 13 – Action When it comes to aspirations, it’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen. What’s your next step? (Author: Scott Belsky)

Did anybody else just shudder, because I did. Ideas? I've got plenty. Actions? There I go shuddering again.

Taking actions requires you to consider that failure is an option. Maybe not complete and utter failure, maybe just a tiny setback failure along the way. It doesn't make any difference to me. I'm terrified of it. Failure. It is precisely for this fear of failure that my potential has not been reached. I often feel a greater longing, a sense that there should be a deeper meaning for my life. I must have a greater purpose than this. Seriously.

About 2 months ago I sent out an status update on facebook. One line, a feeler if you will. One line that made me vulnerable. One line that pushed me forward one step. One line that could lead to failure. "I want to shoot some portfolio building family portraits... anybody interested in getting some free pictures?" The response was overwhelming and I have since shot and edited 6 different families pictures. I am delighted by the pictures. Every set I take becomes my new favorite. But I'm also my own greatest critic. Yes, I love them. They could be better. I'm still learning. I need more knowledge before I can launch myself into a business. I am hungry for knowledge. Knowledge is safety. Why would I leave the learning stage when it's so safe.

But I don't know if I even want to become a photographer. Or what else I want to do. I have a commitment problem. And a self-depreciating complex.

So my next step? Make a decision! Are you going to spend your life thinking "what if", or are you going to live it the way you want? In the words of Switchfoot: This is your life, are you who you want to be?

p.s. I'd love to know who's reading these blog posts. I've been writing about some pretty personal stuff for a public blog... If you're reading this can you drop me a comment and let me know? Thanks!

Body Integration

2010-12-13T19:34:00.000-08:00

December 12 – Body Integration This year, when did you feel the most integrated with your body? Did you have a moment where there wasn’t mind and body, but simply a cohesive YOU, alive and present? (Author: Patrick Reynolds)

Two words: Mud Run! (It's the best I could think of... and it was a lot of fun... and it has some good pictures.)

2010-12-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

December 11 – 11 Things What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life? (Author: Sam Davidson)

1. Clutter
2. Decorations I don't love
3. Self-Criticism
4. The extra couch in the living room
5. Wasted time watching mindless tv
6. Excessive multi-tasking
7. Jealousy/Resentment
8. Bad sandwiches/lunches

Well, I got 8... that's not too shabby.

Wisdom

2010-12-10T23:19:00.000-08:00

December 10 – Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)

My wisest decision of the year might have been the first one I made. I didn't know it at the time and never really grasped the power of it until this very moment, but my wisest decision in 2010 was to document my life. This #reverb10 project has really forced me to think hard and reflect on my year. As you may know, I don't have the greatest long-term memory and things begin to slip if they're not on the forefront of my mind. As one of my new years resolutions this year, I took on project life: a picture a day in 2010. I am most grateful for this project and the ability to look back at our year and marvel at all that has happened.

At the start of 2010:
-We didn't have a church to call home
-We were still fighting with the dogs to keep them securely in the kitchen everyday
-I didn't know a darn thing about photoshop
-We had never made a piece of furniture before
-I didn't know that I was going to have the chance to have a good friend live with us for 6 weeks
-Our home had never been broken into and our privacy violated
-I never thought I'd take on texturizing the bathroom walls alone

In 2010:
-We started going to CBC and love calling it our home church
-The dogs haven't escaped in months. Such an easy fix with a sheet of plywood too...
-Now I know photoshop, illustrator, some blog design, and how to shoot pictures in manual mode!
-We made an entertainment center and two bookcases
-Megan lived with us for 6 weeks and we shared some experiences that I will never forget
-Our home got broken into and some possessions were stolen
-I texturized and repainted the bathrooms...while Daryll was gone one night ;-)

It is a gift to have my pictures and blog to look back upon. It was unforeseen wisdom at its finest.

Party

2010-12-10T11:16:00.000-08:00

December 9 – Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)

Twenty-Ten was a year full of social gatherings for us! How can I pick just one day when we had so many fun ones? (New Years, Geoff's Birthday, Max's 80's, Natasha's Bachelorette Party, KA craziness, shall I go on...) But if I had to pick just one gathering that was my absolute favorite this year, I'd go with our 2nd annual Superbowl Chili Cook-Off!

I love this event every year, but this year was especially successful and amazingly fun! We had friends from all different social circles join us at our house for the game and festivities! This year our house was literally overflowing with people and chili goodness! The chili contenders really stepped up their game from last year, making it difficult to choose a winner in each category. Outside games of corn hole were going at regular intervals. Inside, the chatter almost overpowered the sound of the superbowl commercials. It was thrilling! Since the Saints were in the game, we decided to get mardi gras beads in team colors so that everybody could declare their allegiance when the walked in the door. Just writing about this is making me so excited for next year already!

Beautifully Different

2010-12-08T23:31:00.000-08:00

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)

After completing the Del Mar Mud Run 2010

Oh man, everyday these prompts just get harder and harder. It's hard to be humble with a prompt like this...

I think that there are several things about me that make me different. Of course there's the obvious: I'm a red head with brown eyes! (And we make up less than 1% of the entire human population!) I should just stop there! :-) I'm very athletic and competitive as well, and rarely turn down an opportunity to jump in a game or get dirty when it's call for. I am a learner and love to learn just for the sake of learning. Along that same line, I love "fun facts" (see redhead, above). I like to make people feel included and I am always willing to expand the group so that more people can join. I'm not afraid to just jump into a project without having the slightest clue what I'm doing - yet, I'm a perfectionist and often look at my completed projects and can only see flaws! I'm a creative person and like working with my hands (especially when those hands are creating something pretty for my home, or for me to wear, or for your home, or for you to wear!) I'm a homemaker and a bit of a domestic goddess. I love to cook, bake, and entertain. I take great pride in my work and I think it's a high form of compliment when people tell me that things I make (or bake, or photograph, or whatever...) look professional!

Here is what I hope lights people up: I'm a little bit witty, especially when I'm engaged with a group. I really love laughing along with people and I crack myself up sometimes. I can't help but tell people when I'm excited about something and I think that my excitement is magnetic and draws others into the excitement as well. As I spoke about yesterday, relationships are important to me and I try to make time on a regular basis to call old friends just to let them know I was thinking about them and care about our friendship.

I don't know what else to write, so you tell me... What do I do that lights you up?

Community - Daryll's Take

2010-12-07T22:57:00.001-08:00

Community

When I think about community, I think back to the old Costa Verde/ La Jolla Tennis Club times living with Jared, Greg, Jeff, and Frank/Mike! Sure, we liked to make fun of each other and pull some practical jokes, but we were also there in the tough times too. Pouring cold water on Greg in the shower, the famous “Tickle Time” where usually Frank would look around the room, ask what time it was, then I would scramble for anything to try and beat back the rest as they tackled me to the floor and tickled me until I screamed like a girl. And of course the one and only time we played Smashed Bros..

Lots of just sitting around with our shirts off enjoying being men.

We early on established nicknames like “Ladies Man”, “Rock Star”, “Frank the Tank”, “Frat Boy” and “El Jefe” which we had a lot of fun with. A few other highlights from our years together include many nights hanging out in the spa just outside our apartment, Frank cooking for all of us (even if his mom didn’t like me), and lots of Mario Kart and Smash Bros.

A perfect community? No. Memories to last a lifetime – friendships forged forever? Absolutely.

Community

2010-12-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

December 7 – Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

Building better friendships was one of my new years resolutions this year. In high school and college I had an abundance of friends surrounding me. I love social situations and I love building relationships, but since a lot of our friends have moved away in recent years since college it has really been a struggle to feel like we are a part of a community.

In January we made the decision to leave Flood, where we'd gone to church for the last 5-7 years. Throughout 2009 we had been looking for a new church, but we had a really hard time finding one where we felt like we fit in. The first weekend of January Daryll saw an ad on facebook (of all places) for a brand new church in San Diego. So new, in fact, that it's first official service was happening that Sunday. City Bible Church has become our new home and our lives have been so greatly blessed and enhanced by the community that we've come to be a part of there. It is so nice to be a part of a church where the Pastor actually knows who you are (and plays in our fantasy football league!).

My thinking about community and building relationships has shifted in this past year as well. Ever since studying abroad my junior year of college, I've had a slight tugging of resentment inside of me that my friends had moved on without me here. I felt forgotten and excluded both while I was abroad and upon my return. In reality, I have many more great friends from high school than college and it is probably for that exact reason. This last year, with my new years resolution in tact, I set out to change my attitude and build better relationships. I just read a great article yesterday that sums up how I've been feeling. You can read it on the (In)Courage blog here. Basically, I need to stop wallowing in self-pity and put myself out there! Opening up our home has been a big part of that. Daryll and I have always loved entertaining and I absolutely love having a full (OVERFLOWING!) home! It's the best way I can show people that I care about them and care about our friendship. Another blog that I have been reading that has really been encouraging me in this matter is the Reluctant Entertainer. What a phenomenal attitude she has about being a blessing to others and building connections through entertaining!

I hope to continue building connections at CBC in the next year. I would love to develop some lasting and most importantly, real and raw relationships. What's the best way to do that? To be real with myself. And vulnerable.

On another note, I'd also like to find a creative community to become a part of, whether through photography, scrapbooking, or other crafts! I want to be inspired by and be an inspiration to others in 2011!

Thanks for being our friend!

Make

2010-12-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

December 6 – Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

I believe that the last thing that I made was the "joy" sheet music window that I'm trying to sell. I love the window projects and thanks to Conor I have a continual influx of supplies!

It seems like I am always in the throes of a project. I like to keep my hands and my mind busy and I do that by trying out new techniques and projects. This year has been particularly project-heavy. Daryll and I tried our hand at woodworking for the first time, completing an entertainment center and bookcases for the sides of it. I also tried my hand at jewelry-making and pulled off several successful designs. I made some movie posters for my boss's wedding in photoshop (also a first and also a great success!). I made several scrapbook pages and have almost completed my 365 project!

As far as projects I need to make time for... the biggest one I can think of is reuphostering my couch. I purchased and cut the fabric already, but I've been reluctant to get out the machine and start sewing when I'm not sure that I'll have enough time to finish the project. Our garage is also full of a bunch of half painted objects. Frames and mirrors that I want to add to the walls, a curio cabinet for the landing on the stairs, a wreath for Christmas (hmmm, I should probably get on that one!). Jen and I have also slowly and surely been working on our first quilts. Eventually we will finish... haha. Love this prompt and love to create!

Let Go

2010-12-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

December 5 – Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)

This year, I think I've let go of a need for excess. I have already been blessed with way more than I need and I just don't see the need to have excessive amounts of stuff in my life. I've gotten to the point where I am much happier sharing experiences with people and building relationships than buying gifts. Maybe it's a disillusionment with stuff. I'm sick of having my own life cluttered with stuff. Of course, I have the occasional purchase (ahem, grey boots I'm talking to you) that just makes me happy, but overall I'm disinterested in excess. Moving on from excess to experience.

Wonder

2010-12-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

December 4 – Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

I read this prompt and thought, huh? How did I cultivate a sense of wonder? More like did I cultivate a sense of wonder? I didn't stare up at majestic mountains and wonder at their beauty like the great artists. I did not marvel at the twinkling stars in the universe. A sense of wonder, really?

I, once again, am selling myself short.

I did wonder. I wondered what it would be like to learn how to make my pictures look their greatest, so I took a photoshop class. I wondered what it would feel like to have a picture of every single day of my life in 2010 to look back on, so I took on Project Life. I wondered if I could learn to draw in Illustrator, so I signed up for an online class and practiced like crazy. I wondered about my family history, so I peppered my family with questions and searched for answers. I wondered about a lot of things this year, and I wasn't afraid to try things out and seek an answer.

And it was wonderful.

Moment

2010-12-03T23:15:00.000-08:00

December 3 – Moment. Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

I love this prompt. I don't know why I don't take more time to think about significant moments and take a little bit of time to journal them. In fact, I liked this prompt so much that I made Daryll write about it too. His response surprised me, we'll see if it does the same for you...

Trish's Response:

The warm air of sunset hit our backs as we wound through the vineyard perched on bails of hay in the back of a tractor. Mere hours before Daryll, Megan, and I had no idea that Sip, Savor, and Stomp even existed, yet here we were at Wilson Creek Winery with the taste of almond champagne on our lips and the scent of early Autumn in the air. We reached a clearing at the top of the vineyard where we were greeted with an acoustic guitar melody and a breathtaking view of miles of grapevine. We sampled many wines, light and aromatic whites, smooth and bold reds, but always coming back to the defining unique flavor of the almond champagne. It seemed only fitting that we would be drawn to such an unusual champagne, when after all we were there under unusual circumstances. After an already euphoric weekend of visiting with our other friend Meg and cheering against USC in its loss to Washington, Megan suggested that we travel up to wine country for some tasting. A quick google search and an RSVP phone call later, we were on our way. The fact that this was so uncharacteristic of me made it all the more exciting. Photography and capturing moments is so important to me and this occasion proved not to be an exception. The warm afternoon glow was the perfect lighting for our many pictures frolicking in the vineyard.

After appetizers, we meandered back down to the main ballroom where a tantalizing buffet of savory dishes awaited us. The singer's thick heavy voice boomed through the room, now with a little more fervor with the addition of a band, and many people rose to feet and glided across the dance floor. Finally, it was time for the moment we had been anticipating.

We walked out into the crisp evening air, each with a glass of wine in hand, and waited in line for our turn. Megan and I timidly stepped into the barrel and the cold and moist explosion of grapes massaged the bottoms of our feet. Now, loosening up we pulled up our skirts and started our stomp around the barrel. We couldn't help but smile and laugh at how surreal this moment in time was. Next, Daryll climbed in and I could tell his surprise at the slimy crushed grapes beneath his feet. A smile spread across his face as well as we looked at each other in the barrel of grapes. As I sit here tonight, sipping on almond champagne, I can't help but be transported back into that moment. For once, I had put all stress and worries aside and I was living.

Daryll's Response:

Feeling alive. Alive as in breathing, eating, and sleeping, or something more? I hate applying tags like “most”, “lease”, “best”, “worst”, “always”, “never” because it feels like that is trapping yourself into something that you can’t “ever” change. So I’ll just think of it as a time I felt alive this year.

One moment that really came to mind was the Sugarland concert at the country music Stagecoach festival this year. The whole weekend was a lot of fun and aliveness, meeting new people, getting to know acquaintances better, and having a great time with my wife in her element too! (Like Stampede, where you feel like an idiot for not wearing a cowboy hat, plaid, or actually liking the taste of Coors Light)

But for me, I’m a pretty big music guy. A lot of times I like to feel like I’ve “discovered” bands along the way. For example, I always tell the story about first listening to Switchfoot in junior high church and the first time I saw them in concert they were horrible. Or the time in 1999 I first saw Tyrone Wells as lead singer of Skypark. Other finds include Mat Kearney, Anberlin, Mae, Needtobreathe and *John Mark McMillan. When I first started dating Trish, it was hard for me to listen to so much country music because I originally assumed it was all horrible music. Turns out this isn’t the case at all. Just the country I had been exposed to previously. But really all music has good ones and bad ones. Would the Beatles (as the Rock n Roll band representative) be proud of Nickelback? I don’t think so.

So here I was about to listen to Sugarland, a female-fronted country band I had heard on the radio and had a few good songs I liked. But certainly no chance for me to be their discoverer. What I didn’t know is that I was just already missing out! The lights went out, then came up again to start the concert. I’ve long been a fan of outdoor music festivals, and though I prefer intimate settings where everyone crowds together and gets all sweaty, there is something for being on blankets and chairs with a couple thousand other people. From the first song, it was clear this band knew how to perform. Especially considering I was a few football fields back from the stage and only vaguely knew a few of the songs, this band really put on a great show. I think the whole place got quiet when the lead singer Jennifer Nettles was singing “Stay” with her incredibly powerful voice. With a great concert like this, you automatically become friends with those around you as you belt out the words and hope the chorus doesn’t change too soon. It was a neat time looking around at all of these strangers captivated by this band – with only the occasional person too drunk to know what was going on.

After we came back from Stagecoach, I even downloaded the CD and blared it out of my car while driving with the windows down for several days.

So, that’s my alive moment that comes to mind when thinking about 2010. Life-changing? Certainly not. But the older I get the more I come to appreciate simple moments like discovering a new band or a truly great concert.

*Probably my favorite new CD of the year was John Mark McMillan’s The Medicine. An amazing musician and artist, his songs also really make me feel alive when listening and turning up really loud even on the slow songs.

p.s. for your enjoyment, here's Tyrone Wells's song "More". I think that it sums up this prompt quite nicely.

Writing

2010-12-02T22:47:00.000-08:00

December 2 – Writing. What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)

I'm not sure how applicable the "writing" part of this prompt is to me, so I'm changing it to "What do you do each day that doesn't contribute to your creativity?". And perhaps I should be asking myself why do I do those things?

I love being creative. I love creating with my hands, with my computer, with my camera. So why don't I spend more time doing that? Why do I allow things to distract me from my creativity? Honestly, some of it is laziness. It was a lot easier to sit down and watch Grey's Anatomy tonight than finish the Christmas banner that's sitting desolately in the scrap room. (Does it count if I was multitasking and editing pictures while the show was on?) Another aspect of it is perfectionism. I can't stand it when things don't turn out perfect and I have to be in the right frame of mind to even attempt to achieve that unattainable standard that my brain has set for itself. Finally, another portion is a fear of failure. I know I'm creative and talented. And I know other people have noticed. The question is now, what am I going to do with all that talent? Surely it's wasted being spread around from one creative medium to another, but how can I reign in and focus on just one aspect when there's so much more to learn? So much more to do...

I want to create just because I love creating. Not for anyone else's sake. Not for a potential future business idea. Not because of any expectations that I have placed on myself. Just for the love of creativity.

One Word

2010-12-01T22:28:00.000-08:00

Abundance

So Thankful!

2010-11-29T08:47:00.000-08:00

We had such an amazing Thanksgiving weekend with our Families. Thanksgiving day was a low-key feast at our home with Don and Andrea, Mom and Pete, Grandpa, and Amy and Conor.

We ate Poblano and Cilantro Roasted Turkey (from A Southern Fairytale), corn casserole, brie mashed potatoes, Mom's famous green beans, rosemary rolls, butternut squash and cranberry gratin (first time I'd ever made or ate it!), stuffing, spinach with garlic chips (from Pioneer Woman), and winter sangria. Of course we also had a lot of homemade desserts: Mom's upside down pumpkin cake, pumpkin pie, and cranberry apple pie! We worked off the dinner by playing Wii Just Dance 2 and throwing around the football out front with the pups in hot pursuit! After my family left, we capped off the night with a viewing of It's a Wonderful Life, the official kick-off to the Christmas season!

On Friday, we had a quick visit with Daryll's grandparents and Great Aunt and Uncle at our house! Afterward, Andrea and I ventured off in search of Black Friday deals, but our adventure came to a quick end when we found out the wait at Kohl's was 2 hours! Yikes! Instead, we decided to get our Christmas tree and an early jump on the season! We picked out a beauty (but she's still waiting to get decorated...)

It's Up! The New Christmas Blog!

2010-11-21T19:23:00.000-08:00

I finally, finally got around to changing up my blog template! My new Christmas-y blog makes me so happy! I've been holding off on decorating the house until after Thanksgiving (I'm a purist and it breaks my own rules for life to decorate any earlier & I wanted to keep the Thanksgiving decor up until after the fam saw it), but I'm glad to get a jump on the blog! I have a few new posts coming up soon, so hopefully you haven't completely given up on Daily Dose of Dorman yet!

I Heart Faces- Orchard Photos

2010-10-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

What splendid timing for an Orchard Photos challenge. My in-laws came to visit last week and we ventured to east county for an afternoon of apple picking (and apple pie eating). Here's a shot of my father-in-law enjoying the bountiful harvest.

Do Something New... 1st Update!

2010-10-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

The start of October brought along the start of my new challenge: Do Something New...Everyday! My first weekend certainly set the bar high, and I can assure you that the rest of the challenge will probably be not so exciting, but without further ado, I bring you my first 8 days:

10/1: I ate pumpkin hummus for the first time. I liked the taste of it, but overall I've learned that I'm a bigger fan of sweet pumpkin recipes than savory!

10/2: I got to watch USC lose in real life! At the Coliseum! It was a happy day for me!

10/3: I stomped grapes in a barrel, I Love Lucy style! By far the coolest thing ever.

10/4: I made a new white chicken chili recipe. It was delicious (and even more so the 2nd day)

10/5: I actually watched Daryll play a full softball game, from the sidelines. Not one of my favorites so far. I'd rather be playing!

10/6: I painted my fingernails dark green per Megan's request

10/7: I used the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to clean EVERYTHING in my house. How have I never used this miracle worker before?

10/8: I made sugar cookies and cut them out into pumpkin shapes. And I made homemade caramel sauce! Yum!

I'll try to get some pictures up soon!

Welcome Autumn and a New Challenge!

2010-09-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

It's my favorite time of year, as everybody knows! Fall is finally officially here. I had my first pumpkin spice latte a few weeks ago, a brief glimpse into the lovely season that is now upon us! My house is decorated, my mini pumpkin collection has started (thanks for the $.75 pumpkins Albertsons), Ohio State football blares from our TV every Saturday, and I baked pumpkin-banana bread this week (much to the pleasure of my neighbors, co-workers, Megan, and my husband of course)... Really is there any question about why I love fall?

For many the start of fall marks the beginning of their busy school years. My schedule is quite the opposite. I've just started my season of rest. And I'm already restless... what a surprise! Remember my 90 day challenge from last year? Where I didn't repeat a meal from October to New Years... well, I'm not doing that again. I considered it. It was afterall a worthy challenge and one that I immensely enjoyed. But my line of thinking has gotten more complex since then. I thought to myself, what if I didn't just try to cook something new everyday, what if I actually did something new everyday? Thus, my new challenge was born: Do Something New... Everyday! I'm excited for the start of October to start my new challenge. I've been brainstorming ideas for what my "something new" could be everyday. I feel like I need to have a list ahead of time so that I don't run out of ideas or miss a day, but I'd also like to have some flexibility to be spontaneous! I'd love to hear any of your ideas about what new things I should do. I can't promise that I'll do all of them, but I can promise that I'll actually document this journey here on my blog. And you can bet there will be lots of pictures to go along with it. *Also, just to clarify, the something I do doesn't have to be something I've never ever done in my entire life... just something that is out of the ordinary everyday routine.

I'd also like to throw the challenge out to you guys! Let me know if you'll be coming along on this journey!

I also wanted to mention that I've been taking a blog design class. Over the next few days I'll be updating the look of my blog, so if it gets a little wonky for a few days, that's the reason why!

I Heart Faces - Babies

2010-06-14T12:21:00.000-07:00

How convenient that this week's theme is babies and just last week I took pictures of my beautiful newest cousin Isabella. This is one of my favorites, capturing a sweet and happy moment between daddy and baby!

Recent Scrapbooking Pages!

2010-06-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to begin on catching you all up on my life, so we're just going to move on from here! I thought I'd share a few scrapbooking pages that I worked on (semi-) recently!

Sorry for the poor picture quality! I only had time to shoot these at night!

Crazy BBQ Night w/ Co-Workers

Me and my Hubs

Refugio Beach '09

Sea World with Amy and Conor

Me and My Mom

From Meagan's Bridal Shower

From Max's 80's Party

From Christmas

A morning at the dog beach

I Heart Faces - Play

2010-06-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge for I Heart Faces is a Play! I decided to showcase my kid-at-heart husband with our 2 happy little dogs!

We Took Down the Beast!

2010-05-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

After 4 months of building, procrastinating, reassembling, getting so frustrated that I almost took a sledge hammer to the whole project, cutting moulding, re-cutting moulding, painting, and distressing... the center portion of our media cabinet is finally complete! Woo Hoooo!!! Celebration time!

This truly was a great project for Daryll and I to work on together. It tested our patience at times (well, my patience, I won't throw Daryll under the bus here). And it definitely took me getting over my obsessive need for perfection in my projects (well, I wouldn't say I'm over that exactly). Nonetheless, I feel such a great sense of accomplishment and pride that we tackled such a huge project... our FIRST EVER woodworking project... and FINISHED it!!! And it looks beautiful, if I do say so myself! I can't wait to start on the bookcases for the outside of it!

I Heart Faces - Flowers

2010-05-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is my first time participating in the iheartfaces photography challenge! This week's theme is flowers and I thought that this picture of Daryll and Lulu was perfect for it!

Just Another Crazy Weekend Is All...

2010-05-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Well our non-stop lifestyle has continued to be, well, non-stop. Last weekend was the epitome of craziness. Here's the tv guide version (as my 6th grade teacher used to say):

Thursday: Drove out to Palm Springs for P-Club. Sat by the pool and relaxed. Ate dinner on the company. Slept. (At least that's what I did.)

Friday: Spent the day lounging by the pool, watching Daryll play poker, getting massages, and going to the awards recognition. Spent the night driving

a ridiculous route from Palm Springs to Fresno starting at 10pm.

Saturday: Slept 2 hours on my Mom's couch in Burbank. Drove the rest of the way to Fresno, while watching the sunrise. Daryll and Don competed in Brandon's Splash and Dash and finished 1st in the relays. Daryll had an obscene amount of energy for having so little sleep. I did not.

Sunday: Went to breakfast with Daryll's fam to celebrate Mother's Day. Started our trek back to San Diego. Stopped to bbq in Burbank with my fam for Mother's Day. Took some really cute pictures. Finished the drive back to SD where we picked up 2 very smelly puppies. Fell into bed and were whisked off to dreamland.

Like Totally Rad!

2010-05-04T14:12:00.001-07:00

Daryll and I went to Max's 80's themed birthday party last weekend and had such a great time. Daryll is the master of 80's dress up, but I think that my outfit held its own as well...

I seriously love it when we get to do these goofy things together. What a wonderfully fun husband I have!

April Recap

2010-04-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

I've been a very bad blogger. So to make up for it, here's my April recap.

Here we go...

The first weekend of April we volunteered at the Easter mEGGa Hunt for CBC. Daryll set up Easter egg hunts and I took pictures.

Easter Sunday was spent with Daryll's coworker Tim and his wife Kim... and an 18 pound ham.

Daryll sang some more karaoke with his new friends.

I turned 25 and Daryll took me out to a nice Italian dinner...

And then he threw me a surprise birthday party!

We bbq'd with Ron and Ingrid

We went to our first Padre's game of the season.

We went to Fresno for Meagan's bridal shower.

And finally we went to our first Stagecoach festival!

Phew... and just to think that's just the start of "busy season"...

Mantle Party!

2010-04-09T11:14:00.000-07:00

The Nester is having a Mantle party on her blog and it couldn't have come at a better time because it just so happens that I redid my mantle 3 weeks ago!

I used various items that "shopped" for around my house!

I think that it has a nice rustic look to it. What do you think?

First Guest Post: My Husband Daryll!

2010-03-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

Guest Blog 3/30/10

Well with baseball season nearly officially here, Trish offered to have me write a guest blog for the night! Two weekends ago we went out to Arizona for our annual Spring Training trip! This was the 4th time Trish and I had been out there, and 6th time I had been out there! I always love a good road trip, so was excited for the trip! At the last minute Trish’s dad decided to come too, so the three of us loaded up and off we went around 6 PM on Friday night!

We weren’t sure if we were going to stop in Yuma on the way or just go for the whole trip, which takes about five and a half hours. As we passed Yuma after a nice In N Out dinner, we were going strong! Started pulling into the Phoenix area….and all of a sudden we realized another problem: We aren’t the ones going to Phoenix anymore. About the first six hotels we walked into all had “No Vacancy” signs. Trish and I even called a few and no luck. Finally we found one and settled in around 12:30 AM. Needed our sleep for the next day!

Wake up rested and headed off for a little Cracker Barrel bre

akfast! Cracker Barrel is an AMAZING restaurant that are all over the rest of the country apparently, but not in California. Good home-cooking! After my French toast, it was off to our first game!

Now the Royals this year are an odd team of former top prospects who 5 years later still haven’t panned out (see former Brave/Dodger/Yankee/Royal Wilson Betemit) and veterans who are still hanging on like Jason Kendall. The Cubs actually won their division in 2008 but were bad last year and of course, haven’t won a World Series since 1908. The game started out with some offense, but in the end the Cubbies won 5-1 I think.

I love spring training, because the tickets are less, the ballp

arks are smaller, and the players seem pretty relaxed. The caliber of baseball isn’t always the highest or most pressure, but you can catch glimpses of that next great player as well. Unfortunately the Braves and Nationals play in Florida so the two most exciting players of 2010 (Jason Heyward of the Braves, Stephen Strasburg of the Nats) weren’t there.

Picked up Trish’s friend Megan who is going to phys

ician's assistant school out there, then went over to Glendale, AZ for a nightcap Dodgers-Padres game! Before the game we were supposed to meet and tailgate with a few of Trish’s friends from high school who were out there, but they were late. I played catch with a couple of guys who were out there which was fun. Of course I brought my mitt to every game. Didn’t catch a foul ball though. We secretly BBD’d our bratwurst and headed in the gates!

The Padres actually looked VERY impressive! Their lefty Wade Leblanc held the Dodgers to 1 hit over 5 innings, and all in all the Dodgers only got 2 hits all game! And they were starting Manny, Kemp, and most of the other starters. Padre prospect Matt Antonelli hit a 3 run homer and the Padres won 5-1!

Sunday was our last day, and the weather was amazing again, so we took lawn seats for the Rockies-Royals game. Megan is f

rom Colorado, so a big Rockies fan, otherwise we would not have paid money to watch the Royals again. It was an offensive game, which you would expect from the Rockies, and they jumped out to a big lead, then the Royals wore it down and then took the lead! I was surprised at the crowd, it was the Royals home park but until this trip don’t think I had ever seen more than one Royals fan at a time. Very impressive. The Rockies really are a fun team. I’ve always Todd Helton, and with guys like Eric Young, Jr., Troy Tulowitski, Clint Barmes, and even bench guy Jason Giambi they should be fun to watch. I’ve also long been a fan of Ubaldo Jimenez for fantasy baseball. We decided to leave early, an inning early, which was tough for me, but was anxious to get going. Megan stayed and apparently the scoring continued and ended in a tie…plus she caught a foul ball!!

I concluded my baseball season prep with my first ever live auction fantasy baseball draft, which was 4 hours and I will never do again, and writing up my 2010 predictions, which you got a preview of here. Spoiler alert: I pick the Braves to win it all.

Thanks for letting me guest blog Trish, hopefully this isn’t too long!

Sooo Much To Do, Yet Soooo Little Time

2010-03-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

I have quite the conundrum going on right now. I have far too many things to do and far too little time to do them... I know that my situation is not unique. And I also am aware that I have brought this situation upon myself for the most part.

It all starts with a little idea... a spark if you will. Then next comes the collecting of supplies, and the taking over of the dining room table. This is all followed quickly by a huge mess that will sit there incomplete for several days until I eventually finish it or stash it away for another day when I have "more time" (ahem, cough, cough...). Currently I find myself daydreaming my time away thinking about how many different projects I should be finishing at home. And how many I still want to start! Here's a run down of what's incomplete and utterly lacking in my home at this exact moment:

- 1 media cabinet (2 coats of paint applied, edges sanded... still waiting in my garage to be distressed. Yes, 1 final step and this beauty could be in my house by the end of the week. Or 3 weeks ago...)

- 1 side table that I got a great bargain on from a garage sale (1 coat of paint applied to the 1st and 2nd tiers, but not on the detailed legs)

- 1 dress (sewn and totally wearable but not completely embellished to my detailed eye)

- 1 tank top (this one might never be finished. I'm not in love with it so far...)

- 1 Illustrator project due at the end of the week (not to mention about 200 videos that I'm behind on)

- Several spring decor items to paint, embellish, throw up on walls, decorate my table with, etc...

- 1 guest bedroom that became a victim of "spring cleaning" (aka Springtime Disaster 2010).

Not to mention that I'd like to steam clean my carpets, have my husband finish pulling the weeds out back (hint, hint hubs), SCRAPBOOK (I so miss this), and perhaps throw in some time to exercise, or you know... like cook dinner and stuff...

Phew, this list exhausts me. But it doesn't demotivate me!

St Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2010! I can't believe that it has already been 4 years since I lived in Ireland. St. Patrick's Day is happy and nostalgic, but this year we'll focus on the happy part!

On Saturday we went for our annual St. Patrick's Day celebration at George's! It's always a good time at George's and this year did not disappoint. The corned beef and cabbage was exquisite, the time visiting with friends and family was good craic! (Haven't used that term in 4 years!) Here are a few pictures from the afternoon...

O Happy Day!

2010-03-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

There are several reasons to celebrate this glorious spring day! (Yes, I am a fan of lists.)

1. It was warm enough to buy an iced coffee this morning!

2. The warm weather is energizing my body and soul!

3. Celebrating St. Patrick's Day with George and company!

4. Spring training weekend coming soon!

5. Camp planning and interviews gearing up!

6. Beach weather!

7. I got 2 new books in the mail yesterday that are inspiring my creative energies!

8. I'm making soda bread and green velvet cupcakes tonight!

9. No more rain means I can finally get back to painting my media cabinet!

10. I get to put up my Easter decorations soon! And I'm loving the colors this year!

Yep, several reasons to be excited about life today. ;-) It's time to get excited people! What are you excited about?

San Diego Staycation

2010-03-10T19:28:00.000-08:00

Last week I had a fabulous time when my friend Megan visited and had my very own San Diego staycation! It was a crazy couple of days with only a few moments to spare, but we enjoyed every minute of it! Here are a few highlights:

On Thursday we spent the majority of the day at the zoo. We had a wonderful time walking around, watching the animals and chatting! That evening Megan accompanied me to my final sewing class of the quarter where most of the class finished up their handbags and Megan learned how to sew a tank top. Our night was capped off by an evening of karaoke. We had a fun time singing Dixie Chicks and Spice Girls, while Daryll had a good time singing Jump and I've Gotta Feeling.

On Friday, we set out from San Diego harbor on a whale watching expedition. Although the water was often choppy, we braved the elements and were rewarded with sighting of 3 whales!

On Saturday, I had to come back to reality for a few hours for Knock Around registration. But that afternoon, we ventured down to Goldfish Point Cafe in La Jolla where we watched the sea lions and sipped on chai lattes.

I can't wait until Megan comes back in September to live with us for 6 weeks!

Random Rainy Day Musings

2010-02-27T12:44:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday morning and I'm stranded at Coffee Bean with a slow internet connection. Daryll left me here while he went into work to finish up with a coworker who quit yesterday. So now I'm stuck here and I can't watch my videos for my Photoshop class because each one takes 20 minutes to load. Boo to that! My Photoshop class ends this week, so I'm trying to suck all I can out of the videos that I haven't had a chance to watch yet (and there are a lot of them). I'm a sponge for Photoshop knowledge. I need to finish my final project before Wednesday (restoring an old photograph) and my scanner won't work with my new computer. Or Daryll's computer. But it did work with my old computer...you know, the one that was stolen. So a lot of good that does me today! But I think I just might have previously stored it on my external hard drive. But I can't check right now. Because I'm stranded at Coffee Bean!

I have a lot of things to look forward to this week:

-Game night tonight

-Church and potluck tomorrow

-Being busy at work

-Megan visiting for a few days next week!

-Going to the zoo

-Whale Watching

-My final sewing class/ dessert potluck

-Beach volleyball

-Constructing/painting our media center

-KA sign ups

Snowy Weekend Getaway

2010-02-25T22:13:00.000-08:00

After the crazy events of Friday afternoon, it was nice to escape it all and head up to my Dad's cabin for a fun weekend getaway with Jeff & Lindsay and Greg & Jen. We had a nail-biting drive up the mountain (lots of fog), but finally made it just before it started snowing.

Saturday the boys headed out for some snowboarding fun and the girls stuck around the cabin to chat away the day. The puppies also got into the action sprinting around the snow covered ground. Such a fantastic weekend of fun, fellowship, snowboarding, games, hot chocolate, and plenty of snow!

Violated.

2010-02-19T15:57:00.000-08:00

I really can't believe what happened earlier today. I'm sitting here feeling violated and saddened, yet grateful that it wasn't any worse.

When I came home around 1:30 this afternoon, I was a little surprised to see that the front door was unlocked and that the dogs were out of the kitchen. Hmmm, I though to myself, Daryll must have come home and left the dogs out and forgotten to lock the front door back up (all things which he has been known on occasion to do). I gave him a call to check, but he didn't answer so I flopped down on the couch with the puppies for a while. When Daryll called back half an hour or so later, I asked if he'd been home earlier. He said no. I said, are you sure? And he said yes, he hadn't been home. I said someone's been in our house. Heart dropping. I started looking around and noticed that the back slider door was opened up. Panic started setting in. I started scouring the downstairs and discovered that my old computer was missing. And my camera. My good camera. That I love. I couldn't believe it. I called Daryll back and told him to get home immediately. Then I went to talk to the neighbor's house to ask him if he'd seen anything suspicious. The police came and took a report and I don't expect that I'll get my things back. But I also know that we are incredibly lucky that only those 2 possessions were taken from us. The more I think about it, the more things I think that could have been way worse. It could have been my new computer. I could have procrastinated and not moved my pictures and everything else off of my computer and onto my hard drive last week. They could have taken a lot more things. I could have come home in the middle of the theft. The dogs could have escaped. Or, or, or... So yes, I am thankful. And I am also angry. I can't believe that somebody would have the audacity to break into my house and take my things. In broad daylight. And I'm sad. I miss my camera already.

New Years Goals Update

2010-02-18T22:50:00.000-08:00

One and a half months through 2010 and I'm doing exceptionally well on making good on my new years resolutions. Here's a few brief updates for you:

Take a Photoshop Class:

This is the 3rd week of my photoshop class and I'm really enjoying it so far. I have learned a lot more than I expected already.

My assignment this week in my photoshop class was to create a digital collage. After much deliberation I decided to make our little family my theme. I am actually quite pleased with how it turned out.

Make New Friends in San Diego:

Well, this is quite a complicated matter. I wouldn't say that I've made any new life long friends yet, but I have created several situations for myself in order to create opportunities to make new acquaintances. My sewing class has been going great and inspired me to attend a sewing meet up a few weeks back. Overall, I'd say my sewing class is more conductive to friendship than the meet up was though. I also recently joined a book club with a bunch of friendly women in it. It's too early to determine if it's meant to be though.

In January Daryll and I started going to a new church, and this more than anything else has given us ample opportunities for new friendships. I'm excited to see how they blossom in the next few months.

Take a Picture Everyday:

Yep, it's a success! It just might be possible that I have taken more pictures so far this year than I took all 4 years of high school...

Wish me luck moving onward! How have you all been keeping on your resolutions?

Lots of Lovin' and a Little Carpentry

2010-02-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

Valentine's weekend got off with a jump start on Friday. Since Daryll had Friday off and not Monday, I decided to take the day off too to spend with my loving hubs. We headed down to La Jolla Cove where I surprised Daryll with a Hickory Farms picnic lunch (his favorite!).

We spent a few hours down there enjoying the sun, seals, sea lions, and tide pools.Later that evening Daryll treated me to a dinner out at Hunter Steakhouse. We'd never been before, but I think it's safe to say it could have just become one of our favorites.

On Saturday we took care of some stuff around the house and ran some errands,

including picking up some wood for part 2 of our entertainment center.

That afternoon Jen came over for a snuggie-making party! We headed out t

o the fabric store and picked out 2 very cute designs. Once we got back to the house, we sewed up our snuggies and curled up for a good old fashioned chick flick (at which point the boys came over, I might like to mention...).

Sunday morning Daryll made me a ham and cheese omelette with hash browns for

breakfast before we headed off to church. (Don't I have just the most wonderful husband?) We spent the better part of the afternoon drilling and screwing the pieces of wood together to make our hutch. It's nearly completed, and not too shabby if I do say so myself! I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend Valentine's day than working on a big project with my incredible husband. I am truly a very lucky girl!

A Super Weekend

2010-02-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

Another fabulous weekend down in the books for us. (Really, why must we work for 5 days a week and only have 2 days to rest, relax, and enjoy life. There is something sooo inherently wrong with this system... but that's another post altogether.) Friday Scotty came in to visit and brought with him yet another rainstorm (and today too! and I'm wearing flip flops!). We had a restful evening of In-N-Out, some tv, and cookies in preparation for the following 2 days festivities.

Saturday we rearranged the living room (which meant a lot of vacuuming, which you knooow I secretly love from a previous post) so that we'd be better able to accommodate the hordes of people we expected for the Superbowl party. In the afternoon I left for a sewing meetup and Daryll and Scott went downtown to the Yardhouse. I was able to nearly finish my pj pants for Thursday's class and also finish a tank top, which I wore that evening. Saturday night we headed up to Temecula to meet Crystal and Kira at Stampede. In college me and my roommates would make that trek more often than I care to admit to dance the night away. Although I think that things have changed around there recently (meaning that I can't predict down to the minute which song is coming up next), I still really enjoy myself when I have the chance to go up there! Not to mention that line dancing is just a really fantastic leg workout. ;-)

Sunday morning we woke up and ate Martino's cupcakes, which Crystal delightfully surprised me with the night before, and then headed out to church. After our spiritual nourishment we headed home to prepare for the Superbowl party! Crystal and Adam set up cornhole out front and I prepared some guacamole and heated up the chili.

The guests soon started pouring in, toting many a different kind of chili for our tasting pleasure. We had a packed house, but luckily plenty of bowls and spoons to go around and the tasters quickly got to work as the game kicked off. One thing became clear as we started tasting the many different variations of chili... people had definitely stepped up their game this year! The tasters clearly had a more difficult time choosing which chili should be named tastiest, most uniquely flavored, or spiciest. At halftime a bunch of people went outside to toss around the football and play cornhole, while others stayed inside to cast their ballot for the chili cookoff.

Although the majority of the crowd was cheering for the Colts, there were a few amongst us who were pulling for the Saints (including myself)! What a surprise it was when the Saints did an onside kick to start off the 2nd half! I've never seen such a thing myself and it immediately drew people back to the game.

Eventually the winners were announced:

Spiciest Chili- Crystal

Most Uniquely Flavored Chili- Frank and Kellie

Tastiest Chili- Michael Holl

Not to mention that the Saints were able to pull off the Superbowl victory, making at least a handful of our crowd exceptionally happy! Overall, I'd have to say that it was a very successful 2nd Annual Superbowl Chili Cook-off and I'm already looking forward to next year!

Life 101

2010-02-01T15:00:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like wine tasting in Napa and an all day trip down the 101 to leave you feeling tired on a Monday. But believe me, it's a good tired. We had such a lovely weekend visiting with Daryll's parents. I must admit that I've been thinking all day about getting home and editing the pictures from Napa to post on the blog and elsewhere. (Even though my time is at a premium this week!) We visited three wineries on Saturday: Beringer, Mumm, and Arcada. We chatted with each other, walked the grounds, and had sufficient time to take in the beautiful green rolling hills that are patiently awaiting next season's bounty.

Saturday night Daryll's parents treated us to a delicious teppanyaki style dinner before we capped off the evening with a toast of sparkling wine.

Sunday we left Fremont around 9am for the long journey ahead of us. We decided to take the scenic 101 route instead of the efficient 5 and were rewarded with a more delightful and stress-free journey. We stopped for a bbq sandwich lunch in San Luis Obispo before continuing to Thousand Oaks, where we briefly visited with my Dad. Our final stop before home was in Burbank for a quick and tasty dinner with Amy and Conor. We reached home just before 9:30pm, much to the delight of 2 excited little pugs!

Things to be happy about in the next 11 days...

2010-01-28T15:11:00.000-08:00

1. Sewing class meeting at the fabric store

2. Visiting with my in-laws

3. Driving down the coast with my husband

4. A bowl of Amy's albondigas soup

5. Softball

6. Meeting with my new book club

7. The ASR Convention

8. Making pj pants (and new friends) at my first sewing meetup

9. Stampede

10. Superbowl Chili Cookoff

11. Starting my FREE online photoshop class through San Diego Continuing Ed

Raining Again...

2010-01-22T09:51:00.000-08:00

I seriously can't remember the last time that it rained for so many days straight in San Diego. Maybe that's because it's never happened since I've lived here? The rain usually holds a dear special place in my heart. It reminds me of my time spent in Ireland (where it rained almost daily) and all the fond memories that go along with that...

One of my favorite rainy memories from Ireland was the day that Megan, Annie, and I ventured to the Aran Islands. The weather wasn't particularly good that morning as we boarded the ferry, and it soon took it's vengeance on the tiny boat, rocking it to and fro and pounding it with wave after wave. When we finally reached blessed land, the weather had cleared just enough to allow the jaunting car drivers an opportunity to wrangle in tourists like myself one last time before closing up for winter.

We climbed up into the jaunting car eagerly anticipating our tour around Inishmor, the largest of the Aran Islands. As we traveled in the open air car, we watched as the clouds began their ominous grouping in the darkening sky. Still, our spirits weren't dampened as we pressed on, equipped with warm blankets and rain coats. When we reached our resting spot at a small cafe, our driver told us that we could climb to the cliffs...but we'd have to do it by foot! So Annie, Megan, and I started our journey up the rain soaked path, laughing the whole way and armed with blankets wrapped around us and an umbrella that quickly met its fate as the wind whisked it away. When we got to the top we were met with an astonishing view of the sheer cliffs that dropped straight down into the pounding waves. As we gathered around to take pictures we noticed that the rain wasn't just coming straight down anymore. It was shooting over the side of the cliff and pelting us from the side!

Soaked to the bone and happy as clams, we headed back down to the cafe and its beckoning fireplace and hot coffee. As we were finishing the tour we were delighted with the site of a rainbow emerging over two swans who huddled together in the water. It was one of my favorite days that yielded one of my favorite pictures from my entire year in Ireland.

And really, thinking about that memory makes another day of rain in San Diego a little more tolerable.

Built with Love

2010-01-16T21:36:00.000-08:00

What a fun and productive Saturday it has been! We started the morning out right with homemade pancakes and vanilla lattes enjoyed in our kitchen nook. Afterwards, we whisked away to the zoo for a few hours of walking, talking, and animal watching. The weather was so nice that we enjoyed a leisurely In-n-Out lunch and some light reading on our back patio. The afternoon was spent constructing the base of our super secret woodworking project, from start to finish! Follow that up with dinner, football, and some scrapbooking and that my friends is what I call a perfect Saturday!

Blog Makeover- Part 1

2010-01-15T22:32:00.000-08:00

You've probably noticed by now that my blog underwent a little makeover recently. I'll be the first to admit that I didn't change all of this myself. (It's mostly a template.) BUT, I did make the header! Yay for me! Overall, I'd have to say I'm very pleased to not have to look at the blue dots anymore. I hope that I'll learn enough this year to be able to completely edit the look of my blog myself, but for now this will do. (On a side note, I miss getting comments on this blog! Or maybe nobody reads it anymore since I don't post everyday...sadness.)

Last night was the first night of the sewing class that I'm teaching this quarter, and it went so well! I found out when I returned to work in January that my class was already full (success!), but I was surprised when I showed up to class yesterday and I had 6 extra people show up who were trying to crash the class! Ultimately I only let one into the class (she stuck it out the longest!), so I'll be teaching 11 students over the next 7 weeks as they make the journey to becoming expert seamstresses! The class went quite well, despite the first day chaos of showing everybody how to use their machine with the different nuances each machine presented! (It would've been great if I could've multiplied myself for a while there!) Everybody seems really excited to dig in and start working on projects, and that's just what we're going to do starting next week! Pillowcases will be our first project!

There's me teaching

This weekend should be nice and quiet for us, and 3 days off for lucky me! Hopefully we'll have some time to continue to work on our top secret woodworking project. We're also going to try to make it out to the zoo. Sunday is of course the Charger's game and a 2nd week at City Bible Church San Diego. Just lovin' life right now...

Sew What?

2010-01-13T22:39:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the first meeting of the "Learn to Sew" class that I'm teaching! I'm sooo excited for it and proud to say that my class is full! In preparation for the class I decided I needed to give my machine a little spin, so I whipped up this long sleeve shirt over the past 2 days.

I loooove how it turned out! I wore it to work today and nobody asked me if it was handmade! Success! Anyways, I'll keep you informed of my classes progress over the next 8 weeks...

Window Shelf

2010-01-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

I've been busy chipping away at all those old windows in my garage with various projects, and my most recent one was a gift for my mom.

It's a window shelf, complete with a vinyl swirl and bird decal stuck on the front! I started by sanding down the window and painting it heirloom white. I then took a 2x4, sawed it down to size and painted it as well. I glued the 2x4 to the window and attached the small brackets. Finally, I cut the vinyl out with my cricut and stuck it to the window front. I looove how it turned out (another one that I wanted to keep for myself!)!

I'm linking up the the I made it without my hubby party at Shanty2Chic!

My Daily Battle

2010-01-06T20:59:00.001-08:00

Everyday I wake up with a small yet mighty battle that is waiting to be fought. This is a battle that has caused me a lot of trouble and many lost hours of sleep. I am often puzzled by the source of this battle and have tried numerous times to change my strategy in order to ultimately come out victorious. Some days I'm able to win this battle, and some days I am unequivocally defeated. Today was one of those days.

This battle that I speak of is the battle to keep my dogs in the kitchen (and out of the rest of the house) during the day. As I mentioned before I have tried many tactics to defeat my enemies...er, my pups. Just a few days ago I developed my newest battle defense, an impenetrable fortress consisting of a flat board backed by a gate, locked in by 2 sturdy chairs for extra measure.

Surely, my dogs wouldn't be able to break through this elaborate defense system! But, no. I was wrong. Apparently my dogs are smarter than me. And vengeful. Thus, the battle must rage on until I am victorious!! (Or until I say fuhgettaboutit and just let my dogs sleep on the couch all day.)

A quick update for those of you following my Project Life progress: I have decided to post my pictures to Picasa instead of Flickr (limited photo storage...not my style). You can follow me on Picasa here.

Why We Live in San Diego

2010-01-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

Today is January 3rd and it was sunny and clear with a high of 79 today in San Diego. And yesterday was just a precursor for today, so really, is there any question why we live here? We definitely got to soak up some of the sunshine the past two days. Yesterday, we headed down to Fiesta Island with the pups to meet up with Mike and Kyle so that Daryll could throw around the baseball with them. It was sooo nice out and the pups were sufficiently tired when we piled back in the car to return home.

This morning we woke up early(ish) and hiked the canyon near our house. It was the first time that we'd been back there since the ill-fated rattlesnake incident took place last year. But luckily we didn't have any run-ins today and finished our hike feeling rejuvenated and ready for the day.

Most of the rest of the day was spent doing some New Years cleaning and clearing out, watching some football, and grocery shopping for the week. Tomorrow it's back to work for both of us, but tonight Desperate Housewives comes back on the air to bring us some answers to the dramatic airplane crash conclusion in early December!

Well, Helloooo 2010

2010-01-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

And so a new year starts. Just like that 2009 is over and done with and the promise of a fresh start comes in with the new year. And just to make sure that 2010 started on a good note, my Ohio State Buckeyes pulled off a resounding victory today against Oregon. I couldn't be more pleased (after all, even I must admit that it has been quite a while since OSU won a game of any consequence).

We rang in the New Year with friends last night with a low-key game night at our house. Jeff, Lindsay, Jared, Alice, and Colin joined us for dessert and games in the hours leading up to midnight. I couldn't think of any way that I'd rather finish 2009 and start 2010 than that!

Today Daryll and I started the dreaded task of putting away our Christmas decorations. With everything removed from the staircase, walls, and doors our house looks so bare that one might believe we were packed up to move! But I secretly enjoy this brief moment in between holidays when we're just surrounded by "white" space. But don't get me wrong, valentines and superbowl decorations will find their way into my decor in due time.

Now in the spirit of New Years, here are my resolutions:
1. To take a picture every day in 2010 (to my faithful blog readers this resolution may sound strangely familiar...I admit it, I made the same one last year. And failed at it! But this year for Christmas Daryll bought me a "Project Life" kit that feeds right into my picture a day concept, so I'm feeling extra motivated!) P.S. You can follow my project life journey on flickr by clicking here.
2. To take classes on both Photoshop and Illustrator (yes, this is also similar to last year's resolution, but I will say that I did succeed in learning a lot about photoshop on my own in 2009, but I feel like it's time to take it up a notch in 2010).
3. To make new friends in San Diego!

Also, as an aside note about setting and achieving goals, I am proud to say that I successfully completed my 90 day challenge and never once cooked the same meal twice in that time frame! Woo hoo for me!! Daryll was happy to try all the new food combinations (and now he's happy that I can cook some of our favorites again!).

I hope that you all have a happy and healthy 2010! What are some of your goals/resolutions for the new year?

Christmas Wrap-Up

2009-12-31T14:10:00.000-08:00

Daryll and I had another busy Christmas season this year. We headed up to Burbank a week early for a Christmas celebration with Dad, Melanie, and George. We had a lovely brunch at the 94th Aerosquadron before going back to Melanie's for some cake and presents.

Daryll had to head back to San Diego for work, but I spent the week before Christmas up in Burbank visiting family and friends and shopping and baking. Daryll joined me on Christmas Eve to visit wiht my Mom and Pete, Grandpa, Uncle Rod, Amy, and Conor. One of the highlights of the evening was seeing Conor model his new footed pajamas!

Christmas Day we ventured to Daryll's large family gathering in Pasadena for more visiting and merriment.

Brandon and Meagan came down to San Diego to visit for a few days after Chrsitmas and it was so wonderful to see them! (But too brief, in my opinion!) The entire Christmas season went by entirely too quickly, as per usual, but now I'm looking forward to 2010 and a new and better year!
One more thing... even more Christmas pictures can be seen here.

Happy Birthday, Blog!

2009-12-30T10:20:00.000-08:00

Today is my blog's first birthday! We've had some tremendously good times in its first year of existence and I'm looking forward to many more! We've gone through times of a lot of posts, and times where the posts were few and far between (see: recent months). But my blog's roller coaster pattern mimics real life and I'm still proud of all the posts from this past year! I have a lot of goals for my blog in 2010, such as a blog makeover (even I'm getting tired of the blue polka dots) and more frequent posts. We'll see how each of these goals are accomplished (or not) in the coming months! Until then, Happy Birthday Blog!

Home at Christmastime

2009-12-17T22:21:00.000-08:00

I just love my house at Christmastime. I think we have the perfect house to dress up in Christmas cheer. I love the banisters wrapped in garlands, the stockings hung from the chimney with a pinecone garland draped across, our beautiful tree with all the ornaments from my childhood and today (and Daryll's lone ESPN ornament), the 4 wreaths that adorn our doors and staircase, the vintage sheet music window hung behind our couch, the bells that jingle when the front door opens, the cards that crawl up the holder on our wall, the cookie jar that is seldom empty this time of year... The Christmas season always goes by way to fast in my opinion. I love the feeling of this time of year, and this year especially we are trying to get back to the real meaning for Christmas. That means spending less money on fewer gifts, spending more time enjoying time with each other and our family and friends, and remembering how truly blessed we are. I am so blessed to have a wonderful family who gives me a ton of love and support through everything. I hope to continually repay all that they have given to me, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to catch up!

This year I decided to make most of my gifts for Christmas, which means everybody is getting at least one thing handmade by me. (Pictures will be shown when the gifts have been given!) The idea came about initially as a means of saving some money, but it has grown into more than that. It has truly been a challenge to come up with unique but (hopefully) likable gifts for everyone on our list. It was an experiment in finishing. So many times I thought it would just be easier to go buy gifts from the stores, but now that I'm finished I feel so rewarded. I can't wait to see everybody's reaction to their handmade creations!

Tonight is my last night at home before Christmas and I'm going to relish in every second of it. The tree is lit, Daryll's playing Christmas music, and the puppies are cuddled up sleeping next to me. Life really doesn't get any better than this.

Thankful...

2009-12-05T22:53:00.000-08:00

My house is all decorated for Christmas with the swift change in the season, temperature, and month, but I haven't had a moment to reflect on our Thanksgiving experience yet on the blog, so I thought I'd take a moment tonight to recount the lovely day. Thanksgiving was everything that it should be this year; a day of peace, family, good food, and a spirit of thankfulness overwhelming. This year I personally have a lot to be thankful for: a good job that I love, a supportive husband and family, an inner peace and joy that seem to be overwhelming my spirit recently... As I prepared to host our first Thanksgiving, I tried to keep this feelings at the forefront of my mind and allow the spirit of the season to dictate my actions. Many people asked me if I was nervous or overwhelmed at the thought of hosting my first Thanksgiving, but I didn't feel any anxiety. On the contrary, I was excited to have our families gather at our home to share a meal and each other's company. Throughout the weekend we were delighted to have Daryll's parents, my Mom and Pete, my Grandpa, and Dad and Melanie visit with us. We started a new tradition this year of asking each person in attendance 2 questions for them to answer on camera, which turned out to be my favorite part (Daryll might still go with the turkey dinner as his favorite...) We took turns recounting our favorite past holiday memories, life lessons, and hopes for the future. And I am so thankful to have not only "survived," but to have relished in our first hosted Thanksgiving!

I recently wrote down some thoughts that I had on potential scrapbook journaling that sum up the logistics of Thanksgiving. Here are the "Numbers of Thanksgiving" for your viewing pleasure:

7-The number of people who gathered around the table for Thanksgiving dinner (Don, Andrea, Mom, Pete, Grandpa, Daryll, and me)

6-The number of side dishes that were served: green beans, twice-baked mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, corn casserole, sweet potatoes, and roasted garlic and Italian sausage stuffing (and garlic cheddar biscuits too!)

5-The number of items on our Thanksgiving menu that I had never cooked before (turkey, creamed spinach, stuffed mushroom appetizer, roasted garlic and Italian sausage stuffing, and garlic cheddar biscuits)

4-The number of hours the turkey cooked for

3-The number of days we had visitors over Thanksgiving weekend

2-The number of questions each person was asked on camera for the new Thanksgiving tradition we started this year

1- The number of times we dropped the turkey! (Before we cooked it, of course!)

KA Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T20:30:00.001-08:00

Today was the first day of our first ever KA Thanksgiving program! And boy am I wiped out! When I left work on Friday we had 29 kids signed up (I'd say successful since we just posted the camp 2 weeks ago), but when I arrived today I found out that 11 more kids had signed up over the weekend for a grand total of 40 today! Success! It's so rewarding to see the camp continually expanding and thriving! We had a fun day of classic KA games, gymnastics (my first time going to gymnastics EVER in my time at KA, if you can believe that), some lego engineering, and more KA games! At the end of the day one of the parents asked how the day was and I replied that it was great, but I'm definitely not in camp form right now! (Meaning that it's hard work keeping up with those kids!) I might be sore and sunburned tomorrow (ok, definitely sore and sunburned tomorrow), but I'm enjoying every minute of it!

Chock Full o' Surprises

2009-11-19T10:45:00.000-08:00

Daryll and I shared a very eventful weekend, chock full o' surprises. Friday night we traveled up to Burbank for a much anticipated surprise party for my mom's 50th birthday. It was such a success! My mom was so genuinely excited...that she cried (sorry Mom, you probably won't read this anyways)!
We had about 30 of her friends and family members there, including my Uncle Rod who jet set in for the evening event.

There were even more surprises in store for my mom that evening with some wonderful gifts. Amy and I gave Mom a gift that will love her back... a new Australian Shepherd puppy!!

More pictures from Mom's party can be seen by clicking here.

Saturday brought a new day and another surprise party... this time for Uncle Joe's 80th birthday.
We enjoyed good food and a good time with the family at Buca di Beppo's.

After the party, we drove up the hill to Dad's cabin near Arrowhead and enjoyed a restful evening and relaxing morning the next day. More pictures from Uncle Joe's party and the cabin can be seen here.

We finally returned home Sunday evening, tired but content and happy that everything went off perfectly without a glitch!

Some Random Fall Shots

2009-11-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd share a few pictures that I haven't shared yet from this fall...

Daryll and me on our 1st Anniversary

Anniversary stroll at Mission Bay

The pups love each other too!

Lulu dressed like a fire hydrant at the pug meet-up

George with the pumpkin he carved for us...yummm, pumpkin seeds!

Stealing a kiss at the pumpkin patch

Amy's Gift

2009-11-03T20:13:00.001-08:00

Q: What do you get when you take an old window, a few hooks and screws, and a vinyl decal?

A: THIS!!

Conor picked up a bunch of old windows for me after my last project so I had to come up with a new idea for this batch. Amy asked me to make one specially for her, so I came up with this cute little wall hanging.

I was so in love with it, she almost never knew of its existence. I might just have to come up with one of these for my own house. And luckily for me, Conor picked up even more windows! I'm just that inspiring. ;-)

A Wickedly Delightful Halloween Weekend

2009-11-01T13:53:00.000-08:00

Halloween held more treats than tricks for us this year with Amy and Conor visiting for the weekend! Saturday was a completely packed out day that we decided to spend at Sea World. We spent a few hours there enjoying the shows and Halloween festivities (including watching a bunch of cute little kiddies in costume). One of the highlights of the visit for me was when a dolphin allowed us to pet it for a minute in the area where you can touch them.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch in Old Town before venturing to the thrift store to pick up some last-minute Halloween costumes. We got back home about an hour before dusk, anticipating all of the trick-or-treaters arrival. We were disappointed in this regard though. The doorbell only rang 4 times the whole night! The last kids were heard leaving our front door saying, "they gave us a lot of candy at this house!". Well, at least they were happy. :-) With all the free time we had, we put togehter our costumes. Daryll and Conor dressed up as Mario and Luigi from Mario Brothers and they were quite the dynamic duo.

Amy and I had planned on being nurses together, but the scrubs I got from the thrift store didn't fit, so I had to fall back on ol' faithful, my American Gladiator costume.

Even Ella and Lulu got in on the action for a while, dressed up in style as peanut butter and jelly (and then as little country bumpkins).

After dinner, we headed out to the Blarney Stone, a local pub, for some Irish tunes and general merriment. Overall, a top evening and day indeed!!

Productive Monday Evening

2009-10-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love those evenings where it seems like you have enough time to finish everything you wanted to do? Me too! Tonight was definitely one of those nights. And it's only 9:30 and I'm still saying this!

Tonight I...
-Cooked spinach and cheese stuffed chicken w/ broccoli
-Baked 2 loaves of pumpkin bread with crumbly topping
-Took a neighborhood stroll with my wonderful husband
-Started and completed a scrapbooking page
-Caught up on an episode of Flash Forward
-And right now, I'm updating my blog to let you all know about my amazingly productive night!

Love it!

I Have Not Been to Starbucks ONCE this Week...

2009-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read that right! I haven't been to Starbucks (or Coffee Bean) a single time this week. Pretty amazing, I know. Even more amazing, I'm not suffering for it! You might be wondering what the secret is to my new found ability to resist the calling. Well, I'm about to share it with you...

This week my sister bought me one of these babies!

Dun nuh nuh nuh!!! An espresso maker!!
I've been making my lattes every morning ever since! I can't get an almond latte at Starbucks (they don't carry the right syrup), but I can have an Amaretto Latte from my own home. I think I'm in love....

Don't let this fool you though, I still might have to swing into the Bux every once in a while for the psl (you just can't replicate the goodness), but for my everyday latte my homemade concoctions can't be beat!

p.s. This is my 100th blog post! Go me!

Off to the Pumpkin Patch...

2009-10-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

Saturday Daryll and I were off to the pumpkin patch with Ryan and Rebecca. We had a bunch of fun taking pictures all over the patch. I really love pumpkin patch pictures most of all... Too bad you can't really use a pumpkin patch picture for your Christmas card...

More pictures can be seen here.

The rest of Saturday was spent watching sports and remembering why it sometimes sucks to be a sports fan. First of all Ohio State suffered another loss...to Purdue no less. Then we watched the 2nd half of the ND v. SC game with Greg and Jen only to be disappointed in literally the last second of the game. Finally we wasted away nearly 5 hours of our life watching the Angels failed attempt to even the series with the Yankees in an extra innings game...

...sigh...

It was not a good weekend to be me. Or rather to be my husband. :-)

Anyways, I still got to go to the pumpkin patch, so I can't complain toooooo much. (Just a little.)

Today was a nice, slow, and productive day. We each crossed several "tasks" off of our lists, fun or otherwise and finished off the day with a stroll around Mission Bay and beef and broccoli dinner. Overall I am very content with this weekend and looking forward to another productive week!

Food Update

2009-10-07T20:36:00.001-07:00

I meant to mention in my post yesterday that I have so far been successful in my 90 day challenge. This weeks meals included Chili Chicken and Veggie Soup and a German Sausage dish (for Oktoberfest! Daryll and I are really going to miss this one for the next few months!). I also had my first "never gonna make that one again" dish, Pumpkin Cream Penne pasta. Much too rich for my taste. Anyways, just wanted to let you know about my progress.

The Start of October...

2009-10-06T22:36:00.001-07:00

I know that fall doesn't really begin in San Diego until October (if it makes an appearance at all...), but I still would say that September is my favorite month. I love fall, I love September. I'm not too crazy about all the Halloween festivities, so October just doesn't really do it for me. Although I do love pumpkin patches. And you can't really visit those until October...

Last weekend Daryll and I went to Mike and Megan's wedding in Fullerton. The quick ceremony took place with a beautiful fall backdrop and we were able to hang around after the ceremony and catch a few pictures. We enjoyed visiting with Jeff & Lindsay, Greg & Jen, Frank & Kellie, Jared, and Grant during the reception.

Sunday was a nice day of relaxation and football. We went to a local restaurant to watch the Rams play the 49ers because Kyle Boller got the start, but the outcome was a little disappointing. Ah well...ya can't win em all...

This week we're just trying to soak in all the fall weather while it still lasts. (It's supposed to be back up in the 80's this weekend, bleh!) The good news is that I at least had a reason to take out my sweaters, even if I haven't yet had a reason to wear them.

Welcome Home, Fall!

2009-09-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

The rumors are true...fall has officially arrived in the Dorman Household! And it is definitely a welcome visitor. I started decorating at the end of last week and I'm feeling pretty satisfied with how it's all coming about. And I've only spent $1 on fall decorations! Even better!!

Here's a sneak peek at the decorations so far:

Pumpkin and leaves in the entryway

Zoom it out a little...aww aren't they cute?

I have big plans for these little $1 finds from Michaels

My fall entryway table

That pitcher was up in my kitchen cupboard and just begging to have some fall foliage put in it!

Little Guys

On the dining room table...need a candle for that middle one.

I just stuffed some leaves and a pumpkin scented tea light in these and they're good to go

And now for the best part... Pumpkin Banana Bread!!

Now my house even smells like fall!!

And here's the recipe if any of you want to "fallify" too!

Pumpkin Banana Bread (from Country Living Magazine)
Makes 4 small loaves or 2 large loaves (or in my case 2 small loaves
and 1 large loaf)

Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup cooking oil
4 eggs
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. apple-pie spice (I used pumpkin pie spice b/c I didn't have
apple pie spice)
2/3 cup apple cider or water
1 15-oz can pumpkin
1 medium ripe banana mashed
1 6 oz pkg dried cranberries (optional-I didn't have any so they're
not in my bread)

Grease loaf pans. In a very large mixing bowl with an electric mixer
on medium speed beat sugars and oil.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, soda, salt, and pie spice.
Alternately add dry mixture and cider to sugar mixture, beating on low
speed after each addition just until combined.
Beat in pumpkin and banana. Stir in cranberries.

Spoon batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350F oven for about 45 min for small pans or 50 to 60 minutes
for large pans or until wooden toothpick comes out clean.
If necessary, cover with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning.
Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 min.
Remove from pans. Cool Completely on wire racks.
Wrap and store overnight before slicing. (Yeah, right...this so did not happen.)

Here's to a happy fall home!

p.s. For those who are following my 90 day journey, I made baked "fried" chicken with skillet corn and green beans last night for dinner. It's a keeper!

New Challenge

2009-09-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Daryll and I were enjoying a lovely evening out at our favorite little Italian restaurant on Friday night (after we burned the biscuits and decided that the leftover chicken looked like cat food), when I brought up the idea of creating a 90 day challenge for ourselves. I had put some previous thought into this and announced that for the next 90 days I'm not going to repeat a meal for dinner at the Dorman household. If you're a long-time follower of my blog, you'll know that this is indeed a challenge for Marie Calendar's chicken pot pie lovers such as ourselves. But you'll also know that I love to cook and have a bazillion cookbooks. Sooo, we'll see how many new meals I can cook before new years (yes, that is about 90 days away...yikes!). I know that it won't be 90 meals because of leftovers and what not, but I still think it will be a good challenge! Tonight was the first night of the challenge and I made Summer Chicken and Mushroom Pasta. Daryll and I both stepped out of our comfort zone a bit and at least tried a cherry tomato that was part of the dish. (I didn't think the cooked tomatoes tasted too bad, but Daryll proceeded to turn green and chug his glass of milk to mask the taste.)

We had a nice weekend of culture, family, and of course football. Yesterday Daryll and I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art with our free Museum Day pass. I wouldn't say that I exactly recommend the museum. In fact, my favorite part was looking out the large windows at the ocean. But hey, at least we tried it. Yep, we're cultured... Last night we ventured to Redlands for my cousin's belated graduation party. We enjoyed catching up with family that we hadn't seen in a while, and Daryll enjoyed swimming in the pool. (Pictures coming soon.) When we got home poor Ella was coughing like crazy. We're not sure what's she's sick with, but it makes us sad to see her miserable! Hopefully she'll be better soon! This morning we headed to church and then came home with the intention of fixing up some things around the house. Welllll....Daryll found out that Boller was playing for the injured Bulger, so we had to find a place to watch the game. The bad news is that the Rams lost anyways. The good news is that Boller threw 2 td passes (that's more td's in one game than the team has this entire season). All in all, not a bad weekend at all! And tonight's the season premier of Desperate Housewives, so the good times keep getting better!! :-)

One Year Ago Today...

2009-09-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Daryll and I are celebrating our one year anniversary today! It's hard to believe how quickly this year has passed. One year ago today, we were almost ready to walk down the aisle. Daryll was taking pictures with his groommen and I was sitting in my hotel room already dressed and ready. I remember feeling really relaxed at that moment (maybe it was something to do with the fact that it was too late to change things now...) and ready to start my new life as Mrs. Dorman. As I waited with my Dad to walk down the aisle I remember thinking that I was going to cry when I saw my mom and Daryll's mom pouring the sand. But then Giuseppe and Giovanni gave us some comic relief by drop kicking the ring pillow and I thereby avoided having all of my wedding pictures ruined by crying red eyes. :-) It was so wonderful to be absolutely surrounded by our family and friends. I am sure that it is a group dynamic that will never be repeated, but will always be cherished by both of us. The whole day was such a blur, even though I made a concentrated effort to soak it all in. I was and am still so lucky to be Daryll's bride and wife. And I'm looking forward to many, many more anniversaries and years spent together.

Before and After

2009-09-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally finished another of our previously abandoned projects and this one is truly gratifying. Just look at the before and after pictures and you'll see what I mean. BEAUTIFUL!!!

Before

and...

After!

Not too much going on here in the Dorman household. I spent the week searching for jobs, sending out resumes, and taking a little time out to finally start scrapbooking our own wedding album. (I hear a year late isn't too bad, actually...) Daryll has been busy as ever with work, but is enjoying the shortened Labor Day week. We're gearing up for the game of the season this weekend: Ohio State v. USC. Yes, the rumors are true...it is more important to me than the superbowl (gasp!). :-) I've been drinking out of my 2002 OSU BCS Champions mug all week in anticipation of the showdown. Tonight we enjoyed a little bit of fresh air at Mission Bay before the start of the NFL season (good game so far...) and then saw the most beautiful sunset from our backyard.

On a final note, last weekend I ventured up to Burbank while Daryll attended his friend's bachelor party. I had an enjoyable time visiting with my mom (even if we did have to watch USC slaughter San Jose), helping George set up his new email account, and having an unplanned visit with my Dad, Amy, and my Aunt and Uncle (who were in town from Nevada) and my other Uncle.

DIY Diva Strikes Again

2009-09-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

As I previously mentioned, this last Sunday we spent doing some home improvement projects around the house. There was a specific DIY project that had been brewing in the back of my mind for sometime now that I just hadn't had the opportunity to execute. Well, Sunday was that day! I grabbed my supplies (an old window, eyelet screws, wire, black spray paint, clothespins, and some scrap paper), assembled the project, and this is what I came up with:

Isn't it lovely!!! It makes me happy every time I look at it!

Happy Pumpkin Spice Latte Day!

2009-09-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it's back to blog land for me and it couldn't come on a better day...a little day I like to refer to as "Pumpkin Spice Latte Day," aka the BEST day of the year to go into a Starbucks. I mean really, there's nothing that a little bit of PSL can't make better. Viv and I coined a phrase a few years ago when we first discovered the PSL goodness: "It's like drinking fall..." Oh, and it is!! There are few things that are more fall to me than the PSL. Of course the weather today was nothing like fall, and I'd venture to say that in San Diego we'd hardly be able to tell that it's fall at all without the PSL (and the start of college football!!! Go Bucks!).

Today is day 2 of no work after KA and the new job hunt. Am I looking forward to it? No. But alas, it's an undesirable but necessary part of life. And the PSL makes it a little easier. :-)

Daryll and I played some softball tonight, and he was inches away from having a "Kirk Gibson" moment. You see, on Sunday Daryll and I were being very productive and finishing some home improvement projects. Daryll's project was to cut the shelves for the wire rack in our kitchen...glass shelves. I think you can already see where this story is heading. Daryll snapped the glass and it took it's revenge on his right wrist. Luckily the gash was not too deep or serious, but I thought it was bad enough for Daryll to sit out of softball this week. He did not agree with me and proceeded to show me the infamous at bat where Gibson is a wreck and still hits a homerun. I gave in and Daryll played in the game tonight, where he nearly sent one out of the park. So close, yet so far...

Lazin' on a Sunday...

2009-08-16T12:42:00.000-07:00

Finally Daryll and I have had 2 weekends in a row without any plans or commitments. It has been soooo nice to just relax around the house and finish up some projects . I have a very special scrapbooking project that I have been working on and I am proud to say that I finished the entire thing in less than a month! Woo hoo for me!!

Only 2 weeks of camp left now and still no prospects on the job horizon. We'll just have to wait and see what God has in store for my career future. Hopefully there's something out there! I've really enjoyed my time at camp this summer and I'm glad that I got another opportunity to work there again. I was kinda sad on Friday because it was the last day for a lot of campers (including one of my favorites...not that I have favorites...). I've enjoyed the challenge of working with the leadership campers, but I also realized that I missed out a little bit on the rest of the groups. Oh well, I guess that's what the last 3 years were for ;-). Anyways, Friday of this week is our largest and most popular event, the carnival! I am very excited about it and am currently scheming up what will be the next big thing to hit the carnival scene. Previous years have included pie eating contests, lots of booths, a dunk tank, face painting, a caricature artist, bounce houses, and plenty of madness all around! Should be the highlight of the summer!

p.s. Here are a few more previously promised pictures from our visit with Daryll's grandparents.

A Few July Pictures

2009-08-04T21:06:00.001-07:00

Here are a few from the end of July...

2nd Half of July...

2009-08-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, let's see here. Where was my life story left off... ah, yes... It was the middle of July and Daryll's parents had just visited. Let's just bullet point the highlights since then, shall we?

-July 15th & 16th- Greg and Jen's wedding weekend! Our weekend was spent at rehearsals, lunches, game nights, and a beautiful wedding in the heat of Leo Carillo Ranch in Carlsbad. Greg and Jen looked so in love on their special day and I was happy to take a lot of pictures to document the event. Pictures can be seen here. I also took some great shots of Jeff and Lindsay that can be seen here. The wedding was such a lovely and fun event and I wish Greg and Jen all the happiness in life!

-July 22nd & 23rd- Saturday Daryll and I went up to L.A. for a visit with his grandparents and my Dad and Melanie. Sibylle provided an excellent lunch for us and then we ventured for a walk around the new Terranea resort. I got some great pictures that I haven't even had time to upload to my computer yet, but I'll hopefully get them up here soon! Sunday we enjoyed a long day at Sea World with my Mom, her friend Ann and Ann's Irish grandsons. I always love going to Sea World with people who haven't been before and seeing their delight at the Shamu show and their shock at the other "surprises" the park has to offer. It was an enjoyable day capped off by a Mexican dinner! (Again, pictures are still on the camera.)

-The Present- Daryll and I just returned from our annual trip to Refugio beach. The trip is always one I look forward to and this year did not disappoint. I had the opportunity to visit with many old friends and catch up on all that I've missed out on since the last trip. One of the highlights this year was a sporadic feeding frenzy that we witnessed one day at dusk. The ocean break was filled with dolphins, pelicans, and seals all vying for the freshest catch of the day. The dolphins were jumping out of the water and playing in the surf. It was truly a magical sight to behold. Another highlight from the trip was taking 2nd place in the annual volleyball tournament! Our team was awesome and the final game was one of the greatest that I have ever played in at Refugio. Daryll and I also had a random chance encounter with our friends Kyle and Becca who were staying right down the road at El Capitan. (Pictures of all of this forthcoming...) Fun times!!!

Looking forward, there are only 4 weeks left of camp. The summer has gone by sooooo fast (as per usual) and now my cyclical life has come back to the job hunt point. Not one of my favorite parts of life, but a necessary one. In the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy my last year at KA (for real this time!!).

Too Much... To Catch Up On!

2009-07-13T17:55:00.001-07:00

Have you ever gotten so far behind on something that you don't even know where to begin? So you don't even start the project because you don't know when you'll be able to dedicate that much time to catching up. Of course, this just perpetuates the problem and you just end up even farther behind than you ever were before! This is my current blog problem. You see, I am currently so busy that I don't have time to blog about it. The irony is that I actually do have things to blog about when I'm busy, but I don't have any time to do it! O the shame!

Well, I'll start with recent and work my way back... Last weekend Daryll and I had the pleasure of visiting with his parents on their quick weekend trip down to San Diego. We had a very enjoyable time catching up on the many things that have recently happened in our lives. Friday evening we were all a little tired from a long day of travel, work, and American Gladiators (more on that later), so we spent the evening in BBQing. Saturday Daryll had a baseball game in hot, hot Otay Ranch and we all went out to watch it (well, for a few innings at least...) Andrea and I left early to head to the San Ysidro outlets and surprisingly we only left with a bag from one store (our husbands were so proud ;-). While the boys bonded Andrea and I enjoyed being pampered by a wonderful pedicure where the ladies working there were enthralled by our mini wedding albums. One of the ladies even noticed my french toenails! That evening we BBQed again while enjoying a visit from Ingrid, Alyssa, and Nick. Sunday morning we headed out to breakfast and then headed out to the Pug meetup at Coronado dog beach. It was perfect beach weather and there were a ton of pugs out at the event. The dogs had a great time and Daryll had an even better time. When we left the sand was too hot for the puppies paws so we had to carry them out! It was a really enjoyable weekend spent with the Dormans! (Pictures coming soon.)

Now, back to American Gladiators! Friday at KA was American Gladiator Day, a magical day where we set up different types of AG obstacles for the kids to compete against the counselors (ahem, gladiators) in. It was exhausting and hilarious and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. My personal favorite part of the day was the red, white, and blue tutu that I created for my costume the night before. (More pictures available here.)

The previous weekend was of course 4th of July weekend and we took the long journey to Heber, Arizona to spend the weekend with my Dad, Melanie, Amy, Conor, George, and Dad's friend Richard. On our way there we stopped in Phoenix to visit my friend Megan who had recently moved there from Colorado (but it seems like she's soooo much closer now!). It was so nice to see her and visit for a while. We always have a great time with each other with one complaint: the time we spend together is too short! We continued to Heber where we spent the weekend relaxing, bbqing, shooting pool, throwing darts, visiting, and eating a lot! Daryll went out on the dirt bikes with Conor and he was a natural. One of the highlights of the weekend was watching George run up and down the road with an American flag over his head yelling "Go USA! Go USA!". Hiiiiilarious!!! Even though I was really sick for the drive home on Sunday, it was still an absolutely wonderful 4th of July weekend! (P.S. more pictures available here.)

This week continues the craziness of our busily scheduled life. Tomorrow I have softball and Daryll has baseball, Wednesday we're going to the newest Harry Potter movie, Thursday I'm going camping with Leadership Camp, Friday we're going to Stampede, Saturday we have the rehearsal for Greg's wedding and then a game night, and Sunday is the wedding day. Fun, fun, fun...the madness continues!

Father's Day Pictures

2009-06-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

While I'm at it, I'll take the opportunity to post some pictures from the early Father's Day we spent with my Dad 3 weekends ago (yep, I'm late with this one!). We had a great time with Dad spent at the Wild Animal Park. I am so thankful for my Dad and his wonderfully adventurous spirit. We always have a genuinely great and carefree time when he comes to visit me. I know that I can always count on my Dad for a good story whenever I need my spirits lifted and I'm very grateful for the relationship that we share. Anyways, it was an absolutely perfect day for the Wild Animal Park with few visitors and great weather.

Update Time!

2009-06-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy that I haven't had a moment to blog lately! But I'm on here now for a quick update on life. Daryll and I just got back from Henderson, NV this afternoon. We were there for a surprise party for my Great Uncle Rod's 89th birthday. He was so pleasantly surprised to see all of us and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. We enjoyed hearing him tell amusing stories about his entire life to this point (many of which I hadn't even heard) while his daughter Sandy recorded them. We are so thankful that Uncle Rod is still doing well and it was wonderful to be there to celebrate 89 years of life with him.

This time of year in San Diego brings one of my favorite things...the fair! Daryll and I took advantage of the grandstand entertainment this past week, going to see Bill Engvall and Switchfoot. Both performances were fantastic in their own way; Bill Engvall was hillllllarious and Switchfoot put on a good show. We also got to see the little piggy races, which are definitely one of those small delights in life!

Work at camp has been going very well so far. This week's Leadership session is Food Frenzy, so on Friday we got a tour of a UCSD dining hall where the kids got to make their own lunch feast of spring rolls, stir-fry, pot stickers, and chocolate dipped rice krispy treats. Even I learned a bunch from it and had a lot of fun. Other fun activities of the week included a trip to the beach and a morning spent at the challenge course.

Anyways, I'm so far behind on blogging that I'm not even sure what I've missed or forgot to cover at this point, so I'm just going to move on and leave it at this for tonight!

P.S. Here are a few pictures from last weekend when Scotty was visiting.

The Madness Begins...

2009-06-19T18:01:00.000-07:00

Well, 1 week and 1 session down; 11 weeks and 6 sessions to go. My first week at camp was a challenging one, with the Leadership Camp's Theater session. The big group activity for the session is to create, plan, develop, and act in their own play. To say this could have been a nightmare is to put it mildly. My group was pretty young and mostly male, so in a word...immature. The last thing that any of them wanted to do was plan and rehearse a play. I left work Tuesday evening thinking that all hope was lost. There wasn't a chance that we'd actually pull this thing off. But then, Wednesday morning I woke up and inspiration hit! I presented the idea to the campers that day, they loved it, and we went from there. When they performed today I was very pleased that they had actually pulled it off (and also very relieved that I wouldn't have to do that again this summer!). You can read about the play a little bit over at the other blog. I'm glad to be finished with the first week and I'm looking forward to the 2nd session: Food Frenzy! Overall the first week was a raging success! The new counselors are AWESOME and the first day of camp was the smoothest first day I've seen in my 4 years at KA. My arm is sore from playing so much dodgeball, but I'm sure I'll survive it ;0). Now off to a great and friend-filled weekend!!

One Last Moment of Peace (for a while...)

2009-06-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought that I'd better get in a few words here before the chaotic part of my life starts up again. Yep, camp starts on Monday and I'm so excited about this summer. I'm going to be working predominantly with the older Leadership Campers this year, so it's keeping it fresh (yes, even after 4 years...). I have a ton of fun things planned for them and I'm excited to participate in the activities too! It's crazy to see that a bunch of the kids who were in Group 2 when I started at KA are now Leadership Campers! I'm getting old fast!

During the summer months I'm going to try to keep up on my blogging posts, but I'll also be blogging for camp. You are more than welcome to follow there too, but we've disabled the comments section, so you can't leave any there. (FYI my camp name is Dot. This is the name that all the kiddies know me by and they can all tell you why they think my name is Dot...because I have "dots" all over.)

Daryll and I sat down this week to look at our summer calendar, and it appears that we're back to our old ways...meaning that we're booked until August! Our summer schedule looks a little bit like this:

June 13-14- My Dad is visiting for an early Father's Day (Wild Animal Park might be in store)
June 20-21- Daryll's friend Scotty is visiting (Angels v. Dodgers game and lots of friend visiting)
June 27-28- Surprise trip to Vegas for Uncle Rod's B-Day (don't worry, he doesn't read the blog)
July 3-5- 4th of July trip to Dad's house in AZ
July 11- Ryan and Rebecca's wedding in Sacramento
July 19- Greg and Jen's wedding
July 30-Aug 1- Refugio Trip

And that's just the weekends! Daryll and I had to create google calendars to keep up with our own schedules. It's busy and crazy, but we love it.

Other than that I'm trying not to worry too much about what's going to happen when September comes (yet again... welcome to the loop that is my life). It doesn't really do me any good to worry about it, so I'm just trying to remain optimistic that there's something out there for me and the God has it all under control (I wish that He'd fill me in on His plans sometimes though...).

I tried to think of something cool to do today on my last weekday of freedom for a while, but I couldn't think of anything. It's too cold and ugly out to go to the beach. Doesn't San Diego understand that I'm not supposed to be wearing long sleeve shirts in June? I don't pay good money to live in paradise for nothin! I demand a refund! :-)

I had to take the puppies to the vet this week because they were itchy all over. The vet said that they both have bad allergies and now he's making me give them steroid pills. I guess that soon we're going to have the buffest pugs on the block. They've been less itchy since they started though, so I guess they're working. I've been taking them on walks every night (sometimes Daryll too, when he's not too busy) and we've really been enjoying the extra hours of sunlight.

Alright, I'm off to find something to do to enjoy my dwindling hours of freedom...

Catching up on Pictures

2009-06-12T10:07:00.003-07:00

Thought I'd share a few pictures that haven't made it onto the blog yet (including the zoo and the Sparks game)...

Home Weekend

2009-06-07T18:36:00.000-07:00

I got to spend a nice little while at home this weekend before all the madness of camp begins. I made my rounds and had time to visit with both of my parents, Amy, and George, as well as time to get a haircut. We also randomly squeezed in the season opener for the LA Sparks on Saturday (box seats, and totally worth the price...free!). We had a good time at the game and were impressed with the athletes. They said that it was a sell out, but I can tell you that their sell-out didn't look anything like the Lakers sell out today. Hopefully there is a picture of this game soon to come, but that all depends on whether Amy emails it to me or not... (hint, hint Sister). Daryll had a fun and busy time without me this weekend (baseball, a concert, a bachelor party, oh my!). Just hanging out tonight watching the Lakers. Hope y'all had a great weekend too!