Life in the Emerald City

(Photo courtesy of this post, purely out of convenience)

This morning I saw this link on facebook about the No-Kid Movement…did you know about this?  Well, I sure didn’t and I am almost at a loss for words over the concept…almost

On our recent trip to Japan, we had one first class ticket and one economy class ticket.  Sean took the first class seat and I took economy with the understanding that we’d trade Olivia back and forth between us so neither one of us had to endure the long flight with the baby the whole time.  Brilliant plan, right? I know…

So after about 3 hours, I’m finally ready for my break.  First bad sign: the stewardess wouldn’t let me into first class to even talk to my husband, instead she went and got him for me.  He took the baby up front and just as I’d started to relax with a movie, he was back with the baby in tow.  ”They kicked her out of first class,” he said…I laughed, “What???”

Apparently she was being fussy with daddy (a normal occurrence as she doesn’t get much time with him) and they said she had to go back and sit with her mommy if she was going to be fussy.  That means I had the baby back in ECONOMY class for the entire 10 (yes, TEN) hour cramped, noisy, single-entree flight.  To his credit, my husband did come back and sit with us a few times while I pumped and ate, plus he did bring me a brownie and mochi, but still…COME ON!  Banned for crying, are you SERIOUS?

On the way home, we switched.  I sat up in first class and he in economy class, only this time I started with the baby in first class.  Guess what?  Those flight attendants were only too happy to accommodate us, even gave me a personal tour of the plane to find all the baby-friendly bathrooms.  I don’t know why the difference, but since we had an experience like this, I can now relate to this article much better.  

What is it with people hating kids these days?  And what’s with all the lame-o parents out there that are ruining all the fun for the responsible parents.  I try so hard to keep Livi happy and entertained when we’re out in public, because believe me I don’t want to deal with tantrum-baby anymore than you want to sit next to her.  Most of the time I’m successful (blessed with a happy baby), but sometimes babies cry…GET OVER IT.  I don’t think I should be banned from anything, just because I chose to bring a child into this world.  

But that’s just my two cents.  What are your thoughts?

In the clouds…literally!

I recently returned from the better part of a month’s stay in FL with my mom…discussing my new path in life & how lame paths are b/c people are constantly trying to find theirs, but always seem to crash into everyone else’s path.

Coming home, I flew into a new-to-m airport, Memphis!, & thoroughly enjoyed the stroll through musical history as I dashed to catch my connecting flight that was boarding before I even got off the first flight.

My final flight of this adventure from Memphis to LAX was the most TURBULENT flight of my life…& I fly a lot!!

Most of you know my parents divorced when I was young, so visiting the two families created lots of opportunities to fly…more so than the average family vacation flights.

Consequently, I LOVE to fly!  Packing I could do without.  But flying is fun!

Of course everyone is excited about where they are going (except funeral attendees, can’t imagine they are too excited), but me, I look forward to the plane ride.

It’s true proof of packing skills if I manage to cram my entire life into a suitcase or two & they pass the weight limit test at check in…it is so embarrassing to have to crack open your suitcases at the check-in counter & transfer items to another bag.  If you manage to guess-timate the correct amount of weight & move it to another bag, you have to pick up all the items that have fallen out & shove it all back in…attempting to sit on two suitcases to zip them closed, all while the attendant waits & the 400-person long line stares at you with impatience in their eyes is very tough.

So, this time I passed. Barely.  Now it’s off to the security line, where the art of TURBO STRIPPING is practiced.  This very difficult form of artistry entails ripping out your laptop and any other electrical device that some genius decided could be used as a bomb, taking off all extra layers of clothing, including you shoes (even if they are one-layer flip-flops), putting everyone into plastic bins that never seem to want to come apart, holding your boarding pass & license to be rechecked b/c the scrutiny of twelve security agents isn’t enough  to ensure you are the same person on the same flight as you were 6 steps ago, pushing your 2 carry-ons & at least 2 bins with your 2 arms  through a conveyor belt all while the people behind you act like they are trying to escape a fire coming at them from the security line.  Whoo…made it.  You may now put your shoes back on , but oh, not here…you’ll hold up the line.

Finally I made it to the plane & my seasonal weight test confirms although I struggle with my weight, I can still fit comfortably into my airplane seat.  A feeling of “ah” comes over me as I am glad to be going on another trip!

This feeling is quickly interrupted by a blast of icy air coming from my feet, to which I promptly wrap myself up like a mummy with whatever blanket & sweaters I’ve remembered to bring.

Did I mention I love flying??

I like the reclining seats, the arm rest that I always hog if possible, the cute little tables folding out from the back of the guy in front of me’s chair, a.k.a. his flotation device, the flight attendants who bring drinks and snacks & never have an answer for why there are no more peanuts on flights anymore, the captain who always says ‘hello’ & tells me all about his flight plans and the weather as though I might change my traveling based on this info, & the view of watching things getting smaller and smaller before disappearing under the clouds, then new sites appear from under the clouds and get larger and larger before a jolt on the landing tarmac reminds me this part of the trip is nearing the end.

So, back to my ULTRA TURBULENT flight from Memphis to LAX.  As I’m sitting there watching the wings on the plane jostle around while grasping my drinks and snacks so not to loose them in the abyss under my seat, I started to wonder how the good ole’ cap-i-tan feels when he starts to feel the plane jumping around like a Mexican jumping bean.

Does he think to himself:  ”Crap, gotta hold on, keep steady, stay cool” or “oooh, hope those folks don’t remember my name from earlier, I don’t need any more complaints” or, maybe “Gosh, I hope this doesn’t bring the plane down…that would be the icing on an already crappy day.”

Me, personally, I don’t mind the turbulence much, unless my drink spills or I have to hold my bladder for an hour before the captain turns the fasten-seat-belt sign off.  That I’d mind.

Ah. Anyway.  I’m now home again, back from a lovely trip with some new goals, slight changes & a new pet, but I’ll be blogging about all that later on…

Looking foward through hallway to V-berth

Shower turned Pantry..all stocked up!

Our cabin before it got a 'women's touch'

Our head (bathroom)

Crew Lounge...just off the galley (door in photo hides the washer/dryer)

Stairway to hell...er, the engine room

Galley...dishwasher, trash compactor, microwave, toaster oven, and sink

Looking down into galley...electric stove top, griddle, refrigerator/freezer combo (times 2) in back

Looking into the salon...couch goes in on the left, table to the right...walk straight towards the guest cabins/owner stateroom

Dining room table in salon...still being cleaned off

Looking forward up on deck...sails going up

Sliding glass doors into the helm and outside couch

Our cabin all done up

Our bathroom/head

Head storage and sink

Desk in our cabin

Yay, pictures!

Rain

Every year from December to February in Southern California it rains pours.  Now anyone who lives in Seattle or somewhere else where it rains almost everyday can just stop reading here.  I am going to complain about the 10 inches of rain we get here, but for good reason (as if there is a good reason to complain)!

We live on a sailboat…yes, a boat.  We anchor out in the ocean about 4 days a week….rain or shine!  Last week, it rained from Thursday through Monday…we normally anchor out Friday through Monday.  Now for the complaint, OUR BOAT LEAKS!!!  We bought a boat not thinking it might leak, so when it started raining, we were surprised and have tried to take it in stride.  Last week, we stayed in a hotel all weekend, just to stay dry.  Attempts at fixing the leaks are slow and only helping little by little….limited funds and knowledge have us stumped.

Anyway, weather.com is forecasting rain for this weekend too…through WEDNESDAY!  I’m just sending out my prayers (in the form of a complaint) for less rain…do we really need green grass this summer??  How does rain affect you?  I’d love to here your comments (or suggestions) about how to deal with wet days!  Also, any suggestions on wet towels (to stop the leaks), leaky windows/portholes (where we think the leaks are coming from), or cheap hotels around LA (for the tougher days) are more than welcome!  I’ll be drying out…with a smile on my face for now…no rain till next weekend!

So, I’ve been a slacker and now it’s time to catch you up on all that’s been happening!

First, we did buy the S/V Carpe Diem.

We signed the paperwork and enjoyed dinner on our new yacht on September 30th.  We’d gone to Joe’s Crab shack and got dinner to go and ate with the girls out in the cockpit at the dock.  We had to close up the boat since we’d be gone for a long weekend in Florida.

We woke up at about 3:30am on Thursday morning, October 2nd.  We had packed the night before, so we grabbed our stuff and headed down the street to the bus stop.  We caught the early morning bus to the LA airport at 5:00am, with all our luggage in tow.  What an experience!  I never knew how many people got up that early to go to work.  These folks are up and on the bus everyday by 5:00am…whoo, thank God my job doesn’t start that early!  I have a new respect for those kinda folks.

The flights to Tampa, FL were marvelous!  We had one lay-over in Phoenix and though the leg room was a bit small on our planes, there were no problems with the flights and we got in on time WITH OUR LUGGAGE! Whoo hoo!  To top it off, my parents were coming into town right when we landed, so they came and picked us up!  We were planning on sitting at the airport until my Matron of Honor, Christi, got off work…so yay, no wait time and we got to hang out with my parents early!

The whole weekend went so fast and we had SO SO SO much fun!  On Thursday, Missie had a little dinner party at her condo, then we went to the airport to pick up my sister, Taylor, then headed to Christi’s condo for the night (she and her husband, David, graciously let us crash in their guest room for the weekend).  On Friday, my mom, Lisa, Taylor, Sean and I got up very early (again) and drove up to Gainesville.  I went and got my hair cut and permed by my wonderful stylist, Dana, at Mia Maxx Hair Studio.  Then we all went to pick up my wedding dress.  It did not fit like I had hoped, but no biggie…had to take it back to Cali for bustling anyway.  We quickly drove back to Tampa to get ready for our bachelor/bachelorette parties!!

All the girls met at Missie’s place for starter champagne cocktails and opening gifts.  All the gifts were so great, so cute and sweet, and some naughty! Perfect!  Then, we walked to dinner in Channelside at Tinatapas where we had some very yummy champagne sangria and a whole bunch of delicious tapas!  I love tapas!  Then, we walked over to Splitsville for some good ole’ fashion bowling fun!  We had a number of drinks here including a very large margarita that some of the girls split!  After Taylor beat everyone at bowling, we headed over to Jackson’s Nightclub (we lost my mom along the way, she’s not into clubbing, but it was great to have her during the first half of the evening!).  Christi has reserved us a table where we got a bottle of vodka and all the mix-ins we could want!  We had some drinks together and danced the night away.  Unfortunately, the night ended around 2:00am, but my feet were starting to hurt anyway.  We had so much fun and slept so well that night.  A few of the girls stayed over at Christi’s so we had a mini slumber party!  the next morning, Sierra, Sarah, Joann, and Christi made me breakfast!  Christi had found a recipe for these wonderful morsels!  They had a crustini slice, topped with fig jam, then topped off with a slice of brie cheese.  OH MY, SO SO GOOD!!!  She also made these yummy quiches with lots of cheese!  Add in some fruit and we had a top notch breakfast!  Thank you Ladies, see pics below!

The Frat Girls: Jessi, Pamela, & Lauren!

The Jay’s Bridal Girls: Sarah, Christi & Sierra (who I technically met through Christi)!

The HUGE Margarita! The fraternity taught us how to drink!

Saturday afternoon, Taylor and I joined mom for a shopping trip where I got a dress for the Sunday brunch after the wedding, and mom picked out her rehearsal dinner outfit and her dress for the wedding and reception.  They were all very beautiful and you’ll see them later in the wedding photos I’m sure!

Sean’s bachelor party was probably as much fun as the girl’s party.  They went to dinner where they ate way too much.  Then they went to an arcade I think.  They finished the night at a strip club (I know, I know…he got it out of his system) and then he stayed with his best friend, Beau, for the night.

Saturday evening was our wedding shower and Christi and Missie put together a party not to be forgotten!  We had the party in the Clubhouse at Missie’s condo.  The girls had decorated it in white and green (perfect wedding colors) hanging lanterns.  Christi had made these beautiful table decorations and the food…oh the food!  The party had an oriental theme, so we had chinese eggrolls and wontons, then a dish with lo mein, shrimp, chicken, and veggies.  Then, the best part of all…Christi had made RICE KRISPY SUSHI for dessert.  Let me say that again…RICE KRISPY SUSHI with WASABI!!!  She used gummy candies and fruit roll ups to look like ingredients inside the rolls and the kelp bands, then green icing for the wasabi.  They were very good and so neat…how inventive is that!  She’s so creative!

We mingled and talked the night away!  The boys played pool and watched football.  The gals chatted and drank champagne sangrias!  We played a game, “How well do you know the Bride & Groom?” where Taylor won, because of course she knows us the best!  The night ended at Missie’s place with my family chatting the night away after clean up!  It was an amazing party, see photos below!

Taylor and I all dolled up.

Fancy Drinks!

The Bride with her Centerpiece!

Appetizers and a friend of Christi’s hired to pass the food around!

RICE KRISPY SUSHI!!!

Doesn’t it look SO good! And look at the little wasabi!

Sunday was very low key.  Taylor left around noon and my parents dropped us of at the airport as they were headed out of town.  Sean and I had another set of wonderful flights home, no problems, just a long day back to LAX.  We took the metro home to Long Beach and walked the 3 blocks back to the apartment!  Aside from having to fly way out of the way (Tampa to Detroit, MI, then onto LAX), the only thing that went ary was that our air matress in our apartment had popped.  How weird!  Sean and I slept on it that night, but it was done.

The rest of October was pretty uneventful.  We moved onto the boat that Monday after getting back, since our bed was popped, we needed something to sleep on.  We kept the apartment through October 24th, slowly moving and cleaning it out.  We worked on a bunch of wedding stuff and the month went by pretty quickly.  Sean had a lot of work to do and my restaurant was slowly coming to an end.  We were told about a week before November that the restaurant was officially closing.  I found a new job and Chez Allez closed on Halloween Day.

This has been a very long catch-up post, but it’s only part one! I’ve got a whole ‘nother month to cover!!  I’ll leave it there for now and hope to get all caught up by the end of the week!

Ciao!

So it’s August, the end of August at that, and when I first started this blog back in January I imagined there would be many more posts than I’ve actually done.  But I’ve been a slacker, one trait I’ve mastered, and I haven’t kept up with my blogging.  I am making a second third fourth attempt at blogging. Here goes:

Today Sean and I celebrate 4 wonderful years together as a couple.  We can’t wait for our wedding in November, but we still enjoy celebrating our dating anniversary.  Not quite sure what we’ll do yet, but that’ll give me something to blog about tomorrow. We recently moved to Long Beach, CA, so there’s plenty of places for us to explore!    Speaking of moving…

We moved here in June b/c Sean took a great job with Boeing as a Flight Test Engineer.  Maybe I’ll post the trip in a later blog post next week.  We took lots of photos and the drive went well for most of the trip!  Anyway, Sean’s working and loves his job, meanwhile I am working at Chez Allez as a day chef.  The restaurant is a small breakfast/lunch cafe with an American Bistro style.  I love it as well, so yay for jobs!

Right now we live in a very small studio apartment, but are looking into buying a boat.  A sailboat that is.  We are considering moving onto the boat for a year or so, waiting out the market for our house in Gainesville to sell.  Anyway, still working on all that…I’ll keep you posted!

Alright, well I think that a good place to start…lots to catch up on…my new goal is a new post every other day…we’ll see how well I keep up with that!

…Jeez this is just like when I start a diet…