Bug's 26th Birthday.

I cannot believe my little baby sister is 26. Holy Lord.

To celebrate, she had a get together with her med school friends on Friday night. Josh and I drove out there after work and hung out with a bunch of her pals. There were a ton of people (duh, everyone loves Bug!), and my sis was mouthy and bouncy as ever.

Saturday, we had a family bbq to celebrate her birthday. The weather was beautiful. That, plus family and a fridge full of beer and wine, what more could we ask for?

Grandma making her famous stuffed mushrooms.


Grandpa, drinking a beer by the pool.


My little cousins came along with my aunt and uncle. They didn't leave the pool from 1pm until 8pm. They are so darn cute.

Hailey in her pink wayfarer knockoffs. So hip. :)




Vegging by the pool.


My dad and Uncle Frank were all over the bbq. They cooked up tri-tip and Italian sausage, which were so delicious.


Jackie and PJ.


Some excellent pool action shots by Jackie (featuring Josh in Hailey's glasses)






My grandpa and Ella, taking a break from the excitement.


Josh and PJ goofing off, as usual.


The Birthday Girl!




Grandma and Ella.


After dinner and birthday cake, the fam started packing up and heading back to their respective homes. Bug decided that she wanted to karaoke once the fam had left, so we loaded up in Jackie's minivan and headed to the best place we know of for karaoke.

Unfortunately, there was a cover band there instead. Boo. After a few more unsuccessful attempts, we finally found karaoke at the cheesiest dive bar (if you can even call it a bar) in the Valley: Canoga Bowl. Luckily (?) we were some of the only people, so Josh and Bug got to sing their hearts out. A few more drinks led to stellar performances by both. :)



We got home late and did a little night swimming before hitting the sack.

Today, I woke up and went to Connie's baby shower (I'm sure there will be a fabulous photo post from either Wan or WeeMo who were snapping away) and then to the mall with Bug and Josh. I have a little work to do tonight, and then time to turn in early -- it has been an action-packed weekend!

Happy Birthday to my fabulous baby sister -- I love you!

Fires & Pumpkins.

What a week. As you may have heard, there were some crazy fires in Southern California earlier this week. Monday morning, my commute looked like this:




Scary, right? The fire was about 10 miles away, but the winds picked up, and by Monday evening, there was concern that the fires would burn straight down to the coast. We got a call from the City on Monday evening, telling us to prepare to evacuate. We went outside, and our neighbors were packing their cars and leaving to stay with friends and family. It was very ... apocalyptic.

In case we were evacuated, Josh and I packed up our cars with family pictures and other sentimental stuff. After a long night of tossing and turning, I woke up Tuesday and got news mid-morning that our city was no longer threatened by the fire. Such a relief.

After that scare, the rest of the week seemed like no big thing.

On a brighter note, the weekend has been great. Saturday morning, we checked out the Calabasas Pumpkin Festival.


There was a little pumpkin patch at the entrance.


We are cheap, though, and didn't buy any pumpkins. Apparently, the grocery store by our house has pumpkins for $4 each, so we decided to hold off.


We met up with my dad and his lovely girlfriend Cathy.


Since it was game day, my dad was completely decked out. Can you guess for whom he roots?


The festival was filled with food booths, disastrous news for me since I am trying to lose the 4,327 pounds I've gained since starting at the Firm. Funnel cakes, sausages, and burritos galore. Tear.


I love fall in Southern California (yes, there are seasons here, they are just subtle, ok?). The weather Saturday was sunny and cool with a slight breeze. And the sky blue flecked with clouds. This may make me sound like an office rat, but it was so nice to be outside.


After looping through the Pumpkin Festival, we headed back to our cars. I really love my dad's girlfriend, Cathy. My dad has such a big heart and is kind of a goof, and in many ways, I think they work so well together.

Exhibit A: My dad and Cathy breaking out their dance moves on the way to the car. (Embarrasing yet adorable, no?)

After we left the Pumpkin Festival, we had lunch, and then headed back to our place. Dad and Josh watched football, and Cathy keep me company on a trip to Crate and Barrel to get some bookshelves. I spent all yesterday afternoon and evening unpacking the last few boxes of books, assembling the bookshelves, and cleaning out our home office. It looks like a totally new place.

Today, well, I should be working, but as you can see, I am procrastinating. Josh wants to go see W. this afternoon, so I should probably knock some work out here so I can go play later. More soon...

Blinds!

Just in time, right before the Italians arrive this week, the blinds have arrived!


Being impatient, I begged Josh to put these bad boys up.




Surprisingly, it only took Saturday morning to finish hanging all of the windows in the house.


One day, when my house is clean, I will post some "after" pictures. The blinds make the house so much homier, and I didn't wake up at the crack of dawn Sunday with sun streaming through my window, heating me up like a bug under a magnifying glass. Ah, sweet darkened room.

The weekend was great, and Missy's wedding was a blast! Pics and a recap of that coming soon. In the meantime, I am trying to calm down after this fool...



...informed me that the world is going to begin to end tomorrow. Death by Black Hole is not how I envisioned going out ...

On that pleasant note, off to make dinner.

Coffee, tea, and no more naked me.

Progress over here on the house. We have been living for ten months with no window coverings -- none -- in our house. Finally, yesterday, we ordered wood blinds for every window in this house. No more changing in the bathroom for fear our-sweet-but-nosey-neighbor will accidentally get a free peak of naked me. No more waking up at 7 a.m. on weekend mornings because the sun is up. No more wondering if some freaky escape con is staring in at me from our dark back yard (okay, this may be a bit paranoid, but I'm sure you're picking up what I'm laying down).

My sister's and Jackie's response to my "We ordered window coverings!" exclamation is "Finally!!! Geez!" Was it really that bad, guys?

They should arrive in two weeks. Just in time for the arrival of "The Italians." Two of my cousins are coming to visit for two weeks in September, so we have been trying to get the house in a little better shape (i.e., actually find some furniture and other basics like, er, blinds). The list is still long, but we did cross off another item today:


Coffee table for the formal living room! It's so cute in-person. (If you don't like it, I don't mind a little lying in the comments.) That room actually is technically furnished now, although it still looks so bare because there is nothing on the walls. Maybe I will tell the Italians we are going for the minimalist look? Hmm.

Pair o' Chairs

More progress on Project Furnish House. Since getting the sectional, we moved our little green couch in the formal living room.

But it looks so sad and lonely by itself. I have been on the hunt for two chairs to face the couch and a little coffee table. I am in love with this (only in a lighter color), but I wanted a better deal. So after quite a bit of searching, I found almost the same chair for a third of the price! Score!

So, in a week, two of these will arrive:

Yay! I am in love! I just hope they are as pretty in person. Fingers crossed! They should come in a week or so . . . can't wait! One step closer to having a furnished house. Soon, our house won't even echo! :)

Sectional!

Ah, laziness. I am currently sitting in my pjs, watching Hell's Kitchen, and eating peanut butter spread on french bread. How is it Tuesday and I am already ready for the weekend? Not a good sign.

The weekend was pretty good. We spent Friday night and Saturday at my dad's house, hanging out with Bug and my dad, swimming, and firing up the bbq. It should have been relaxing, but instead I had all this nervous energy. I couldn't sit still and spent the day pacing and acting like a bored teenager. I am not used to just "hanging around." Tragic, huh? According to the fam, I apparently need more practice in the beautiful art of doing nothing. I will have to try and squeeze it in the schedule. (Or, does that defeat the purpose? Hmmm).

The highlight of the weekend is probably the addition of a new member of our little family. No, not a baby . . . a couch!! Well, a sectional to be exact. Our house has been empty since we moved in last October, and we are finally starting to furnish it! The first room we're tackling is the family room. Check it out . . .


Ella likes the new couch.

Ah, but there is such a big wall, you might say. What will we look at while lounging on such a comfy couch? Let's just say, we have a few ideas. :)

Sunday, Jackie, PJ, and Bug came over for a salmon bbq by the pool. The salmon was perfect (good job, Peej) and the sides Jackie picked up from Wood Ranch were fab. (Mmmm . . . sweet smashed potatoes . . .)

Hmm. In other news, I have started working out again. Wow, it's been awhile. I started Week 1 of the Couch-to-5k plan last night. I have done this program before and always thought Week 1 was a breeze. Ha! That was then. Last night, I thought I was going to pass out! Very sad, but hey, I have to start somewhere I suppose.

That's about it for now. Time to watch Chef Ramsey yell at someone . . .

Paint.

Ahh, it's finally the weekend! I skipped out of work a little early yesterday and hit up Nordstrom's on my way home. I am out of all of my make-up and have been going to work with practically a bare face. Very scary. So, I decided to dedicate a small chunk of my bonus to some new goods.

I got a full-fledged makeover from the Laura Mercier counter. I went home with a bag full of Laura Mercier and Smashbox products. I have been a MAC girl for quite awhile, but I think I am in love with the Laura Mercier foundation and other skin stuff! When the gal handed me a mirror to check out her handiwork, I exclaimed: "I look like a girl!" That, I think, is a good thing. :)

My father-in-law also arrived yesterday for the weekend. We went to Home Depot last night to buy painting supplies and then to meet up with Jackie and PJ for dinner.

This morning, I was up early to have my hair cut & colored by Bella. I'm pretty sure this is the best cut of my life, and Bella took my hair back to its natural darkness. The new hair and the new make-up makes me feel like a brand new woman!

After getting the hair cut, it was time to start our big project of the weekend: painting the front of the house!!





We made some progress, but then....it started to RAIN! Ahhhh! Luckily, it was brief and there was no paint streaking, but it was a close call. The plan is to resume tomorrow! I'll be sure to post some after pictures once the mission is accomplished.

Fugly to lovely.

Well, more house progress to report. When we bought the house, the crustiest, dirtiest room in the whole joint was the second bathroom (and trust me, from the condition of the house when we bought it, that's saying something)!

Here are some before photos. Note that every inch save the floor was covered with moldy, metallic wallpaper.

Well, Josh's folks arrived into town and decided that this project was worth tackling. The ugly wall paper, moldy carpet, layers of dirty linoleoum, rusty medicine cabinet, crusty mirror, and janky flourescent light were all removed and promptly hauled to the dump.

We then painted, and Josh and his dad laid tile. Josh and Doug then put in a new vanity, toilet, mirror, storage cabinet, and light fixture.

Ta-da! This is what our bathroom looks like now:

Ahhh, so much better! I think the little tiles are my favorite part!

Many, many thanks to the folks for all of their help! I didn't think we would be able to remodel the bathroom for a few years, and I am so grateful for such a generous Christmas present! Thanks, guys!

This and that.

Ahh, life has been boring and slow, and I have been loving every minute of it. All of the folks I work for are on vacay, and my hours are done, so life is pretty good. Here's what's been happening...

Wednesday, I worked from home and then met WeeMo and Sarah for dinner. The food (I had spring rolls, filet mignon, and creme brulee for dessert) was delish, and of course, the company was fab! WeeMo always manages to crack me up, and it was great to finally get to hang out with Sarah.

I worked from home again yesterday (ahh, I could get used to this). Josh and my step-dad managed to get the plumbing working in our guest bathroom, which is almost complete now! Oh, and our new garage door was installed. Okay, so maybe not that thrilling, but I warned you it had been a (wonderfully) slow week!

Today, I dragged my lazy butt out of bed to leave the house by 7 a.m. to make sure I got to Newport Beach by 9 a.m. for a witness interview. It ended up lasting forever, but I got some good info. I then headed to Carson for another interview for the same case. Running around talking to people is one of the best parts of my job, so I was a happy little camper. Plus, I avoided the office another day and managed to make it home by early evening.

My step-brother and step-sister arrived from Nor Cal this evening. Guess where they're staying? You got it...Hotel de Weatherfolk. Hey, what's a few more people, right? So, current occupancy in our humble abode includes my mom, step-dad, the two step-siblings, my mom's two dogs, our two dogs, Josh, and me. Le sigh. I am ready for an empty house. Soon, soon.

This evening, we went to Sagebrush Cantina where I had some splendid mahi mahi fish tacos. Yumm. Then, the fam decided to go rent a movie, and Josh and I snuck away to grab some Golden Spoon. Double yum! So, it looks like I have a hot Friday night date with my family and a DVD of Robin Williams' stand-up. Oh yeah, good times. Anyone have a spare room? :)

Carpet.

It's me, again! Twice in one day! My sister is house sitting for us during the beginning of the week, and she just called from our house with a carpet update. It's in and she says it looks fab! She sent me some pics from her camera phone, and I thought I'd share. The quality of the pics is not so hot, and I will post more later, but here are a few for now...

Living room before:





Living room after:


Ahhh, so much better! I will take more pictures when we are home so you can see the doors, bedrooms, etc.! I am just so thrilled that I don't have to walk around on dusty concrete when I get home! Woohoo!!

I am alive, I promise!

Wow, it has been awhile, no? The past few weeks are kind of a blur, but here's pretty much what's been happening over here:

We successfully moved from the apartment to our new place! And by "we," I really mean Josh. I have been working terrible hours, so Josh was really wonderful and pretty much packed our entire place up and orchestrated the move. Although, I have to laugh a bit at the packing job. Let's just say, Josh and I have different, er, organizational styles? For example, while looking for my make-up bag, I found a mop bucket with lotion, hair gel, dish soap, and a bag of new potatoes! Um, one of these things is not like the other... :) Ah well, I can't complain since I didn't have to do a thing.

So, the house is good. It's still in the midst of some renovations. Our carpet was back ordered, so we have been living without carpet on the cement sub floor for the past three weeks. Luckily, the carpet is getting installed today! All the doors, baseboards, and the master door have been replaced and painted. It is finally starting to come together. Once the carpet is down, then maybe we can start unpacking (all of the furniture is in the garage), and I will stop feeling like I am squatting in someone else's vacant home!

In other news, I have managed to escape work for the week. I am taking today, tomorrow, and Wednesday off from work to visit my in-laws and college friends up in Seattle and Olympia. Josh and I arrived Saturday night with the dogs. The dogs were little angels and slept the whole flight, which was amazing!

Yesterday, we went out to dinner with Josh's fam for his sister's birthday. Other than that, we just vegged, which was so amazing. Today, Josh and I are going to tool around downtown Seattle and then hopefully meet up with some of our favorite people, Megan and Josh.

It's so nice to be back in the Pacific Northwest! I love it here. This is going to be a great week!

Another weekend.

Another weekend gone. Sigh. Yes, I know it's only Sunday afternoon, but, unfortunately, I am working today. At least I am working at home in my pjs, I suppose.

Things have been so busy over here. Let's see ... the house is coming right along. The paint job is done, and now we have to get new carpet put in ("after" pics after the new floor, I promise). I really wanted to do hardwood, but yikes, that is pricey! So, cheap carpet for now ... hardwood someday.

We move next weekend, so Josh is working away boxing things up while I plunk away on my laptop on the couch. I'm not sure how we're going to get this whole place packed up by the weekend. Should be interesting.

Work has been stressful lately. My workload is fine, and actually, I am starting to feel like I actually know what I'm doing, but the end of the year is near, and so looms the billable hour budget. I'm sure I will be fine and make hours, but there has been a lot of buzz lately around my office about hours, and I feel like the pressure is on. Plus, this is my first billable year, so I'm a little nervous since I've never billed a whole year. Ah well, I'm sure it will be fine. Luckily, I have a lot of work, so I'm going to try and get some hours banked before the holidays so I can take some time off. Unfortunately, that means the next few weeks will have more late nights and weekends. Such is life, I guess.

Alright, back to work for now. I want to get some more work done so Josh and I can go see a movie tonight. I really want to see The Darjeeling Limited. I <3 Wes Anderson.

Paint colors? Check.

I just came back from the house, and I am so excited! So much progress has been made -- it looks like a completely different house! I can't wait until the paint is done and the floors are in!

We decided on paint colors Sunday. Since we don't have a lot of furniture or any idea how we'll decorate the place, we decided to go with neutrals:



The top color is for the living and dining rooms, the right-hand color is the color for the family dining room, the lightest color is for the bedrooms, and the darkest is for the guest bath.

I will post some before pics in the next couple days. I'm starting to get excited now that it's coming together!

Doors + Paint = Busy Weekend.

Usually the weekends fly by, but this weekend has felt a week long. Perhaps because we crammed so much house-related work into such a short span of time ...

Friday night, I met Josh up at the house, and we tore out all the old interior doors, door jams, and framing. They were so disgusting. Most of the doors had holes kicked in them and were filthy. The jams were worn down and barely functioning. Jackie and PJ met us up at the house in the evening, and we managed to hang two of the four doors. We decided to call it quits about 2am.

Saturday morning, I judged a moot court competition and then met Josh and co. up at the house. The paint crew started, and by the time I got there around noon, they had stripped out all the popcorn ceilings and repaired some of the holes in the walls! With the help of Frank, our new friend and handyman, we finished with the rest of the doors. Jackie, PJ, Josh, and I grabbed a bite to eat at Josh's favorite chain restaurant close-by and then headed back to our apartment. I was so exhausted last night, I crashed at 10pm!

I had planned on working this morning, but I seem to have caught whatever ugly bug is floating around. So, I ended up sleeping in, hoping I can shake it before the week starts. My dad very graciously offered to buy us some appliances for the new pad, so we quickly met up with him to pick out what we liked and then grabbed some dinner.

Jackie was smart and brought her camera along this weekend, and I will post pics of the house progress as soon as she emails them to me. For now, I think I am going to hit the sack and try and shake this bug before the week starts!

It's official.

Our escrow closed today ...

We are homeowners!!!!!!!!!!

Aaaahhh! I am so excited! We pick up our keys tonight! We won't move in for another couple weeks so we can paint and put in new flooring. I will post some before and after shots. ;)

Meh.

So, it's been awhile, no? Hmm. Well, there hasn't been much to report. And, frankly, life has been pretty stressful.

The house thing is still plugging along, but financing has been stressful. The rates are changing daily, so it's kind of a roller coaster. We have a loan, but I had hoped for a lower rate. There's still time to back out, but I think we'll probably keep moving forward.

Work ... is, well, work. Monday started with the mediation of the case-I-hate-most. It was supposed to settle. Yes, I said "supposed to." No luck. Boo. Plus, all week, I kept feeling like I was screwing up everything I touched. Not a good feeling at all. Ah well, at least the week is over.

Tomorrow my cousin, Marco, arrives from Italy to stay with us for a week! I can't wait to see him and show him around town. He is always so hospitable every time I stay with him in Italy, so I'm looking forward to attempting to return the favor.

For now, I am off to watch "I Heart Huckabees" with Bug, Ajax, and Josh. Hopefully, there will be some fun to report on after the weekend.

Inspection.

What a crazy week. I have been in a house whirlwind. It's hard to work on or think about anything else.

Yesterday, we had an inspection on the house. Bug, Anthony, Jackie, and my grandparents came by before to check the place out. There were lots of enthusiastic comments about the backyard. Bug, Anthony, and Jackie thought the interior had potential, but I think my grandparents were a little scared. I think they'll feel better after paint and new carpet.

Given that the place is a fixer, I was a little nervous about what the inspector might say. Although there are a few things that need to be fixed, most are relatively minor. The roof, plumbing, foundation, and all other major systems of the home are functioning well, so that's good news. The inspector said it was a "cosmetic fixer." Yeah, we knew that much, at least. :)

So, now we wait for an appraisal and final loan approval. We should close mid-October. I go through phases of being really excited to getting really rattled and nervous. I hope all that is normal. Ahhhhhh.

Other than that, the weekend has been pretty low-key. Friday night, Josh and I went window-shopping at Home Depot. I have to work today, but hopefully I will have some time this evening to play...

Big day.

So, I made it back from Colorado Saturday night. I was so tired, I crashed as soon as I hit my pillow.

Today, Josh and I got up way too early and dropped off signed papers to the selling agent of the property we had made an offer on. We walked through the house again, and although there is a lot of work to be done (it's sort of a "fixer"), I still really loved the place and saw quite a bit of potential. After walking through the house, we ran some errands and grabbed lunch.

I headed off to Wan's baby shower at the Altadena Country Club. The shower was beautiful, the hostess very gracious, the food delicious, the paper products splendid, and the honored guest glowing! Sadly, I have no pictures, but I have a sneaking suspicion some will be posted on a few other blogs, soon.

At the shower, I got a call that ... the sellers accepted our offer!!!

Josh and I are so excited. I have to admit, I did get pretty nervous, though, after we got the news! Aaahhhh! Okay, I am mostly excited. :)

A little about the house: It is 4 bedroom/2 bath with a formal living and dining room and a family room. It's a cosmetic fixer and needs some paint and cleaning. Also, the kitchen and bathrooms could use upgrading. Buuut...it's located on an incredible almost half-acre lot with hill views in a great town with a great school district! It's kind of a commute for me, but it will be worth it.

Here's a pic of the backyard:



Anyway, that's the scoop! Now we have to wait a month or so, and if all goes well, we may have a house soon!

Good day.

For a Monday, it's been a pretty action-packed day. First, the big class action that I have been working on since my first week at the firm took a surprising turn. We have been working for over a month on our opposition to class cert, to be filed Thursday. In the eleventh hour, the parties decided to mediate on very favorable terms, so the rest of my week just completely cleared! Yessss! AND...I am out the rest of the week doing witness interviews, which I love. I am so jazzed! If/when this case settles, I am going drinking, for sure.


And the other bit of exciting news...we put an offer on a house today!! I don't want to post a bunch about it and jinx it, but please keep your fingers crossed! There is a chance they won't accept our offer because we kind of low-balled, but here's hoping...

So, now that I have my evening free, Josh and I are off to see Superbad! Woo! :)