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!

Rocko's Modern Life.

Meet Jackie's new puppy, Rocko!

Today, Jackie and I drove to Cherry Valley to pick up the latest addition to the family: an eight-week old, English Chocolate Labrador! Our two-hour trip reminded me of the many road trips we've taken (some, admittedly, disastrous, but definitely memorable). The drive was uneventful, but still somehow fun. I always manage to have a great time when Jackie is around.

We arrived in Cherry Valley, and after some, er, very, er, detailed instructions, we were on our way, puppy in tow!

Because he's so darn cute, here are a few more pics:

Jackie has wanted a Chocolate Lab for as long as I can remember, and I am so happy for her! I know Rocko is one lucky puppy!

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? :)

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

Well, another Christmas has come and gone. I hope you all had wonderful days with your families, that you made away with some good "loot," and that you are nowhere near as stuffed as I am!

Christmas Eve, we drove out to Corona to have Christmas dinner with my uncle and extended family. We had our traditional Italian sausage and homemade pizza. We headed back in the late afternoon and went to "Midnight Mass" at 10:30 p.m.

My sis, mom, step-dad, and PJ spent the night at our place. We woke up in the morning, ate breakfast (thanks, A, for the recipe), and then opened presents. We made away with some great stuff, including a new garage door from my mom and Doug, help remodeling the guest bathroom from Josh's folks, and a treadmill from my dad. (Pictures of the home improvements to come!)

We had fourteen people over for Christmas dinner, including my grandparents, mom, step-dad, dad, sis, PJ, and a couple family friends. We had to pull out our dining room table into the living room (good thing we have not furnished that room yet!), add two leaves, and set up a smaller table in the dining room to accommodate everyone!

Our living room with our dining room table, extended with two leaves.

A close-up of the place setting.

The beautiful flower arrangement my uncle sent.

My grandparents, and Ella in the background.

For dinner, we served prime rib, yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, salad, and rolls. It was the first holiday meal I cooked, and I was a little nervous, but it turned out really well. However, with all that was going on, I forgot to take pictures (dammit).

Also, it's a family tradition to have crackers at each table. Inside each cracker, there are paper crowns, and most of our family pictures through the years have us in these ridiculous hats.

Gathered 'round the table.

The crackers also include little toys. There were little cars and a couple people opened their crackers to find mini squirt guns! (My mom and grandma had a little too much fun with the squirt guns!)

My mom and Doug were nice enough to help clean up. Jackie and her family came over and had dessert with us.

Homemade apple pie, pumpkin pie with walnut crust, and pumpkin ginger cheesecake.

Phew. It was a wonderful, wonderful Christmas filled with our wonderful (albeit slightly crazy) family, food, wine, and lots of laughing. Good times.

I hope you all had wonderful holidays, too! I think I am going to go take a nap!

Recap: I have been a slacker blogger.

Gosh, it is shameful how long it has been since I have blogged. However, I am stuck in my office doing the most painful online training known to man, so I have been catching up on my blog reading and now posting.

So, my thoughts might be a bit choppy. After all, I am rusty after all these weeks!

Here are the highlights of what's been going on.

• My mom arrived to town from Alaska on November 28th and is here until January 4th. She brought her two little dogs and is staying in our guest room during her trip. Although we have been known to disagree, my mom and I are really close, so it's nice to have her around. Plus, she is a great cook and has treated us to a few fresh salmon and halibut dinners. Who knew my kitchen worked? :)
  


• I turned the big 2-7 on December 9th! Saturday the 8th, Josh, my sis, her guy, Jackie, PJ, my dad, my mom, and I went to Table 8 for dinner. I ate a lovely filet and had a couple dirty martinis. Yum! After, we had cake from the Bread Basket and then headed to the Sagebrush Cantina, a Mexican restaurant/bar by our house. There was live music and ridiculously cheap margaritas ($50 bought two rounds of 8). The next day, everyone had a bit of a headache (damn you, cheap tequila), but Josh and I managed to roll out of bed and have breakfast at the Side Street Cafe with my dad and his girlfriend. This is our favorite breakfast place, so it was a great way to start the bday! I took a nap during the day and then we went and saw American Gangster, which I thought was a great flick!
  




[PJ and Josh at the Sagebrush Cantina.]


• The firm had its holiday party on December 14th at The Edison, which is one of my favorite spaces in L.A. I hung out with some of my favorite co-workers and savored some pretty spectacular wine!
  


• A few of my animal-loving co-workers and I have a holiday tradition: Instead of buying gifts for each other, we get together with our dogs at a dog park and exchange doggie goodies and gift bags. This year, we went to the Laurel Canyon Dog Park (my favorite dog park!) with our pups. Someone even brought a dog cake from Three Dog Bakery! Nerdy, but fun.
  
  
• Sunday, I attended the 2nd Annual SFAMily Holiday Hoorah. I didn't bring a camera, but I did swipe the picture below from the Monkey, who did an amazing recap (with pictures!) already. She's good like that. As always, I had such a wonderful time and left feeling lucky to have these wonderful ladies in my life.
  
  


• Sunday afternoon, Josh's folks arrived after driving down the coast from Olympia, Washington. They came with tools in tow and have been working away with Josh (who is off for 3 weeks!!!) on our backyard and guest bathroom! [Yes, my mother is still staying with us as is my step-dad. Yes, that means we have two sets of parents in our abode. Yes, I am still alive.]
  
  
• Work has been pleasantly boring and slow. I am done with my hours for the year, and all of my clients and supervising attorneys are out of town next week. Sooo...that means this little associate will be logging in from home next week. Yes, that's right. No office for me for a week! Woohoo!

Phew. Well, that's all for now. I will probably have much more time to blog next week, so I promise not to disappear for three weeks again!

Law School Musical.

A partner in my firm just showed me this video forwarded from her son who is a first-year law student. She and I cracked up so much, my face hurts! Those of you who had to either endure law school or put up with me or any other cranky law student will appreciate this:



P.S. Is it just me, or does most of this apply to working as a lawyer, too? :)

Bow Down to Washington.

Well, we are back in sunny (but slightly chilly) L.A. Our flight landed at the crack of dawn this morning, and PJ was nice enough to come pick us up.

I have a ton to do before tomorrow, but I decided to take a quick procrastination detour and blog...

Our last day in Washington was great! I am a huge supporter of my alma mater's football team, the Washington Huskies. Yesterday was the 100th Apple Cup, the big rivalry game between the Huskies and the dirty, dirty Cougs. I loved going to the Apple Cup when I was in college, and so I was so excited to score some tickets for yesterday's game.

The game was great! We were on the edge of our seats the entire time. However, I sound like a man today from all the yelling. Also, it was quite chilly. Josh and I were wrapped up in blankets, and my dad and sis went on a couple searches for hot chocolate.

Despite the efforts of our amazing quarterback, Jake Locker, the Huskies lost by one touchdown in the last minutes of the fourth quarter.

Sigh. We'll get those dirty Cougs next year!

Bang!

It's another chilly day here in Olympia. We had a lovely breakfast in the morning. My father-in-law was a farm boy growing up and loves the outdoors, hunting, and, well, guns. Just so you know, I am pretty anti-gun as a rule.

Anyway, my dad showed some interest in my father-in-law's guns, and before you know it, the plan was to go to a shooting range. I had planned on staying at home and reading my book, but I could tell Josh really wanted me to go. Plus, I heard a comment about the "girls staying home," and I decided I could do whatever the boys were doing.

Anyway, I have never shot a gun before. It was alright, I suppose. Although, I must admit, I am an excellent shot. :) Check it out:

Happy Thanksgiving from Oly!

I am temporarily coming out of my turkey/sweet potato coma to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! We spent the day at Josh's grandparents' house in Olympia. My dad and sis spent the holiday along with all of my lovely in-laws, so we were one, big, happy family. I feel very lucky that my family and Josh's family get along and like spending time together. It probably helps that we have all known each other for so long. Whatever the reason, I am very grateful for the mutual affection between the two clans.

I am so relaxed and happy. I think I definitely needed a break from work and life in L.A. I have been sleeping a bunch, and some of the health problems that have been popping up seem to have gone away, at least for now.

So, yes, the trip has been wonderful. Here's what I have been up to:

Monday, Josh and I headed downtown and shopped and had lunch. Oh, and I also splurged for a pedicure at a place called Butter London. It was a little mall place, but they have their own product line. So far, no chips, so two thumbs up! After that, we met up with a close sorority sister, Megan, and her husband, Josh, for a fabulous dinner at La Casa del Mojito, a teeny tiny Cuban restaurant in Seattle. I had the Bisteca Fritta, which was like butta. Oh, and the mojito wasn't half bad, either!

Tuesday afternoon, I met Danielle, another dear friend from the sorority, at Bell Square to do some holiday shopping and have lunch. I ended up buying some cute placecard holders for our Christmas table, since we are hosting this year. Other than that, no big finds.

Tuesday evening, I had dinner with Taryn, one of my best friends and a bridesmaid in our wedding (also from the sorority), and we did a little shopping (noticing a trend?). We had a marathon talk, and I left feeling so grateful that she is one of my nearest and dearest. She never ceases to crack me up, and it's so nice to feel like someone else "gets it." Love you, T-Ro.

Wednesday was pretty mellow. We spent four hours (!!!) in traffic headed to Olympia. (For you non-Washingtonians, it should take only an hour.) My sis and dad landed around 6. The sis, Josh, his brother Kitt, Kitt's wife Arian, and I spent the evening at a random little bar out in the woods by the in-laws' house. Since it was cold, Bug and I drank hot buttered rums (and one too many at that). Fun times.

Perhaps the sleep and relaxation has allowed my foggy mind to clear a bit as I have been feeling very grateful these past couple of days. In the spirit of the holiday, as a few of you have already done (see here, here, and here), below I have posted five things I am grateful for this year:

1. Josh. He's supportive and mellow when I need it, and he still manages to make me smile.

2. My family. As crazy as they made me growing up, we have always been very tight-knit, and I feel blessed to have such a wonderful (albeit slightly quirky) family.

3. My friends. I think I might be the luckiest person I know when it comes to the amazing friends I have. Love you guys.

4. My job. As much as I whine sometimes about the hours and the pressure, this is what I want to do and I really do love the work. It's challenging and interesting, even if it is high-pressure. Plus, it's articles like this that remind me that I am lucky to have a great job at all.

5. New found perspective. I am so ready for 2008.

On that note, I am off to bed. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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!

Ug.

I don't know how I am still standing. Okay, well, I am sitting, but you get what I'm saying. I am so swamped at work, I can barely keep up. I worked all day Sunday in my office, and all Saturday was spent at the new house trying to get things taken care of. We've moved back our move-in date to tomorrow. Yeah. About a third of our apartment is packed. Looks like an all-nighter of packing ahead. Boo, hiss.

Okay, enough complaining. I am counting down the days to Thanksgiving so I can relax for a few days. It's going to be a sprint until then, I think.

I did get to do one fun thing Friday night! I have been wanting to see a movie (any movie!) for over a month, and we finally had some time to get away and see a late show. We saw The Darjeeling Limited with PJ. I thought it was great! The costumes and sets were so interesting, and the chemistry between Jason Schwartzmann, Owen Wilson, and Adrian Brody was fantastic! If you're a Wes Anderson fan, I think you'll dig it.

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!

Oops.

So, I get up early this morning to prepare for today's session, and as I am getting ready, I realize I forgot my entire make-up bag in L.A. Of course I did. I mean, what better time to let the world see my scary, bare face than when I have to go before a group and talk? Yeah, classic move.

After some digging, I found a black eyeliner and some lip gloss at the bottom of my bag. Off to hijack some mascara. This is going to be a good day, I can already tell...

What happens in Nita City stays in Nita City...

I am in Colorado until Saturday evening for a Deposition Skills workshop sponsored by the firm and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy ("NITA"). For those of you lucky souls who are not lawyers, NITA is an organization that creates fake case materials and then law schools and other training programs use them. For example, most law school's use NITA materials for their Trial Advocacy programs. All facts occur in Nita City, in the State of Nita. All fake characters graduated from Nita Central High and went to school at Nita State University. You get the point. :)

So, I arrived this morning, checked into my hotel, and then headed out to NITA headquarters. (I guess I can now say I have "been to NITA.") We had a few presentations and a "case brainstorming" session today before we begin "taking depositions" tomorrow. Okay, I know this is really nerdy, but I was actually really having fun. I really like litigation and litigation strategy. Even if the case isn't real, I'll take what I can get.

After our sessions, we all went out to dinner and ordered way too much wine and sangria (which prompted someone to exclaim the phrase that became the title of this blog -- nerdy, I know). My face hurts from laughing so much. As demanding as my job can be, I really love the other associates I work with. I guess I really lucked out.

Off to bed for now. Am contemplating telling our "judge" that our fake case settled last night, so I don't have to get up and prep. That will go over well, I'm sure. Riiight. :)

Memememememememe

I have been memetagged by my favorite Monkey. I never participate in those "50 things about me" email chain letters, but whaddathehell...I can try this...So, eight facts about me...

1. When I was 14, I moved to Alaska from Southern California. In fact, we arrived in Alaska less than a week before I started high school. I had never seen snow, so it was quite a shock. I lived in a small town called Kenai for all four years of high school. Despite some of the background, family drama that resulted, I ended up having a really good high school experience. Since there is nothing else to do in Kenai, I joined every activity and organization under the sun and made a lot of close friends. I also met Josh in high school. My mom and step-dad still live there, and although I look forward to visiting (it really is a gorgeous place), I cannot imagine ever moving back. Ever.

2. I went to private, Catholic school for eight years. Yeah, eight years. I met some of my very best friends there, and overall, I would say it was a good experience. I did, however, have a couple craaazy nun teachers in fourth and sixth grade. Sister Anita (4th grade) was especially rotten.

3. I have held some pretty terrible jobs. I gutted salmon in a cannery in Alaska for a summer. Basically, that means I stood by a conveyor belt in a room as cold as a refrigerator, dressed head-to-toe in rubber, and used a metal spoon that spewed water to gut fish as they passed by on the belt. (I couldn't eat fish for years after.) I also spent the summer after my freshman year of college as a roustabout on the paint crew of an oil rig in Alaska. I would take a helicopter out to the rig Monday morning and live out on the rig until my 'copter ride home Friday evening. There was only one other girl on the rig, and my crew and I spent the day painting every part of the rig you can imagine -- from the engine room to the heliport -- for twelve to fourteen hours. I even hung in a "man basket" far above the ocean to paint the exterior of the rig. The good news: it was great money for a college kid! I also held a bunch of server jobs and was a sales assistant at a low-end department store and a kiosk in a mall. I guess it ended up being good experience considering the type of law I now practice. :)

4. I was a Homecoming Princess in high school and college (yes, from oil rigs to rhinestone tiaras). I swear, I did it for the college money. :) Being in the Homecoming Court at the UW was actually pretty cool because we got to stand on the 50-yard line during halftime. It was kind of a rush.

5. I love to travel. I have studied abroad in Rome, Paris, and the Greek Isles and have seen a lot of Western Europe (England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, France). My grandma took me on my first European trip when I was 12, and I have been hooked ever since. A couple years ago, I went to Turkey, and I would love to go back and spend some time in Istanbul. Last year, I went to Brazil with Heather. I really want to go to South Africa next. Or India. Or China. Hmmm. So many amazing places left to see!

6. I have two dogs, Woody and Ella. Woody is a wire fox terrier, and my grandma adopted him from a rescue in 2002. She passed away in 2003, and he has been my companion ever since. He was with me for all three years of law school and even drove cross-country with me as my little navigator when I moved back to L.A. Ella is a Yorkie and is nine months old. She is a little devil, but her puppy energy keeps our little old man young and playful. :)

7. I have a magazine addiction. I don't really even read them very closely, but I just keep buying and subscribing to more and more magazines. I never even make it through all of them, cover-to-cover. Josh is always after me to throw them away, but I can't. I may want to read them someday. :)

8. When I was little, I spent all my summers in Ontario, Canada where my family had a little cottage on a lake. My sister and I would catch frogs and swim all day and then hang out with my grandma and family in the evening. The cottage was nothing fancy, but I think it was the most wonderful place on the planet.

Now, I have to tag more victims: Sarah, Heather, Mrs. Shorty Cake... you have all been tagged. So there. :)

Wedding Weekend Recap

So, this is a few days late, but I have been holding out for pictures. Sadly, in a mad dash to get out the door, I left my camera at home last weekend, so I have to bum off other folks. Anyway, I have found a few, and I'm sure there will be more to come.

Last weekend, Josh and I headed up to Portland for Margaret and Scott's wedding. We left Thursday afternoon and arrived in Portland around 8. We checked into the Governor Hotel, our hotel for the night, and then I headed off to the bachelorette party! I met up with Margaret and the girls at an Italian restaurant called Touche, where we sat out on a patio, drank wine, ate dinner, and then headed out for a night of dancing! I was a little tired when I arrived (I had to be in Rancho Cucamonga at 7:45 that morning for witness interviews), but seeing Margaret and running around Portland reinvigorated me, and the night was great.

Friday, Josh and I moved into our new hotel, McMenamin's Kennedy School. The Kennedy School was once an elementary school, but has since been renovated and turned into a hotel with a restaurant, two small bars (the Honors Bar and Detention), and a movie theater. It was really a charming place! Josh and I stayed in the "Art Room," complete with a chalkboard wall.

After checking in, we headed out to the rehearsal at the Shogren House, where the ceremony and reception would be held. I fell in love with the Shogren House. It was so beautiful and the gardens, plants, and flowers were so lush. Afterwards, we went to Scott's parents house for the rehearsal dinner and made bouquets for the next day.

Later on, we met up with Liz, Theo, and their two adorable baby girls for dessert. It was great to see her. I wish we were closer, but I take what I can get. :) Afterwards, Josh and I picked up Heather/Roomie from the airport and took her to her hotel. I was so excited to see her arrive in Portland! I miss that crazy girl a bunch.

Saturday was the big day! In the morning, Josh and I got up and headed north to Vancouver, Washington (a.k.a. "the 'Couv"). Liz and I ran off to get manicures and pedicures while the boys amused themselves. :)

Afterwards, we went to the Shogren House, and Heather and I were florists-for-a-day, making the centerpieces for the reception while catching up a bit. After the centerpieces were set, we all started getting ready inside the house. Margaret looked absolutely gorgeous!! Really, one of the prettiest brides of all time!

The ceremony was in the garden. It had been cloudy in the morning, but sun appeared just in time. The ceremony was really beautiful, and I got a little teary-eyed, but I held it together. :)

The reception was great. I sat at a table with Josh (of course), Heather, Jillian (friend from law school days) and Margaret's co-worker and her dad. The food was delish, and the reception site was absolutely gorgeous! Margaret and Scott made their rounds, and they were both glowing. I am really happy for them. Congrats, guys! :)

After the wedding, Heather, Josh, and I hit up a bar in Portland called North 45. Apparently I am an old lady now, but I could barely keep my eyes open! We headed home a a little after midnight.

Sunday morning, Josh and I headed to the Pearl District and poked around the shops there. We met up with his mom, dad, brother (Kitt), sister-in-law (Arian), and Josh's nephew (Jason) at Rogue Brewery for lunch. It was so great to see all of them. I really lucked out when it comes to great in-laws. I just wish we were closer. Anyway, lunch was great. Josh was in beer heaven and tried a bunch of samplers of the Rogue ales. After lunch, we went shopping with the fam for back-to-school clothes for Jason, who is starting eighth grade this fall. They headed home around 4, and we caught a flight back to L.A. in the evening. It was a great weekend, and I passed out almost immediately after walking in our front door!

So, there's the recap, albeit a few days late.

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! :)

One Year

Today is our first year anniversary! I cannot believe how quickly this year has come and gone. Everyone says the first year is hard, and although there were some growing pains, this year has really been wonderful! I was never one of those little girls who planned her wedding or thought about her "future husband," and so I think the most surprising thing I learned this year is how much of the "marrying type" I actually am. Who knew?! :) I was excited to marry Josh, but I don't think I knew I would love being married to him this much. Even in spite of the rants about beer and music, the guitars peppered throughout my apartment, and the train-like snoring, I still think he's pretty great. :)



Okay, enough mush! Geez, what have I turned into? :)

So, last night we went to dinner at the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena to celebrate our anniversary. Our original plan was to go to Santa Barbara, stay at Bacara, and spend the weekend drinking wine, but, alas, work owns me and I ended up having to turn around a project. We may try and do a make-up weekend over Labor Day weekend.

Anyway, dinner was incredible! We sat outside on this pretty veranda that had a gorgeous view of the city lights. We were in our own little corner, so it was very cozy. We ordered a fixed menu prepared by the chef and paired with three different wines. Josh has some special dietary needs, and they were so wonderful and accommodating. The chef even came out to meet us, wish us a Happy Anniversary, and tell us he would "whip up something special." We had seven tiny courses, but I was so stuffed at the end. Everything I tasted was unbelievable. Josh kept saying he felt like we were in the audience of Top Chef. :) It was definitely a fun dinner and perfect for the occasion.

So, this morning I have to turn back to all the declarations I have been writing and crank out a few more. After that, I don't know what we're up to...

Tonight, my dad, grandparents, sister and her guy are supposed to swing by, have some champagne with us, and eat a little defrosted wedding cake. We pulled the top layer out last night to defrost, and surprisingly, it looks really good! I have been a little skeptical. Just in case, we may end up with a small back-up cake...

Procrastination.

So, it has been a busy, busy week. We are filing an opposition to a motion for class certification next week. For those of you lucky enough to not know what a task that is, suffice to say it has basically consumed my week. I have sat on the phone and in interviews with witnesses, and spent the evenings writing declarations and other accompanying papers. Good stuff.

I need to spend the evening and tomorrow morning finishing these declarations (I need to send them to the partner tomorrow by 5 p.m.) so I can have at least half of the weekend celebrate our anniversary with Josh (yeah, I am giving up on aliases...come and find me). What am I doing instead? Well, for one, blogging. Ha. :) Oh, and reading and checking friends' blogs while watching "Flight of the Conchords." Ah, procrastination. I thought I would stop procrastinating after law school. But no, the skill is alive and well....



Other than being busy, the week has been pretty good. One of the highlights was definitely lunch with a friend at Tiara Cafe on Tuesday. She is also a lawyer, but at a different firm and has been practicing a few years longer than I have, and I always really love our chats. They make me feel like I am less crazy. Sometimes it's hard to explain how I feel about my job (or, how my job makes me feel) and it's nice to know someone else gets it, too. Overall, I love my profession, but there are always trying days, to say the least.

Wednesday was a crazy day. Started work at 7 a.m. Finished after 2 a.m. Was back up at 5:30 a.m. for a call at 7 a.m. Thursday and today have been pretty boring, too. Just more work. Hopefully, there will be something good to report after the weekend.

Okay. Back to work.

Weekend Recap

Lately, the hubs ("WB") and I have been pretty mellow, spending most of our weekends lazing by my dad's pool and bbq. Last Sunday, I complained that we live in such an incredible city and never go exploring all the fab restaurants, bars, etc. So, we made a vow: one new restaurant/bar per week and no more take-out from the same old place. Well, we were so excited about our new plan, we went a little overboard this weekend.

Friday night, we went out to dinner at Il Cielo, a romantic Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills. Upon arriving, you first walk through a patio where there are dimly-lit tables underneath glowy twinkle lights strung through the trees. The inside feels like a formal dinner inside someone's home, with white linens on little round tables mixes with a couple plush couches, and an overall warm, almost rustic glow. The food was absolutely delish, and we ordered the best bottle of wine (unfortunately, we forgot to write down the name of the bottle). WB ordered risotto and I ordered the scialatielli pasta for dinner and then we had tiramisu and sorbet for dessert with some port for WB (of course) and a cappuccino for me.

Our server, the sommelier, even the host all spoke fluent Italian, and the whole experience was like being briefly transported back to Italy for a couple hours. It definitely made me want to go back for awhile (or, forever) this year. Although, my Italian is probably a bit rusty...


Saturday night, we had dinner with my little sister, Bug, and her boyfriend, Ajax, at Citizen Smith in Hollywood. A co-worker recommended we check it out, so, in the spirit of our new pact, WB and I decided to make reservations. Bug and Ajax decided to take a break from their studying (they are both second year med school students) and join us. The vibe was kind of a laid-back glam: lots of funky chandeliers covered in glass cubes with celebrity images scanned on each pane that hang over a rich mahogany bar. We sat outside on the patio in a little booth. Bug ordered the chicken and waffles which looked amazing, and I ordered a burger that had brie, gruyere, and something else on top. It was so delicious but way too huge.

Bug and Ajax talked a lot about school and the boards (making me very grateful I will never, ever have to take the Bar again). They are such smart cookies, and I am so proud of Bug. She made honors last year (what a braniac!) and is just one step closer to taking over the world.

After dinner, Bug, Ajax, WB, and I met up with Epp and Peej at the Bungalow Club in Hollywood. Epp has been my bff since we were in second grade, and Peej and WB are also long-time grammar school friends. I went to high school with Peej and WB, and Peej's mom and my mom are basically inseparable, so we are all basically family. Peej and Epp are roommates, too. Okay, so now that this all basically sounds like a bad pitch for a cheesy sitcom, moving on...



We sat outside, squished in a little bungalow and had a few drinks. Epp was in NYC for almost two weeks for work, so it was so great to see her and catch up. Epp, Peej, and Bug are all crack-ups, so needless to say my face hurt and I was still smiling at the end of the evening. It was definitely a fun night.

This morning, I was up for an 8 a.m. conference call (yes, I know it's Sunday). I will probably knock out a few work things that need to be taken care of today before we head out to have dinner with my grandparents. WB and I might venture out to the dog park with Woody and Ella (our dogs) at some point. Ella is a holy terror, so hopefully, she will not yap at all the big dogs at the park.

So, yes. That is all for now. I think I have procrastinated work enough for the morning . . . time to get to work. Hope you all had wonderful weekends!

Most efficient bridesmaid dress shopping ever!!!

One of my very best friends (and law school war buddy), "Moos" (based on the advice of a wise friend, no real names), is getting married at the end of the month in Portland to her college sweetheart. I am so excited to head up to the Northwest for what will surely be a gorgeous and fun-filled wedding weekend!

Moos, being the wonderful human being that she is, has decided we bridesmaids can wear any black dress of our choosing. (I told you she is a wonderful human being!) This seems slightly unfair since I made her wear a bright pink dress only last year, but I am not going to argue!

Anyway, realizing that the Big Day is only weeks away, I ordered 12 (yes, 12) black dresses from Banana Republic and JCrew, figuring I could try a bunch on all at once and save time and return the rejects. What can I say ... I am busy and definitely impatient. Or, as my fabulous roommate from Ithaca/sorority sister/adventurous travel buddy, "Roomie," says, "efficient."

So ... here is the winning dress!

Now that I have a dress, I am even more excited for the big weekend!! I cannot wait to see my law school pals and one of my sorority sisters who lived in Vancouver, and it will be nice to escape for a weekend. It has been awhile since I have had a vacation, so the weekend away will be pretty fab.

Hi.

I never thought I would be the blogging type -- after all, my life is (sadly) pretty dull lately -- but, I recently began to reconsider. I have a few friends who are avid bloggers, and, although I was initially skeptical about posting my everythings on the Internet, I have been enjoying reading their blogs so much I decided to continue the trend. Now that I am an old lady, with a husband and a grown-up job, I am not as diligent about keeping in touch as I used to be. Hopefully, this will help. And, hey, maybe some of you blog skeptics will reconsider so I can add to my daily work procrastination and read about your fabulous lives.