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.