Happy Birthday, Dad!

My dad's birthday is not until next Thursday, but we thought we'd celebrate this weekend since he and Cathy will be on vacation the following weekend. Cathy put together a really nice party: a bbq with family and friends. Oh, and a little bit of karaoke.

I made the birthday cake. My dad wanted yellow cake with chocolate frosting (my favorite!). I decided to try and make it from scratch. You know, in all my spare time. ;) It turned out pretty well . . .

Yellow cake batter.

The finished product: three-layer yellow cake with milk chocolate frosting.


We headed out to Camarillo after going to the travel clinic to get shots, health insurance, and a prescription for antibiotics for our trip to China. The antibiotics prescription may sound weird, but I have decided it's a good precaution after suffering through the nasty sickness that knocked us out halfway through the honeymoon. If you haven't heard that story, suffice to say it is both comedy and tragedy.

We arrived in Cam around 4:00 p.m. with birthday cake and birthday hats in tow.

The birthday boy!

Bug and our wire fox terrier, Woody. He's such a grumpy old man, but he'll still cuddle sometimes.


Bug and Ajax. This pic is a bit awkward, no? Haha.

Speaking of awkward . . . My husband is a spaz. :)

Self-photo! I am never in these party pics since I am always the one taking the pictures (go figure).

Bug and Dad.

Dad was trying to convince me to reverse the number candles so that it said he is 35. Nice try.

Yes, 53. There we go, dad...

Dad and his girlfriend Cathy. She's the best.

The birthday cake . . .

Ajax and Ella crashed on the couch . . .

It was a good birthday, I think. Josh and Bug spent most of the day in the pool. In fact, when we decided to call it a night around 11 p.m., Josh was still in the pool!

I crashed as soon as we got home, around midnight. I probably could have slept all through today, but Josh finally woke me up a little before 1 p.m. I haven't slept that late in awhile, and it felt amazing!

Not sure what the plans are for today. Josh mentioned seeing Indiana Jones, which I think sounds like a fabulous idea. The grey weather here (which I adore!) makes me was to just poke around town and be lazy today.

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 . . .

Puppies, yoga, and yogurt.

Friday was pretty mellow. I made it home from work after a somewhat hectic day in the early evening. Josh and I puppy-sat for Jackie's new puppy, Rocko, Thursday through Saturday, so we spent the evening playing with Rocko and our two dogs. We left the house to grab some Golden Spoon, but other than that, we were pretty lazy.

Saturday, Rocko woke us up at 5 a.m. (!!!) and would not go back to bed. I ended up going back to sleep and slept through my alarm, missing lunch with friends. Bummer. :/ After I woke up, the rest of the morning was filled with more excitement: bills, taxes, and cleaning. Yeah, it's a thrill a minute at our house. In the afternoon, I went to a yoga class. I drug Josh along with me, and he really enjoyed the class, which surprised me. The class killed me. Man, I am out of shape. Just when I thought I was going to die, class ended. Oh, and guess what's next door...Golden Spoon! So, yeah, there was a bit of a detour after class. In the evening, I picked Jackie up from the airport, and she came back to the house for a bit.

This morning, I am heading out to Pasadena to pick up my two cousins (10 and 12) who are going to spend the night with us. They usually beg their parents to let them come over and spend the night, and since my uncle and aunt are under the weather, we agreed to take the girls for the evening.

I adore these two. I'm sure they will wear me out, but I am looking forward to running around with them.

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!

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!