Christmas 2011

Christmas 2011 was spent here in Seattle.  My cat LOVES the Christmas tree.  This is her new spot and she will just sit there and stare at the lights.  It was so cute.  I love this cat.  :)  

My little Misu (short for Tiramisu)

This year, my cousin is up here with her boyfriend's family.  His family lives in Kirkland, so we got to spend some time with them as well.  It was nice to have some extra family around, since most of Steve's family doesn't like us, so we don't really get to have a lot of family get togethers anymore!  (Tara is from my mom's side of the family.  They still like us, but just live in all different states... Montana, Wisconsin, Colorado and California!  That's a lot of states considering I only have two cousins and my mom only has a brother and sister!)  Anyways... can you tell I am a little sad about my lack of family?  Oh well, back to our time here...

Tara and Dustin... so cute! :)

All three of us... not the best pic of me... but what are you gonna do?

My parents... Laura and Steve

Me and Tara

Here is my mom and me at church.  Steve didn't feel good so he didn't go.  The service was okay... a little cheesy.  I don't know why they try to modernize the Christmas story.  Setting it to modern music and changing song lyrics and dancing around is just silly to me.  Just tell the story/act out the story, but don't try to make it modern... we all know it happened a LONG time ago! :)

All in all it was a decent holiday, but I missed my boyfriend!  Oh... did I not mention him?  His name is Ryan and he lives in Boise.  Here is a pic of us two...

We have been dating a couple months now and he is amazing.  He's pretty much the yin to my yang and I have a good feeling about him.  :)  Oh yeah and he's disease free... if you don't remember that story... click here...  We didn't get to spend Christmas together but we did get to spend Thanksgiving and we will spend New Year's together.  Soooo grateful for that!  I hate that he doesn't live here or that I don't live there, but we are making it work.  Anyways...love to you all!  Hope you had an amazing holiday. 

Natalie's Baby Shower

One of my most favorite people had their baby shower this weekend!  My good friend, Natalie and her hubby Dylan will be welcoming a little baby boy in February of next year!  I can't wait.  I want to hold that bundle of love right now!  :)  We all got together at this swanky restaurant in Greenlake on Saturday to shower her with love. :)  This was the menu: Appetizers: Onion Tart-lets, Salmon bites.  Soup: Celery cream. Entree: Your choice of Mahi Mahi or Duck Con Fit.  Dessert: Apple cobbler with cinnamon ice cream.  Yum!  And super fancy! :)  Needless to say no cheesy games were played at this party.  (However, if you invite me to your shower... I will play your games with intensity! :)

Here are some pics from the day:

Shakira, me and Nicole

Shakira and me

Nicole and me

Such a pretty mom to be! (You can hardly tell she's preggers!)

Presents!

Balloons!

Me and ducky

Nicole and Natalie

Kate's Wedding

In the hopes of not completely neglecting my blog... I have to post about one of my oldest and dearest friend's wedding.  I have known Kate since 8th grade.  We met at church and then both went to Meridian together.  But, we both had totally different friends.  She was on the dance team, and as we all know I cannot dance. :)  I drank in high school, she did not.  However, we had church as a common bond and we did a lot of amazing things together... mission trips to Mexico, anyone?  Yes please!!  Then, we went to SPU together and the fun continued.  Then she left Seattle (and me!) to go to grad school in so-Cal... and it was there she met her hubby to be! :)  I blogged about meeting him here!  Since he seemed like a decent guy... I let him propose. :)  J/K... I had nothing to do with it! :)

So, anyways... she got married on October 15th, and to say she was a beautiful bride would be an understatement!  She looked flawless and could not stop smiling! :)  I was so happy for her!  Here are some pics from the day... sorry there are not more!  It is super hard to be in the wedding and take pics!

Ready to go!

Kate and her Aunt

Kate and Aubrey

Kate and Me :)

Mother in law, Kate, and her Mom :)

Sisters (in law :)!

This is what happens when you give my mom a camera... blurry pics... but still cute

Dancing with her daddy...

Kate, you are one of my most favorite people and I am so glad I got to celebrate this day with you!  I wish you and Adam all the best because you only deserve the best!  Love you!

My Birthday!

I love my birthday.  Even though I am not super excited about getting older, I love a reason to get together with my good friends for good food, good wine, and great conversation.  (That statement alone makes me sound old!)  Here are some pics from my birthday dinner at Purple Wine Bar.  (Love this place.  It has amazing food... a bazillion wine choices and a great atmosphere.  If you are in Seattle try it!)

Me :)

Marissa and me and Liam's head

Me and Shakira

Natalie, Nicole, and Me

The Life of a Single Gal

So... I had a suggestion to post honestly about what it is like to be single.  Since it's no secret I want to meet someone amazing and get married... well, here goes.  I'm in school.  I work full time at a pretty time consuming job (meaning I have to take work home with me... in fact I should be working right now!)  I'm busy.  When I do have free time I either catch up on sleep or hang out with my girlfriends.  To get married, you have to date, but in my super busy life, I meet very few new people.  This whole school thing is only a year long, so I can deal.

So... imagine my surprise when I go to take my final and a cute guy starts talking to me at the desk.  Long story short... he asks me out and we met up last night for some drinks.  Ugh... longest two hours of my life!  There was just no spark.  He was vegan... I'm sorry for all of you who are vegan.  Vegetarian is one thing... gluten free is understandable because I've had my own digestive issues.  Vegan is just too much!  The guy ordered pizza with no cheese!  That's the best part!  I happily ate my caprese... savoring the mozzarella and being so grateful for cheese! :)

Anyways... so we just had nothing in common.  We went for a walk and talked a bit, but I was just bored!  I finally said I had to get up early... so I had to head home.  I gave him a half hug, thanked him for dinner and headed home.  As I was walking into my apartment (less than 15 minutes later)... I get this text.

You are a beautiful and smart woman and I feel like I need to be honest with you.  Not that I'm trying to jump into bed with you, but about 5 years ago I had a girlfriend who wasn't honest with me and now I have herpes.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!  WTF????  I mean seriously... we didn't even kiss.  Not that I'm trying to jump into bed with you?  Who do you think I am?  We hung out for 2 hours!  That is not necessary information to disclose at this time.  And, look, I am sorry that happened to him.  I'm not a cold hearted bitch... but ewww!  I don't even know this guy!  Why would he tell me that?  That's at least maybe third date material!  Ugh... so yes... this is why I hate dating.  It is why I stay in my own little area and hope my prince will fall into my lap... preferably disease free...

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Good Karma for the day! :)

The Band Perry

I love love love this band!  I love country, and next to Taylor, these guys are my new fav.  (They sing "If I Die Young" but their whole CD is amazeballs!)  I went to their concert at the Evergreen State Fair on Tuesday.  And, the best part of small venues/not that famous people yet?  You get to meet them!  Here are my pics below.  I went with one of my best friends, Marissa.  She and I love concerts so much and are always down to see a show together!  Great night!  Oh... and I got their autograph too, as well as the pic!

We weren't that close...but just wait!

Kimberly Perry... so cute!!

Marissa and Me

Here we all are... Neil, Marissa, Kimberly, Me, Reid

Today at Work

Okay... I have to vent. If this thing had a mood choice, it would be: Irritated. So, a couple weeks ago I got in trouble at work for being too social. Shocking, I know. I was always the girl getting sent to the hall for talking too much. The worst part is, I still get all my work done because I'm crazy like that, but it may not help others around me. Whatever, I shut my mouth and door to be extra anti social.

So we had this huge billing project come up and basically I have to do that and all this other work by myself because my co-worker went out of town. So, I'm working my ass off doing this project and was told by the president to put everything aside and get this done. She calls to check up on some things, and I told her I would be done tomorrow, which she was shocked I would be done so fast. I told her I would, but I hadn't been able to get a few other things done. She said that was fine and that they are low priority so no worries, just get the project done.

Then our office manager comes in and asks if I had done those other things I just talked to the president about not getting to. I told her I was working on the project. She says, "Well, it's no good they are not done." No shit, sherlock, but I'm kind of busy over here. But here's the kicker. She goes back to her office and I see her red light on her phone light up, meaning she's making a call. She called the president to tattle on me!!!

Can you believe it? And, do you know what the president told her? Calm down, she is doing something way more important. Then the prez calls me and says, "Don't worry about her, just ignore her. You are doing a great job, and I am not worried about what she has to say." Talk about some weird signals. I feel like I am in such a dysfunctional relationship... one week I'm in trouble for talking too much, this week I'm praised and told I'm doing a great job and ignore any negativity. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I'm a kick-ass employee, even if I talk to much. And is it really that bad that people like me and want to be my friend? That doesn't sound like such a bad thing! :) Anyways, I need a new job! If anyone knows of anything, let me know. Obviously here in Seattle since I don't want to move until I'm done with school. I could go on and on about the drama that is my job, but alas, I must get back to my accounting homework. Here's to hoping each of you had a better day today. :)

What to Say...

I don't want to completely neglect my blog, but I don't want to bore anyone either. So, here's a recap on my life...

This week has been INSANE. I've been so busy with work and school. Work... ugh... can't even talk about it on here because it's too public, but if you really want to know what's up send me a text/facebook message. School: had way too much to do, but as always it got done and the only thing to suffer was my sleep.

I'm trying to train for a 10K in October in another attempt to lose weight... hoping it is not in vein. Seattle weather has not been too fab... but I'm sitting here sweating right now if that means anything to anyone. :)

I taped Shark Week and am currently watching it... is it bad I feel for the seals??? But I am still fascinated/scared of sharks.

The CRAZIEST thing happened the other night. I went to bed early and was awoken at 12:30 am to noise on my roof. We've had raccoons on the roof before, but this was moving really fast. Then I felt the whole building shake like someone jumped down. My window was wide open and I got really scared someone was trying to break in... so I called 911. I was so scared I couldn't even remember my address. I grabbed a piece of mail and read the operator my address. She stayed on the phone with me till the police got there. (One of which who was very cute... if you aren't married... want to come back and make sure I'm okay???) They asked what happened and I explained what I had heard. They said, "Well, have you heard of Parkour?" "Yes," I said... "Why?" "We've recently had some complaints in the area about people doing Parkour on the rooftops." ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME??? I'm trying to sleep and some idiots who have clearly been watching too much MTV or G4 are disrupting that and scaring the shit out of me! Annoying... but it has made for quite the story.

So, other than that all I do is work and school. And words with friends... if you want to play send me a message and I'll give you my screen name. It's fun! I love my iPhone! :)

Back to School

I'm back in school. I started on Saturday. I was late to my first class because I set the wrong alarm. :( Luckily, I was only 5 minutes late. Still, it was an awesome way to start out the quarter. :)

I'm excited for the new season of Teen Mom... anyone else watch? Feel free to comment, we can chat about it. :) Well, that's about it. I just wanted everyone to know why I will probably not have anything exciting to post for awhile. :)

My Time in Boise

Sorry for the lack of pics in this post. But I wanted to write about my time anyway. After we went to the wedding we headed over to B-town. :) It was an eight hour drive. Like I said before we stopped at Shoshone Falls. Nicole and I went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse the first night. The second night we went to one of my favorite restaurants: Matador!

We then took a walk downtown (and stopped at Anthropologie), and then around the Greenbelt. Downtown is sooo much better then when I was in high school! It is so cute and has all the best stores now! I would consider moving back as the shopping has gotten so much better!!! The dress I got below is from this cutest boutique in Eagle! The woman who owns it is from Calabasis and sees the Kardashian's all the time. (Bonus for the celebrity obsessed me! :) She gets new stuff daily and goes to LA every two weeks to find new items. Have I sold you on this store yet? Well, here is the best part... REASONABLE prices. $40-$50 jeans. Cute, affordable tops and jewelery. My dress was only $30... loves it!!! It's called Club One Three 16 and it's near Rembrandt's coffee shop.

Here is my dad and I in front of the Capital building.

Here is the capital building... I've never taken a pic of this before! :)

My mom insisted we head to this furniture store on Chinden. We were a little tired and decided to sit down. :)

The perks of heading home... my mom paints my toenails. :) I love that so much.

Nicole and I also headed to Roaring Springs. It was sooo crowded and it was only a Tuesday! I left with a fab tan and a bit of a burn. :) Nicole left on Tuesday evening. I then hung out with two of my most favorite people... Annie and Kristen. Kristen did my hair and now that I'm tan I look so hot with my blonde hair. Hahahaha... I hope you all know I'm kidding. My hair is fab, though..... thank you so much Kristen! Annie and I had lunch with her son, Trey at Goodwood. I was scared I wouldn't like the food b/c I am not a huge BBQ fan, but she suggested this salad that was amaze-balls! Loves it! I had a blast with them both and I was sad to come back to Seattle. I also don't want to go back to work tomorrow, but such is life! I start school again on Saturday... and have had a fabulous break! Only four more quarters! (And the last quarter only has one class! That will be a breeze!)

Maya and Carl's Wedding!!!

Maya is my co-worker. She is one of the sweetest people I know and Nicole and I were so excited to go to her wedding in Livingston, MT. (Specifically at the Yellowstone Valley Lodge.) They were the cutest couple. They were so in love and we got some great pics. The food was amazing. Everyone's speeches made me cry! The band and alcohol were a hit! :) I love me a wedding with dancing and alcohol! I think it's the best way for everyone to have a good time! So glad Maya and Carl found each other. They are the cutest couple and I am so happy for them!!!
All ready to go!

This is how the wedding party arrived! So cute!

The cutest flower girl and ring bearer ever! They did magic tricks for a bunch of the tables!!! So freakin' cute!! **UPDATE** I later learned this little boy proposed to this girl. He then found out she lives in Australia and would be leaving. He cried and cried and could not be consoled until he got some chocolate milk. :) And this is why I love kids. So sweet, so innocent, so adorable.

Walking down the aisle! I cried. :) Isn't she gorgeous!!??


First kiss as husband and wife!

I loved her hair! I had to get a pic!

Picture of their future! :) This was such a cute baby... you just look at her and she smiled! Adorable!!!

Nicole and I took advantage of the gorgeous backdrop for a mini photo shoot. :)

My personal lemonade. :)

The amazing food. I used to hate steak, but this steak was to die for! They also had lamb and salmon. It was a meat lover's dream! :)

Nicole was excited food. She loves food about as much as going to bed on time. Haha. She's a good sport to put up with my constant picture taking. :)

Road Trip!!!

We took off Friday the 24th at 5 pm (well with traffic we didn't get out of Seattle till 6!) Nicole and I were headed on a roadtrip to Livingston, MT for our coworkers wedding. After a quick stop in Issaquah for gas and then Ellensburg two hours later for dinner at Taco Bell we were well on our way! (It was a road trip...you have to eat bad food! :)


Here we are at Taco Bell

On the road! :)
Nicole is an excellent driver. I'm okay... We rocked the "Fuckus" (we called it that all weekend)... sorry mom. This was my rental car because I got in a car accident a week ago. (Ugh... bad day for me. Luckily, I have rental with my insurance for up to $20 bucks a day, so I only had to pay $6 bucks a day for this beast!) Back to the car. I am sorry for all of you who own a Ford Focus. This car sucks. You accelerate and it makes all the noises like it is trying to accelerate, but you are still sitting next to the car you're passing! The steering wheel was super sensitive. A little shift and you were on the side of the road. Ahhhh!! Also, I couldn't figure out the side mirrors till the trip back to Seattle!!! Good grief!! But it was good times. Nicole is quite the road trip partner... until midnight. Then she hits a wall and starts talking gibberish. It was hysterical... well for me. :)

We made it to Missoula, MT at 3 am their time... only to find out the hotel we had booked was over booked! Funny story, they said! In the words of Nicole, "It's 3 am, I don't want a funny story I want a bed!" They had reserved us a room down the road, "On them!" they said. It damn well better be! :) Actually, I wasn't really upset. I just thought, whatever, at least we have somewhere to go. However, Nicole was pissed! Don't mess with that girl's sleep when it's 5 hours past her bedtime. :)

We got a couple hours sleep and got up and were on the road at 10 am the next day. (Go us!) We made it to the wedding and had an amazing time (that will be the next post).

On Sunday, we completed our crazy road trip by heading to Boise, my hometown (technically Meridian, but you get it). :) We stopped at Shoshone Falls, which I have never been to. Paid the $3 to get in the park (I love how affordable everything is in Idaho!) We got some good pics, but the one of us was horrible. The mom taking the pic damn near accosted her son to get out of our pic, but neglected to advise me my hair was jacked up. I'll post it for memories sake.

See what I mean? Who doesn't tell someone they've got some hair issues?? I would have thanked her b/c this could have been a cute pic!! Oh well :)

The water was a little much for my outlet mall camera. (I'm still mourning the loss of my Canon that fell in the Atlantic last year... tear) :(


I am glad the camera was able to pick up the rainbow though! I love rainbows. :)

We saw this poor sap on the way to Shoshone falls. I think his alignment is a bit off because this is how he drove down the straight road.

Ahhh... we finally made it to my parents house and had dinner that night at Texas Roadhouse. I freakin love that place. And their margaritas are to die for and a well deserved treat after our 8 hour trip. Random... I ran into my ex and his fam that night at dinner. Luckily it was a good ex who I still consider a friend (there are some exes I would have ducked behind a booth if I had seen them... immature? Maybe... do I care?... not so much. :) Anyways, I stuck my hand out to his wife and said, "Hi, I'm Jessica." "I'm his wife," was her reply. Listen you, I dated this kid 10 years ago when we were still in high school! There is no need to be jealous or snippy, I am happy he's an EX boyfriend. Grrrr... some girls just piss me off. Anyways... I hope I never do that to any of my (future) husband's exes. I mean, it's Boise... when do you not run into someone you know? It is a lot classier to be polite than possessive... just sayin'...