He becomes a pilot and I

get flowers--roses and a night out--sushi and a movie!!

hmmmm....he's a keeper for sure!

He passed...

My husband is a licensed private pilot!! He passed his check ride today. He begins his multi engine and instrument rating training program June 4th.

WaHOOO!!!!

Now where is that champagne bottle???

Ode to my bike..I am so sorry

Dear Bike-
I can't believe it took me this long to get you out for a ride. You have every right to be upset with me--but you were not--in fact you were patient with me. As soon as I clipped in I knew I was wrong in waiting so long. All the fear, lonliness, and self doubt disappeard--as it usually does when we are together. I knew you would enjoy the smooth bike paths--where there are fellow bikers, runners, roller bladers--all happy to share the outstreched road where we don't have to battle cars and the tight congested streets.

You let me take my time in getting used to you again--starting out at 13mph and inching my way to up to 18-20mphs. I felt the wind across my face and the sun shining down on my arms. You rode easy and took the curves with such precesion. I knew you would enjoy the climbs. The scenary was beautiful--reminded me why we moved to California in the first place.

Thank you for your patience and the reminder of why I love to ride. I appreciate you letting me take my time in being okay again to ride by myself. As you can tell this move has rocked me a bit and I am trying to piece my old self back together.

Summer Swap!!

I'm "It"

I've been tagged by Mrs T2....


INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so...


1)BlondeMomBlog
2)Newlywed Bliss
3)Our life Together
4)Life as the Mr and Mrs Plus One
5)Life is Good

Next select five people to tag: Cherie, Platinum Rose., Chrissy, Angelarae and Sara H

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was 21 years old. A junior in college and probably drinking my college days at Ohio University away. Small college town and nothing to do but party. Running around with my girlfriends who still to this day are my chicken soups for my soul.

What were you doing 1 year ago?
I was in the midst of wedding planning and probably stressed out.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. skinny cow oreo ice cream sandwiches
2. guacamole and chips
3. Dannon lit and fit yogurt with granola
4. Peanut M&Ms
5. french fries with malt vinegar

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to:
1. Baby got back
2. Ice Ice Baby
3. My kinda town, Chicago (this may or may not be the correct title)
4. Cherish (motown song, not madonna)
5. Rehab-Amy Winehouse

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Buy a house that overlooks the ocean
2. Take care of our, Eli's and my family's financial obligations.
3. Invest
5. Donate to as many charities as possible

Five bad habits:
1. Worrying
2. Overspending at Target
3. Not closing the Kitchen cabinets when I am done
4. Ability to destroy a bedroom or bathroom in 2.2 seconds
5. Try to please people

Five things you like doing:
1. Blogging
2. Traveling
3. Spending time with Eli
4. Mountain biking
5. hiking

Five things you would never wear again:
1. My wedding dress
2. over sized flannel shirts
3. Hoochie clothes--getting way too old for that
4. Braces
5. jelly shoes

Five favorite toys (now?):
1. My Blackberry
2. Our XM radio
3. My Mountain bike
4. My Cusinart
5. My coffee maker

Ahh Snap!

Aparently this phrase is my DH's favorite saying lately..he uses it all the time. I am not quite sure where he picked it up from but I do find it amusing..hence the title of my post. Ah snap!

Very antsy today and I think it has something to do with the weather and an upcoming long weekend. It is finally nice, sunny and warm...lately we've getting this marina layer coming in that has kept it cool(in my standards)and kind of blah. I guess the weather forecasters are calling this month "May Gray". I chuckle because it does remind me of Chicago in the spring time--cooler temps and still mostly gray outside.

Here is our new (old) car. We recently purchased a 1984 volvo--hard to belive this car is still up and running--I guess that is why they call volvo's a "german tank" It is quite cute, runs like a charm and I can barely see over the steering wheel. Good thing I am not driving it on a daily basis. (I am all but 5.1 and if car seats don't rise up, I need a phone book!) This blue bomber is for Eli to get back and forth from LBC (long beach) where he is does his flight training. There are a ton of funny things about this car--but the best part of it is the license plate..it is seriously old school. And as I took a picture of it--I could the mountain of registration stickers that it has accumlated since 1984--goodness! Another funny thing is that we paid 1200 and two pink passes (southwest buddy passes) DH is famous for bartering those things for stuff! I guess it works for cars too!!

Must get to the store now...I am craving some food--we have nothing-and a bottle of wine :)

Happy 30th Birthday Andy- I miss you and wishing I was there to help you celebrate this weekend!!


PS. Don't say to Eli that the car is light blue....he gets surly...


I totally think in the light it looks light blue....


The new CA license plate has California in cursive--I love this b/c it is block letters and there is a sunshine!

coffee twalk

I am sitting here with my second cup of coffee for the day recapping my morning..it is only 11:15am..though I have to say here in my little tiny world I had a big morning. you might be asking, so what did she do that is so big...well.. I had a gym date! Yes, I made a new friend, her name is Lacy. WHOOT! WHOOT!

We decided to meet up to do some cardio this morning before our Yoga class (Lacy and I met while waiting for a Monday night yoga class). We did some cardio and chatted. We got on the subject of real estate--she is a real estate agent. We both were commiserating on the market out here. She did give me some great insight to the market that is ridiculously inflated out here in Southern Cali. We then go to YOGA--holy cow--did we get our butts kicked! I am still trying to recover from this class. I got such a great workout then I came home and just devoured my leftovers from last nights dinner out. I was so hungry! sheesh, who knew yoga and a little cardio in the morning could kick your bootie to the point you cannot control your hunger.

Last weekend I was in Chicago for SIL baby shower. The shower was nice..lots of people turned out and she received great gifts for the baby. What I really want to talk about is the house, I mean MANSION the shower was held. So I have never been in a $4MM dollar house and I do not believe I will ever be again. So I decided to take myself on a self guided tour of this place and take some pictures. The level of architecture and detail and the size of the granite counter tops literally blew me away. The house had 4 levels..downstairs had a whole nanny quarters and kitchen for their live in nanny. There was also a rooftop deck that you could see the beautiful Chicago skyline. I included some pics down below.

This week we also went to look at a few properties..OMG! THEY WERE HORRIBLE!!! I am more shocked at the level of horribleness that people allow themselves to live in and these are not dirt poor folks. I guess if we had more money we could take into account a fixer upper and see past some of the crazy things people do to their homes. I don't know my head is spinning with what is the right thing to do.

One thing I should mention is that "we are still free to move about the country" as two guys from E's work at Southwest stepped up b/c they didn't want him to quit and the three of them are going to shift trade. YAY!!! So which means E can still work at Southwest--two days a week, those 2 days will most likely be doubles which = money coming in--and we don't have to dip into our savings as much. This also means E can do the fast track program for his pilot training. AND the best part of it all (at least for me is that I still can retain the flight beneies) Those Flight benefits are my saving grace to get me back east. Those flight beneies are the reason I agreed to move out here so that I can get back to see my folks and friends at my pleasure. Deep breathe of relief that everything is working out. I am sure the "buy or not buy" question will figure itself out as well.

I am starting to smell up the joint so I must take a shower..we are heading to SF today for tomorrow Bay to Breakers and the SF youth orchestra reunion.

Here are some pictures of the 4MM house....












My girls-Corianne, Ashlee, Me and Cari

Happy Mother's Day

WHY GOD MADE MOMS
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:


Why did God make m others?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it t ake to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Happy Dance cuz it's FRIDAY!!!

wow-what a week! I am ready to get the heck out of dodge. My clients are crazy, my associates/candidates are crazy-I need a serious break.

I am heading to Chicago this weekend for my SIL baby shower. My SIL is also one of my good friends from college so I am looking forward to hanging with the crew this weekend. The downside is that my cute hubby's birthday is tomorrow. It's his 29th so I don't feel too bad missing it and I am already planning his 30th birthday party. I just hate not being around on his actual birthday. I do know he will be in good hands with all of his boys in the bay area-they have a poker and baseball filled weekend..So I guess it's better that I am not there??

We celebrated last night with the two hours of awake time we had together. He was out of town all week. I was sick on Monday night and then I had a networking event last night that kept me out until 8:30pm so I half watched grey's to finish up some last minute work needs and pack. So 10pm rolls around he opened up his cards and gift..then he needed to pack and off to bed we were.

I am cutting out of here (fingers crossed)around 11am so I can catch the nooner flight and land in chi-town at 7pm instead of 9pm.
Happy weekend!

What kind of coffee are you?

You Are a Cappuccino

You're fun, outgoing, and you love to try anything new. However, you tend to have strong opinions on what you like. You are a total girly girly at heart - and prefer your coffee with good conversation. You're the type that seems complex to outsiders, but in reality, you are easy to please

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Things that I should not do unsupervised.. part 1

Target-
I should not be allowed to go to Target with out proper supervision..b/c when I do go I tend to buy things that I do not need

Example 1:
I was so upset by the scale at the gym saying I gained 5 pounds that I had to buy a scale at Target to prove it wrong. It did.

Example 2:
A new purse--do not need a new purse, however it is a very cute purse

Example 3:
Cute "under 4oz" necessities. This could be debatable as I really can't bring shampoo, conditioner, face soap and toothpaste because all my current bottles are over 4 oz, however,since I am staying with my best friend this weekend in Chicago so technically I could "use" her stuff

Example 4:
New book- I told E that I wanted to look into getting a library card so I wasn't spending all my money on books

Rugged..

We made it back safe and sound from the Hikers Hut up in the Santa Cruz moutains. I managed to bring back a cold with me but thankfully I was able to steal a few hours of extra sleep today so I am feeling like I am back on the mend. The Hut was cool. It had indoor plumbing-no showers but a toilet and full serivce kitchen. Table, couches and mattress pads so that we can lay our sleeping bags on for added comfort. The weekend was comprised of games, drinking, hikes, puzzles, reading books, haircuts ( one of the group members is getting her cosmetology license so the guys took turns getting their haircuts) and more drinking and games. I learned how to play cribbage and beefed up on my trival pursuit knowledge--I still suck but luckily my partner was a real smart lawyer.

There were some funny mishaps...E and I rode in with 3 other people-two of which had been to the hut before, however for some reason we managed to get lost and the worst of it was we were driving on these really curvy, small roads. Sitting in the back seat and in the middle seat did not bode well for me. I seriously thought I was going to lose my cookies. We finally got there and now had a mile and half hike a head of us. All of 5 of us had to gather our things as well as all the alcohol. See pictures below.





One thing we did not realize that the hike was a mile and half up hill. Man that was a tough hike and it did seem longer then a mile and half. We all finally arrived and the party began! All these folks are E's friends so I am slowly starting to feel at home with them. It is a very diverse group of people-most of which are lawyers which I sometimes have a hard time relating to but deep down they are good people and they care about E and I, which is a wonderful feeling.

Sunday was a trip! Seriously. We all woke up leisurely, had breakfast outside on the picnic table, helped clean up the hut and packed up our stuff. The group all left together and as we started down the path--my group-the group I rode up some how managed to break away from the other group. We missed the sign that said "Rangers Station" and we ended up hiking another two to three miles out of our way!!! UP HILL!! We were miserable! SO we hiked back to where we started from and then saw that the sign to lead us to the correct way. Besides having a cold and sore throat my hips, butt and legs HURT! I was going to go to Yoga class tonight but I think I am going to lay on the couch instead.



Here is the group-hiking back before we were split up and went the wrong way. Below is the pathway where we should have turned left but yet we went straight which is where I am standing as we hike back down to the correct path.

May Day, May Day..

Wow, I cannot believe it is May 1st! Craziness! So it is official, Eli is quitting his job!! On June 15th I will become a Sugar Mama! Well, half sugar mama, we have to dip into our savings to get us through b/c my income just doesn't quite cover everything. Darn! I am visioning large bonuses for the remainder of this year. I received a sizable bonus for Q1 and so we are spoiling ourselves with some gadgets, couples massage and nice dinner out and the remaining will go to a beater car since we only have one car right now. It will be nice to replenish our savings and get us back on the housing track next year.

So I have caught the Yoga bug. I am going two to three times a week and I am loving it. I am amazed at the health benefits--dealing with stress, relaxation and as well as the physical benefits--I feel so strong and since I am so not flexible it is really helping loosen up my hammies and my lower back, plus I feel so sexy!!! My arms and shoulders are getting shapely.

I bought the Yoga book for dummies so I can understand where Yoga orginated and how to breathe--b/c that is the HARDEST part of Yoga...keeping your breathe regulated and using it to help you move into the positions. I am really identifying with Yoga philosphy of living as it as helped me become very centered. Creating a peaceful mood in my heart and remembering your connections with everyone and everything has really helped me be more open to what is around me. Letting go any negative feelings that I may be harboring--because negativity is what brings us down, makes us sick, unable to move forward with our lives. It is definitly giving me an outlet as I handle the changes in our life and this adventure we are about to embark with Eli.

This month is a busy month for us. This weekend we are heading up to the bay area and going eli camping..which is hiking a mile or two or three to the campsite and carrying only what you can on your back. This will be my first adventure with Eli camping. Should be fun. My new hiking boots are broken in and Eli doesn't mind carrying my clothes in his pack so I think I am ready. :)

Next weekend is my SIL's baby shower in Chicago. Another trip to chi-town. The following weekend is a couples shower in Cincinatti for a college friend of mine. I am going to try to see if I can get there flying standby..Thankfully we have nothing planned for Memorial Day Weekend, just Eli's normal work schedule.

Oh tidbit--my new favorite author Jen Lancaster who wrote Bitter is the New Black has a new book out called Bright Lights Big Ass. It's out today and I am counting down the hours till Eli get's back with the car so I can run out to the bookstore to pick it up. Check out her link on my blog--Jennsylvania. For some reason I cannot insert the link in the post.

Happy Tuesday!