flower brigade

a couple weekends ago, andrew, ashley, and i met up at the stanford mall for lunch in between my shifts.  i arrived early, so i got a chance to admire the flower gardens throughout the open-air mall.  they were fantastic!  so, in true fashion, i whipped out the camera and started being that creepy, anti-social person that people keep one eye on and pull their children closer to their sides when they walk past.  it was not one of my finest public moments, but a lot of people walking past asked me to see what shots i was getting, and were understanding of what my main goal was!

of course, there are probably parks in the immediate area that have flowers more accessable -- but i was completely amazed that these were still around at the end of october with hardly any signs that it was fall!  enjoy!

my fave.





i do believe i tempted fate messing with the bees!  i have a ton of pictures with the flower + bee combo, but i was such a chicken that sometimes my camera focused on the wrong thing!  oops.





my fave, again.



this could be bathroom wall material -- ha!

hello water droplets.



how are they still so fresh?  those grounds people at stanford have magic fingers!

y = soul sucker

can i admit something?  i think the y has stolen my soul. that's right.  i officially spend all my waking hours there, shower everyday (sometimes twice!) there, have the majority of my social life there -- it's not horrible, i mean i'm getting paid to do this, but come on!  perhaps i am not used to having a full-time job again, but it seems so ridiculous.

two other pros of being a resident of the y:

    1. it gets me to work out.  so maybe i only dream of sitting in the hot tub after my workouts, but whatever works, right?

    2. the beautiful trees growing in the parking lot.  i know!  it's stupid to admire a parking lot accessories, but they are just so stinkin' colorful!  as i mentioned in my previous post, it seems like the colors of fall have lasted so much longer here! here are some photos i shot before one of my shifts began last week -- yes, i looked like a crazy out in the parking lot.  even the guys at the front desk questioned if i got some good shots.  i dared them to have the courage to do it, too!



i'm only used to these fall colors being here for a week, and then falling off and blowing away.  it's hysterical to see them next to palm trees for so long!  they look like they were imported!







again, completely out of place.



so bright!





i must say, this tree looked great next to janice - the new "tea grean" cr-v.

 



these were my fave leaves!  i wanted to pluck them off and use them for decorating.  they actually remind me of a barret i used to have in a bright red curly assortment. 

 





i do believe that this one was behind janice.  it almost enhanced the glowing of her!



in other news:

• ashley and andrew made a trip to the beach in sf and played with a bunch of dead jellyfish -- poking them and such -- which actually lead to them being filmed by the local news.  we just watched the segment with no luck, but they said it was definitely a sight to see!
• i just took a 20 hour training (of course, not continuous) on water fitness instruction.  the real reason i took it: the pay raise.  but it does open doors to somemore opportunities and it forces me to work with a new population (not just kiddos).  it will be an adventure, that's for sure.
• we watched the "julia marathon" on the lifetime channel last night, which included the film "sleeping with the enemy."  andrew has now clutched on to the quote "i'm sorry we quarreled."  it's hilarious when he says it to me after a minor disagreement, but it's not the only thing we pulled from the film.  others included a deep fear of mustached men & don't beat your wife, because she will take swimming lessons and leave you.
• ashley is the best roommate ever!  as we speak, there is a chili chicken soup almost ready to put into a breadbowl that she has created throughout the day.  among other things, she is incredible & i am so glad we're getting to spend this time with her!
• there are creepy crawlers living under the floor board of our entry way & i am not fast enough with the vacuum.  they are big & like nothing i have ever seen before.  one crawled out from underneath our dryer last month (a bigger one) and i'm pretty sure these are it's relatives, perhaps even offspring.  UGH!
• andrew has made a couple sales (still at the leasing company, so not quite official), but we are so proud!

fall is here, including the "rainy season"

i finally was able to check off uploading photos, including ones from a pumpkin festival that we attended with our friend matt. so, enjoy!

matt w. enjoying the "art" side of the pumpkin festival.

of course there were the GIGANTIC pumpkins for kiddos to pose in-front of.



my favorite: a guy dressed as the old man from the movie "up" carrying around this balloon + house contraption.  i did a little work on my newly downloaded software, so excuse the awesomeness you see above!



the regular coloring incase you were curious.  there were so many people surrounding him that i wasn't able to back up far enough to get him with the balloons.

a must: tractor pulled halloween displays.

a guy doing a pumpkin carving out of a HUMONGOUS pumpkin.

andrew's favorite poster of the day.  ha!

also a must: delicious food that no one can identify.  (this looked like a grilled, pickled selection)

a group favorite: pumpkin pie!

it makes me crave grandma violet's pie just looking at it!

next, we headed off to a pumpkin farm to complete the outing.  it was the perfect choice, complete with a corn maze, haunted barn, tractor pulled rides, sword fighting (okay, not a staple of most), pumpkins in every corner, and corn stalks lining hay bails surrounding the entire place.  like i said: perfect!

so many gorgeous fall colors were EVERYWHERE!  there was no question that it was fall when we left.

the knights getting ready for a show.  notice the lion?  there was a gorilla, a couple more lions, giraffes, etc. -- not sure what they were going for, but who am i to judge what they should have in their pumpkin patch?

the corn -- i loved how fresh it was from the rain falling that morning.

pumpkins...

more pumpkins...

& more pumpkins!

matt & andrew doing their best to bond with the gorilla.

andrew picking his 2 pumpkins -- although we all know that is a squash, he refused to accept this.

stay tuned for some more fall photos once i get to editing them!  what's nice out here is that only 1/2 the trees lose their leaves, and there's this prolonged period (compared to nd) where the leaves change colors.  it's lasted 3 weeks and there are still leaves on all the trees!  it's fascinating to say the least.

my new couch already has my butt imprint.

it's no surprise that once we have a temporary roommate who's addicted to her computer (as am i), it gives me a reason to hang out on it all night.  a plus for you that check my blog regularly -- if there's anybody that does -- but i'm quite certain that's unhealthy.  somehow.  oh well!

andrew's work computer was having difficulties, so he spent the day working from home.  ashley had her first day at the clinic and turns out she loved it, which was quite a relief!  pulling from her blog, she has fallen in love with certain aspects of california and says that she would be comfortable coming out here if something falls through with her placement in pheonix.  can't argue that!  i spent the day at the pool.  nothing new there.  i also completed some more paperwork for my upcoming job at the jr. museum & zoo, and stopped by there to say hello.

on the relocating front, i'm no closer to finding us a new apartment, but i've shortened one commuting problem that i was facing: tutoring.  i've been tutoring at least once a week up in walnut creek (45 minutes north of pleasanton), but one days where i go from the ymca in palo alto there, it can take over 2 hours to get there.  the student is annoyed that i'm late, i'm fuming from being stuck in traffic, and my wallet is "in the red" after being on the road so long.  so, i've taken my name off the roster and asked that my boss finds replacements for my current students.  it took a lot of pro & con lists, discussions with mom, and reasoning with andrew (who was completely supportive) for me to finally temporararily quit.  i will probably offer to come back after the move, but i'm not making any promises yet.  perhaps if they beg.  :)

that's really all for now.  oh, but i did make an interesting homemade salsa tonight!  it needs some work...i'll put my suggestions at the end, but i dare you to try it.  it makes about 3-4 cups worth and was delicious on already seasoned tacos.  here it is:

8 oz. cream cheese
1.5 cups chunky salsa
1/4 tbs red pepper sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
& i added an assortment of 1/2 cup to 1 cup worth of the following chopped vegetables:
   green pepper
   tomato
   green onion
   garlic
   celery
   jalapenos

my advice:
 1. mix the cream cheese, salsa, & hot sauce before you add the veggies. 
 2. add more salsa.
 3. if you have the tools, blend the whole mix for awhile.  we're going to try and put it through the "bullet" and see what happens.  there were so many chunks that we were tasting all the veggies individually instead of as  a whole mix.

good luck!

happy halloween!

we have a sister living with us!  ashley (mikey's wife) has arrived and is moved in for the month of november.  this is exciting for me for two reasons: i will officially have one friend around and 2. i will be forced out of my clothing rut into some normal and semi-fashionable duds.  working at the Y and living in a swim suit has made me accustomed to pulling on layers of cotton, non-fitted, stretchy-wasted wonders -- which doesn't help make me aware whether or not my waist has grown. 

other than that, i'm getting sick of commuting.  with andrew forced to be on the road going from clinic to clinic, and me going across the bay or north almost everyday, shell gasoline has been making bank on us.  i think the only thing keeping me sane is audio books, which i'm also becoming immune to for zoning out to.  for those that have never been in the car with me, i'm a road-raging fool.  andrew has the "fake break" on the passenger side and my dad grabbed the dashboard only twice while my parents were here.  something needs to change, and i imagine that i do not have the power to alter california traffic, so i am considering ways to shorten my commute. 

the apartment complex that we live in is one of many throughout northern california in the bay area, and we are allowed to move to another location within the terms of our lease.  so for the next 4 weeks i have put "looking at the other locations" on my to-do list.  my guess is that we will be living around palo alto again in the next 6 months.  my only requirement is that andrew has to be available this time for helping transport goods.  i did everything this last time, besides two trips, and ended up asking a friend to co-pilot with me in a u-haul to move the big stuff.  we ended up moving in matress, dressers, sofa, etc., in 107 degree weather, which is exactly when i vowed to never put myself in that situation again.  of course, through college and moving out to california i was used to packing and transporting everything independently; but isn't that what a husband is for?  ha!

updates on my apt option finds later -- have a safe and happy halloween! 

3 days of excitement have begun!

today:

• our new beauty of a couch has arrived!  i'm having some technical difficulties with hooking up my camera, so there will be a delay in sharing the joy -- sorry.
• i'm officially busy again!  my sanity and routines are back in line and all is well in the world.  my first day at the Y was today, which means  that i had to "make time" to do laundry -- yay!  i'm basically doing anything pool related (guarding, lessons, private lessons, coaching, etc.), so andrew is gearing up for some chlorine perfume and smelly sandals to invade our lives again :)
• i also started in on my paperwork to be officially employed by the palo alto jr. museum & zoo.  i feel like it's news worthy for those that don't know i got a job there as well.  i'll be doing two classes a week starting in november (& will get more the longer i stay).  it's working with elementary students & there are "themes" to each session - sound familiar?  yes, it's much like what i did at camp galileo -- except this time i have live animals in the backyard!

tomorrow:

• mom & dad sautner come into town!  we've had visitors, including family, come into town before...but it's just not the same as your own parents!  i'm excited to show them around, show them the apt, & SEE THEM!  ...and also have stu-pot help me finish putting together the grill.  i've got almost everything together, but i'm just not confident that it's stable enough not to blow the roof off the deck.  it's the first time that i've put something together that has dealt with hazardous materials, so i feel that's a reason to be a little weary about my talents.
• dinner at coconuts!  it's our favorite (or maybe just my fave) in palo alto & serves strickly carribean heaven-sent food.  note that anyone who comes to visit with no clear, definite plans will be dragged here! (sidenote: i opted to take kate, alex, & bill to our local soft serve frozen yogurt shop instead...sorry guys.  just be aware that this can be a replacement option.)

  day after tomorrow:

• it's my birthday!  i think the excitement speaks for itself.  ha!

bored & awake

if three words can describe what's been going on around here, they would be: no sleep & cleaning.  i understand that new mothers and those that are overly exhausted will be peeved that i would even think that i was having a hard time sleeping - but i am.  it's not that i'm "sleep deprived."  sad to say, but i can sleep in and take naps all day - at least for this week.  it's the falling asleep that's got me.  let's just say that it's not until well after 3 am that i can drift off to dreamland, which is so not what my usual sleep schedule is like!  usually my pillow is calling my name around 9 pm, even on weekends! 


so i've decided to not do the frustrated tossing & turning, but instead use my "extra time" wisely.  this means listing a few items on ebay, catching up on relative/friend's blogs, doing some extra editing on photos, reading, updating you guys, etc. 


now, is andrew phased by all this action (you may be wondering)?  absolutely not.  he just woke himself up with a snarling snore 2 seconds ago.  sure, the first couple nights this new "phase" started, i was a little annoyed by the fact that he could just flop down & not even touch the pillow before the deep breathing started. (death stares at a sleeping person do nothing.)  however, now i see it as my own special "finding myself" time.  (it also doesn't hurt that all the fall shows have started...thanks hulu!)


all sounds great, huh?  be jealous.  that's right.