So, it’s been a long time since I posted anything, but it doesn’t seem like I should post this on FB, not today when I’m supposed to be “Happy”.

In the week leading up to my birthday? Mole decided to blow up and cause issues, my dad continues to be an a$$ regarding my not having a job yet, my vacation is cut short by 2 weeks, the woman I had started to consider my best friend blew up at me and unloaded the night before my sister- and father- in-law show up, I develop some random and *extremely* painful wound making it ridiculously painful to walk. My husband is the only family to wish me happy birthday, last night, until my step-father-in-law posts a “Happy Birthday” on my FB wall, my best friend hasn’t spoken to me since Thursday, and my dog was locked out of my bedroom this morning by my hubby, who also took the car and stranded me at home. So, I spent about an hour crying this morning, my dog licking me trying to comfort me, and thinking about particular options but decided I didn’t want to leave my dog behind.

Yup, happy birthday to me.

Wow! What a busy … two weeks? It’s been!

Tinkerbell is doing well with the toilet training – she’s successfully using the thing at stage 4 (two rings removed, it creates a rather large hole). Happy enough, it actually means everything hits the water below, no cleanup! She’s been acting a bit odd in other ways lately, not sure why. Maybe too many people made her grumpy …

Tribble is doing great! She’s had a lot of fun meeting people, and we took her to San Francisco on Wednesday and walked around. She loved that

To explain some of the above comments: I have been responding to a few personal ads, mostly over the fall, and then posted my own a few weeks ago. I ‘met’ a few people, and found that they had each other in common. So, Friday night we all met at Applebee’s and had a GREAT time. It was awesome. I invited everyone over on Sunday after the game for dinner. Some people couldn’t make it., but including us we had four couples over. I made up caesar salad, two rotisserie chickens, oven roasted garlic potatoes (they didn’t come out crispy, but were still tasty), corn, and a lemon meringue pie and vanilla bean cheesecake for dessert.  It was a great night socializing, and very tasty too!

I got together with one of the girls (#1) on Friday (the 25th). We hung out and got to know each other a bit at my house, stopped at my chiropractor’s, and then went over to her place. We watched Zombieland and talked, and at some point my hubby came over to chat too. We left somewhere around midnight, hehe.

One of the girls (#2) contacted me on Monday (last Monday), and we met up on Tuesday with another girl (#3) and had cupcakes from a bakery in Los Gatos. She asked me on Wednesday about SF, so we went up and walked around the Haight with Tribble, we went shopping and walked around the park. She had a great time (Tribble), and so did we! On Thursday we got together again. We went for lunch at an Indian restaurant, then hot tubbing at her place. Then we went to my chiropractor (bad back), and over to another girl’s (#1’s) house, where I went shoe shopping, hehe. Back to her (#2) house and the hubbys’ showed up and we had dinner together. On Friday we (#2, #3) met up and went to Google for lunch. We had a bit of a tour, and someone was doing a survey, which paid $10, so we made money too . Then it was off to the bakery for Sarah to have a bit of an interview, to Barnes and Nobel to meet another girl (#4), then back to drop #2 off, pick up #3’s husband, get ready, and get picked up by #5 (with #2 already in the car, #3 and I were at my house with the hubby’s), and head to Applebee’s. Lots of fun! Saturday Adrian and I met up with #2 for a little while and went hot tubbing. Sunday we had dinner at my house with #1, #2, and #6 and their husbands. Monday #2 and I met up and went to Milpitas shopping, woot! and I got the cutest pair of shoes! Today I rest, and tonight is AIRbounce, hopefully it’s fun and not too hard on my back

Get Even Shoes, 9 West

Hope everyone out there is doing great!

Cheers

So it’s been a long time since I last posted! I guess I’ve been busy with finishing off my Master’s and then graduating, training and raising Tribble, trying to find a job, and who knows what else!

In recent news, I’ve had major insomnia. As a result, I’ve been getting a lot done, like updating the website, hemming some pants, creating a new website for the pets, watching movies, making a scrapbook, and more. Also, we’re now toilet-training Tinkerbell!

I had a great Valentine’s Day! Or the day before Valentine’s Day anyway . Adrian took me to San Francisco. Before we left he had me open the glove box, in which I found a bottle of nice bubble bath. After we got to SF and parked, he handed me a silver package, which contained a pretty peridot and amethyst necklace . Then we went to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch, walked to Pier 39 and toured the Aquarium of the Bay. On the way back to the car we stopped and a local who was doing sort of caricatures drew and coloured one for us. I’ll scan it in soon and post it.

Before that …

We had a great honeymoon in October, a cruise to Mexico out of SF. We had a great time, met some people, and swam with the dolphins! Of course I created a website to share the hundreds of photos I took! See our Mexico Honeymoon.

I went to BC for my graduation and got to see my sister and her bf, which was great . I’ve been missing her, and I really enjoyed seeing her again.

Christmas and New Year’s was nice. Christmas we spent with some friends and played some cards, and New Years we spent with friends (although one of them was getting over appendicitis) and had a big turkey dinner. Shortly after New Years we went to a spa in Calistoga Springs which was great, again, Adrian’s idea. He’s doing fairly well lately for being romantic!

I think that hits all of the big events recently! Cheers all!

So, Adrian and I have been busy with the new apartment, friends, school/work, etc., and I’ve neglected this blog for a while. Sorry!

In news -

• Next week is the end of my two courses for this term, which means the end of my Master’s! Yay . Graduation ceremony is Nov 25-27
• Adrian is growing a beard, and looking darn good in my opinion!
• We did some cat-sitting, Tinkerbell was NOT impressed
• We have adopted a dog (aka bought a puppy), and get her next Friday. She’s a little shih-tzu, and we’ve decided to name her Tribble (Goes with Nyota and Tiberius)
• Osap starts coming due in August, although I don’t have to make payments until February.
• Most of my time lately has been spent creating an ePortfolio for one of my courses. It’s an overall, capstone graduation project for my Master’s. http://eportfolio.ccpullman.ca

Upcoming plans:

• Play with puppy, try to get Tribble and Tink to get along
• Look for a job, pay off osap
• Visit Chantel in BC, go for graduation
• Cruise in October (yay for honeymoon!)
• Get prints from the wedding photos

Check out FB for other updates!

So!

Adrian and I have been fairly busy since we got back from the wedding (not that the wedding was a relaxing occasion …).

So the photos taken with my camera are up on the wedding website, and the photographer’s photos are also online but in an album requiring username and password. If you would like access, please feel free to email me!

The weekend after we got back, we drove down to Pasadena to visit Diana and Ryan Marthinsen, our friends who were married on my 22nd birthday . About a 6 hour drive down, spent three days with them having a Voyager marathon and enjoying each others’ company. Also, we taught them Canasta. Very enjoyable and relaxing time! And we came home with 20 lbs of potatoes, because they were so much cheaper down there. (Here, $5 / 10lb bag. There, $0.79 /10 lb bag. Go figure). 

Since then, I passed the first stage of obtaining a California Driver’s license, Adrian has been immensely enjoying his work – and I’m so, so very proud of him. Every time I say that I tear up, oy. Tinkerbell had a dental cleaning and had to have a tooth removed, we gave notice on our apartment, viewed 8 or 9 complexes until we found one we loved, and signed the lease for that apartment yesterday and started moving in. We also bought a Neat receipts scanner, and thus our apartment is covered in the paper we were carefully secreting away in boxes, as Adrian scans everything into his computer and then either shreds or recycles it. Also, we bought a shredder. Which resulted in my arm being shredded by the cat when Adrian used it while I was holding her. 

In other news … We now have an Xbox 360, a gift from the wedding, which Adrian is very excited about, and makes me sick. (Too much 3D rendering. I know, it sucks, but it’s why there was only 2 games I could play on the PS2 too. ).

As well, Nyota finally got her personalized plates, and is nearly up to 2000 miles already. We’ve had her for less than three months, so I think that’s quite an achievement. The mileage of course is in large part due to the Pasadena trip. She also had a few miles on her when we got her.

What else is new … we love our new apartment! Hehe. And we’re planning on finishing the Thank You cards from the wedding today (I had them written about 4 days after the wedding, but putting on the postage has been a nightmare. I’ll post photos later maybe). 

Umm… Oh, and I got frames for my degrees! I bought some, put my degrees in them, then noticed that the frames weren’t in exactly perfect condition (honestly, what do I expect from Wal Mart?) So we took them back, and got more. I don’t like these ones quite as much, but they aren’t damaged and should look fine with my degrees in them. Next step, put the degrees in, and hang them on our new walls. 

Classes seem to be going well for me I think. I’m taking the final two now, and am entering into the 7th of 13 weeks, so I’m nearly there! I’ve been really enjoying the one course, which is a “graduating project course”. The project for that is why I’m excited about the course and have been neglecting the other one. http://eportfolio.ccpullman.ca if you’re interested. NSLSC is already knocking at the door, reminding me that my school term ends July 31st, and I owe them a loooot of money. But, I have some savings that I’ll use towards that before August, so the payment comes right off of the principle. 

Um… What else. I think that’s pretty much it! Long enough post, right? Oh, and the link to the wedding photos is: http://www.crystalandadrian.info/wedding_album/index.htm. 

Alrighty! Until next time!

Wow, so, the day came and went, and we’re still here! I think if a couple can survive the last 48-72 hours or so before the wedding, they are ready to get married! Wow!

If you don’t have facebook but want to see pictures, wait a bit and I’ll set up an online album on the wedding website.

For those that didn’t attend, the wedding couldn’t have gone smoother. We had the nicest weather of the whole weekend – 20ish degrees and sunny – and everything went perfectly. The only small hiccup was finding the song for Adrian and my’s first dance, but it allowed me to make an impromptu speech and thank a few people that hadn’t been thanked in the many speeches.

I imagine I will post more later on, but right now we’re both still so exhausted!!

The room we had for the wedding night was absolutely awesome!! Probably 3 X the size of our apartment.

Anyway! Cheers

May 4th Another month anniversary with the man I love! 1 year 10 months together, and a wedding coming up, 2 weeks today.

 

Four courses finished, I did get an A in the fourth course btw, and two courses starting today. The final two! I’m in school now until the first week of August, ick. But, all should go well, and hey, two courses should be nicer than 4, right?

Life looks good, for a while anyway!

Cheers!

So! My four courses from this past term are over, and I’ve got three grades in – A-, A, and A+. Missing the fourth, but it should be an A.

I got the two courses I wanted for the summer, and after they’re finished, I’m finished! My MET experience will be over, and I’ll be graduating, I believe, around November.

In other news, there are 2 weeks until we head back to Canada, and less than 3 weeks until the wedding! Everything for the wedding is going smoothly, except for someone who raised, as my parents would term it, a ’stink’ when they found out that it isn’t going to be open bar. They were quite upset. I looked into providing one again, but I just don’t see it being a good idea. Most of the people we’ve invited are like us and don’t drink, or might have a single drink. And everyone I’ve talked to has said no, a cash bar isn’t a problem! So. Cash bar it is.

As well, as most people will know, we bought a car! A light-green 2009 Toyota Corolla that we named Nyota Goes along with the printer, whose name is Tiberius.

I’m just relaxing for the time being, I have another week just about until school starts again. Whhooooo …. not.

Anyway, cheers!

Well, it’s been just about a week since I posted, and a lot has happened! 

Firstly, I’m now back in Cali, as I’m sure everyone knows.

Secondly, Adrian and I had a lovely evening on Thursday. We did some shopping in the afternoon (I forget what now), had pizza, and went out to see Watchmen.

Thirdly, and most importantly, we bought Nyota on the weekend!!!! She’s green and beautiful, and means a lot more freedom for us. To celebrate we went out to dinner at Carrow’s (we had a gift certificate from January), and went out to see Fast and Furious. We definitely enjoyed the ability to just go, without needing a rental car, taxi, or ride from our apartment manager. Absolutely awesome! 

And lastly, I’ve got an assignment from one course back, and handed another one in on Sunday. Both of these were final assignments for their respective courses. So, two down! And two more assignments for each of the two courses I have left. Then, I’m done for the term! Just two more total, and I’m done. YES!

Cheers for now!

So, April 1st tomorrow! Which also means, I’m heading home to California Yay for warmth, boy, and kitty!

Last night I handed in the final assignment for one of my four courses. Thanks to Adrian for all of his help with that – I was very lost! The other three courses each have final assignments coming up too, but nothing else this week.

Also, I managed to get into the courses I want for the summer term, finally. So, two courses over the summer, and I’m done! Nice eh?

I’ve met with Marc the minister (yay, I have one now!), Amanda for the cake, the Sherwood a few times, met with a friend from Laurier, with Adrian’s mom, and potentially? tomorrow with a professor from Laurier. I’ve also been trying to see everyone here, meeting up with friends, uncles, aunts, and more, playing cards and visiting.

Started packing tonight (yeah, I know, but that’s me, get used to it). Seems I have quite a bit to take back to Cali with me … I swear I didn’t come with this much stuff! But hopefully it all fits into Adrian’s bags. 

I’ve been down with a throat infection, and an ear infection, since Friday, whoooo. Yeah, not so much. Doctor at the clinic on Sunday dismissed my ears, so I had to go to my doctor on Monday, and yeah, now I have drugs and will hopefully be feeling better soon.

I think that’s all for now …

Cheers!