Check this out...

Christmas is coming up and I know how hard it can be to figure out what to get people sometimes. Here is a site that has all sorts of cute/crafty stuff that can make great gifts (for others or for yourself!):

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6114230

Currently there are some super cute frames and boxes, but I know she will be updating pretty soon with some magnet boards and magnets, along with lots of other great stuff.

I hope you all like it:)

My New Best Friend

I got a puppy! James and I love to go to Julian on Sunday afternoons. Sometimes we find a trail and take a nice nature stroll and sometimes we go into town and do some people watching (there are some rather interesting people to watch in Julian). Well, this time was a people watching day, and while we were strolling down the street we saw a lady on the corner selling puppies for 20 bucks! I've been wanting to get a dog for about 2 years now and although it was Sunday, I really couldn't pass this up (dogs at the pet store are like $1500!). Anyway, she's a Chow-Chow/St. Bernard mix and just so stinkin' adorable.

As cute as she is, I know I'm in for some hard work getting her trained. She woke me up every two hours last night! I went to the store today and got her some potty pads and a crate and a book about how to housetrain your dog. I'm going to try and keep her up until I go to bed tonight in hopes that she'll sleep a little longer between wake ups... I mean, you all know how I treasure my beauty sleep. I guess it's good training for having babies:)


p.s. after much deliberation, I think we've settled on a name: Moose

Bag Tag!

1. Show a photograph of your bag/purse

2. No editing the contents before photographing!

3. List the contents and give descriptions

4. Bag tag your friends!

1. Bottle of Ibuprofen
Necessary when you're married to James, he's always got some kind of ache or pain and I'm always there to rescue him:)

2. My fabulous orange wallet

3. Clinique powder

4. Pepto Bismal chewable tablets. I have a bit of a sensitive stomach and I like to be prepared.

5. Glasses case (with glasses in it)

6. Orbit Maui Melon Mint gum... the best gum in the world.

7. Coupons to El Pollo Loco and handy wipe from El Pollo Loco. I love the chicken tortilla wraps there.

8. Wrapper to my favorite tasty snack: Fiber One Oats & Peanut Butter. It makes my stomach hurt every time I eat one, but I still eat them because they are so tasty!

9. Broken Necklace:(

10. Hairclips. My hair is very wispy and I can't have hair in my face at work.

11. Little piece of metal with the serial # to my car keys so that if I ever lose my keys I can get a new set.

12. Chapstick/lipglosses... oh so many!

13. Loose change

I tag... whoever wants to do it:)

San Diego SUPER CHARGERS!

First of all, a little history about my experience with football:

Once upon a time, I was cheerleader (in high school). The only thing I understood about football was that touchdowns were good. After high school, I forgot about football until I married James. The first year we were married I would get so bothered that James "had" to watch the game every week. I mean, really, he was supposed to be paying attention to me ALL of the time, right? Well, I learned quickly that James was not going to stop watching football, so the second football season into our marriage I sat down and learned to like it. Now, I LOVE it. I am still learning, and the more I learn about it, the more I like it. But mostly, I love spending time with my hubby. He's always teaching me more about the game, and every great play is a reason to celebrate. Basically, I love James, and that is why I love football.

Anyway, I bought tickets to the Monday night game a while ago for Father's day (I know, I'm the best). Needless to say, it was awesome.


We're so excited!

Don't you just love the home-made jersey James is wearing? Yep, I made it.


Dennis Quaid!


We got to the stadium about an hour and a half before the game started. It was pretty cool to watch the players warm up. Chris Chambers walked by right below us and threw his gloves to some kids in the stands, who were of course pretty stoked about it.

Good friends, good game. What more could you ask for?


Check out the view behind us. The Stadium was packed!



Notice the Jets fan behind us. We sat on the Jets side, so there were of course a few of them. There was one Jets fan that I found particularly amusing, though. He would be super loud and in-your-face when the Jets had the ball, and then sit down and sulk when we had it.


James "hanging out on the field"

You have GOT to be kidding me.

Chargers. I think that says it all. Today was an incredibly stressful game for me to watch. It's funny that I care about football so much when I used to not care at all, but at any rate, I do care. And today we got robbed. Whoever the ref was today sucked. There were 2 plays that he called soooo wrong, and because of it we lost by 1 point. 1 freaking point! I don't want to go into to it too much, but I just had to have my voice heard. We should have won, no question about it. Stupid ref.

Ode to running

I love running. Granted, I don't always stick with it like I should, but never the less, I love it. I have a handful of races that I am going to be running in this fall and I have officially started my training program for them. Why do I love running so much you ask? Well, here are a few reasons.

1. A true sense of accomplishment.

At the beginning of this year running a half mile was extremely difficult. I would huff and puff and give up pretty darn fast. After a couple months of perservernce, I can now run at least 6 miles without stopping... granted I don't run 6 miles at a time often, but... Even now, running gets to be tough, but I KNOW that I can do it. After every run I think back to the parts of that run that I wanted to stop but didn't, and it makes me realize that I can accomplish just about anything if I truly want to.

2. I don't think any work out can kick your butt as much as running can.

When I finish a run, I feel tired, but good tired. Like my body is saying "Thank you!"

3. Running is therapy.

I get to just think without having anything to distract me. Even when I'm by myself at home, I get distracted easily. But when I'm running, there is no escaping my thoughts and I really am able to sort things out... it keeps me grounded.

These are just a few reasons, but there are many, many more.

I'm telling you, if you are not a runner, you should be. Even if you think you can't or you won't like it, you're wrong. You just take it slow, and before you know it, you'll be running farther than you ever thought you could!

This picture keeps me motivated.

A couple of weeks ago James' parents celebrated their 40th anniversary and we had a big ol' party to help them celebrate. It was a surprise for them down at the Hotel Del Coronado with family and some of their very best friends. Good thing there are people in our family who take pictures, because we of course forgot our camera... thanks Nicole!

40 years... wow!

One day our kids will be throwing us an anniversary party:)

James giving a toast

The LaLanne boys... plus a Hammond and a Hansen (son-in-laws)

The LaLanne girls


Now a days, lasting marriages are hard to come by and I am so grateful that James and I have two wonderful examples of healthy, happy marriages to follow. Not that either of our parents read this blog, but thank you SO much to James' parents and my parents:)