Positive and Negative...A Balanced Blog Entry!

So, it's midday at work...post lunch and I needed a venting (in a positive and negative way) blog entry today! The positive first...I just got back from meeting my husband (I love how that sounds!) for lunch. We work close to each other. I invited him to meet me for so many reasons: we are trying to get our act together financially and have been taking lunch every day (it became staggering to see how many debit card purchases were eating out, especially at lunch), I was sick for the better part of the week (I got the stomach flu while we were out with the family for Easter...which apparently with my family equals a pregnancy...not in my case this time!) and have not been up to my usual perky self, and lastly, I went out to dinner with my girlfriend Stella and her daughter Miranda to celebrate Miranda's fifth birthday and did not get home until almost 10:00. When I got home, D was busy with getting his tax stuff together for me to drop off today (leaving work early...woo hoo!) when I go see Mom, Meema, Oneder and Buttons and D did not come to bed until 1:00 a.m. So, we had lunch and got to spend some nice quality time together...it makes me smile!

Now, the negative...my friend came to me on the verge of tears after lunch. Her daughter is in the last trimester of her pregnancy and is having issues (bed rest, no lifting, etc.), so my friend who is an extremely conscientous employee has been leaving 30 minutes early to help her daughter and take care of the her 1 1/2 year old son. Apparently, her boss called her in (in front of another employee) to ask her how much longer she would be leaving early! This is so wrong! I feel so bad and can feel the hand of the others around her messing this situation up for her! I hate people who are negative and nasty and this has the hand of evil in it!

So, for all the highs of my day...there are lows also...hope everyone is having a good day free from nasty, negative and rude energy!

They Get Older, But They Don't Grow Up and Other Reunion Tales!

So, Saturday night, D and I went out (two Saturday nights in a row) and attended The CSUSM All Greek Reunion party. (Yes, I was in a sorority and I married a fraternity boy...no grief please!) A little background on us...we (the members) were pioneers of the greek system at CSUSM...it was a fairly new commuter campus that needed a way to increase campus involvement. Then-President Bill Stacy recognized the need to do something to allow CSUSM to become something more than a 4-year community college atmosphere. Hence, the four "local" club groups solicited organizations, sat through "dog and pony" presentations, and went through a lot to become recognized Greek letter organizations. I never imagined myself as a sorority girl (and probably would not be one if I'd attended a larger university), but I needed a social life and liked the women of the local club. With their encouragement, I joined their club because I hung out with them anyway...little did we know that we would be part of a national organization a year later!

This annual tradition of a party started in 2005 when my chapter (Alpha Chi Omega) celebrated it's 10th anniversary of the charter. So, our friends, Shawn and Fara started an annual party as an excuse to socialize and hang out. This year's festivities were held at Oggi's in Encinitas (Shawn is related to the owners and is part of the company). Initally, there was quite the divide among the two sororities and two fraternities hanging out, but finally people stepped out of their immediate circle and started talking to others. Upon walking in, we saw people we hadn't seen since the last party or longer. D headed off to see his fraternity brothers and I talked to some other people. We already had the designated driver conversation...I was DD that night because I had witnessed the behavior in prior years. Basically, women can have a drink and catch up, where as men (especially these men from a fraternity) act like they are back in college when they get together. Shortly after the party had started, I hear Art (he was the party coordinator in college...we always pre/post partied at Art's place in PB...within walking distance of the bars) yelling for all his TKE (Tau Kappa Epsilon...D's fraternity) brothers to come over. Then, I see an Oggi's waitress dropping off a tray with 20 shot glasses filled with some brown liquid. D looks at me...I tell him to go ahead and have fun! (D wanted me to take a picture with the new camera...I was hesitant after the camera incident last week, but I was careful and snapped a photo!) Then, the chorus of 20+ men (boys on this evening) chanting about their fraternity. I think I got sucked into a time warp...because these boys were back in college at that moment (and many more throughout the evening)!

I saw some friends...one of my sisters who was married to one of D's fraternity brothers. I haven't seen her for a while and found out that the rumors were true that their marriage had ended in an ugly fashion. (Aside, as a newly married woman, it's difficult to hear about divorces, but especially when you are friends with both parties.) I saw a guy that I was heavily into and we were the best of friends in college...he was the one who could make me laugh one day and break my heart another. I saw him last year (first time in 12 years...we didn't speak for most of my last semester because of a falling out) and he was worried that I would still be mad at him. For me, that felt good...I mean, seriously, it's been 12 years and I am engaged (now, married). I think I've gotten over that! He was there with his wife (one of my sister's that was the one of the reasons our friendship ended) who ignored me...get over it already...he married you. (Sorry for the random vent!) I saw another male friend who was giving me grief (in a joking manner) for marrying D, but he told me he was so happy for us! I caught up with "Stretch" (a really, really tall guy) who was an SAE (Sigma Alpha Epsilon). We were talking and some of his (drunk) brothers tried to corral him into shots at the bar. He stayed low key and they forgot about him! I also talked to an AZD (Alpha Xi Delta) who I had a psuedo falling out with over the same boy mentioned...he pitted us against each other and we figured it out after a year of dirty looks and ignoring each other! And, I talked to so many people that it was great to catch up on life, jobs, kids, and remember all the crazy things that happened to us in college!

All in all, it was a fun evening...we stayed until they kicked us out at 1:00 a.m. It was reminiscent of college...we made a late night stop at Denny's for some late night grease before heading home to crash!

The End of Another Busy Week!

So, it's finally Friday and it has been quite a busy, but fun week...

Sunday, D and I met Mom, Meema and Alicia for another birthday dinner for D. We went to Costa Brava (the site of our rehearsal dinner). The food at Costa Brava is amazing...their tapas are so good and there is something for everything to enjoy. The service is exceptional...Javier, the owner, has staffed his restaurant with a mix of people to serve with style. We started off dinner with some tapas and a bottle of wine...choricito frito (spanish fried sausage), tortilla espanola (potato and egg dish), dates wrapped in bacon, marinated olives and seafood salad. Dinner was amazing...we ordered another bottle of wine and Mom and Meema ordered a garlic soup before their food arrived...D ordered a lamb dish, Mom had a porterhouse, Meema had a filet, Alicia had a salmon salad and I had a salmon stuffed with seafood. During dinner, we were treated to some flamenco entertainment. We had a great time enjoying good food, wine and company.

Monday was back to work and our department's monthly birthday potluck with a green and 50 theme...I made a pesto pasta salad. It was a long day because I didn't leave the office. D and I stopped at Costco to pick up some photos and the lazy me kicked in...I bought a roasted chicken for dinner. We snacked at Costco, so the roasted chicken wasn't eaten until much later and was combined with instant mashed potatoes. D went to play his softball game and left me on the couch watching Jon and Kate Plus Eight and Intervention before heading to bed.

Tuesday was another carpool day (we try for 2-3 times a week since we work so close). After we got home from work, I took a quick nap before heading out to Book Club. Danielle hosted our discussion of Three Cups of Tea. Mostly, the evening was filled with chit chat about life and gossip. We were all starting to head out around 9:30, but got sidetracked and stayed talking until almost midnight. About 11:30, D called me and said "I guess you're not dead"...I told him I'd be home soon. I left Danielle's feeling so happy to have met and become friends with such great women. I walked away thinking that we met because of a common thing in our lives (weddings), but are friends for so many other reasons! I finally got home around 12:30 to find a dark and locked home with a sleepy D trying to listen to my stories!

Wednesday was fine...D had a 6:00 softball game, so I decided to have a massage before heading home. My $59 monthly fee is so worth it...I belong to Massage Envy which saves me from intense knots and pain. I had a great therapist (Anjel) that I will definitely ask for in the future! She has the magic touch because I left feeling better, but not miserable with post massage pain. After my massage, I headed home to make dinner...Rachael Ray's Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms and Thyme with Orzo. It was really good...D ate a good portion and took the leftovers for lunch on Thursday. While we ate, we caught up on The Biggest Loser:Couples and One Tree Hill (yes I am 16!).

Thursday is another softball night for D, so it has become my night to visit Mom and Meema and the boys (cats...Oneder and Buttons). We usually have dinner and then every 2-3 weeks, Mom and I head to Palomar Institute of Cosmetology in San Marcos for a facial. We have been doing this since before the wedding as a relaxation...we have both noticed a great improvement in our skin. It is a relaxing hour! Also, at Mom's last night, my food processor arrived! Last week, Mom and I were out shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond and I told her I really wanted a good size food processor. We looked at the Kitchen Aid, which I love and matches my mixer. Mom said she had just seen the same one on QVC for a better deal with more attachments. So, we brokered a deal...Mom got our last gift card for BBB valued at $96 and she ordered me the food processor from QVC and paid the difference! It is so cool...I can hardly wait until I use it! It's at home now, I just need to find a home for it and get ready to use it!

It's been a great and busy week and now we head into the weekend...we have the All Greek Reunion tomorrow night. I am planning to be designated driver because D gets to be the frat boy with all his "brothers"...or, at least, that's how he's acted at the past three years. For some reason, women can hang out and be fine, but men revert back to their last stage! It's funny to see these grown (age wise) men acting like they are in their 20's again! I hope everyone has a great weekend...enjoy!

D's Birthday

Yesterday was D's birthday. He does not like fuss, but I wanted to make the day special. We got up and he opened his gifts from me. I got him a DVD (already had it...oops), a belt and some shirts from Quiksilver Edition (aka the grownup version of Quiksilver). He liked them all! We then went to breakfast at Parkhouse Eatery . Our breakfast was so good...we even splurged on a morning bloody mary! After breakfast, we walked around Fashion Valley, got a car wash and oil change and made a Trader Joe's run before coming back home. D took a nap while I geeked out on the Internet downloading music (a quite random set of music). Around 7:00, we got ready for the Junior Seau Foundation Legends Party (my Vday gift to D).

Now, before I tell about the party, I need to rant for a moment...when I bought the tickets for the party, I was told that the attire was dressier than jeans and a sweatshirt and our friends were told no jeans. Well, I guess attire is a debatable thing...there were guys in shorts and flip flops...it was a night to look good and some missed the boat on that! And then, there were the girls who had lost their self respect and had breasts and butts hanging out whatever they were wearing. But I guess that's what they want...to be eye and/or arm candy for the men (especially the athletes)! But...I digress...now the details of the party...

We arrived at Seau's and walked the non VIP red carpet. We bought some drink tickets (5 drinks for $18) and got ourselves a drink before we walked around. The restaurant was closed and most of the tables had been cleared out. There was a band playing and lots of food stations. The first one was Raw Mana (the sushi side of Seau's)...so much sushi including salmon, shrimp, tempura rolls, spicy tuna and egg rolls. We were good with this, but ventured out onto the patio area for more food! There were stations from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Gourmet Sausages, Fleming's Steakhouse, Harrahs Rincon Casino, Cafe Japengo, House of Blues and many more! The food was sooo good. There were also blackjack, craps and roulette tables from Viejas for free gambling...I do so much better gambling with other's money! We met our friends Jill and Michelle and hung out. While hanging out, we saw athletes and local celebrities coming out of the VIP area...Dermonti Dawson (former Pittsburgh Steeler), Rod Luck from KUSI (aka Keith Richards twin), Kirk Morrison (SDSU alumni/Oakland Raider player), Jane Mitchell (Channel 4 Padres correspondent) and the man of the night, Junior Seau. Jill went up to security guarding the VIP area...she explained that it was D's birthday and could he let us in...because the party was close to ending, he let us all in. So, now we got to see more celebrities...Phil Nevin (former Padres player), Eric Dickerson (Raider hall of famer), Marcus Allen (Raider hall of famer), CS Keys and Andrea Nakano (from Fox 6 Sports) and probably many more we didn't recognize.

The night was going well until clumsy Jolie decided to make a late appearance. I had the camera in my hand getting ready to take a photo and all of a sudden, it's bouncing on the concrete! If there was a hole nearby, I'd have crawled into it...I knew instantly that D would be mad and upset! I was right...the camera now works, but the pictures are out of focus which is a minor detail when taking photos...especially with Eric Dickerson and Marcus Allen. So, I now need to get the camera fixed and owe D photo opps with many people!

With the exception of the camera incident, we had a great night at the Legends Party and have definite plans to go next year!