A10CalGal

I am home sick today about half the people I work with insist on coming in & spreading their nasty sickness germs all over the place. Well, I finally got it. And I'm miserable. Anyway, I called my boss this morning at 7 to let him know I would not be coming in. I specifically mentioned to our Supply Chain Manager to call me if I needed to be involved in the 11am annual inventory prep meeting. Yeah, we are supposed to work this weekend to do freaking inventory. It was planned for 8-5 Saturday and Sunday if necessary. I just got a phone call to inform me that they are starting at 5am tomorrow. WHAT? I'm sorry, but there is absolutely no way I can even pretend that I can get up in time to get there that early with the way I am feeling. Here's my favorite part. YOu know why they are doing this? So that they can be done in time to watch the fucking Seahawks game. I was told they took a vote. I am beyond pissed. And beyond sick.

Way to get your wedding planning stuff all together in a blog! I still just love your madlib RSVP's so much. I would love to see what all the responses look like.

Quote: Originally Posted by DreaW omg Carly, I was looking up info for you about this and found this conversation....it kind of got me mad (interesting read though) How can our marriage be blessed in the church? Sorry for highjacking p.s Also I'm catholic and Erik isn't so this is an interesting topic Andrea - we totally went thru this right before the wedding. Rafael is Catholic & I am not. I was very confused by the whole idea that in the eyes of the church he is still married to his ex-wife even though they are legally divorced. I got extremely freaked out about this whole thing about our marriage not existing. If we wanted our marriage blessed by the church, he would have to petition for an annullment (Sp?) which he has mixed feeling about because that would mean (in the eyes of the church) that the marriage never existed, and that the children produced from the marriage are somehow bastard children as a result. Wow! This is exactly why my mom didn't raise me catholic!

Fun times! You can have your marriage blessed by the church any time really. I don't know where does it fit best into your timeline? Is this something your really want to do? The only reason I ask is because you seem to be doing just for FI's sake & said it's "his thing" about raising your children catholic. That's kinda big stuff there that you might want to think about. ??

Finally I have a name twin on here! Hi Christa! Well, it sounds like you've determined your friend is not the way to go. I was going to say that the Villa Group does offer an all-inclusive plan of some sort. We've stayed at Villa del Palmar & Villa del Arco and it was an option when we reserved our room. I can't recall the upcharge because we did not go that route.

I am so furious at my workplace right now. I've managed to fight off all of these diseases that have come through in the last month or so. My boss is so weird, he won't acknowledge anyone is sick, so they feel like they have to stay at work & they spread their germs all over the place. It's horrible. My boss is even sick now - still coming to work & breathing all over me. Well guess what, I woke up SICK this morning. Great. And I'm expected to be working all weekend. I called in sick today. BOO.

Thanks ladies - yes, it was definitely the highlight of my day/week/month! For all of us, it's just great to see the life at the end of the tunnel getting brighter.

Thanks ladies - yes, it was definitely the highlight of my day/week/month! For all of us, it's just great to see the life at the end of the tunnel getting brighter.

Hehe mine is tiny too. Except if I edit a post, then it's normal size.

We saved the part of our cake that was left. The kids ate most of it the next day, but we save a slice for us to share later. I can't even imagine how I would have gotten cake home.

I am beyond excited, and I can't believe I'm even posting this here before telling my husband, but I want to wait & do it in person. I got a call from our sales rep at the development we are building in. Our permits finally came back today! YES. And usually that means we would be released into construction in about 25-30 days...but we got lucky & were released today. SWEET! That means that between now & 1/16 they will be pouring the foundation & letting it set or whatever. Then they strart "dropping lumber" on 1/16. We will need to meet with the construction superintendent that morning to go over everything. YESSSSSSS!!!!!

Ooooh, good call Tammy!

Quote: Originally Posted by lucky k72 I apologize for the hijack Christa. OK so in Jay's old apt., the bathrooom consisted of a sink and toilet. The shower was right off the kitchen, no changing area or anything. It was this small tiled shower grotto measuring appoximately 4 feet wide. So essentially you were naked in the kitchen before and after showers. Jay had long hippie beads separating the shower from the kitchen. they didn't help. It was the weirdest apt. layout that I ever saw. That is hilarious! Kinda reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Kramer decides to do EVERYTHING in the shower, including food preparation & he installs a disposal in there! Quote: Originally Posted by IrieBride08 That's been my life for the past 6 months. Upstairs neighbors going at for hours 2 nights a week at 4am sharp! ...And not in one spot either...ALL OVER THE ROOM! Furniture creaking and female moaning. Come on, they can't hump during normal evening hours like everybody else! Every Wednesday and Sunday morning at 4am like clockwork! Oh no, we totally have that too. And the whole general sound of a piece of furniture being pushed all around the apartment above for hours on end. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT??

I have a shared prong band. It has definitey scratched up my engagement ring. I talked to the jeweler & he said it's no big deal, just bring it in periodically to have it polished & redipped. But yeah, it definitely does a job on the ering!

Here's an awesome baby artichoke & pasta recipe I learned from my days in the 'choke business. It is SO yummy. Penne Pasta with Artichokes, Parmesan and Sausage Source: Ocean Mist Farms Serves: 6 Ingredients 4 sweet Italian sausages 1 large chopped Onion 2 garlic cloves, minced 18 Ocean Mist Baby Artichokes, prepared 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 cup chicken broth 12 oz. penne pasta cooked al dente 4 Tablespoons butter 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 2 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley salt and pepper to taste Directions In a large stainless steel or enameled skillet, sauté the sausage over moderately high heat until it is browned, add the Onion and garlic, and cook over moderate heat, stirring until the Onion is golden. Add the prepared Baby Artichokes (See Baby Artichokes), the wine and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer the mixture, covered, for 15-20 minutes, or until the Artichoke Hearts are tender. Cook the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until the juices have thickened slightly. Keep warm and covered. Serve over fettuccine, cooked al dente, tossed with the butter and Parmesan. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley. Here is the method for preparing baby chokes prior to using for any recipe After rinsing, snap off the lower petals until you reach the yellow-green core. Use a knife and cut off the top half inch of the Baby Artichoke, or just below the green tips of the petals. Trim the stems and all remaining dark-green areas from the base. Slice, halve or quarter per your recipe directions or preference. Tip: To preserve the color, immediately soak prepared Baby Artichokes in acidulated water (water with lemon juice or vinegar) until you are ready to cook with them to prevent browning caused by oxidation. (Optional) **If you need pics of what they should look like, go here Baby Artichokes - A Completely Edible Treat!

Hey Emily - June thru August is going to be the "off season" - basically it's the hottest time of year there. If you want to avoid "high season" - you'll want to stay away from December thru April - with all the holidays & spring break I'm pretty sure that's when you'll see higher airfare.

I just like the word blog. Blog this, blog that, and hey BLOG YOU!!! So, here I am still haunting the BDW Forum with 9.5 months of marriage under my belt. And now I’m a BDW blogger. BLOG! Anyway, here’s my encapsulated history: I met Rafael two jobs ago, circa 2004, at a vegetable processing company in Salinas, CA. I actually interviewed him! Over time, we became friends on the job as we interacted frequently during the course of the work day. About 9 months after being friendly and going to lunch once a week, he finally asked me out. I was excited, yet tentative as I’d never dated a divorced guy before – much less one with 2 kids. We ended up having a fantastic time and have been together ever since. We got engaged in April 2006 in Big Sur (my favorite place ever), and married at the Cabo Surf Hotel on 3/17/2007. Since then we’ve quit our jobs, packed up and moved from my hometown in good old Cali to the Great Northwest – Seattle to be specific. We’ve been here since September 2007. This is a huge change for all of us, but we did it so we would have a hope of ever owning a home. We are currently packed tight like sardines in a ridiculously expensive and ridiculously small 2 bed / 2 bath apartment, eagerly awaiting the construction of our new home. My sixteen year old step son, Richard, has lived with us for the past year and a half. Although about every 4 weeks he decides he wants to move back to Arizona with his mom. Clearly, for those of you who don’t already know, this is a major source of stress and frustration in my life. Blog on bloggers!

Holy crap Lizz - that's a lot of DC!! Weaning yourself off of caffeine is tough. What if you cut back gradually? Kind of a planned wind down. At this rate if you go cold turkey, you might lose it!

We are blocked from "social networking" sites like facebook, myspace, etc. Also, the company is realistic & knows people basically NEED the internet to do business & manage personal finances, etc...so the policy is "keep it reasonable". Pretty nice.

Good job! I used to be a diet coke a day girl too...funny, now I can't really remember how long ago that was. I'm thinking maybe a year and a half or so. I thought it was a harmless mid-day treat, but now I know that it was the caffeine kick - every day at 3pm I would have one. I wonder what's REALLY in there that makes it so hard to quit?? Hmmmm...

You definitely need to figure out what you do & don't want other peoples opinions on. That's why I loved the forum, I got feedback from people that didn't have an emotional stake in my wedding. I pretty much did things in secret on the forum, except for buying my dress

Unfortunately Danielle, you will find that wedding planning turns otherwise completely sane people into crazy people. Gotta love the mothers. My mom save her crazy up for when we were actually IN Cabo, the day before the wedding. She got all clingy and high maintenance and was pushing all my buttons. Hopefully your mom will get it out on the brides maid dresses!

I didn't get to see the picture yesterday...I can see it now. What a cutie pie! Congrats again.

You go girl. Anything simmered with ham hocks has got to be damn good! I feel like a slacker (as I sit here in my robe & makeup from last night) cuz I haven't cooked ANYTHING today. Would have been a great day to do some cooking.

OMG!! Congrats !!