Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Wow,  43 years is a long time to be married...good thing it only feels like 27 years to me! Also I can't thank you enough for getting married on a decade year to make math easy for all of us.

Here's to many more years of adventure!

(also, we may need new family portraits, as this the most recent photo I have of us together)

Rain!

I saw rain! After a couple weeks of Tucson, Sierra Vista and the outskirts of the valley getting thunderstorms it finally rained in my area

And just in time for me to test out the new video feature on instagram:  http://instagram.com/p/bzsF9qQX_X/ (if the video doesn't automatically play when you click on the link then click on the picture).

Berry-picking Time

One day this week we went back to our old stomping grounds of Linvilla Orchards. Last year we picked cherries but due to the cold sping the cherries were not ready yet so we picked strawberries instead.  I had no idea so many strawberries grew on one plant or that the plant had more than one crop (I.e. not all berries ripen at the same time).

Fresh berries are delicious but I did learn I like my strawberries cold so I ate more once we got home.

If you ask Margot we went to the farm to see animals not pick berries. All she could talk about for two days was going to the barn to see animals. We saw chickens and goats and horses and fed ducks. And as soon as we left the animal area she wanted to go back (one-track mind).

Michaela and I on the other hand, knew we wanted to buy a pie...and eat it. We actually bought half a pie and got two forks. Margot got a cookie - we were not sharing. We sat outside at the orchards and dug in. It was a very berry pie (strawberry pie was not available -  weird right?l) and delicious.

It was a fun day. I just flew home last night so am back at home, sweatin' in out.

Shore Day

Our first big outing of the week was to the Jersey Shore. They sure did clean up quick after hurricane Sandy! I will say mid-week is the best time to go to the shore. Most things are open but there arent crazy crowds. Granted it was only 77° so the water was coooold but after summers on the Oregon beach it was still nice. We set up our towels and tent dome (a half tent to break the wind) right by a little tidal pool (no sea life) but since it was practically standing water it was much much warmer.

Margot never noticed the cold and would have kept running into the ocean with her lips blue and chattering if we let her. We also walked along the boardwalk got some pizza and a water ice. It is a slightly creamier version of an eegee's.

Oh hey, vacay!

I am on a trip and therefore need to blog. I am on day 2 of my 10 day vacay to the East Coast. First stop is New York to hang out with GajT and actually meet Julian, my first nephew.

He is as cute as promised and Ariana has been a lot of fun to color and play games with. I mostly hung out with Tomoko and the kids today, and did some babysitting (mostly he sat on me not the other way around). Tomorrow will be me and Greg and the kids since Tomoko has to work for a while. On Sunday I may get to see their new house, or might babysit Julian while they do their walk through.

My trek here was certainly just that. I actually took planes, trains and automobiles to get to Greg's apartment (and a subway between the planes and trains). And since my carry on was a duffle bag and not wheeled it felt like I was backpacking.  I get to do more of it on Sunday when I take a train back to grand central get on the subway to Penn Station and then get on a NJ transit train to go visit Michaela in Southern New Jersey (she moved again).

I will spend the week with Michaela and her family. We plan to spend at least one day at the Jersey Shore, but don't worry, Michaela went and got herself pregnant so there will be no shenanigans at the shore (at least not of the drinking variety) on this trip.

Pretty excited to get out here and see all of my favorite people! Also, it was a great excuse to get out of the first 110○ temps in Phoenix.

Happy Birthday!

Ariana turns 5 today!! I can't believe I have been an aunt for that long. This time five years ago I was completing my last semester of college.

Fun Fact: for Ariana's 6th birthday, the world will throw a huge party, but for some reason will call it the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics.

Julian turns 3 days old today. This time 3 days ago, I got the call of this birth while in front of 10 new student workers I was training...needless to say they got to know a lot about me pretty quickly. Totally worth taking the call and hearing Julian say hi.

February has turned into quite the busy month!

Happy Halloween!

I have had a lot of fun this Halloween. I have three parties this season so it became worth it to put effort into a costume. 

Behold:

You are going to laugh when I tell you this started out as a Lady Gaga costume. I bought a killer pair of platform stiletto floral print heels from Payless. They are amazing! but highly impractical - so perfect for a costume. I then Googled 'Lady Gaga Floral' and came up with this: 

 

So, I started to make that - hence the floral hat I created. But then I realized that a big floral headdress and fancy shoes was all I had and I didn't think anyone would automatically assume I was Lady Gaga...I would just look ridiculous! So I said to myself "Self, you have already sunk $20 into fake flowers that you can't return so you might as well come up with something that uses them." aha, the obvious - go as a flower. So a quick trip to Home Depot for the biggest plastic pot they have (and they did cut it for me in the Tool Rental area - so Dad I don't know why they didn't cut your fencing); a sweater purchase from Goodwill - it was furry so looked very mossy; and one more trip to the dollar store for leafy branches and voila:

 

The irony is that I didn't even wear the shoes. But I did win 1st prize (and $20) at one of the parties I attended.

 

By the end of the party we decided I wasn't just a flower pot, I was an Anne Geddes baby

 

But at work, I couldn't wear a giant flower pot, in fact we aren't really encouraged to dress up at all - gotta stay professional. So since I became a social media coordinator, I have used Halloween as an opportunity to educate our office on various social networks that exist. Last year, I was Twitter, this year: 

 

Pinterest, is a photo-based site that allows people to create virtual inspiration pin boards (mostly women getting ideas for weddings, parties, and recipes) but it is really fun. 

My friend Liz was the only other person in the office with a costume. she is representing Toddlers and Tiaras. 

This Halloween has been really fun!

Next up: a recruitment trip to California with a stop at Disneyland! (excited for the new Star Tours ride).

Getting what you want by not getting what you want

Over the summer my boss changed my job duties a little bit. He took away my student workers so I could have increased  responsibilities with our customer relation software program and help train various departments on how to implement it. I always appreciate new opportunities but wasn't ecstatic about these changes.

This past month I applied for a promotion within my office. It would have moved me further into the marketing department and had more to do with our communication flow. My boss encouraged me to apply and the job description even seemed tailored to me. I went through the interview process and discovered that although the description was tailored to me, the types of questions I was asked and the needs stressed by interviewers seemed a little outside my past experience. Nothing I over my head or impossible to learn, but not my wheel house either.

A couple weeks went by with no news from my boss about the position. people are busy so I didn't push it. Finally he came by my office and let me down gently. Although I didn't get the position, he did want to let me know I was valued so he decided he was wrong to take away my student workers, so he gave them back to me and is going to remove the software duties from my job. I still get to do all of my social network duties and he is going to give me a new supervisor who will also supervise the position I was up for and didn't get so I will have an opportunity to learn more about our marketing operations.

My new supervisor is new to our office and he has a lot of experience and new ideas and knowledge about social networks - it is nice to have someone else who knows the technology I do and has ideas for advancing what we do.

So really...outside of more money (which everyone enjoys), I pretty much got everything I wanted.

Not so Laborious

I started out September with a little vacation to Pinetop to camp with my parents. It was really nice to wear long sleeves and sit under an awning while it rained.

I would say I got away from the city life but everyone seemed to have the same idea with me and they brought their ATVs too.

The other bright side is that my car, Squirt, got his first chance to go off roading and he did pretty well. Dad already chronicled his bruises but how can you have fun if you don't get a little muddy?! here are some pics from my trip.



This was the good road on my way out. I was too busy trying not to bottom out or hit dad as he walked in front of me to take pics of the road in



Oh yeah, I got to play Uno and Cribbage with mom and dad and beat dad pretty bad. He just has no luck.

Happy Birthday Dad!

64 huh?! You are a square root, so i say you get to act like an 8 year old all over again. That's how it works right?

Hope today was fun and am looking forward to celebrating with you over labor day :)

Friday the 13th

I have often wondered if the curse of Friday the 13th was real. I mean, are people really more unlucky on one day than others?


Well, now I know what kind of bad luck it is:

It is "not realizing you have two different shoes on until 9am and you have to present to a group of 200 HS juniors" kind of bad luck.

I am sure I can pass this off right?!

Superstition:
"Oh, don't you know that you have to wear two different shoes to ward off bad luck on Friday the 13th?"

Denial:
"What? no, they are both black...you should get your eyes checked"

White Lie:
"I hurt myself so I have to wear a certain shoe on my foot to help it heal"

The white lie seems best, especially because I don't have to be specific about which foot is 'hurt'

Cherry Picking

Yesterday, we back into Pennsylvania to go to an orchard. We got to pick our own cherries.I had never actually seen a cherry tree and I assume they must get bigger because why else would those scaffold trucks that  electricians use be called Cherry Pickers? We took a hay ride (aka pick up truck bed with hay on it) to the Cherry fields and because we were there so early...and on a Wednesday, we got the whole field to ourselves!

The orchard also had a playground and and barn animals to feed, so Margot had a blast there! They have different fruits and veggies that you can pick yourself all summer long so I have a feeling the Crabtrees will be going there quite often.

Margot had been talking the whole time on the drive up about petting a cow. we weren't sure there was going to be one at the orchard but we were in luck. Margot mooed at it several times and was tickled when it finally mooed back (much deeper than expected).

Finally, Something to do in Delaware

I don't know if you have noticed but most of the big days I have had out here, are not in Delaware - they are in neighboring states. Well, Tuesday, we finally found something really fun to do in the state: Go to the Beach!

Rehoboth Beach is in Southern Delaware and is easy to get to, clean, and fun - it even has lifegaurds  a la Baywatch (same outfits and everything). We parked right behind the beach, and there was even a boardwalk with shops, and restaurants (mainly: fries, ice cream, and taffy). There is even a mini amusement park. Even though it was only about 70 degrees outside, it was really comfortable to be outside and  the water wasn't too cold either.  The water was a little choppy so there was no swimming allowed but we still played in the water.

Rango?

After two travel (and walking) heavy days we took a couple days off to stay in  the house, or at least stay local.  Michaela got a 'baby 'sauge' from Margot . 

we lounged around watching Rango on a loop. Margot is OBSESSED with the movie Rango. We will be in the living room and she will just say "Rango?" in an optimistic questioning tone, as if to say "you know what would be a good idea? to watch  Rango." We watch it at least 3 times a day and Joe, Michaela and I have started joking about all the scenes. The movie is fine the first couple of times, but after the 8th time, the plot is highly predictable. I will say though, that even having it on constantly, I do pick up on new dialogue and jokes (there is a lot of fast talking so some jokes are missed the first few times - or you know, We (or Margot) are talking over it).

As will all two year olds, Margot goes through a lot of moods in one day, and is sometimes put in time out and sometimes gives herself a timeout. This just makes me think of an episode of Full House where Michelle is put in timeout facing the wall and she sings "this is no fun, no fun, staring at the wall". But I am very impressed - Margot is good about staying in her timeout spot, and is very polite saying please and thank you all the time. 

New York City

After Philadelphia, Michaela and I had a girls day in NYC!

We drove from Delaware into New Jersey and then took a New Jersey transit train into New York City's Penn Station. Overall travel time one way is 3 hours. Not too shabby really. We got into Penn Station and had to immediately get a bagel - what else would we eat for breakfast?!

Then it was on to our first attraction: NBC Studio Tour.

I got us tickets the day before so we headed to 30 Rockefeller Plaza - missed the Today Show and didn't see any celebrities either, but that was ok. We got to tour Dr. Oz's studio, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon's studio, and Saturday Night Live's studio. They are definitely much smaller in person. Next time I come for a visit I hope to get tickets to Jimmy Fallon's show. We weren't allowed to take any photos inside which is why I don't have any to show you, but in SNL's studio the main stage was already piled high with Dell boxes because they are turning that studio into the main Olympics hub for this summer. I don't know if they will be shooting scenes there or if they are just using the space to record all the video and splice together the broadcasts. Somehow it hadn't occurred to me that they would repurpose studios during hiatus, but why wouldn't they?

Next we went down to Canal St. to have lunch with Greg and Ariana. We went to a great sushi restaurant and then walked up Canal St. and ran into Little Italy. the neighborhood was having a St. Anthony festival so the road was closed and there were lots of tents and patios set up. 

Then we found the MOMA storeand Ariana had fun with some of the items in there. this is actually a rubber/plastic bag, but I think it works as a head cover too :)

Then we got to Washington Square because I had heard there was an art festival there too, but by the time we got there (around 5pm) it had already been packed up. we walked around the park and saw some street performers. Then we parted ways with Greg and Ariana and headed back up to Times Square (Michaela was really excited to see it!)

As usual - there are people everywhere. But it is nicer now because they have closed off a section of the road so it is completely pedestrian - safer and more room to stare at all the signs and take pictures without feeling like you are in the way. We decided to eat dinner before we left the city and used an app on my phone to find a good place to eat near Times Square but not on Times Square.  We were originally going to go to the Stardust Cafe but it was packed, so we found this 'victorian' pub called Lillie's which was delicious and fun to look around.

By the end of the day when we got back on the train we were both spent. I had a couple blisters on my foot from our two days of constant walking, and we had all the aches and pains that come with a lot of fun - definitely had to 'look at the cracks in the sidewalk' once or twice. 

It was a totally fun day and Michaela is  going back in a couple weeks to celebrate her anniversary with Joe. He likes that she knows her way around now and they can go do touristy things together. 

Delaware Vacation...yeah, that's right...Delaware

I posted on facebook that I was in 'Delaware for vacay' and one of my friends said it was possible I was the first person to ever utter those words. It is true, I have never met someone who has vacationed in DE. Then again until 6 months ago I didn't even know of anyone who lived in Deleware.

Enter Michaela:

She and her husband Joe moved to DE in January for a new job for Joe. They have been getting adjusted and from what I have seen they seem to be right at home here - even know how to drive to everything fun in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware (Well, way more than me).

So I flew in on Wednesday evening but Thursday was the first chance we had to explore. Joe still had to work but I told Michaela that I wanted to see Amish Country (I think it is official:  I am an adult. what young(er) person would want to see Pennsylvania Dutch areas?). So Michaela and Margot and I hit the road for PA and got to our destination within an hour on mostly two-lane road. Although most two-lane roads here are actually state routes, they have the feel of two-lane roads. It is surprising we don't use major freeways as much here (considering  how integral they are in Phoenix). And even though people live everywhere out here, the roads don't seem too congested, everyone speeds, and there are so many trees every place feels like a small town. 

So we got to Strasburg, PA in the heart of the Amish Lancaster County and decided to take the railroad. it goes a mere 9 miles in distance but you get to see a lot of the farm country - Amish and not - and it is one of the oldest railroad routes in the US.  Plus it is something fun to do with a 2-year-old.

Later in the day Michaela and I went shopping (the outlet malls here are in Lancaster County too, which is funny to see the height of consumerism next too the simple life of the Amish). Then  that night Michaela showed me 'The Mall' in Delaware. it is very similar to our malls, only with a Target attached.

Today Joe took the day off from work and we all took the train from Wilmington Delaware into Philadelphia. That part before where I said Joe and Michaela know where everything is...yeah turns out they did not know where the train station was...it was in the middle of a lot of one-way roads so it was incredibly difficult to find it, then find parking, then know what directions to walk in to get back to the station. but we are troopers and found it. We got into Philly at noon and went straight to the recommended cheesesteak restaurant: Jim's. I got my cheesesteak 'wit whiz' and it was actually really tasty - I also now recommend wit whiz. 

Then it was on to Independence Hall - the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence as well as the Continental Congresses...let's just say it was field trip day for about 10 schools so the place was swarming with kids all wearing school tee shirts. It also meant all the tickets were sold out. So we didn't go inside but we did take pictures. I also saw the site of George Washington's first presidential home, and the  liberty bell. As we walked around we saw the Federal Reserve and the Mint - both were closed (which seems like a bad sign). And then we stumbled upon the Christ Church Cemetery where Ben Franklin is buried. 

It was a really fun day and we were all glad to get back on the train (our feet were beat). 

Tomorrow Michaela and I are having a girls day in New York City! We are going on an NBC studio tour and lunching with Greg and Ariana. 

I will post more as I have more photos :)