2009...

What I remember about 2009 is it was filled with challenges, adventure, and lots of love!  I am thankful that I have such a wonderful husband, best friend, and life partner that is supportive of me and is there every step of the way.  Eric is a wonderful man and I am very lucky to have him in my life!

We have been through a lay off this year, job hunting, upgrades to the house (painting, carpet, linoleum, light switches/sockets, and curtains), technical classes, hobbies, traveling, family, new friends, our wedding, and getting through this tough economic year.

My Favorite Moments: 

• My folks visiting us and taking them out and about to Santa Cruz
• Spending time with Eric's parents and reconnecting
• Our wedding day
• Meeting new friends 
• Extreme Tubing down the Truckee River
• Laying on the beach of Lake Tahoe and enjoying the stars
• Playing Scrabble 
• Hula Hooping
• Photography in everyday life and out and about in our adventures
• Motorcycle rides with Eric
• Visiting family in Oregon
• Visiting my best girlfriend
• Bowling nights
• Hanging out next to the fire and enjoying the evening
• Swimming in Lake Tahoe
• Hanging out in the hot tub enjoying the cold snowy evening
• Breakfasts with my husband
• College football (Go Ducks, Go Bama, Go Stanford!)
  
• Cooking new recipes
• Reading books that open my mind and I learn from
• Learning new technologies
• Meeting wonderful people during my seasonal job
• Landing a job for the new year
  

I am looking forward to the future and what it holds for us and ready for the new changes life has in store!

Here's to a new year!

A Special Find Over the Weekend...

I was going through boxes and sorting out what's a keeper and what wasn't a keeper.  Here's a special find that's a keeper.

The Dilemma

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool.

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out for another is to risk involvement.

To expose feelings is to risk rejection.

To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule.

To love is to risk not being loved in return.

To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.  The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.  He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow, or love.  Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave.  He has forfeited his freedom.  Only a person who takes risks is free.

Author is unknown but I would really like to know who wrote this beautiful piece of work.

Words To Live By...

1. Be Impeccable With My Word
2. Don't Make Assumptions
3. Don't Take Things Personally
4. Always Do My Best

I am  going to work on this every day by saying this out loud so it becomes a daily reminder as well as read the book "The Four Agreements" every month to instill this philosophy and hopefully to become the person I want to be and not the person that the outside world wants me to be.

My Current Goal...

I am currently working on learning the Open Source Content Management System Drupal.  So, I've decided to start publishing my photos on this new web site I am creating with Drupal.  Last week I researched different themes and this week I've been reading the documentation on Drupal and I bought my first domain name that is just for me!

I am very excited about my new learning experience and here's why:

1. Learning a new tool to add to my skill sets
2. Publishing my photos that I want to share
3. Finally having my very own web site (usually I am building a web site for some one else)
4. It's fun to learn new things

So, stay tuned and I will definitely let you know when I publish my web site as soon as it's up and ready to go!

Name Change Process...

So, this isn't the first time I've had to legally change my name but it sure is more complicated!

You would be amazed at the long laundry list of to do's I have to change my name!

Here's what I have come up with so far:

1. Social Security Card - This is the very first thing you have to change in order to do the rest.
2. IRS - The Social Security office notifies the IRS.  Alright one less notification for me! 
3. License - I am really looking forward to going to the DMV, not!
4. Car registration - Yes your name has to match on both your drivers license and your registration!
5. Passport - Ugh! I didn't have one back during the first round and I've only had this a little over a  year!
6. Voter Registration - Your identity is attached to everything!
7. Post Office - To make sure you get your mail.
8. Employer - If I had one I would ;)
9. Banks - Better have access to the money!
   
10. Credit Cards - You might get carded using your credit card and if your id doesn't match no shopping for you!
    
11. Loans - Keeping that credit history alive with the new name.
    
12. Utility Companies - Gotta pay those bills!
13. Retirement Plans - Yes, I am at that stage in my life and it's weird to think when I got married the first time I just changed my social security card, license, and notified my employer!  Things have changed for me!
14. Professional Organizations - This is important if you belong to one.  I don't believe I do.
15. Doctors - I've had mine for a long time so this will be like telling friends!
    
16. Insurance Companies (Health, Car, Home, Renters etc...) - One less off of my list, Eric is taking care of all of this.
17. Memberships - I have to contact the gym, oh yeah I also have to start going again!
18. Clients and Colleagues - This is a big one but the internet is helping me out with this!
19. Email Account or Accounts - I have already created my personal and job hunting accounts with the new name.  So, currently I am checking 4 email accounts to make sure I don't miss anything!
20. Facebook - Did this on the wedding day!  It was a great way to announce it to everyone and Facebook does a really nice job to make it easy for you to update this without too much frustration!
21. Linkedin - I just recently changed this because I wasn't sure how to approach it.  To make sure people still recognize me I currently have my old name and my new name.  One day I will drop the old all together but I thought I would take a phased approach on this one!

I think that covers everything!  You've got the people aspect, government, work, financial, identification, bills, and on-line on the list to make sure you've covered all of your bases.  I liked it better when I had 3 items to take care of but this is the world we live in and I am older this time around so it would make sense that I had more to take care of!

Here's a link to the list and more on line resources.

Planning Our Wedding...

Here's how we went about the planning of the wedding:

1. Location - Choose the location and get the deposit squared away.  We looked at several locations around the North Lake side of Tahoe but found that Commons Beach in Tahoe City was everything we needed.
2. Date - Select the date for your wedding. Now most people choose a date and then make the plans.  It was important to us to find the location so we could choose a date. 
3. Rings - Our rings came from Ultra Diamond and they are fabulous!  Our favorite person at the store in Milpitas is Tabby.  She is wonderful to work with!
4. Food - Discuss what kind of food you want at the reception and find a caterer (We started off with picnic theme and decided on a bbq theme was what we really wanted.  The Crest Cafe and Catering was our choice and they were fabulous).
5. Wardrobe - For us it we wanted simple and elegant and that's exactly what we got! The Mens Warehouse was great!  The staff was very knowledgeable and helpful!  Thanks EmmaClaude! David's Bridal was also very helpful.  The assistant there was also knowledgeable and helpful and I was able to find a dress that day!.
6. Cake and Refreshments -  We had our favorite chocolate cake and added sunflowers as decorations and the refreshments were beer, wine, soda, water, and coffee.
7. Photographer - This was difficult to decide on but we were very pleased with Kevin Klein! It is very important to get a good photographer who will be able to capture the moment without being a part of the moment. We love Kevin's style and really enjoyed his company.
8. Flower Arrangements  -  and the bouquet were simple but exactly what we had in mind. Amazingly I ended up ordering the flowers and my bouquet from Safeway!  They did an excellent job and they were beautiful!
9. Officiant - This was actually the hardest part for us because we are not religous but we are spiritual. I did research on the web and found Nance Liekham and it all worked out and she was very spiritual and supportive.
10. Gifts for the guests - We gave each of the flower arrangements to the ladies that attended and I was very proud that they were able to take a piece of the wedding home with them!

We didn't have a wedding coordinator.  We did the research, the interviewing, and the coordination ourselves.  We even dropped off the cakes, the drinks, and flower arrangements off at the park before the wedding.  We saved a lot of money by using the normal day to day resources and we are very proud of it!

So, I guess my point is that your wedding day is a celebration of your relationship and it should be fun, representation of the both of you, and it doesn't have to break the bank to make it happen!

Our Wedding...

Eric and I got married on 09/19/09! We did it in 6 weeks and lived to tell about it!

The wedding was everything we wanted it to be. In Tahoe near the lake, friends & family (19 including us), great food, wonderful drink, and most importantly a ceremony that celebrated our relationship!

We were married at Commons Beach in Tahoe City, California. It is a great little town in Tahoe and the Commons Beach park has a wonderful amphitheater area that has stone seating and the lake is the back drop amongst some trees. Next to this private area is the barbeque area where we had the reception. It is set up with wonderful wooden benches and looks out across the park and the lake. It was a wonderful place to eat and socialize!

Our officiant Nance Leikhim was great! She was a spiritual guide that was able to convey the words of our ceremony that really did represent the way we feel. We were very lucky to find her and appreciate her time and we are thankful she helped us celebrate our day. Nance thank you!

The Crest Cafe and Catering provided the food and reception service! They are spectacular! Lisa was a joy to work with and very patient with all of my questions! The food was delicious and the presentation was beautiful! Kyle was spectacular behind the grill and Lisa was on top of everything from the set up to the cake cutting! The menu was just what we wanted and we couldn't have been happier! Lisa and Kyle Thank you for all of your wonderful effort and the great food!

Kevin Klein was our photographer and he is the best! He is talented and able to be a part of the moment without actually interrupting the moment! He is a local Tahoe photographer and he is very talented and a joy to work with! Thank you Kevin!

I am very proud of us for being able to have the wedding we wanted, stay within our budget and enjoy our day with our friends and family!

Here are some pics we've posted on Facebook that family members took for us.

Something Fun...

You've seen me talk about Meetup.com and how great it is! Well, I found another fun activity on Meetup.com and I just had to share! I went to a meetup on Saturday for Hula Hoop Fitness! Yes, that's right hula hoop exercise class! It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go back. It's challenging but fun at the same time. You should check it out!

Life...

is full of ups and down, challenges and wonderful surprises. You just never know what's really going to happen next but I do think the secret is to go along with each adventure with your eyes open, your heart full of love, and the optimism to get through the challenging times as well as the wonderful times of your life.

Remember to make the most of it and enjoy the adventures along the way!

Summer...

Summer is my favorite season even though I enjoy all of the seasons for one reason or another summer is still my favorite! I love the sunshine, the blue skies, swimming, bbq's, trips to Tahoe, and ice tea always tastes better in the summer!

I am currently in Tahoe enjoying the beautiful views, sounds, and of course the lake! Eric and I have had an amazing time up in Tahoe this week!

Tuesday

We went to "High Camp" at Squaw Valley and enjoyed swimming and sunning at the lagoon during the day and then in the evening we hung out by the fire pit and enjoyed good food and the blues concert!

Wednesday

We hopped on the motorcycle and enjoyed a great day of sun and beautiful views off road! Then we had a friend over for bbq dinner and enjoyed great company and Scrabble my favorite game!

Thursday

We went down to Tahoe City enjoyed Commons Beach and then hit the lake so we could enjoy more sunning and swimming at Skylandia! We headed over to Truckee for Truckee Thursdays and had good food, great conversation, and enjoyed some good music!

Tonight we are going to star gaze and enjoy the evening!

I love summer! I wished it lasted longer!

The Four Agreements

I am currently reading a book that I believe has some real insight on human behavior. It is called "The Four Agreements". Each of the agreements in this book is a tool to improve your life and how you live it.

I am working on incorporating these philosophies into my life. I really want to learn and grow and learn to be a better person. Here are the agreements:

Be Impeccable with Your Word

The concept here is to really pay attention to your words and how you use them. Words are very powerful and can be used to make someone feel good or to make them feel bad about themselves. This also means you shouldn't gossip. Gossip is just a way of putting others down. I truly believe that we all need to try and be supportive of one another instead of trying to bring each other down.

Don't Take Anything Personally

This agreement is basically telling us that no matter what anyone says or does that it is not a reflection of us. It is a reflection of their own reality. It's hard when someone says something mean or does something to us that makes us feel badly but if we remember not to take it personally and that it really has nothing to do with us then everyone would be better off.

Don't Make Assumptions

We all make assumptions about everything. This is a really challenging concept however, it is very important not to assume you know how someone is feeling, what they are thinking or even how they are going to act in a situation.

Always Do Your Best

No matter what always try to do your best. Remember that your best will change from day to day and even moment to moment. As long as you try to do your best no matter what and understand that it changes during different circumstances than that's all that can be asked of you.

Each of these agreements is challenging but I find them inspirational and worthwhile. I look forward to doing my best at keeping my perspective in check with these four tools to help me down the road of life.

You can find the book online or at your local bookstores. Check it out and let me know what you think!

What I've Been Up To...

House

Painting Project
Eric and I have been working on a painting project of all the entire inside of the house. We are almost to the finishing line but we still have the hallway, entry way, and the living room to got! Whew and we thought we were going to be done at least month ago!

Carpet Project
After years of living with mixed weird carpet Eric finally convinced our landlords to replace the carpet!!! We are now living with normal nice carpet that immediately brought the house into the 90's! Thank You Angie & Manuel!!!

Yard Work Project
The yard is going to be our toughest project yet. We've only been able to get out in the yard a couple of times since Spring arrived and it definitely needs TLC.

Job Search

I am in the process of finding a job and look forward to the new opportunities that lay ahead of me. I am going through my career services training and looking and applying for jobs daily. It's tough to hit the pavement when you need to bump up your skill sets but I am still trying.

Career Services
My old company provided me with some career services to help me find a new job. I am hoping between the online resources and the on site resources I will learn some new strategies that will help me land a job soon.

School/Training
I recently finished a Photoshop CS3 class and am currently taking Illustrator CS4 class online. I am really excited about learning more about these tools and becoming certified in the Adobe products.

Art
I still in search of my creative side and really want to learn more about mosaic and start creating some projects of my own. I am hoping to reach out to some of the mosaic artists that I have come across to see if they will share their process to help me get started on the right foot.

One of places I really need to go see is the The Institute of Mosaic Art. It is located in Oakland, CA and has supply store, classes, and exhibits. I am planning a trip very soon.


Miscellaneous

Visitors
My dad and step-mom came to visit us and it was soooooooo GREAT to see them! We took them to Santa Cruz and Capitola Village. We had a wonderful lunch at Zelda's, did a little shopping, enjoyed the beach and the sunshine, and of course the great company!

That's all I could think of.

It's been a while...

It has been quite a while since my last post and I do apologize. I need to keep up on this but I haven't been able to put my thoughts together to post anything. Just so you know I am alive so here I go!

My life is very complicated and overwhelming at the moment but I am working my way through it. Here's what I've been up to:

• Celebrated the New Years with some friends and played "Taboo" for the first time
• Traveled up to the Sierras and took Buddy on his first snow adventure
• Keeping my Bowling Meetups going; which has been a lot of fun!
• Playing Scrabble at home and at my Thursday night Meetup
  
• Joined the group of people who were laid off last month
• Adventured around San Francisco and played photographer for a day
• Locating my creative side by getting back to drawing in my sketch pad
• Signing up for classes to improve my work skill sets, artistic side, and business interests
  
• Working putting up a fresh coat of paint all through the house before the new carpet is installed
• Trying to stay on schedule with my workouts at the gym
• Figuring out what's next and where it's going to take me

It's a new year with new challenges and opportunities. Stay tuned...