The Dark Force

Fog is stupid

2010-12-27T09:44:00.000-08:00

Greetings from SFO! Fog has reared it's ugly head and we are now delayed for 2 hours, lame. But what's not lame is ipads and Free wifi! Woo hoo, which means I've been able to indulge myself and surf the web for the past hour, so I thought might as well blog while I'm at it. Yup that's right go nearly 7 months without a peep and in 2 short weeks I've now blogged twice! What is this world coming to. Anyways this post was I spired by the many holiday partys that Adam and I have gone to recently where we have been asked the same questions over and over again. Yes I understand with any big life change i.e getting married, comes a lot of curiosity however it gets to a point that I wish I just had a lust of answers that I could give people and say see number 5 jk.

Top questions people ask when you get engaged ( with the cliff note answers)

1) when are you having kids?
A: we don't know, and since the wedding is coming first it's going to be a while, so chill out. Lol of course when close friends ask me personal questions like this I don't mind of course adam and i are going to have a million kids and live in a shoe jk, but if I just met you,not something I want to tackle in our first conversation.

2) how many kids?
A: see answer to number one,

3) where and when will you live together?
A: April, yes yes I know paint a harlot letter on

4) where are you going on your honeymoon?
A: why do you plan on joining us? Probably somewhere tropical....bora bora, Tahiti, hawii

5) how'd he do it?
This question I don't mind so much however a word of warning to any newly engaged couples, brace yourself you are about to tell the same story about a million times ;)

Finally I'll end my rant on my biggest pet peeve, again let me preface that this only applies to people I dont know that well, I.e I just met you because you are a family friend etc. It seems that when people get engaged, pregnant etc, strangers loose the concept of personal space. Case in point, when a stranger grabs my ring finger to examine my ring. I recently had a lady that I just met, grab my hand as she was saying "ohh let me see your ring!" wait a minute the correct approach is "can I see your ring" and let me show it to you, don't grab me or my person so you can examine my ring. Maybe it just weirds me out when strangers touch me, but It definitely does not bother me when friend or family do that, threes just something about a strange person grabbing at you that bugs me. Similarly ive had friends that are pregnant who express the same feeling when strangers touch their bellies, but I can imagine that's even worse. Alright enough of that for now. Going to go will this fog to burn off ;) merry foggy Christmas

M is for Merry Freaking Christmas!

2010-12-19T11:29:00.000-08:00

Hello! I know I know it has been way to long. And to be honest after not blogging for 6+ months it can be intimidating coming back. Like where do you start, do I write a quick summary for the past months, pretend no time has passed etc? So I picked the first option, quick summary of this spring, summer and fall and small look into whats to come.

The last time I blogged I was in the final countdown until Italy. Since then as any and all of my blog readers now know, we got engaged! Woo hoo :) Since then we have been busy planning the wedding, this past summer we picked a venue and date. I was told once that planning a wedding is a lot of work but to be honest I never really took that to heart until we started this process. You might call Adam and I diva's but we have already been fired once by a wedding coordinator. Yes you read that right we were fired. Its kind of a blessing in disguise since that process lead us to the coordinator that we have now who is the most amazing person inside and out. Who knew that requesting a break down of the budget and a structured plan were so out of the question? Apparently a lot of people in the wedding industry (our first coordinator included) don't adhere to things like budgets and structured planning, we got the impression she wanted a blank check. Being that both Adam and I are engineers and my dad is a CPA, we speak and work in excel spread sheets, which she was not digging. Anyways, after she walked away from us we found a new coordinator who is not only half the first ones price but has helped us stay well (if not below) our budget and is constantly helping us set up appointments, emailing vendors etc, which helped both of us keep our sanity. Aside from the coordinator fiasco the planning process has been a lot of fun, I'm very excited to become Amanda Sofia Lupinacci.....ok I will admit I can't wait to ditch Amanda Sofia Simens purely because of the initials.....I've been an ASS long enough ;) jk.

Aside from wedding planning we have also been dealing with the return of my Dad's illness. In late October my dad returned for colon surgery. As with any surgery there comes risk and unfortunately just a few days after what appeared to be a successful surgery, he experienced complications that lead to emergency surgery. I'm happy to say that the emergency surgery went well however it has left him very weak and he will need another surgery in January to fix everything from complications. I think that the most difficult part of this whole experience is having to watch someone you love go through so much and not having the ability to take that pain away. We are there for him, we are supportive, but at the end of the day when he just wants to feel normal, I can't give that to him and thats really all I want to do. I do think that in a way this has brought the whole family closer and that has helped give him the strength and encouragement he needs to push through this. I also do really appreciate all the support of love that my friends and family have given me over the past few months. It really does help to be surrounded by people that are there for you no matter what.

As the holidays approach I am very excited to spend my first Christmas with both my family and Adam. Christmas is one of ....ok scracth that it IS my favorite holiday, and merging both families, the Lupinaccis and Simens is very exciting. It does make me wish that both families were not a plane ride away but do I realize how fortunate we are that, that plane ride is only 1 hour and not like 10. More to come.....if anyone has blog topic suggestions please let me know!! Otherwise I might end up rambeling about wedding flowers jk.

Its the Final Countdown......

2010-05-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

Anyone that is familiar with Arrested Development will hopefully remember the scene where Job tries to make the family yacht disappear and in the background the song that played was..." It's the final count down...." well if there was a soundtrack to my life right now I would definitely be playing that tune right now. It is officially t-minus 9 days until Adam and I take on Italy!!! Granted it still has not hit me quite yet that I will be leaving so soon but I'm sure by next Friday night I will be in all out pack/panic mode as I try to cram as much as I can into my medium ( note not large) size suitcase. Anyways in the mean time I thought I would share a couple life lessons that I learned in the well lets say a in 2010:

Lessons Learned
1) Similar to how french fries are always a little bit better soggy, ice pops are a tad better a little melty......trust me it will spare you the brain freeze
2) Reading before bed instead of falling asleep to TV somehow always transitions into a) more interesting dreams....and b) more restful sleep, I realize this may not be true for all but if you haven't tried it I recommend it
3) Favorite song to work out/ get in a good mood right now: Feelin' Alright by Joe Cocker and/or What you waiting for by Gwen Stefani, Favorite song to wake up drive to work to: Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve, Favorite song to drive home to: Big Empty STP and/or Audience by Coldwar Kids and finally favorite song for an "eh" day: Mad World (but I like the adam lambert version..Yea I know I'm a dork). These will most likely be updated within the next week, but right now these have been making multiple appearances on my ipod so enjoy!
4) Yoga is awesome! Yes as some of you know I recently started doing yoga a couple times a week but I have to admit I honestly look forward to going to class during the day...not only is it good for you but its very relaxing....did my first handstand last night and even though my arms feel like jellow I can't wait to do it all over again.
5) Weirdest song/music video I've seen lately: Shakira Shewolf , if you havent seen it ugh.... lets just say its weird, but also kind of funny
6)Call me crazy but going on road trips...especially if you are the passenger are more fun then taking a plane
7) Sunscreen! Wear lots of it....my freckled shoulders (thank you Puerto Rico Sun) beg you to save yourself the crispy torture I experienced lol.

Alright thats all I got for now. More to come, if anyone has any recommendations for Italy/traveling etc please let me know, I've never been and need all the help I can get ;) Ciao!

W is for Wicked cool Ice Pops.....

2010-04-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Once again I have procrastinated on my blogging but I am happy to report that since so much time has passed, I have lots of pictures and stories to talk about, woot woot. First let me start with telling you how much I love ice pops definitely best underated dessert ever! So I have been going through about on average one box of ice pops a week....last night I went to CVS and went a little overboard.....lets just say I ended up taking home about 150 pops (1 box of 100 otter pops, 1 box of CVS pops and for kicks 1 box of 25 soda pops.....I should be good for say at least 3 weeks ;) If you have not indulged in these delicious treats recently, I highly recommend that you do.....soo good!

So I'll start with the most exciting news and that is Joe and Sheyla are now married! Little back story for those who don't know, I have known Joe for 7 years when I met him and the rest of my Broadhead neighbors sophmore year. We met Sheyla 2 years ago and its been history ever since. Last Tuesday we traveled to beautiful Ponce Puerto Rico where we stayed at the Hilton. Aside from the awesome hotel (which had a built in mini golf course and swing set..ok that was probably meant for the younger crowd but I took advantage of these ammenities), both adam, myself and pretty much everyone who went with us got very sun burned. I think I have not only got a "base coat" now but I think I have already peeled that coat off.....thank god for aloe vera ;) The wedding was beautiful..I do not think I have every danced that much in my life , also the first time I have ever played air guitar on adam's tie...think Guns and Roses and Sweet Child of Mine.....sigh guess you had to be there jk. The one take away from the trip is that 1) I need to travel more 2) need to hang out with close friends more 3) repeat 1 and 2 over and over again. Life is definitely too short to spend it in front of a TV (as much as I love American Idol) or behind a cubicile. Anyways here are some of my favorites from our trip:

M is for Monday...oh and Maple Glazed Salmon

2010-03-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

Hello World,
Long time no chat.....trying I am trying lol. Ironically I am currently fighting a cold and have temporarily lost my voice (hoping the hot tea and lack of talking tonight will help for tomorrow) leaving me with the second best way of communicating...blogging! Drum roll please... Anyways it is about time that I share with my followers this awesome recipe that I have been talking up a storm about. Let me know what you think or if you have any recommendations on making it better. I got this recipe from a night cooking class that I took at William Sonoma. Enjoy!

Maple Glazed Salmon:
Serves:6
What to Buy/and how much:
1 cup Maple Syrup
2 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh giner root (I bought the pre cut stuff, worked just fine)
4 tablespooons of fresh lemon juice (~2 lemons)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 1/2 pound center cut salomn fillet with skin (good place to buy is costco)
greens from 1 bunch of scallions

1) In a small heavy saucepan simmer maple syrup, giner root, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, soy sauve garlic, and salt and pepper to taste (sprinkle salt and pepper) reduce over heat until about 1 cup (30 minutes) then let the sauce cool to room temperature. My teached emphasized that it is important that you let this chill after you reduce it. Also the glaze can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered however if you do this bring the glas back to room temerature before proceeding.

2) Preheat over to 350 degrees. Place baking paper (NOT wax paper) along a baking pan large enough to hold salmon, the baking paper will protect pans from the glaze. Arrange scallion greens in one layer on the baking pan to form a bed for the fish.

3) In another small saucepan heat half of the glaze over low heat until heated through to use as a sauce. Stir in remaining lemon juice. Remove pan from heat and keep warm and covered.

4) Put salmon, skin side down, on scallion greens and brush with remaining glaze. Season slamon with salt and peper and roast in middle of the oven until just cooked through, about 20 minutes.

5) Cut salmon crosswise into 6 pieces. On each of the plates arrange salmon and scallion greens on a bed of mashed patatoes. Drizzle salmon with warm sauce. Enjoy!

More to come tomorrow in terms of pictures and updates! :)

2010-02-26T23:03:00.000-08:00

Just another Friday night....

Greetings from the comfort of my recliner! Yes I know its a Friday night and I'm watching Forest Gump......my life is really like a box of chocolates. As requested I will post the recipe for the maple glazed salmon in my next post. Aside from keeping busy with work and trying to be true my new years resolutions, there has not been a whole lot to talk about. On Monday I will be traveling back to the great state of Pennsylvania for work. Even though I'm not looking forward to freezing in the predicted cold weather, I am very excited to see old friends and perhaps......even have myself a Pat's cheese steak ! More on that later this week.

Now that we are at the end of Feburary it is now less then two months until Adam and I go to Puerto Rico to celebrate Joe and Sheyla's wedding!! I am very very excited however it is still far enough out that it still feels like forever until we go. Its funny how your whole midn set changes after you start working. When we were in school all the way up throguh college I always had a designated time to look forward to for breaks, xmas break, spring break, summer break. Now all the months seem to blur together. I have now been at my current job for 2 years, which sounds like a decent amount of time however it feels like it the time has really flown by. I'm looking forward to slowing down and taking in the warm weather, just me and a beach........can't wait!!

Enough on vacations that are still far away...aside from my obvious long term projects (see the last couple of blogs) I am also starting to slowly decorate my appartment. Two things that I would like to improve on are 1) a slip cover for my couch and 2) possible rug? The only thing I'm struggeling with is whether or not its going to look weird to put a decorative rug on carpet.....going to spend some time online looking at what other people have done first. If any of you have any recommendations or websites to try please let me know.

Well I'm hoping to update more tomorrow with pictures from the fall and recommended recipes. If you have any recommended topics please leave a comment and I'll do my best ;)

Monday Monday...Can't trust that day

2010-02-09T00:52:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update.....

Alright, I already know what my 2 readers are going to say, I've been slacking on the blog. Once again I have gone more then the standard week that my resolution prescribes. Some might say, maybe its time to throw in the towel, admit defeat, shut the blog down, give your tired fingers and carpel tunnel a rest.... but no worries I refuse to let all of my fans down. So here I am on yet again another Tuesday morning, preaching to the masses (I think 2 readers upgrades my audience from a mass (singular) to masses ;). And yes it would be easy to edit my resolution list, cut back on my expectations however I then pose the question where does the compromise stop? I start with letting up on the blog commitments, next thing you know I'm throwing pictures away while eating chocolate bars and watching the Jersey shore. Now that would be a great I mean sad existence. Which brings me to my final point on the subject, even though I may not meet all of my resolutions, they are locked in the way they are and I will continue to meet them as best that I can. So please stay tuned I do want to blog more and I do have ideas for some entries that are entirely non resolution related. I also have a boat load of pictures to post and all I really need is a solid hour to upload and post them in some sort of order that makes sense. Since I just spent the past paragraph justifying my blogging resolution I will only give a brief update on the rest (more expanded version at the end of the month)

Here are the top resolutions that reflect the most success in the first month of 2010~!!
Loose 10 lbs: Down 8....woot! I feel like I still look pretty much the same but the main difference I have noticed is just how good I feel health wise. I've finally realized that being healthy is not just eating right but exercising as well, they truely do go hand in hand. I'm actually considering extending this resolution by an addition 5lb's more on that later.

Actually do something with my pictures: Currently working on putting my favorites into My Publisher which I hope to print in a book.

Do more things in the LA area: Planning to ride bikes with my fellow Long Beacher Diana soon...can't wait, definitely a so cal activity

Cook More: Cooked a new recipe from my cooking class on Saturday night, semi decent reviews, it was a maple glaze salomn, if you would like I can post the recipe but I'm going to wait for requests first so please comment if you want it.

Keyboard: Played the Lupinacci's piano this weekend......LOVED IT, I need a piano like woah!

Run a half marathon: baby steps, signed up for the carlsbad 5k April 11th, any additional takers?? Sign up!!

Ok enough enough on resolutions, I'll close tonight with a recent revelation on some classice Pearl Jam that I was listening to today. One of my all time favorite Pearl Jam songs is Yellow Ledbetter, if you don't recognize the name I suggest you tubing or itunes but most likely you will hear the first chords and instantly recognize it. As I listened to the song I realized that I didn't really know what the lyrics were or the what the song was about. According to wikipedia it is about a brother loosing a brother in the gulf war and he is singing about his grief. I can't say that I necessarily felt the grief in the song but I definitely get why most people like it even though the lyrics are pretty much indescphierable. The vocals combined with the jimi hendrix like guitar rifs just gel so well, you feel the music rather then just listen and wait for it to be finish which is what I get from most pop stuff that comes out today. Yea I get it, but I also get sick of most poppy stuff that gets way overplayed. Anyways just my two cents and if you haven't listened to this song in a while, check it out. Alright folks more to come later :)

2010-01-26T00:35:00.000-08:00

Yet another monday....

So it is yet again another monday, actually its very very early Tuesday but I promised myself that I would blog before the end of the day so for the sake of my promise...its still monday ;). So its been a while since the last blog and since then I have had time to ponder on several topics of conversation. However before I get into that let me start with an update of my new years resolutions and ......drum roll please... gasp...I've decided to add to my list, more on that in a few. First lets start with the current list:

1) Write a blog entry once a week: yes yes I know I'm behind but I will do my best to write 2 this week to make up for lost thoughts.....

2) Lose 10 pounds: I am happy to report as of Jan 1st, I am currently at -4.8 lb as of today, woo hoo!! Almost half way there. But let me say this, it is sooooo easy to put on the weight and soooo hard to work it off. I have gotten back into running and have been running at least 3-4 times a week (3 miles each time) in hopes of gearing up for the Napa to Sonoma half marathon which I am currently on the wait list for. I'm hoping that once swimming starts back up next week I'll get a little boost in terms of toning etc. Side note last week I was given the following compliment:
" Amanda..... you look....(pause)..... healthy today," now upon hearing this comment, I wasn't quite sure how to interpret it, could mean I look youthful, or perhaps the not so pleasant , harty lol? It was just such an odd way to comment on someones appearance that I was left wondering was that a compliment or insult lol. However in my plight to get fit and healthy I am going to err on the positive and assume that it is a reflection of my hard work and healthy eating that is shinning through my face ....yeah .......someone que the song always look on the bright side of life....

3)Run a half marathon: see above...keep your fingers crossed we get into the Napa to Sonoma half...not only does it help us get into shape but theres wine at the finish line woo hoo !!

4) Actually print and do something with my pictures:.....work in progress my photo paper is out of ink... need to replenish it soon!!!

5) Live more healthy life: believe it or not I resisted IN-N-Out this past weekend when Adam ordered a 3x3....so hard yet I will say that in the last 3 weeks where I have been eating minimal fast food and red meat I feel a lot more energetic and in general my mood has improved. Just sayin...eating good isn't all bad. (however I do plan to eat a HUGE cheeseburger as soon as goal #2 is complete....can't wait!)

6)Clean my apt: also work in progress, I am slowly but surely organizing all my crap however I am going to commit to going through my closets within the next week and hopefully parting with half the stuff I have kept since high school :/ ok maybe all of it

7) Explore more of LA: getting there, we did go up to Bear Mountain 2 weeks ago which was my first time skiing there. I really want to go to the Getty hopefully sometime this spring, never been but I keep hearing amazing things about it.

8) Watch less Tv and Read more: This one is the worst, now that I have appleTV who needs to read? Jk I have incorporated some reading while I am at the gym at my apt which helps make the work out time go by fast and it also helps me decompress from a stressfull day.

Now for the new ones...:
9) Buy a keyboard or Piano! I really miss playing the piano and being that one of my neighbors has a piano and I can hear them practicing during the afternoon on the weekends, it makes me miss it even more. I had originally hoped that I would find a local community college that has practice rooms but even if I found a local school nothing beats having your very own piano/keyboard that you can play whenever you want. This will take some saving $ $ however ifanyone hears of any good deals or has any suggestions of where to look let me know!

10 ) Cook more! I just took an amazing cooking class at William Sonoma last week called Simple Suppers, Big Flavor. The best part of the cooking class was that you got to not only watch the cook and see how she does everything but you also got to eat the entire 4 course meal after (plus a entire store discount of 10% off). I have another class mid march and I might sign up for one more but I love cooking and hope to build up my recipe binder enough so that I can cook something differnt for at least 2 weeks without repeating. If anyone would like to share good recipes please let me know, next blog I will showcase a cooking class recipe.

Ok enough on resolutions. After a recent trip to vegas and another one in the works (Feb12 we are going for 1 night to see Jack's Mannequin woot!) I have developed a short review on the hotels that I have stayed at. Hopefully this is helpful for you in your next trip to sin city:

The Las Vegas Hilton:

One of the best deals on the strip! The rooms are clean and you can typically find a deal on the Internet that includes several free buffets. The pools aren't anything special however the casino and the rooms make you feel like you are staying in a nice hotel. In addition this hotel has a Benni Hannas (sp??) as well as access to the tram which will take you directly to the strip so no taxis needed. Definitely worth checking out.

The Monte Carlo: Sigh....I had high hopes for this hotel, however on our last trip to Vegas I'll have to admit that I was more then a little disappointed with both the room and service. When we arrived we were told that there were no non-smoking rooms left. Let me preface with that our reservation was confirmed for a non-smoking room however a small little lady with a bad attitude insisted that there were no available rooms. We decided to check it out and see how bad the smoking room was.....let me say it took less then 2 seconds in the smoking room to realize that none of us would last a single night in that room, not to mention that one person in our party had ashma. If you have never been a smoking hotel room, save yourself the trouble it is like standing in an ash tray....very very gross. To the Monte Carlos credit we did call down and ask for a new room and we lucked out and got a different girl on the phone who quickly switched us to a non smoking room. Would have been nice if they had just given us that in the first place. Once in the non smoking room you find yourself in an outdated and somewhat run down room, clean but I felt like I was a motel not a hotel. Note, the Monte Carlo costs the same as the Hilton mentioned above, so for a better bang for your buck stay at the hilton! The only redeeming quality the Count had was the cheap crap tables (typically $5). Also I don't recommend eating at their buffet, there was a hair in my food...they did comp my meal but I'm still grossed out by that.

The Mirage:
I have nothing but good things to say about this hotel. Clean, friendly, great food and nice rooms. This hotel probably has the best selection of dining in one place. There is a great gourmet burger restaurant and an upscale Japanese restaurant called Japanese ..sooo good. Also the pools here are awesome and if you stay at the hotel you get free passes to the animal park which is worth checking out even if you're not guests of the hotel. Also this is home of Beatles Love show which is one of my favortie shows in vegas. If you want to splurge this is a hotel worth checking out!

Mandalay Bay: Great Hotel! Definitely best pools I've been to on the strip. The pools include not only a wave pool but also a lazy river....who doesnt love a lazy river? And ever better if you swim with the current you might get and idea of what it feels like to be Michael Phelps jk. This also has good restaurants and bars, the Ice Bar is worth checking out at least once, the entire bar is made of ice and you get to wear warm coats, gloves and boots. The rooms here are a set up from the Hilton and are close to if not better then The Mirage. One of my favorite hotels!!

The Bellagio
Alright last but definitely not least, the bellagio! I have no complaints about this hotel.....except that it does run on the pricey side so this is definitely a splurge. However from everything to the fountains to the indoor garden, tasty restaurants this is a very nice hotel and the rooms are very comfortable and clean. Even better, this has my all time favorite cirque du solei show, O, it is a water based show where a lot of acrobats are done over a stage that lowers and raises into a pool of water, if you can only pick one show to see this would be it!

Alright enough blogging for one Tuesday...I mean Monday lol. More to come later thsi week, any topics for discussion?

Slow Monday

2010-01-04T22:54:00.000-08:00

Just Another Manic Monday....

So surprise! Another blog entry. So while Adam watches Jersey Shore (I think he is the shows biggest fan btw) I thought I'd take this opportunity to comment on the best and perhaps at the same time the worst things about this show:

4)This show is a constant reminder that fake tans still look....fake
3) Unlike the OC MTV reality serries, Laguna Beach (yes I am sorry to admit that I was a sucker for that show)kids bring petty fights to a whole new level, catty comments have graduated to fist fights...at least 3 per episode!
2) One of the main characters is named snookie who also goes by "snickers"....ok both names only evoke hunger...one reminds me of a cookie and the other of a delicious candy bar, fortunately for me however one look at snookie makes you want neither.
1) It is a show that takes place in New Jersey....umm do I need to say more?

More to come on our recent vegas trip and my progress ...or lack there of on my resolutions :)

And so it begins

2010-01-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year !!!!

So it has been exactly one week since my last post and declaration of new years resolutions. So in addition to updating what has gone on during the past week I will also include updates on my progress for each resolution.

First off I would like to address the debate that has been on everybody's lips....the question of decade or not decade? Has the year 2010 marked the last year of the decade or is it the first year of a new decade? I have heard reasonable arguments for both sides however I tend to side with the argument that 2010 is the first year of the new decade. The reason for this is that when you think of the 90's, 1990 was the first year of the "90's decade" same with 1980 and so on. Still the question remains....anyone else want to weigh in?

This past week has been a much needed break from work however just when I started to relax and wind down what hits....a sinus infection. Just days before new years eve my nose decided to wage war. It was a tough and stuffy war however after lots of afrin, antibiotics, and 1 or 2 chick flicks I am now on the mend. The only complaint I have is why didn't this hit at least during a work week, when I could put my sick days to good use? Anyways amongst the sniffles and coughing, Adam and I had the pleasure of going to the Rose Bowl where Ohio State kicked some major butt!!! I think one of the highlights for me was the Ohio State cheer where one person yells " O -H" and someone replies with an " I-O" :) So simple yet so satisfying. Aside from that we wrapped up my winter break with a trip to Disneyland today where we hit up a couple of our favorites...some tower or terror, the tilty ferris wheel and of course the napa rose winery. Tomorrow is back to the grind however thanks to good planning this will only be a 4 day week, we leave for Vegas on Thursday night, woot! And now for the resolution update.....

1) Write a blog entry once a week- meeting expectations however in order to go above and beyond I might try to bump this up to perhaps 2 times a week....any topic suggestions other then the obviosu updates?
2) Lose 10 lbs- well I dont think I've lost anything yet however I did somewhat resist some temptations today.....minimal cheating at Disneyland and only a handful of Adam's In-N-Out french fries.....tomorrow I begin my courtship with the gym again....I'll let you know if the treadmill buys my dinner
3) Run a half marathon......ran 2 miles on New Years eve....still sore.... :/ (looking for a good race to do in March...anyone want to joing me??)
4) Actually print and do something with all the pictures that I take.... took a lot of pictures over the holiday...need more ink for my photo printer tho
5) Live a more healthy life....excercise.....eat less In N Out.......etc etc... see number 2 but I'm also reading Dr.Oz's "you on a diet"....more to come on that
6) Clean my apartment and keep it organized ( I dedicate this resolution to Ms.Disney and Adam who patiently understand my messy ways ;)- bathroom and kitchen clean, now onto the living room and bedroom ...the true beast of this mess ugh
7) Exlpore LA more..I feel like I have only tapped the surface of all the fun things it has to offer....(dont get me wrong I love you Drew Carrey) this is a work in progress however here are some ideas now I have to assign dates etc:
- The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brian
- Universal Studios
- San Diego Zoo part 2 (we went 2 weeks ago but I def need to go back)
- Wine Tasting in San Diego
-Rent bikes and ride along the beach/pier (Long Beach)
8) Watch less TV and read more.....(this resolution is the one I'm most likely to break but I"m ok with that)-hmm yea about that...well lets just say I'm writing this as I watch the new episode of Brothers and Sisters......

Alright thats it for now ....more to come :)

Goodbye 2009 Hello 2010!

2009-12-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

Alright, I will be the first to admit that I am a terrible blogger. However for the few of you out there at do check this site periodically you will be happy to learn that one of my 2009 resolutions is to blog at a minimum of once a week. Yes pretty ambitious of me however I am hoping that all of you out there will keep me honest and remind me of this come next week should this page still have this entry up ;) I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by, in fact one of the last entries (Christmas 2008) was written from the exact same location....the Reno Airport. I would like to take this opportunity to say how awesome free wi fi is, go Reno! Anyways there is not a whole lot to write about, however on top of my resolutions I have also included a list of highlights and upcoming highlights. Please feel free to comment and make suggestions as always this blog is a (slow) work in progress.

Resolutions for 2010:
1) Write a blog entry once a week, why because it is becoming more and more clear to me that life is short and your brain is only capable of capturing and remebering the big/exciting moments, this is a good way to remind myself of all the good/and bad times and an extra bonus you get to keep up to date with whats new in my life.
2) Lose 10 lbs- sigh ok the only reason I am actually publishing this goal is so that again, I have to live up to it, so keep me honest!!
3) Run a half marathon......and a full (this is going to carry over to 2011)
4) Actually print and do something with all the pictures that I take
5) Live a more healthy life....excercise.....eat less In N Out.......etc etc
6) Clean my apartment and keep it organized ( I dedicate this resolution to Ms.Disney and Adam who patiently understand my messy ways ;)
7) Exlpore LA more..I feel like I have only tapped the surface of all the fun things it has to offer....(dont get me wrong I love you Drew Carrey)
8) Watch less TV and read more.....(this resolution is the one I'm most likely to break but I"m ok with that)

Alright thats it, if I missed anything you think is important go ahead and make a suggestion :)
2010 upcoming highlights (stay tuned....)
1) Las Vegas 1/7/2010....wish us luck!
2) Puerto Rico 4/20/2010---> Does anyone have any good suggestions for things to do while we are there??
3) Italy 5/22/2010-6/3/2010......we will be visiting Cinque Terra, Rome, Lake Como, and Vennice, can't wait!! (again if you have any suggestions of things to do or specific places to see please let us know)

Alright I think that about does it, my plane is getting ready to board and I like always have brought way to many things with me on this trip and it will take me a few mintues to pack up all my "carry ons". p.S you might be wondering why I chose the picture above, one of my favorites from CT this past summer....more pics to come

I'm MOVING

2009-06-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone
Long time no blog....I promise that I will attempt to blog more often this summer, its on my list of things to do and improve on :) Anyways I dont have a whole lot of time to chat now however I do have a bit of exciting news....I'm moving! Ok its not that exciting since it is only 5 minutes from where I live now however my new digs will have assigned parking (big plus) central heat and air (another big plus) and even better, a washer and dryer in the unit (woo hoo!!). I will post pictures and more updates later this week. If anyone has blog topic suggestions let me know, since I talk to most of you followers on a regular basis any topics you would like me to expand on? Post away!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

2008-12-27T15:18:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!!! Yes I'm still pretty bad at updating my blog however as I await my very very delayed flight in the Reno airport I thought I'd update with a mini post. Meaning I hope to commit to a long novel once I have more time, and access to more holiday pictures. As you can tell from the above, this holiday break we fulfilled my mom's wishes and posed for a family picture. So once again another year has gone by, 2008 jeeze where did that go? Funny how when you are in high school all you want to do it go to college, then once you are in college all you want to do is turn 21 (and stupidly graduate, who in there right mind ever wants to leave college......sigh) and then once you are in the working world and mid 20's all you want to do is pretend that you are not aging and relive the good old college years. Well thats at least true for me, every year I creep a little closer to what I used to consider "old". I use the word "used to" since now what I consider to be old has grown. I used to think 25 was old but hey now that I'm older and wiser, I realized that you're not "old" until at least 30, I of course promise to revise that age in approximately 6 years. Anyways, enough of that, here is my top 6 signs to help you tell if you are indeed old:
6) You go to bed at 10pm or earlier.... no work excuses this is a sign of age
5) You started a 401 K
4) Back pain and other aches that you no longer bounce back from
3) You no longer get carded
2) You have a kid
1) You are 30 :0

Now I do not apply for all of these, just some of these , but still....scaryy

More to come.... Time to Board

Smokey Sunday

2008-11-16T22:06:00.000-08:00

Greetings from a very very smokey Sunday. As most of you probably know there have been several wild fires burning in Southern California. Yesterday morning I woke up to ash and smoke,even though I am over 20 miles away from the actual fire, the wind has brought most of the smoke directly over Long Beach, which means lots of dirty air and soot and ash everywhere. Even though the weather and conditions this weekend have been not so great, I do appreciate that fact that my apartment is safe, my thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families affected by the wild fires.

As promised here is so of the most recent updates and news. Below I have posted several pictures that have cataloged October and early November fun. For Halloween Adam and I were ....drum roll please... Princess Leia and Han Solo. It all started a spring afternoon in Disneyland where Adam and I posed for a Star Wars picture where your face is superimposed on famous pictures, as you can guess, we were this famous pair:

Besides Halloween fun, I have a lot of exciting plans coming up for November. Tomorrow night I am being sent to Minnesota for a training class for work...think warm thoughts. After returning late Thursday morning, Adam and I will fly out on the 6am flight on Friday for.....LEHIGH/LAFAYETTE!
Horray!!! Lehigh/Lafayette is not only a highlight of my fall, but it is also the longest and most played rivalry in the United States. Go Lehigh!!! Really I just can't wait to see all of my closest friends again, living on separate coasts from friends is very hard. I wish if for just one day I could go back to senior year, I cant imagine any other point in my life where I will live less then 5 minutes away from all my friends, with no work, and maybe a beer here and there, perhaps we'll all live in the same senior center.....close but not the same ;) Anyways I have posted a couple more pictures below from the fall, more to come, but for now I must pack. Think warm thoughts for me, I hear Minnesota is cold this time of year, brrr.

P.S Even though California disappointed me with their bad choices in voting yes on Prop 8, I have to say I am so proud of our Governor who regardless of his party, has supported what is right, civil rights! And also to the 10,000 people that marched in protest this weekend, don't loose hope, what is right will prevail!!!!

Former Secretary of State, Madeline Albright at the Women's Conference in Long Beach, pretty awesome and inspiring!!!!
Heck Yes Masters Swimg team, aka SOBA (south bay swim club)!!! We're technically gearing up for regionals in December...yea Taylore and I are pretty much the next Micheal Phelps!

Touring the caves on Tom Sawyer island in Disneyland....true Disneyland EXPERTS!

Yea...I almost got stuck, funny how the caves shrink as you grow older ;)

Thanks to Taylore's awesome picture taking skills we were able to capture one of the most beautiful sights in southern California...DISNEYLAND!

I'm Back.....

2008-11-05T21:58:00.000-08:00

Alright it has been a very long time. Too long, I have been busy with work, friends, family and have unfortunately neglected my blog and my fans.....who hopefully have not abandoned this blog. Several things have inspired me to return which include the following: 1) I am bad at emailing and I kind of think of this as a mass email to all my friends at once..horray 2) Its a great place to vent, if you haven't noticed already, I love airports....read blog 2 from Feburary 3) Finally its fun to write. Anyways I would like to begin with the most recent and pressing issue, the election. Let me first preface this with that these are my views and I do not expect everyone to agree with them. Please feel free to comment and share how you feel, however with that being said, HORRAY FOR OBAMA!!!! Even though I voted in the last election, there was something different about this election, there is so much at stake, the next President will have not only 2 wars but a failing economy as well. I woke up yesterday morning with a sense of urgency and excitement, there was nothing that could have kept me from making my voice heard. I waited in line for nearly an hour and it was well worth it. The people have spoke and they have spoken well, I can not even begin to describe how happy I am that Obama won, he brings the country hope and change which is exactly what we need. Unfortunately I cannot say that I was happy with how all of the California propositions turned out. For the most part a lot of great things went through, a high speed train, more humane treatment of animals and not limits on abortion, however what surprised me and shocked me the most was the approval of Prop 8, the ban on gay marriage. I will begin with that I am horrified that in this day and age discrimination is not only present but being voted in as a constitutional amendment. Shame on you California and all of those who put their religious view ahead of equality, it is absolutely wrong and shameful. Perhaps its because of my age or where I live but prior to Tuesday I was almost certain that prop 8 would get voted down, everyone I talked to agreed it was wrong and there was a sense of urgency to vote it down. However, election day came and went and me and my peers watched in horror as the numbers went the other way. What was initially shock has over the past 24 hours turned into anger. Even though I am straight and this law will not prohibit or limit any my civil rights, it pains my heart and conscience that my fellow Californians are so narrow minded. Here is what I do not understand, how does gay marriage adversely affect anyone? Sure, I understand if you are religious and your beliefs dictate that marriage is only between a man and a woman, however if that belief is rooted on linked to the church then we already know that is must be separate from government, i.e separation of church and state. Everyone has a right to practice and believe whatever religion they choose to follow however that does not mean that you have the right to enforce those beliefs on others which is exactly what prop 8 does. A lot of the arguments for the pro 8 camp sited children, "protect children", I would like to ask protect them from what? 1) I do not recall ever being taught about marriage in school ...EVER so I dont buy that without prop 8 all students would have to be taught about any kind of marriage 2) Would it really be a bad thing if children were taught in school to be TOLERANT? which is clearly what our society today is lacking. I cannot believe that California has voted to take away rights from a group of people, it is wrong, absolutely wrong. To some of my peers and fellow citizens I would like to pose one question, since the pro 8 camp made this about kids I would like to turn it around, lets make it personal, what if someday your kids or sister, brother, uncle, aunt comes to you and explains that they are gay, would you be able to look them in the eye and tell them I dont think you deserve the same rights as me? I think one of the problems with this prop is that everyone that voted for it removed themselves from it somehow, like since it didn't directly affect them it was easier for them to pass judgement and impose their beliefs, there was no consequence for the supporters, if they lost they did not loose any rights, if they won they got to take a precious right away from a group of people unrelated to them. The opponents of prop 8 unfortunately had everything to loose from this prop. I think the most common misconception was that most voters did not understand that this prop did not just define marriage as "between a man and a woman" but it also stripped rights from gay couples, rights that any commited couple should be able to enjoy which includes but is not limited to, right to share property, hospital visitation rights, fiscal rights in terms of pensions, health benefits (insurance) etc the list goes on. Can you imagine if we had a prop to take away the right for religious groups to marry? Or maybe just catholics or just presbyterians, I mean we have already passed judgment on one class and group of people why stop there? I know this is a long blog but its is something I am passionate about, not just prop 8, equal rights, I believe that everyone, every US citizen should have the same and equal rights, no discrimination. Hopefully this prop will be turned down/over ruled by the Supreme court, I pray that it does.

Enough with politics I have put my ideas out there and anyone that knows me probably already knows how I feel about this. Aside from being crazy busy with work I have joined a swim team that forces me out of bed way too early and am taking Italian which keeps me out at night way too late ;) However, I love them both, swimming is awesome and makes me miss my high school days with the Hox summer rec team. When my coach asked me how long it had been since I last swam I winced when I realized it had been....gasp.....6 years! (I'm getting old) As for Italian, Mi chiamo Amanda e ho sonno ( my name is amanda and I am tired..), hopefully this class will help with the Italy trip that Adam and I are planning for spring 2010, woo hoo. If any of you have any recommendations please let me know, I have a growing list of places to see and things to do but I could always use more. Anyways its getting late and I think this is pretty good for a come back blog, a little political ....ok a lot political, sorry, its out there and now I feel better, as for updates, expect more to come with pictures and who knows maybe a video or two. To all my friends near and far I miss you all and know that I can't wait until I see you again soon. Good night!

P.S.....50 days until Christmas!

Superbowl 2008!!

2008-02-02T14:28:00.000-08:00

Hello hello from Arizona!! Sorry for the delay in my posting but since the last post I have moved, been robbed and traveled to the great state of Arizona where I am now. First things first....the robbery. Last week, on the eve of my big move, Caitlin and I went to a movie as a last Danville horrah, being the trusting person that I am, I stupidly left my car unlocked in my parents driveway. I had not packed up the car yet, however my ipod, digital camera, fm transmitter, my dads old dell laptop and all my lab notebooks from all my summers at the lab were left in the car (I had cleaned out my desk at the lab a few days prior). You would think that leaving your car in your driveway would be maybe one of the safe places where you can leave your car unlocked.....WRONG! The next morning when I woke up to load my car for the drive to southern california I noticed that not only was everything missing but there was residual dirt all over the center console where the vile thieves not only took my things but dirtied up my car. Now let me say that if you have never been robbed you cannot possibly understand how much it sucks to have something that is yours taken from you so for those of you who are fortunate enough to never have encountered this, I will give you an idea of what I went through. A rush of different emotions plagued me for the first couple of hours, the first being anger, then sad that I didnt have my music to run with anymore etc but perhaps what bothered me the most is that all of my lab notebooks which are practically worthless to anyone else, are now gone and there is no way that I can ever replace them. I honestly think that if you rob someone you are one of the most vile kinds of people there are. On the drive down I thought of all the different scenerios that could have played out if I had caught the robbers in the act, some involved me and chasing them with a shovel, another me getting in the car and chasing them and bringing them to justice, all of which are pretty un realistic but still its nice to think that I maybe could of prevented it or stopped it (i.e always lock your car no matter what!!) Since the robbery life in so cal has been very nice, I"m still awaiting all of my things to be delivered on Monday but I'm in no rush to have to deal with the unpacking part of this move. On thursday morning me, adam kate and some of adam's friends from work drove to Phoenix for the superbowl parties which started thursday night and go through tonight (saturday). Through some weird connection through my dad we were able to get all of the tickets for free (this has officially bumped him up the coolness scale lol) So far we have seen Paris Hilton, 50 cent, Wyclef, Ludichris (sp??), Kendra from the girls next door, dennis rodman and tonight we are going to see Velvet Revolver perform, which I'm very excited about. More to come tomorrow when I update my blog again, but for now, miss you all and please come visit me in so cal!!!!!

2008-01-25T11:10:00.000-08:00

Hello world and happy friday!! I am currently having the best move experience of my life! Due to insurance reasons I am NOT allowed to pack or assist in packing so while city moving company boxes and bubble wraps my dishes I am enjoying this rainy friday morning relaxing. Ok its not to say that I didn't have a lot of organizing and cleaning to do prior to this beautiful morning, basically everything I own is in piles and all is left to do is put them in boxes with tissue. I would also like to add that I tried to help several times but was politely told to "relax" lol. Apparently if the company does not package everything then if anything breaks along the way is not covered so everything that I already packed and wrapped from my dorm room is also being re-done. Anyways I send my thanks to Boeing for all the relocation help I can't even imagine how I would get all my furniture and clothes to Long Beach in one piece and in a timely fashion if it was left to me. Aside from packing I am getting ready to say goodbye to Danville :( Ok really I'm not that sad to leave Danville however I am sad to leave friends and family. Last night as I was cleaning up my room I realized that this was the last time that I will consider this "my room" and Danville as "home" from now on I"ll be ......the visitor. Very weird. I know its only a matter of time before my room is turned into some sort of guestroom or as my mom keeps threatening....a nursery, I keep gently reminding her that shes got about a decade until she needs to do that kind of remodeling. So recently in my down time I've been thinking of my top ten things that I will miss about good old east bay Danville as well as the top ten things I'm looking forward to with the upcoming move, basically best of both worlds so here goes:

Things I will miss about Danville/Nor Cal
10) Napa, Tahoe, we have it all!
9) Cable Cars....coolest moving national landmark
8) the use of the word "hella" ...ok not really but I appreciate people that can pull it off :)
7) Berkeley...more specifially The Cheese Board, if you haven't had it, it will change your life
6) Danville Bars....purely for comic relief
5) My cats, even though they both hate me...never be the one to take your cat to the vet
4) Actually having two seasons: summer and Fog (so cal only has one)
3) The Oakland A's
2) San Francisco: all time favorite city
1) Of course family and friends ....mainly my moms cooking and baked goods ;)

Things to look forward to in So Cal:

10) Warm weather 24/7
9) Living near the beach
8) San Diego: second favorite city
7) new place = amanda can finally get a pet!!!!
6) learning how to surf?!?!?
5) more In N OUT (sorry nor cal there are more in so cal)
4) ISLANDS.....when you come to visit me you'll get to try it, great burgers
3) one word: DISNEYLAND
2) Disneyland season pass
1) being closer to friends and family.... :)

Please feel free to add and edit the list if you think that I've forgotten something I think anyone reading this is already included in my number 1 reason why I'll miss the bay area, of course you are all welcome to come visit me and anytime you're in the so cal area please look me up, I just got a sofa this week that has a pull out bed so I'm ready to open Hotel Simens as soon as you book a trip ;)
Below I have uploaded a video of a flock of birds that I watched about a week ago when I was waiting to get on the bay bridge, these birds continued to circle in this crazy fashion from the time that I got in line for the bridge and they were still doing this circle business when I finally got on the bridge 20 minutes later. What I suspect happened is that the lead bird was drunk and obviously got lost trying to get home and the other hundred just decided to follow. Watch for the little black specks in the movie its not obvious at first but after a couple of seconds they become very defined. Funny how this reminds me of LA traffic, a lot of people in one place going no where . Well thats all I got for now, enjoy!!!!

Thoughts on Airports and more......

2008-01-22T22:37:00.000-08:00

Hello World!! Welcome to my blog :) This is my very first blog ever so I can pretty much guarantee all kinds of spelling mistakes so let me apologize ahead of time. Anyways theres been a lot going on recently, I graduated in December, got a job and am currently trying to pack and organize everything that I've accumulated over the past 23 years. Note to self: I need to work on my pack rat tendencies, the English binder that I saved from high school has proved to be not only a waste of space but a house for a family of spiders. This Friday, a moving van is coming to pack me up and relocate me to ...gasp SO CAL! Yes after being an advocate for nor cal for so many years I have finally crossed over to the dark side! I am now a resident of Long Beach California, and even though I will always leave my heart in San Francisco I can't deny that I am very excited to be moving to so cal. Even though I will be working in El Segundo (near LA) I am glad that I will be living out of the city, hopefully the traffic will be kind to me and the commute won't be too bad (fingers crossed) The pictures are of my apartment the top picture is a view from the living room window and the bottom picture is everything but the bedroom, I love company so please come visit me!!!
So aside from getting ready to move this past weekend I ran in the Carlsbad half marathon with Adam and Kristin and Ned (we all rocked it set new course records....) Anyways on Friday I flew down and en route I encountered several annoying things at the airport that I felt warranted my attention. First of all, what airport god gave the security people the power to be obnoxious and rude? You see them at every airport, its the security clearance that you have to go through to get to your gate, they typically are pissed off ( it's a requirement to when applying to be airport security.... are you inherently pissy, ok you may screen peoples bags) and not only are these security guards pissed off they feel that it is absolutely necessary to embarrass and harass travelers. As you approach them, don't make eye contact that might inflame the pissyness and you will immediately find yourself in secondary screening and in danger of missing your flight. Anyways back to Friday night, it was the changing of the guard, a new security personal was eager to exert his/her power ( I couldn't tell if it was a he or a she.....bad haircut) and unfortunately the person ahead of me made a grave mistake. It was a young couple and apparently they were holding each others tickets....an honest mistake right? Wrong, before they could even apologize the he/she makes an "annoucement", " ladies and gentlemen please do not hold your husbands or wives tickets YOU WILL ONLY SLOW THIS PROCESS DOWN," the smug he/she then shakes its head and signals the next victim to give it it's ticket. Now I consider myself lucky that I was not harassed on this occasion but is it absolutely necessary for airport security guards to be jerks? I have to many stories to recount now but I've never run into a nice and friendly security person. Case in point, traveling from college the security jerk examined my ID and then commented " Gee honey you've lost some weight," not ok, but if I say anything pertaining to her weight I just might find myself in airport contempt, if you ask me these people hold way to much power and they abuse it all too often. Alright enough about airport security, the next thing that I can't stand about flying is the arm rests in the plane. Yes its when you have the dreaded middle seat, the two armrests on either side of you also belong to mr.window seat and ms. aisle. Unfortunately on Friday I was in the middle seat.... And like always the person to my left and right completely engulfed both armrests. Now I am not unreasonable I think that two people can comfortably share a single armrest however I find that every time I am stuck in the middle seat it is a silent war with the two people next to me. It starts out casual, their elbow might just slightly touch my arm but then as the flight goes on it slowly pushes my arm a little more until its obvious that someone needs to move, and yes I'm weak ...I give in. Hence why I checked in early on my return flight on sunday so that I had a window seat and the power to bully the middle seat...muhaha. Yes its a viscous cycle but these two things annoy me the most when it comes to flying, let me know if you've encountered any of these or if you completely disagree, who knows maybe I've only had the misfortune of running into the dark side of the airport ( last plug for my blog I promise). P.s I dedicate this entry to Ashley from Ash in the City, she inspired me to start a blog and I am very excited to share my upcoming so cal adventures with friends,family and the world!!

Horray I have a blog!

2008-01-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Amanda's Blog!! ....more to come soon