Looking for opinions...

Hey All! I know it's been awhile since I last posted, and I do have posts that should be up but are currently without pictures so I've been waiting/procrastinating... you decide:) Today I am questioning the true intentions of people and am looking for opinions.

I'm going to change the names of the people in this story as to not harm anyone I care about (no it's not me &/or Brett!)... and so the story goes...

Michael & Mindy are a couple who have known each other for about a year. They met on a dating website, decided to fill the 2,000+ mile gap and meet for a two week visit. Two weeks turned into 8 months. Christmas rolled around, everything seemed to be going exactly as planned, so Michael proposed to Mindy! She said yes, how exciting!

A little background...

Michael works long, hard hours from late spring to late fall. In the winter he works regular hours. He's never been married, has no kids. Just a bachelor with a couple of dogs.

Mindy was married briefly, has a 3 year old little girl & is currently taking online classes to obtain a degree. She moved thousands of miles to make the relationship work.

Together they have been raising the child. They've had to move recently, in less than desirable weather conditions. They are not a wealthy couple as he is the only working adult while she attends school. They've had typical fights that those in relationships do.

So back to the proposal. It was less than romantic, but it was sincere. She said yes, as I said before, but did not wear the ring that Christmas day. She called her mother, decided to wear the ring but appeared less than enthused. The next few days were quiet. She seemed depressed and he was unsure why. When he finally asked, she proceeded to tell him that the ring was not what she expected. She wanted a square diamond, at least one karat and did not want to be proposed to on Christmas day.

So my question is: Is the ring that important? Does the ring make the relationship? Thoughts & comments would be much appreciated.

PS They are no longer engaged a few days later.

Longest Vacation Ever!

I know I've been neglecting my blog for a few months now, but I am worn out! My last blog talked about me being homesick ... well I've gotten my fix of home this fall! Brett & I headed back to Iowa in the beginning of October to go to my cousin Brett's wedding. We had such a great time! It happened to be freezing when we were home, but it seems I bring that weather with me every time. We flew into Des Moines on Friday, went to the wedding Saturday (which really was a blast! & beautiful!), then my cousin Trisha & her husband and daughter came to visit Sunday. We had a bon fire & roasted marshmallows/s'mores. YUMMY! And then because it's Iowa, we woke up to snow the next morning. And thus began my 8 week cold/flu/sore throat....Monday I had to ship Brett back to LAX (he generally stays in the Midwest for shorter visits than I as he gets very bored;)) and from there he headed to Miami to do comedy, opening up for DeRay Davis!! I stayed in good 'ole Belmond to visit with multiple family & friends. Then back to LA & back to work. Which by the way, I've acclimated to ICU and really do enjoy it for the most part. It's been very challenging and it really is a different kind of nursing, but I'm surviving.

At the end of October we got horrible news that Brett's Grandmother, and spiritual Rock, had passed away. While we are sad that she's no longer here with us, it gave us both a sense of peace because we know now that she is where she always said she was going! Back to the Midwest, to Kansas.

We had already planned & purchased tickets back home over Thanksgiving, so a few weeks later we were Midwest bound yet again! I went to Topeka first to spend a few days with Brett's mom, while Brett was doing comedy in Pittsburgh (again opening up for DeRay Davis!).

I had a blast with Brett's mom, she is so full of energy! We went out in Kansas City both nights, the first night to a Jazz Club, The Phoenix and the second night at Kansas City's new Power & Light District. After a few days I packed it up and headed up to Belmond to spend time with my family, picking up Brett at the Des Moines airport.

I was so excited to be home on/around a holiday so that I could see everyone again. The night before Thanksgiving the Corner Bar (pretty much the only one in Belmond, or the only one that matters) is usually packed. We headed up there at 8pm to get a table and chat it up with Rachael. I came to the realization that it's really not that fun to go out to the bar the night before a holiday for a few reasons. (1) Being hungover on T-giving really blows (2) No one ever changes in a small town, it was the same old drunks doing the same depressing sh*t. But we did get to see a lot of my family & help my oldest brother celebrate his 40th birthday.

Next stop, back to Topeka for a couple of days so Brett could see his mom. We watched the KU/Mizzu game at the Yacht Club in Lawrence and then proceeded to bar hop. The next day we went to The Blind Side (sooooooo good!). Unfortunately Brett had to stay at his brother's house because he's just so allergic to his mom's dog. He's avoided dogs for so long now that it's just horrible! Poor guy...

After a few days we packed it up again and went to Hutchinson to visit his dad. On the way we saw a billboard advertising Oz Winery, so we of course had to make a pit stop to see what it was all about

! There wine was much different than California wine, tasted like grape juice. I laughed really hard when the wine pourer was telling us how frustrated she gets when people 'just chug it and don't even really taste it.' I have a small suggestion: don't serve the wine in tiny plastic shot glasses!! Haha!

We eventually made it to Steve's new house & we had a blast hanging out with him! We also got to see Brett's "nieces." We went to Lyric's first 7th grade basketball game. She was doing amazing and by halftime already had 12 points, 4 rebounds & 4 assists. At the beginning of the second half, she stole the ball and was running up for a layup when a girl from the other team pushed her causing her to break her wrist. She was devastated. The girl was born to play ball! So the next day we took her & her younger sister to see The Christmas Carol with Jim Carey. Um, Hi. This movie is a little on the scary side for kids! Geesh!

After visiting with many family members & friends we got aboard our flight back to LA. We had a great time, but it was not a vacation! Let me tell you, every day was packed with meeting up with different people. There was no R&R. We decided that while it was fun, that was our first & last 2 week trip to the Midwest.

i just don't know what it is about this time of year, but i sure get homesick! i think it's my never-ending obsession with fall. last year i headed home at this time for a week and loved every minute of it! this year we're headed back in october for my cousin's wedding. i.can't.wait.

last year i wanted out of this rat race because it was blazing hot... until october. this year it really hasn't been too bad. maybe it's because brett's friend from kansas city called yesterday and we found out he is (1) getting married (2) has a baby on the way (3) just bought a FOUR BEDROOM HOUSE for $200,000. that's right, what can that buy me in LA? i can get this two bedroom/two bath, with no pictures offered and nice & close to the metro. ew. wasn't some guy all drugged out recently killed by the metro? yep he was.

so while brett's on the phone i, of course, start looking at houses back in kc. and found this lovely home, owned by former royal's player mike sweeney. so i show brett & he's like, 'ok lets's do this. let's go back.' he's so indecisive, it kills me. of course he's going to say let's move back. we just signed a year lease... again. so i told him, great we're living in a more affordable place we can save up for a down payment! i really don't even know why i get my hopes up...

although brett did tell me last night, if i propose to him, he will go with me anywhere i want. i'm going to be ring shopping all weekend! what kind of diamond do you think a boy deserves?

i survived!

where did this summer go?! we have been so freakin' busy! remember i entered the critical care program the last week in april, i'm now proud to say i am an ICU nurse. alive & kickin'! on top of that stress, we've had multiple visitors this summer... not that that is stressful, but it kind of is. first, my friend rachael came out for a weekend, while our friend ray stayed with us for a month... once he moved out, my mom came to visit, then we moved, then brett was supposed to go to temecula, then his family came (dad, brother & sister). and now i'm officially tired.

while my mom was here we went hiking in Griffith park to overlook the beautiful smoggy views of LA, Hollywood & the valley. we went to santa monica and laid out on the beach, ate way too much, completed a puzzle that i'd been working on for 5 months & started to move some small items to our new place. oh yeah, and we went to Catalina Island... where i dropped my camera in the ocean, hence no photos. did i mention it was brand new? i retrieved it & took it back to Costco and they thankfully refunded my money.

then brett & i moved... over a week of 100+ degree temps. sure it was only one block, but have you ever moved a refrigerator, bed, couch, and a million other things in 100+ temps? i looked homeless piling all my random shit into shopping carts and moving it one block. classy!

you can imagine how wonderful our attitudes must have been, then brett got shit on my the comedy club at pechanga in temecula. he had performed in march & at that time booked a week in august. we had a great time, couples massages, free dinners, free golf... well, brett called to confirm his week and the booker had double booked the week, the other comic was part of a group of four so brett got the boot. more frustration! our attitudes took a turn for the worse and then his family came to town! awesome.

actually, i love brett's family, they are always up for an adventure. i had to work the first three nights... i'm glad, there was all kinds of male bonding and the drinking of faces off. in fact i don't think his dad or brother moved at all on tuesday. wednesday morning when i got off work i was raring to go! i woke up steve & matt and hauled them up to Griffith to hike. we hiked for an hour and a half to the top of the mountain! it was fun! thursday night, brett's sister melissa flew in to town and we immediately smashed into my car and headed up to the central coast of california, aka paradise. we stayed at the fogcatcher inn in cambria that *very short* night. we got in around 0230 and were up and out by 11. the hotel was beautiful, pricey, but beautiful. & i got a $50 off between october & february which i fully intend to use. the next morning it was steve's 60th bday. matt & i went and bought him a little chocolate rum cake, candle and all (we couldn't fit sixty candles on the little guy), then we headed up towards big sur and stopped right outside of ragged point at a hiking trail called salmon creek. brett, matt & i had all been there before but we had never hiked like this before! we climbed to the top of the waterfall, jumping from rock to rock, balancing on fallen trees, holding on to roots for dear life and amazingly we all survived! we then headed back down the coast to cayucas to set up camp for the night in a hotel a little too pet friendly for my liking! off to paso for some wine tasting & i'm happy to report that the general consensus is that everyone really loved Dark Star, our favorite winery & the only one we're members of. we were feeling a bit tipsy so we filled up on some Cool Hand Luke's and headed back to the coast. melissa & i were asleep by ten! the next morning we went over to Hearst Castle for the experience tour. I just love going there, it never gets old, WR Hearst was an interesting man. we slowly headed back towards LA, stopping in morro bay, avila, pismo & buellton. in buellton we did a beer tasting at Firestone, YUMMY! that night we stayed in and had a family fun night with some trivial pursuit 90s edition. and then steve & matt flew out the next morning.

melissa stayed until the next morning, so i took her up to Griffith then we went to a movie (funny people... not so funny) & dinner at pf changs. we came home and played some monopoly with brett, i'll pretend i won but really the game just got too long. shocking!

we had a wonderful week, with the exception of returning melissa to the airport. we decided to take brett's car to LAX. if anyone knows the LA freeway system, you know that getting onto the 405 sucks. traffic was slowing to a stop, as usual... when CRUNCH! we got rear-ended BIG TIME! a really nice man stopped traffic so we could pull off the freeway to the right, thankfully the girl who hit us followed. luckily i am pretty calm in stressful situations and was able to get all necessary information from the girl. we waited for CHP because after all we've been through, you can bet your ass i won't be leaving without a police report! we somehow managed to make it to LAX in time for melissa to catch her flight. i think both of us girls have a case of whiplash, but for the most part all involved were unharmed. including the weird old man who we hit, that sustained no damage but continued to hang around all concerned...

not to brag, but i'm one smart/responsible chica and brett's full coverage auto insurance got him a cute little nissan sentra rental until his car gets fixed. i've officially decided california teens are out to get brett!

and now it's back to work i go! brett & i were cast for an Extenze commercial that we are shooting in a couple of hours! yeah that's a male enhancement drug! bahahahhaha!

i love la! ... at times...

so i was really hoping that rachael would have been able to stay a bit longer, because after she headed back home we had some really "LA" things to do. i guess it's been a couple of weeks now, but we watched the lakers/magic game number 2 down at LA live. we finally met some of our neighbors that aren't raisins and they invited us down there. brett was still feeling pretty crummy but we've turned them down multiple times and i mentioned to brett that they aren't going to want to hang out with us if we keep standing them up! so anyway... LA live. it's a pretty awesome new part of downtown, across the street from the (home) game! it was freakin' crazy! we had to park in a ghetto lot a few blocks away where if was $5 v. the $35 it would be in the parking structure... we ended up meeting our new friends at the yardhouse. the line to get into the door to get your name on the list, was 30 minutes, then another 2+ hour wait to get seated. i'm sorry but you have to be a special kind of moron to think people are at the yardhouse for dinner! get a life because you're not getting a seat. luckily andrew, tyler & their gang arrived for pregame and had seats waiting for us. still, the server of our table had to come outside to get us and verify with the bouncer that we did, indeed, have seats available. did i mention it was insane?! but totally awesome! 

on the way back home we got rear-ended on the freeway. awesome. no damage. the chick didn't even stop, just shook her finger at me. i in turn shook one of my fingers at her. i know, i'm gansta.

so after we recovered, monday night i headed to the dances with films festival that my friend sam's movie was in. it was pretty cool, i'd never been to a film festival before & to see my friend on a big screen was just incredible. i already had a private screening of the movie, but it really amazed me how much different it is when the film is (a) on the big screen and (b) played in front of an unknowing audience. so yay for sam & really going after her dreams!! i'm excited to see what will come next. 

then tuesday night brett, ray (our guy on the couch for the next month or so) & i headed over to hollywood to candortv to watch a live taping. clearly brett had been there since he did tape last month (ps he's on www.hulu.com), but this was new for ray & i. it was an open bar. yup i said it! wines, good beers, scotch & some weird herbal drink thing. it was really fun! the comics were great & there was a good turn out. it's guest list only so it's really a pretty intimate crowd. we opted to stay in the overflow room near the open bar of course, but still a great experience. 

ray informed us around 930ish that 'this is the drunkest i've ever been on scotch for $4!' and then we sent him out to the car to take a nap. except he thought he was going to throw up so he's better idea was to lay under the trunk of the car. guy on the couch v. homeless... you decide. he eventually got back into the car & in a span of 20-30 minutes called brett's phone 12 times. & mine, which was in the trunk of the car so i'm really not sure why he couldn't hear it ringing. so i went to the car to sit with him, as i'm talking on brett's phone to a friend, ray beeps in. i reject it. two minutes later he beeps in again, i turn to him in the backseat and say, 'dumbass! i'm on brett's phone, what do you want?!' ... 'just to let him know i'm in the car.' bahahhaha! gotta love the open bar my friends. 

i'm sure you're wondering when/if i actually work... ever. yeah i do & therefore it took me two weeks to make this post and nothing else exciting has happened since.  except... samantha's film won BEST FILM at the festival!!!!

exhausted from the weekend!

My longtime friend from childhood, Rachael, came to visit this weekend! Yay for Allegiant airlines & their cheap ass, nonstop flights from Des Moines to LAX! She landed on Thursday night at around 10:30ish (after baggage claim...) and we headed back to Burbank to begin the festivities. First stop, my apartment to pick up Brett. We walked over to a complete dive, karaoke bar that I'm a big fan of... DIMPLES. Home to the 'Real Johnny Blaze.' Don't even ask! It's just a hilarious bar, I'll post some photos later when I steal them from Rachael's facebook.

Friday we were supposed to get up early and hike at Griffith Park, but when we woke up it was raining. What the hell? I know she brought it with her from Iowa, since when does it rain in LA? Ugh... so we headed to the grocery store to pick up some breakfast foods. After breakfast the rain had stopped but it was still pretty cloudy. I suggested we go to Santa Monica because who doesn't want to see the beach? It was actually NICER at the beach than in the valley, weird. It was sunny & warm! We walked down the pier, rode the Ferris wheel and then rented a couple of bikes. We took off towards Venice Beach because she was told she would be killed if she didn't go. She, like me, finds it a bit odd. Freak show, indeed. We saw an old wrinkled boobie, some really big boobies, homeless & a man standing outside of the 'doctor's office' yelling, "Medical Marijuana!" because that needs advertising! Duh!

Back to Santa Monica where we had a quick drink and discovered my amazing tan lines that Rach was convinced was dirt! (Again, pictures to follow...) We had to head back to the valley to pick up Brett. He had a callback Friday afternoon so while he did that we drove around Hollywood (not knowing how long it would take him). An hour later we picked him up & headed to PF Changs for some dinner. Then we walked around Hollywood for awhile, down the Walk of Fame and did some sightseeing. 

That night we headed to our friends place, Jay & Sonia to visit them and their adorable baby Derek. We only stayed for a short time and then went to have cocktails with some friends at a house party. I think we finally called it a night around 1:30am. 

The next morning we were up bright and early again because we had to go to Six Flags for a friend's going away party. It was a lot of standing in lines, but the roller coasters were so fun! I think the Flash Pass is probably a good investment though. I felt really bad for Brett the whole time, I think he pushed himself a little too far. He rode the first ride with us, Goliath (one of his favs) and seriously blacked out for a few seconds and then came to. From then on he became Grandpa Brett and just held our jackets & purses while everyone else rode the rides.  It does say on every ride, DO NOT RIDE IF YOU'VE HAD A RECENT SURGERY. DO NOT RIDE IF YOU HAVE ANY NECK/BACK DISKS THAT AREN'T ALIGNED. oops! So he had a lot of alone time, but did amazingly well with his anxiety/hate for crowds. I don't know if it was the massive amounts of trees around the park causing his allergies to go haywire or if he is coming down with a cold, but the poor guys sneezed about 400 times.

We decided to call it quits and headed back to Burbank, grabbed some Chipotle to go and headed home. We were exhausted! I'm pretty sure we all could have gone to bed at that point but instead we decided to go see the Hangover. It was, of course, sold out. So we walked across the street to another theater and bought tickets an hour & a half in advance. While we waited we got a drink or two and then saw the funniest movie of all times. If you haven't seen the hangover, I highly recommend it. Wear a diaper! Seriously.

Sunday morning I woke Rachael up & gave her three options: (1) continue to sleep (2) go to the beach & lay out (3) go hike in Griffith. We decided to go for a hike. It's so amazingly quiet up there, you almost forget you're in LA until you look down! We hiked for about an hour. I made cinnamon rolls while she showered and packed. Then it was off to the airport!

A very quick, adventure packed, exhausting weekend! But very fun, nonetheless! Can't wait for the next visit. 

I think next on the list is Brett's mom, then mine, then his dad, brother, sister & her boyfriend, and then my friend Erica. And then I go home for my cousin's wedding (which I'm really hoping Brett can go to). I'm tired just thinking about it! Oh and at some point I'd like to move again, I think we have a little more space than we need....

Brett's Entertainment Debut...

Hey Everyone! Today is an exciting day, (one of) Brett's video clips just got posted on www.candortv.com (coming soon to hulu.com)!!! Please go check it out, click on 'Comedy Videos' & he's the main page! There will be more clips coming soon so keep your eyes open! Hopefully this will be the jump off he needed to begin his career! Let the blessings flow!!! 

If you like the video (which I know you will) please spread the word! & thank you all for the continued support!

ever hear that saying...

what comes around goes around? remember that little post i made a few days ago? well, here it is to bite me in my ass!

yesterday i'm laying in bed trying to get some rest before i head off for a long night of work. around 3:30p my phone rings, unrecognized number. i'm really bad at answering my phone anyway, but when i don't recognize the number i almost always ignore it. this drives brett mad, but i do it anyway. so i just close my eyes and my phone rings again, same number. hmmm... this time a voicemail. 

now it's my ex-boyfriend from OVER 7 YEARS AGO! um yeah, he said *in the message* 'i tried to look up your number online but couldn't find you, but i did find your brother so i called him and talked to him for awhile. i got your number... blah blah blah. i'm not married, are you married? maybe we can reconnect & be friends. i miss you baby.' WTF!

i immediately make brett listen to it as i laugh hysterically, bad idea because now brett is questioning my judgement based on past decisions. next order of business, start calling my brothers. cory first because he has a different last name making me think he is not the source. negative. clint... left a message on his cell phone, he returned with another message a few hours later which made me laugh really hard, but also a negative. so chad, huh? the only brother with a land line. the oldest, wisest brother? i have yet to call him & harass him. 

because now this ex of mine has called me a total of 4 times and sent an ebonics text message in the last 24 hours. help me jesus. i do not want to have to change my phone number. i'm going to have to do what brett did and text him and tell him to 'back off dude! it's ova!'

ew. how did this happen? why are BOTH of our exes of MULTIPLE YEARS ago trying to contact us within one week of each other? my mom says we should introduce them:) haha! 

so for future reference, which i already believe is the common courtesy... ask me before you hand out my number!!!!! 

ps my brother just got my cell phone number last week and he's already passing it on! 

on a lighter note...

i've gotten terrible at taking my camera with me lately, i guess that means i need to get a new one so i'm excited about it. but... i wanted to share my wonderful weekend & birthday, even without real pictures.

last weekend was beautiful out here in sunny socal. it was even more wonderful because i had the entire weekend off. brett & i discussed going out of town for the weekend but ended up staying here. saturday afternoon we went for a hike in griffith park, up above all the smog. it was so nice, i realized i'm way too out of shape to be alive, but it was still fun! until i saw the signs to 'look out for rattlesnakes and mountain lions.' luckily we didn't run into any of those guys. as we were driving out of the park, brett saw these people trying to coax a 'dog' to come near them, you know those tree huggin' hippies have to save their animals. um yeah, it was a coyote! we turned around to warn them so they wouldn't get attacked. once we got there we found the coyote, thankfully he didn't feel threatened and eventually ran off. yikes!so then we came home and caught park of the celtics game and were supposed to head to laverne to watch the fight that night with my coworkers. until i found out that laverne is an hour & a half away from burbank. so slight change of plans, i decided we should walk to a local irish pub, timmy nolan's. and a walkin' we went, in heels and the bar is a bit further than i'd remembered. i swear four miles round trip.

sunday.... my ass hurt really bad! but i survived it & brett and i went biking/rollerblading. it was just nice to be outside and active. tuesday, my bday/cinco de mayo, we headed over to santa monica. we rented a tandem bike and rode down to venice beach. we saw denise richards taping her reality show. she was standing on the curb of the bike trail with her camera crew, after we passed we decided we should have yelled, 'it's complicated!' and bitch slapped her! haha! after the bike ride we rode the ferris wheel on the pier. it was so romantical. i love my boyfriend times one million infinity. after basking in the sun we headed back to burbank to drink a few margaritas. sadly i was in bed by 9:30 that night! i had to get up really early the next morning for more ekg classes to prepare for the intensive care unit.
i wish i had non-generic pictures to post, i will work on it!

truly pathetic

i know i'm not very good at consistently blogging, but that's because i don't always have a ton of excitement in my life. i'm in a loving, committed relationship = boring. i am a nurse & work full time = boring. i don't have any children = boring. my point is, it takes something in the news or in real life to get under my skin to motivate me to blog. so this week....

sunday night i was pretty tired and headed to bed quite early, brett decided to head over to our friends place to hang out with friends, play pool, etc. suddenly at 0130am he gets a text from an unrecognized number. turns out it was his ex-girlfriend. as in FROM SIX(+) YEARS AGO! & here's the conversation:

pathetic white trash dirty redneck whore (PWTDRW): miss you
brett: who is this
PWTDRW: really?
brett: really. new phone.
PWTDRW: steph
brett: i can't talk.
PWTDRW: why?
brett: please don't try to contact me ever. i'm happy. i hope that you are too. please. thanks.

did i mention its been SIX(+) years?! what a friggin' idiot! so brett decides to tell me this on monday night, because we're very open & honest and don't keep things from each other. he thought i was upset about it and then got all angry and said, "you know what, i'm just not going to tell you when shit like this happens. i'm such an idiot, why do i give you ammo?" the thing is i wasn't mad, i was a little upset that she somehow has his phone number.

i don't think i shared back in december about how he performed a comedy show in his hometown. she & her entire family came to the show and sat in the front row. (oh yeah, i was at work in california at this time). and they all bought a crapload of his merchandise. i'm guessing brett either gave her brother his number, or business card (which is also how he remembers it). PWTDRW was really drunk that night and tried to come onto MY boyfriend, told him about her children & failed marriage blah blah blah. she gave brett her phone number that night which brett's brother happily tore into multiple pieces and sprinkled into the garbage can.

so while it is on my mind a few days later, it's mostly because i can't stop laughing at her pathetic ass! get over it. move on. your relationship ended long ago.

BUT i am a woman, so of course i wonder about things. it's only natural... so i logged onto our shared cell phone account, grabbed her number since i knew the time of the messages, tagged the number 'dirty whore' and went through our old bill cycles since december. she's never contacted him before & i already knew he wouldn't contact her. so why now? why four months later? i just can't stop shaking my head!

movin' on up

over the last week i've made a pretty big decision that is going to effect me for the rest of time. i saw a sign posted at work that there was a new cohort entering the icu may 14th. i have been thinking about critical care for awhile now & getting tired of med/surge. while i'm terrified of the intensive care unit, i knew that it was the next step for me. so after work the other morning i told my nurse manager that i was thinking of going. she gave me an amazing recommendation and boosted my confidence, i interviewed the next week and 4 days later i was working my first shift! i didn't realize that the transition would be that fast so i am kind of feeling like i abandoned my old unit.
while the transition was quick, the months to follow will not be. i now have to take 3 1/2 months of classes and precepting, and then i have to pass my test! this last week i started the ekg class, 3 more days of that. on top of classroom learning, there are online lessons and tests, and then advanced cardiac life support, followed by more classes. wow. i'm not really overwhelmed yet because the classroom is intertwined with actually being on the floor.
the first night on the floor was really interesting and the second night we had a different patient so i was able to learn quite a bit. there are so many machines and cords and drains... just a lot of obstacles to get to the patient. i think i made a good decision. i wanted to get icu experience before/if i go back to get my masters.
it's going to be stressful but completely worth it! forgive me if i'm absent for awhile and don't respond to my voicemails as quickly!

i'm inspired

http://www.mattlogelin.com

thank you oprah, for making this story more well known. & thank you matt for allowing us into your world, you are doing an amazing job!

created for brett, by chayna, with love of course

ok, so i asked brett what topic to dive into today... octomom? because she hasn't had enough publicity... michael phelps? because he's such a little devil for smoking the pot... where michael jordan's son is going to school? because who really cares... how crappy michigan state did against unc? because that's just sad...

so he suggested i work out my frustrations with him via my blog. great idea! especially on our FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY! 

recently, on my days off i have tried to get up a decent time so that i could (a) see more sunshine (b) spend more time with my loving boyfriend (c) be more productive. yesterday i woke up early and had planned to take brett to a local park that we'd never been to. i wanted to be all romantical and hold hands, take in the nature, sit on a park bench and talk about our future. not about our careers, not about money, not about anything really specific. just non-forced blabbering about how much we love each other and why we want to spend forever, together. awh, cute, right? wrong! 

brett woke up in a crappy mood at 3PM. i had asked him at about 1PM to wake up sometime soon, and filled him in briefly on my plan. he didn't say no, he just said he wanted a couple more hours. ok fine. so at 4ish we head over to this beautiful park. the sun was starting to set, there were people everywhere, the breeze was perfect but brett's mood was far from.

i tried holding his hand on the way over to the walking path, he resisted. he brought up money and how he needs to make some soon. i suggested he set up a show near the end of april when he already has a show in santa maria. he says he doesn't really want to do that paying show. i asked him if he called to cancel. he said, it's a 5 minute thing. i'm not calling them. so i say, brett it's common courtesy to call them and let them know you're not planning on doing it. they'll need to find a replacement. he BLOWS UP. he already knew that and why am i talking to him like a mom?! 

excuse me? you just said you weren't going to call them. and then he continues to tell me how stupid i am and how i need to talk to him the right way. i'm embarrassed because we're in public, oh and i don't deserve that bullshit. so i tell him to shut up and walk either in front of, or behind me or just go to the car. i'm going to try to enjoy some of this park and i will talk to him when we get to the car. i knew this was a bad idea, because brett always looses his shiznit when i walk away from him, but i did it anyway because i was pissed off. 

we probably spent 20 minutes at this park. the entire trip was horrible. we screamed at each other the whole way home. i dropped him off and left. we eventually resolved our spat and were able to have a semi-romantic night. 

so the point of this is, are other men like this? i mean how do you wake up cussing? i just don't understand it. he lets his dreams effect his real life. he lets women who mean nothing to him on oprah piss him off when catches a tiny segment. he thinks all people are worthless, disgusting, skin sacks of shit. but it's not like this everyday. no some days he really likes people. some days he's in a great mood. sometimes he's romantic without even trying. sometimes he's willing to help me around the house. there are days when he doesn't want to leave the house. there are days when he cant wait to leave the house. there are days when he wants to hang out in the outdoors being active. there are days (like yesterday) when the last thing he wants to do is be in the sun or be active. 

is he bipolar doctor? 

he has a million qualities i love about him. yesterday we finally did talk about the actual reason we are together. we love each other, plain & simple. we're not together because we have to be, we're together because we want to be. he is one of the most intelligent people i've met. he can make me laugh when i'm happy, sad or mad. i can turn to him whenever i need to be lifted up. he actually does have a sensitive side, he doesn't like to show it, but i know it exists because i get to see it. i think he'll be an incredible father. his patience grows & grows. 

i know i'm not perfect and we frustrate the hell out of each other, but at the

end of the day, it's his hand i want to hold. it's his stinky breath i want to wake up to. everyday. forever & ever.

The End of Cancun

The rest of the trip was pretty relaxing, the way I pictured it! Sunday we really did nothing! We slept in finally and then just hung out and took advantage of the all-inclusive. I made dinner reservations at the Mexican restaurant, which was actually pretty good. It's sad that I don't really remember what we did. 

Monday morning I woke up early to pack our luggage, when I looked out the window I noticed something strange & beautiful. NO WIND! I was so excited, I showered and packed even faster. I told Brett, it's not windy! People are out on the ocean!!! He rolled over and went back to sleep. As I was showering I was pretty disappointed, but I knew he was hurting from the sunburn and we probably overdid it with the walking and him being status-post injury. And just then, he popped his head in and said, "What do you want to do?" So we went down to the beach and got a kayak and away we went. I really wanted to parasail but we just didn't have time, and Brett really wanted to do the waverunners but they were all rented. So we settled for kayaking, but it was beautiful and perfect and everything I wished the whole vacation had been! And it was over, in a New York minute!

Saturday at Xcaret!

Saturday morning we were up bright & early in order to catch our bus to Xcaret at 7:15 am. Hands down this day made our vacation! I would highly recommend visiting Xcaret next time you are in Mexico! It's an eco park and it really just is an amazing blend of nature, history, beauty & fun!Once we got to the park, Brett & I immediately headed to the underground river to do some snorkeling. It was so much fun! There were so many beautiful fish, I'd post pictures but we're not very good underwater  photographers! After the river, I think we walked about 100 miles around the park for the rest of the day. We were trying to avoid the shows during the day because we had tickets for the Espectacular show that evening.

 We did watch one show with these 

men that 'flew' from 30 meters above ground, they are sun worshippers. One of the men had to be close to 80, it was crazy!

We were able to snorkel in this little inlet, but not out in the ocean as it was... that's right, too windy to do anything! I really wanted to go Sea Trekking or Snuba but I shouldn't complain because the day was incredible! 

There were old Mayan Ruins amongst the park. It was similar to a 

zoo I guess to because there were a ton of animals. You could swim with the dolphins or sharks. I was in love with the sea turtles! I took about a millions pictures and videos!

I feel like I'm not doing Xcaret justice with my descriptions. It's just an amazing place that I think everyone should experience. 

We didn't get home until midnight! It was a long, exhausting day but so worth it!

Day 2 in Cancun

Day Two we spent a lot of time relaxing. Brett realized, "Hey I'm 30." So the Spring Break '09 quickly became a much needed R&R. I woke up at 6:30am and went down to the pool to reserve a couple of lounge chairs, then sat out on our balcony drinking coffee, reading my magazine and taking in the amazing views while Brett slept in until 8:30. We did the breakfast thing and then decided, despite Brett's horrible sunburn, to hang out at the pool, slathered in sunblock! I really wanted to utilize the swim up bar, but the pool water was freezing! It was so windy everyday, they had the red flags out and we couldn't really do any water activities... After a lot of coaxing, Brett got me into the pool to the bar. I intended to stay in the sun for only an hour, but we met a fun couple from Pennsylvania, Heidi & Eric. We ended up in the pool until 3pm, had a late lunch with them and then decided it was time for a siesta! 

KU played Michigan State that night and we were pissed because CBS doesn't exist in Mexico, but luckily ESPN2 covered it. I don't know why I said 'luckily,' I fell asleep and woke up to KU losing! Sadness... I could have just stayed in bed all night, but we had told our new friends that we'd meet them at Senor Frogs. So away we went..... 

Let me just say that when we have children, especially if they are girls, they WILL NOT be going to Cancun when they are 18! There were wet t-shirt contests, booty contests, drinking contests.... Aw Lawdy! And none of the contests have a winner so they make all of the contestants climb up a ladder and then push them down a water slide that winds through the bar and finally shoots you out into the ocean! WHAT?! 

On the way back to the hotel at 3am, we were starving and made the wrong decision to stop at Carl's Jr. There is a different kind of grease in Mexico, that's all I'm going to say! As we were walking to the bus stop, we saw about 400 Mexicans selling pizza off the back of their mopeds! Hilarious! We passed the bus stop and went to our 'sister hotel' to check out their amenities and eventually got back to our hotel room. Just in time to climb into bed to wake up at 6:30am to head to Xcaret! 

we're baaaaaaaaaaack from Cancun!

Brett & I returned home from Cancun late Monday night. We had an absolute blast!!! I'm going to blog about the entire trip with pictures, but I haven't yet uploaded my photos yet... so here's part of the story...As most of you know, I decided to surprise Brett with a trip to Cancun for his 30th birthday. The poor boy had never been out of the country. Around Valentine's Day, I purchased the trip and then I had to try to keep it a secret for the next month.  Well, Mr. Birthday Boy comes home from work he says, "You could not pay me to go to Mexico right now!" I take a deep breath, "Why honey?" Drug cartels, danger, etc.... So I do some research and find that Cancun is the safest place in Mexico for tourists. A couple days pass and he says, "Seriously, you aren't planning a trip to Mexico for my bday right?" My response, "No, we can't afford that." ...shit... So anyway, after a few days of acting like a weirdo around

 the house I broke down and told him, he agreed to go and so the vacation begins on March 25th. 

I'm really glad we made our flight from LAX at 10:45am because I had also planned a surprise party for him the night before at Tokyo Delves. We had far too many sake bombs and my cell phone/alarm clock had never been set... oh and I left it in the car overnight so I would have never heard it anyway! But my brain woke me up at 6am and away we went...

Even in the AMERICAN airport, Brett had a sense of fear. It was pretty funny! So we fly into Cancun around 4:30pm Wednesday night. Our Hotel had transportation waiting for us. We get to the Riu Caribe and check in. The Hotel is full so they put us in the basement, with a view of a hill going up to the ocean. Um no. They told us they would move us the next morning after people checked out. Thank God! 

Brett gets great idea, "Spring Break '09 Bitches! Let's drink our faces off!" He proceeded to have a drinking contest with himself, let's just say he won. He told me he was going to 'stick to beer,' famous last words. They had a liquor dispenser in our room and we thought, 'It's gotta be watered down, right?' So Brett made himself a few drinks with 3/4 glass alcohol and a splash of nasty Mexican soda. Ew. 

We were strolling through the hotel when we found a 30+ party. Brett was mad because he was still 29 for two more days. But we crashed the party anyway, it was so lame. They were playing George Michael with a video projection screen. LAME! 

We headed to the sports bar and befriended George & Carla, a couple from Texas. After a few shots of nastiness, Brett was tanked! So he stumbled back to the room and passed out. I had already warned him that the next morning we had to wake up early (8:30am) to meet with the guy to plan our week, and we had to check out of our room by 10am so we could get into a better room. 

At that 8:30 meeting, Brett was a half a human. I made the decisions of what trips we would take. I tried to force him to eat breakfast, I think he choked down 4 pieces of potato before he excused himself to the restroom. As he was throwing up, his sunglasses fell into the toilet... he grabbed them and decided to wash them off. While he's cleaning the glasses they break, I think we all know that was God's way of telling Brett not to put those nasty glasses back on his face!

I headed down to the beach, Brett stumbled behind me like a lost, drunken puppy. I smeared sunblock all over his face and ears because I'm a good girlfriend but left if up to him to get the rest of his body. Well, he didn't, so after a few hours of sleeping in the sun I woke up my lobster. I told him to drink some water, handed him a half liter of water. He chugged 75% of it and immediately threw up, on the beach, next to the sand volleyball court. He puked three times on the way to the bathroom. I was worried, but I had to laugh because there were high school/college kids on spring break yelling "Yeah Man! Do it again! Drink more alcohol!" 

So you can probably imagine I'm having a great time at this point. I had decided to take the Jungle Tour that day so we had to eat lunch, this time Brett had a potato, and then we walked over to the tour place. We got to drive these two person speedboat things all around the Lagoon, following the tour guide. I drove the first half of the trip, then Brett started feeling a little bit better so he wanted to drive. He was doing well, but still had hangover mush brain. He was zig-zagging all over the place and going up on one side, trying to scare me. I told him to stop and he said, "Chayna, it's a boat. You can't mess up a boat!" Less than three minutes later, we were quite a ways behind the instructor so I told him to hurry to try to catch up. Well, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line right? The tour guide had been making big 'S' curves, we darted straight across the lagoon at full speed to catch him... until we hit a sandbar. Yup, we were in 6" deep water, we broke the propeller off the boat and we're stuck. In the middle of the lagoon. Alone. 

I was laughing hysterically, but felt really stupid and was nervous we'd have to pay for the boat. The guy tried to fix if for 20 minutes and finally we're like, "Dude, there is no propeller. Can we just go back?" He was so nice about it, he told me "Don't tell my boss!" I said, "No, you don't tell your boss! I don't want to pay for this shit!" Agreed.  

Brett & I are such assholes that we had ONE DOLLAR to tip the man. 

But, I kind of think he messed with us a little bit so maybe that's all he deserved. He took us to this remote area of the lagoon, made us all park & tie up our boats (yes I thought we were about to become hostages!) and made us stand on the bow of the boats. He said, "Look down into this big hole in the lagoon. It's fresh water. You can swim in there. I will." We all passed on swimming so he told us to at least put on these goggles and look into the 'Fresh Water.' I am not kidding, I think it was Cancun's sewer system! I promise I saw feces and chunks of toilet paper floating up occasionally. Fresh water my ass! But of course, Brett looked in. And is now wondering why his face is breaking out! Hahahaha!

We went to bed around 8PM that night. 

i should blog already

i guess it's been long enough since my last post! i need to be more consistent with my blogging! i have a hundred thousand things to talk about from octomom to michael phelps and his pot smoking to brett's career & mine and our upcoming vacation! since i can't get it all in one post, i'm just going to recap the last week.

brett & i just got back this afternoon from the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California. he was hosting a comedy show there from wednesday to saturday. let me just say it was so nice to be back on the road! we had a two hour road trip down there and the first show started a couple hours after we arrived. the hotel room was amazing! and the staff was so helpful! stupid me, i brought my camera but failed to take any pictures. 

so since brett seriously had to work about 15 minutes a day, we were free to do whatever we wanted. the first day we took some much needed r&r. the second day was, by far, my favorite! we went to the spa and did the couples massage, which included a bottle of champaign and chocolate covered strawberries! and we each got facials. it was so relaxing. so after getting pampered and being relaxed we decided to go golfing... dumb! i think brett pulled some muscles and i completely sucked so i'm pretty sure i quit after 7 holes and proceeded to drink my beer.

the next day we had a late lunch with the comedy club manager and the other comics at Scarcellas. it was delicious! and i think i'm still full.  i swear i gained 10 pounds in the last few days and now i have to turn around and squeeze into a swimsuit for cancun! yikes!

oh and ps brett killed it! he dominated the show, it was pretty obvious. pay attention to www.brettriley.com in the next few days and we should have some new footage up there!

rainy day blues

i know i really shouldn't complain about the so cal weather, but i'm completely frozen! well not as frozen as my fellow family members in iowa, but i am cold. my toes are like ice cubes which is forcing me to take off my super cute slippers and instead where thermal socks made for hunting! i don't want to get out of my warm bed and my weighted blankets! i'm drinking coffee by the pot and craving hot, hot soup! 

& did i mention the rain?! brett and i do not enjoy driving in california rain! even though i've only lived in cali for three years, i've also forgotten how to drive in the elements. it's scary! me no likey.

on a more positive note: brett & i got to escape the cement jungle last week and headed up to paso for one night only. he had a show in san miguel at the Ranch. it was amazing! completely sold out show and he got a great tape. he was very proud of himself for not mentioning the wreck ONCE in an HOUR! so i've been busy working on making copies of the DVD and finding a great 7 minute clip to send out to all the agencies. so when he gets off work today we have a date to go to the genius bar over at the apple store since i'm not a movie maker! 

after the apple store we have to watch KU dominate in the border war:) i love college basketball! then we're off to barney's in pasadena for a comedy show. but i'm thinking we better have a rock band party tonight. our band, angry BM, really needs to practice. we have a reputation to uphold;) 

just another day... just another day

today i experienced something new! not exciting, just weird. i applied for a larger life insurance policy at work, because of brett's accident, i've learned how fragile life is and don't want to think about my family struggling if some moron in a mustang takes my life. so anyway, they send a person to your house to take your blood pressure, draw your blood, weigh you, measure you and finally, get a urine sample. 

it all started when this little asian man calls early this morning. brett answered and basically he just reminded him that he would be at our apartment around 4pm, and to tell me to fast. not hard considering i worked the night before and my daily routine is to sleep. when i woke

 up this afternoon brett was gone and had forgotten to tell me to fast, but water was ok. so i was parched, but whatev. 

anyway, the guy gets here at around 4:15. he'd already been instructed to dial '011' at the intercom box and i would buzz him in. instead, my phone rings from some one's cell. 

conversation: 

me: "hello?"

him: "hello CHayna? i'm outside and i can't get in. it says no dial tone under your name."

me: "you just need to dial 011 and i'll buzz you in."

him: "no, it says no dial tone."

me: "fine... i'll come let you in."

i walk down to the front door and he's trying to climb inside the intercom system. i swear. i was like, dial 011. and he did. and it said "dialing!" i said, 'see.'

then we proceeded to walk to my apartment where he called me CHayna about six times in 10 seconds. 

boring boring boring... and then...

while getting my blood drawn at my dining room table is weird, it was the urine sample that left an imprint in my head. he hands me this plastic specimen cup which i am oh so familiar with, and two plastic vials that i am not so familiar with. so he instructs me what to do. i enter the bathroom (no, brett, he didn't follow me in there to watch) and proceed to squeeze out the little bit of urine i'm able to make all over my hand, and some in the cup. ew. and i put it in the vials, blah blah blah. washed my hands really well and hand

ed it back to him. he wasn't wearing gloves. gross. i'm sure i spilled piss on those vials. that and they were filled with piss. am i the only one who finds this disturbing? 

that's the only eventful thing that happened today. 

on the eve of inauguration, which i am really excited for. good-bye bush! happy mlk day! & finally, a quote from a KU student, 'barack chalk jayhawk! ku!" 

*i tried uploading an image here but it's way too slow... 

** and yes i wanted you to think this blog was a little gross. a little quirky. a little chayna:)

making changes in the new year

this week i had my blood drawn at work just because i was curious. i hadn't had my bloodwork done for over a year and i found out i have HIGH cholesterol! what the hell? i'm not even 300 pounds yet! this means i'm so friggin inactive that my arteries are actually filling with plaque. gross. therefore my resolution is to get my ass out of my bed and become more active! my bed isn't even that comfortable, yet i spend 65% of my time in it. pathetic. 

in other news, i'm learning to embrace california. i mean i have to. today was 80ish degrees and sunny, brett & i went on a walk, it was beautiful. back home, it was 20* ("a warmer day" - according to mom) and windy. snow was blowing, people were staying in. so i guess during the winter months, i adore california! & i've been trying to be more positive and nice to people i come into contact with. 

i've decided if we do stay out here, i'm either going to enter the intensive care unit and/or get my masters. i'm not really sure what i want to get my masters in... with nursing you can go a lot of different directions. but either way my hospital will pay for it, so why not? it's all about personal growth and challenging myself. i have to keep pushing myself and brett & i have to continue to push each other. a lot of our friends think we bicker a lot, but it's just how we challenge one another. this way we won't loose our minds when we're old people. it's proven. start sudoko if you don't want to "fight" with your loved ones! :) 

i'm even trying to make new friends. brett is the social half of the two of us and i usually just make friends through him. but monday night he had a comedy show and the waitress was cute & friendly so after the show i started talking to her. i got her number and plan to call her to hang out... and then brett makes fun of me, making it seem like i was hitting on her. he's such a shit. and hindering my growth, i'm gonna punch him in the balls one of these days. 

well it's saturday night and i'm off to clean the apartment. oh joy!

i'm already so drained in 2009. i still have this friggin' head cold! go away cold! GO AWAY! i'm trying to be patient with you, i'm sleeping way more than any human ever should just to ignore you! what do you want from me?! i have snot pouring out of my nose like a faucet. ew. and now i'm coughing like i just quit smoking after fifty-eight years. GET OUTTA MY LIFE ALREADY!

in other news... brett & i went on a date last night. to the movies. slumdog millionaire is probably the best movie i've seen in a looooong time. go see it. the writing is just amazing. two thumbs way up!

so brett & i had agreed to not discuss this move that may or may not be in sight in a certain amount of months. but clearly it's on his mind because that seems to be all he wants to talk about. he wants to point out all the shitty things the midwest has to offer. which makes me ignore him. i know before xmas i was adamant, "i am moving to KC this summer, take it or leave it." but, as the supportive girlfriend i am, i am trying to make the best of '09. the best of LA. the best for brett's career. he's really been keeping busy with auditions and shows since we've been back. i truly believe this year is his year. i will stand up tall beside him and support him 100%. but i don't want to talk about the move/moving etc. i want to live in the now. i don't want to be caged into a 9 month deal, then 8 months, then 7 and live in fear of the unthinkable. what is the point of bringing that kind of stress upon yourself?

is 2009 making you all feel refreshed at all? i watched oprah all week last week and now i can have the best life. best diet. best finances. best sex. i really do want to attempt to have the best year ever. with this recession i'm trying to figure out a way to not have any debt at all, although most of my debt is 'good debt' as in student loans. but how the hell can anyone save up a 20% down payment on a house that's $300,000. or even less. 20% is a lot. a lot. a lot. do i really sacrifice everything fun in my life? every social outlet? where else can i trim the fat?! 

oh yeah and i almost forgot... when we were back home for christmas i had to send packages back via UPS because our gifts wouldn't fit on the plane, comfortably. so i packaged it all in one box, put bubble wrap around the one and only breakable, filled all the extra room with Styrofoam peanuts and scribbled, neatly, FRAGILE about 400 times all over the box. and that one and only breakable, broke. don't you think if only women worked at UPS these things wouldn't happen? grrr.... now i have to buy myself a new 'gift'. wth?

the first week of a new year

oh my lord am i still feeling jet lagged! i've been back for almost a week but, as you may have read, i spent NYE at work. and every other day since i've been back but one. ick. i literally spent the entire day of monday in bed. sleeping on and off. the entire day. and now it's tuesday and i feel sick. how can that be possible? i'm definitely rested! 

so today is another day of running errands and paying bills. aren't days off lovely? brett & i have been to the grocery store already, now he's getting his hair cut and then he's off to his first audition of the new year. then to costco and then hopefully a little fun! 

i think this year will be very exciting for brettro & myself. he's got an audition today, another one tomorrow and i just heard him talking to his agent about another one!! last night he killed it at the hollywood improv, too! he's back ladies & gentleman. no more victim of a car wreck, just a superstar waiting to be born!

i hope you all had very happy holidays and have a more exciting life than myself!!! 

2009 will be fine

2008 and has been a year of ups & downs for brett and i. in the end, we are still here, together, going strong with a song in our hearts & smiles on our faces. 

we planned for 2008 to be the 'best year yet,' but it quickly turned to nearly the last year. the year in review...

* i rang in the new year at work, raced home, woke up brett. toasted to a fresh start with mimosas and then headed to bed.

* in january we started our monthly voyage to paso robles for brett's comedy shows. 

* brett hired a good friend, ian, as a manager.

* brett did a sweet valentine's ecard as cupid. 

* brett was stressed, so we headed to vegas for the Superbowl. i slept through the entire game, but we still had a fabulous time!

* march brought my college roommate & amazing friend, erica to visit.

* brett turned 29.

* i followed him with my 25th birthday that we celebrated at six flags. i love roller coasters! 

* in may, brett's younger sister graduated from college. as a gift, we flew her out to experience LA before officially becoming a grown up. 

* brett got an agent! 

* my mom followed melissa's visit in mid june where we nearly burned our skin off laying at the beach/poolside. 

* brett & i made our first tv appearance on Judge Joe Brown. & won.

* we moved from our tiny box of an apartment into our monster apartment in burbank, and purchased memory sacks... who knew we'd need them in a few short months.

* in august, brett's dad steve & brother matt came out to visit. there was a lot of karaoke. 

* in september, i made a quick trip home to visit with family & friends.

* when i returned, i nearly lost the love of my life in a tragic car accident.

* september is the month that my attitude turned sour towards LA. 

* brett's mom came to help out for a week after the accident. pretty much all of our family made it out here this year, planned or unplanned.

* the rest of september/november/december dragged by as brett relearned how to walk 2-3 times a week through physical therapy. 

* november brought a lot of change, hope. yes we can! here's to obama:)

* brett made it back to paso this month to prove to himself & our friends that hew as back! sort of. just very stiff, but still amazing. 

* and then again, he sang at the key club in hollywood.

* we celebrated the marriage of our friends, sonya & jay.

* we kissed our friends, kaitlyn & eric, goodbye and wished them good luck on their journey in nashville.

* in december we fixed the problem with the california dmv/burbank court. finally. sigh of relief! 

* we started hosting rock bank parties! maybe the highlight of the year.

* and finally, our amazing family flew us home for the holidays:)

unfortunately, 2009 has started off on the same foot. i worked NYE. i was hit, kicked, scratched and almost bit. i was threatened my life. but i picked brett up the next day from the airport and i know, everything will be fine. everything will work itself out. everything happens for a reason. 

we are not going to focus on the accident anymore, if/when a settlement comes it will turn into our nest egg. take a deep breathe and hold on tight, 2009 will surely be a year of changes!