Happiest Place on Earth?

Orange County - duh! Where else can you live that you can say "gee, I think I'll go to Disneyland tonight"?

It's been a great weekend. Mr10yt was out of town again so I had to keep busy. And busy I kept!

Aside from the regular cleaning, taxes, and errands, I got to hang out with my friend A. We've made a pact to hit the gym 2x a weekend, which we did. We also had a pleasant lunch at home and she nested while I painted 1.25 walls in my guestroom. :-/

A invited me to go House of Blues for dinner followed by DISNEYLAND where she gets free admission!!! I've never been to HOB and have also never been to the Happiest Place on Earth when there were no lines for Space Mountain (I'm hoarse now), Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, and Small World. *sigh* Thank you A for taking us there!

All of this, combined with Cheetos and orange soda, makes for an excellent weekend in my book.

HOB in Dowtown Disney

Dog, meet Pony.

I really like my job. For the most part, I really enjoy my coworkers, and that includes the boss. I consider myself fortunate in this way. I love the clients and the relationship I develop with a number of them. It's touching to get invited to personal parties they have and to receive new client referrals from them, it's the highest compliment to our work.

Along with my job comes having to dog and pony every now and then. Downside is that, well, it's a dog and pony show and it can be tiring knowing that everything you say and do, and even how you look, is being scrutinized. Upside are the great free meals I get to have! 4 dog and pony shows in a week, starting tomorrow. Breaks up the monotony of Banquet and Lean Cuisine meals for lunch, that's for sure.

Balboa Bay Club - Newport Beach, CA
I've only had breakfast here so I'm excited to see the lunch menu.


Pacific Club - Newport Beach, CA.
I've had lunch and dinner here, and it's a popular venue for evening receptions in my field. The food has always been extremely tasty.


Big Canyon Country Club - Newport Beach, CA.
Been here twice. The staff was very polite and attentive.


Finally - my favorite of the four: Pleasant Peasant - Newport Beach, CA.
It's a country bistro with French flair. I love their gazpacho and the salmon with cream sauce. I think I'll try something different tomorrow and order the French onion soup and Wellington.


I get to feel fancy! Wish me luck that I don't forget my manners during my lunch escapades!

I'm kind of proud of this, so I'll share: 2 of our 4 hosts have asked that I do a speaking segment during the talk that my boss gives to the hosts' important clients (on estate taxes and minimizing exposure and liability, etc.). I've done this before but not in front of crowds this big. My 2 segments will be on Qualified Personal Residence Trusts and Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts. Wooot! Party time on Opposite Day!

Orange County Restaurant Week - here I come!

I am so excited! Orange County Restaurant Week is Feb 22-Feb 28 and I have 3 restaurants planned already! I would like to add at least one other place for lunch, but we'll see if I can muster up a proper date to go with me.

Can't wait! Here's what is already slated:

First - Savannah Chop House, Laguna Niguel, CA

STARTERS
choose one

Onion Rings

Butternut Squash Soup

Wedge of Iceberg
Blue Cheese Dressing, Tomato, Onions

Chicken Spring Rolls
Mustard and Sweet Chili Sauce

ENTRÈE
choose one


Smoked Prime Rib
Creamed Corn, vegetables, au jus, Horseradish Sauce

Pan Seared Seabass
Spinach, Mashed Potatoes, Whole Grain Mustard Sauce

‘Voodoo Steak’
Blackened Top Sirloin, Voodoo Sauce, Jalapeno Cheddar Potatoes, Green Beans

Pork Chop
Mac & Cheese, Green Beans and Cabernet Truffle Sauce

DESSERT
choose one

Tahitian Vanilla Bean Crème Brulée

Chocolate Soufflé Cake
Chocolate Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream

New York Style Cheesecake
Fresh Strawberries

Next - Stone Hill Tavern at the Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point, CA
(do you see what I see? Root beer float!!!)

STARTER
choose one

HEARTS OF ROMAINE
PARMESAN, CROUTONS, CAESER DRESSING

SPOT PRAWNS
BUTTERNUT SQUASH CRÊPE, COCONUT-CURRY BROTH

BIG EYE TUNA
CARPACCIO, FINGERLING POTATO CHIPS, KALAMATA OLIVES

SECOND
choose one

JIDORI CHICKEN
MAC N’ CHEESE, BROCCOLI, ONION JUS

TASMANIAN OCEAN TROUT
CAULIFLOWER PURÉE, MUSCAT GRAPE, CAPER RELISH

PRIME BEEF SHORT RIB
YUKON POTATO, GLAZED MIREPOIX, WORCESTERSHIRE

DESSERT
choose one

FUJI APPLE CRISP PARFAIT
CALVADOS SABAYON, GINGER ICE CREAM, APPLE CHIP

ROOT BEER FLOAT
SASSAFRAS ICE CREAM, WARM CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

And finally - Taking it back to the old school with my Team Green Partner MBOC at McCormick & Schmick, Irvine, CA
(sorry, it won't let me share the menu, but I promise MBOC will take pictures to share)

Color me stalker....

But this post is for the sole purpose of creating a list of food recipes that I WILL try to make in the month of February. They are all from Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations. If you haven't seen her blog, you must check it out. Once I give ALL of the recipes a go, I'll blog my results.

Grilled Ciabatta Bread Salad


Macaroni and Cheese


Grilled Salad Skewers


Scalloped Potatoes


Tortilla Pinwheels - I plan on bringing this to a Yorba Linda shindig on 2/21!!


Now I want to eat my blanket.

My simple life

It's been a simple week for me. Mr10yt was out of town for work again. It gets lonely, but thank goodness I have my two dogs, Sophie and Caleb, to keep me company. The good thing about Mr10yt being out of town is that my best friend lets me dogsit her dogs so that I have extra protection since Soph and Caleb are wimps. Max and Mia are super good guard dogs. They come over when Mr10yt is gone and stay with me until he gets back.


OC Nesties had a gtg on Sunday, January 24th - potluck and books! Friends, eats, and reads are one of my favorite combinations. WeezerMonkey did a great recap here with a lot of photos! Too bad my camera isn't as nice as hers otherwise I would have posted my pics too.
Everyone was such a good houseguest and it was so nice to see everyone again. I love my girls.
Lowlight of the party - some of our nesties were sorely missed. Highlight of the party - no one got shanked.


To keep myself busy when Mr10yt is out of town, I've been...cleaning! I've made it a point to declutter and get organized for 2009. That is my goal this year - to get my house and head in order. I'm on my way!

Closet before:


And closet after (with about 75% less stuff - I swear I have no clothes anymore):


Next projects:
- paint guestroom
- clean out guestroom closet

Thanks for reading!

When the cat is away, the mice do paint

And so it begins. Mr.10yt is out of town again and I found myself home from brunch with nothing to do. I decided to get a can of paint and finally do the walls in the powder room. The faux-textured blue paint in there has been an eyesore to me for almost 3 years. Good riddance!
After 2 hours or so of painting, I'm done!

Before:


And after. Still need to finish the little parts on the cabinet and find a picture to put above the throne. Home Depot's Behr paint in Benjamin Moore's color Pismo Dunes. Apparently HD has the formula for this color and it was a perfect match. I don't care what people say, Behr is A-OK with me. I used 1 coat and it covered fine and was easy to apply.

This machine is out of order

I always tell myself I'll post at least once per month. FAIL! November came and went. And I am so multiple-personalitied that it takes a lot for me to remember what is going on in my life long enough to write about it, but I'll try.

- Election - I have hope. I have some hope that sooner rather than later, the hearts of the American people and the intelligent and seemingly good and honest nature of our President Elect will bring this country to a happy place again. I have to say that the older I get, the more my views change, and I am proud to say that I have friends that are smart and devoted enough to certain issues that have shown me the light where my once narrow-minded political views kept me ignorant. I know that there is still a lot left to be done, but I have faith that in time, what is right will prevail.

- Knitting. Another "hobby" that came and went. Stupid casting off concept ruined it for me. It was that or the ~$150 or so that this short-lived hobby cost me.

- Crocheting. See above.

- Clementine. Poor Clementine. She sits in the garage crying for companionship with a pricetag that mocks me every time I pass her. Whatever.

- Running. I lost steam after the Long Beach race and never rallied my mojo back up. Soon enough. After all, I signed up for a February race. I'll get that surfboard medal if it kills me!

- Exercise. What? Who cares! I have a bad attitude about exercise right now. At least I walk at lunch 3-4x a week. Give me a straw hat and hot pink Keds and I've fast forwarded my life by 30 years. Oh well.

- Budgeting. My latest obsession. Stupid obsession. I've been eating pork rib/corn/mashed potato Banquet meals more than I care to admit, but for $.89, it fits nicely into my budget. What I have realized though is that I spend entirely too much on eating out at places that are not even that great at all. As a penalty, I've budgeted myself to eating out at lunch 1x max per week for the month of December. I am doing great so far. Granted, I'm only 4 days in, but it's the thought that counts. Lesson: alcohol in water bottle smuggled into restaurants and movie theaters Is.Your.Best.Friend.

- Business. I'm a bidness woman! I opened up my shitty little half.com bookstore that has generated $70ish dollars in income! I have also signed up to do a focus group that will give me $150 extra for the holidays. Wahoo.

- Reading. Jen Lancaster. Love. Thousand Splendid Suns. Oh yeah. Marley and Me. TBD but love it so far.

- Twilight. The long awaited movie premiere (sp?) didn't disappoint! I don't care what people say, seeing Rob Pattinson on the big screen is more than I could have asked for in the movie. Love.

- Thanksgiving. I love my family. I was having mixed emotions this year, but I have to remember to be grateful for my blessings right now. My health and the love and health of my family, foremost, the love of my friends, and to be gainfully employed doing a job that I love. I should not ask for more. Yet I do. But I shouldn't. I love my life for what it is. And for what it isn't, I just won't dwell on that because it's just not worth it.

Nicotine withdrawals blow. Blow.So.Hard.

Bad news is - side effects from quitting smoking can be really hard. Like right now. I'm sitting here with my 3rd mojito (big no-no) and I want to ride my friggin bike to the liquor store to buy a pack of smokes. What's stopping me is that, quite frankly, I think I'd eat dirt real bad because it's late and because I'm not fit to drive or ride right now.

Good news is - I have been quit for 1 Week, 2 Days, 12 hours, 46 minutes and 19 seconds (9 days). I have saved $33.35 by not smoking 133 cigarettes. I have saved 11 hours and 5 minutes of my life. My Quit Date: 10/5/2008 11:30 AM....(I love this widget I downloaded that calculates all this information for me whenever I type ctrl+F12)

So yes, for the 3rd or 4th time in my life, I am trying to quit smoking. My last attempt lasted about 3 weeks, and the one before that lasted about 6 months(ish). I know now that one smoke leads to more, and that I can't lie to myself that just one smoke will end at that one smoke.

I make myself sick right now. Seriously, I want to go to the store to buy a pack. I'll report bac in the morning and let you know if I made it through the night.

**PS - I didn't even lead into this post, but yes, this is 10yt, a "runner". What a joke. And yes, I've smoked all through my running training. Yeah, I seriously disgust myself right now. Please wish me luck on this, I need it. I know what sets me off from past experience, I just pray that this time I can withstand the temptations that have sent me back to smoking before. Blegh. Bah!!! I hate this. I feel like an addict. But then again, I guess I am, or, I was. Same thing.

I need to change my name...

...to 12yearstogether because today, September 21, 2008, it has officially been 12 years with Mr10yt. Yay! When you get marriaged does it mean that you start ignoring your old anniversary? Maybe, but this day is special because it's also Mommy and Daddy10yt's 35th Wedding Anniversary today! Wahooo!

Anyhow, it's been a...wild and interesting ride these past 12 years, and I wouldn't have done anything differently because if I had, we might not be where we are today. That makes everything worth it.

A few pictures I'll share of us over the years.

1996: Mark was in the USMC and I was working at Charlotte Russe. Silly kids.


1999: We were big into working out together this year. We each thought we were hotter than the other. Heh.


2001: We had the flu together. Even when I was sick, back then I did my eyebrows and put on makeup to take picture. Moted.


2003: Starting to grow up right around here. Mark was working his first real "career" job and I was about to graduate and get my very own career as well.


2004: Feeling like grown ups now, dressing like it too.


2005: Don't stop believin...


2006: He finally gave in.


2007: Settled. Satisfied. Happy.


2008: Best it's ever been, at least so far!


Thanks for reading. =)

**For my EC lovers** Hommona hummunaahhhh

I just had to have a place where I could get a whole lotta goodness at one time. If you have other pictures that I've left out, PAHleeez email them to me and I will add them.

Rawwwwwr!!!!

Baby???? What the fffffff.....

Why did I do this? I went to www.makemebabies.com from a link that my girlfriend found. Apparently you can fuse you and your partner's pictures together to see what your hypothetical baby would look like. Results were...wow.

Here are the results. Boy or girl? Who knows. I can't tell. No further commentary necessary for these:

The Joy of Soy...

I bought Yves brand "Meatless Ground" from Trader Joe's to see how it would taste as a ground beef substitute for my spaghetti. Not bad but not totally great. It definitely doesn't have that "beefy meaty" taste I used to love and that I, quite honestly, miss. The good thing is that since it's made from soy, it has 0 cholesterol.

It LOOKS like ground beef at least.


I planned on making it for my dinner tonight and was pretty excited until I came home from the gym only to walk into a house that smelled like bbq chicken wings. It really hurt my feelings because I just love wings. So I was pretty bitter as I cooked my spaghetti.

Oh well. The spaghetti (pic is not mine) was pretty good and I'd make it again for one of those quick go-to meals. The sauce is Ragu because I'm lazy and classy like that. Shut it.

If you aren't a foodie or aren't very picky about food, check it out!

I'm ready to ride! New stuff yay!

Soooo....I said goodbye to Penny after a spill that scared the beegeezus out of me. She was too fast and I am too clumsy and inexperienced to handle a bike that fancy. I was fortunate enough that the LBS (local bike shop) where I got Penny took her back even though this was outside of their policy. I HIGHLY recommend checking out Two Wheels One Planet in Lake Forest. Jeff was really nice and spent a lot of time fitting me for the right bike.

I now introduce Clementine, in technical terms she's a Trek 7.5 fx WSD. She is halfway between a true hybrid and a roadbike in weight so thankfully a tad slower and heavier but the carbon fork makes for a smooth ride. She has the flat handlebars that give me the security I've been wanting. I love her already!


I also ordered a bike pannier so I can ride to the grocery store every now and then and pick up a few things without having to use my car. Team Green!


So that I don't hit runners and people know when I'm coming from behind, I got a turtle squeaky horn.


And since it will get cold shortly, I got cycling leg warmers.


I'm ready to ride!

Oh PS Mom don't worry, I got a helmet and also my gloves like you said so my hands don't freckle from the sun!