Checking in

Sorry I've been slacking on the blogs. Got some fun things to talk about, but not enough time to do it. Dang holidays!

I promise that I will get back on the blog wagon...maybe this week. Most likely next week. My last day of work is this Friday (woo woo!!). Then I don't come back til the 11th of January. WOW!! What will I do with all my time?! We'll visit parents and in-laws, maybe a Vegas trip, lots of reading...maybe even some baking. Sounds fun, huh?!?!

When I have more time, I will tell you about our friends' engagement party we went to last weekend. So cute and so fun! Plus...an awesome video to go with it.

For now, I'll leave you with my favorite wedding picture. Awwww! :D

They're here...

Here are the videos that I've been slacking on posting.

The first video is Scratch attempting to walk on water. He's not successful! Although, later in the week he did try again and his top half made it to the other side of the pool..so I was fairly impressed.


This video is on our ride to Mystic Mountain. Our driver was serenading us with Bob Marley.



This next video is at Mystic Mountain...we had to ride the "Sky Explorer" (aka ski lift) up to the top of the mountain. Scratch was filming, while I was holding on to the safety bar for dear life.



The last 2 videos are of us zip lining. The first is Scratch filming me....I kept turning around, therefore zip lining backwards. So scary! The second is Scratch filming as he zip lined. Kinda shaky, but it's pretty close to what you actually see.





Have fun watching!

Catching Up

So, Scratch and I had a good long weekend. Wednesday I didn't have work. Yay! I took Bella to get groomed, ran a few errands, and went home to start baking. Finished 2 of 3 desserts than Scratch came home from work (sucka!) and we went to dinner.

Thursday morning I finished up the desserts and we went to my Uncle's house for dinner. It was fun to see the family, especially my cousin. I really need to get some pictures of her. She is too cute. After dinner we played a card game called nickels. My grandma likes it because the most you can lose is 95 cents. haha.

Friday Scratch and I went shopping. We got up at 7 am and hit Walmart, Office Max, and the mall. It was this day that I have 2 epiphanies.
#1 Going Black Friday shopping at 7 am is a lose-lose situation. Not only do I not get to sleep in, but 99% of the deals are gone already. Next year, I'll have 2 options (A) Wake up and go stand in line early-Sacrifice sleep with the promise to get the deals or (B) Sleep in and go at 11-12-Sacrifice deals with the promise to sleep in.
#2 Don't bring Joe if I go with #1A. He is such an inefficient Black Friday shopper. Let's just say he wanders. lol. I spent 10 minutes of good shopping time searching Walmart for him. The plan is to get in and get out...not wander the aisles. lol I know better now though.

Saturday Scratch and I tailgated with some friends, then went to the ASU v. UofA game. I won't talk about the game because that was disappointing, but I will talk about the interesting weather. I know what you're thinking..weather? interesting? Well, sorta...sorta evil. When we started tailgating it was a little chilly (light sweater weather one might say). The longer we were outside, the warmer it got. I eventually took off my sweater and changed out of my boots into flip flops...thinking "Man, I wish I would have worn capris". We get to the game and the weather turns on us. It gets really really windy and the sun gets covered by clouds. When halftime hit, I was sooo tempted to run and get my sweater. It was so cold. But that wasn't too convenient since we parked so far. By the end of the 3rd quarter it was raining. You might think I'm crazy for staying, but by then the game was getting good. The 4th quarter...well, at one point Scratch pointed to my arm and asked "What's that?"...it was a chunk of ice. It was hailing! Can you believe it!! At the end of the game, I didn't care who won or lost I just wanted the game to be over. (Crucify me if you want...you weren't there, if was flippin' freezin'!).

I eventually thawed out and Sunday was an extremely lazy day...caught up on reading, TiVo, and football. (Ok Scratch mostly did the football thing...I was in the other room napping :D).

I did a lot of checking off this weekend too.
-#11 Donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. My coworkers were growing mustaches in November to "change the face of men's health". They all look like pervs. haha
-#22 Started an auto-deposit into Scratch and my joint savings. It feels good to actually start saving again.
-#39 Went to the ASU game.
-#45 Watched 3 movies the weekend, several that we purchased on Black Friday and some we rented from Redbox: The Day the Earth Stood Still (not as bad as I thought it would be), The Goods; Live Hard, Sell Hard, and Angels and Demons.
and
-#72 Bought a breadmaker on Black Friday and didn't even have to wait in line. Thank you Amazon!

Phew....I'm just tired writing about all of those. :P

Thanksgiving Dessert #2

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies...mmmm.

Now these were good. I was pretty happy with how they turned out and my family loved them. This might become one of the Thanksgiving staples.

I made a double batch, so it got a little confusing doubling everything. I should have written them all down first. Then the recipe calls to put 2/3 of the brownie batter on the bottom of the pan. I don't think I put enough..and I think I put too much on the top. Oh well. Still really good.

I couldn't really taste the cheesecake, so I thought it tasted like "chocolate"ly pumpkin. However, my uncle could only really taste the cheesecake. Weird! :D


Makes 1 8"x8" pan

Ingredients:
Brownie Batter
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake Batter
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 - 2/3 cup pumpkin
1/3 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 tsp cinnamon
1/3 tsp ground ginger
1/3 tsp ground cloves

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8"x 8" square metal baking pan.
2. Brownie batter: Beat together melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Combine dry ingredients and gradually stir into butter mixture with a wooden spoon.
3. Cheesecake Batter: In a separate bowl, beat together cheesecake batter ingredients.
4. Spread about 2/3 of chocolate batter into prepared pan and spoon cheesecake batter over. Dollop remaining brownie batter over cheesecake batter. Swirl together by running a butter knife back and forth through the pan.
5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is set. ( I needed 50 minutes).
6. Cool on wire rack and chill before cutting and serving.

The last dessert...the Double Layer Pumpkin Pie was good, but didn't hold the form as I had hoped, aka pudding pie. I plan on working on this pie a little more and once it's perfected I will let you know.

Thanksgiving Dessert #1

I bet everyone is on the edge of their seats, thinking how did the Thanksgiving desserts turn out...well here is one.

Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pie
*Looks can be deceiving :)
So, I made a few mistakes...not gonna lie. It's not until I was typing out this recipe that I learned that I should have melted the chocolate (FYI it works if you don't too :D ), as well as folded the crust decoratively. No wonder it looks like it does. haha. I also overcooked it slightly.

That said...I have never had or made Pecan Pie. Scratch heated some up for me last night and I thought it was delicious. It may not look like much...and that was one reason I hadn't planned on showing the recipe...but it was pretty good. So here ya go!



Serves: 8
Active Time: 40 min
Start to Finish: 3 hrs (includes making crust)

Ingredients:
1 (3.5-4 oz) fine-quality 60%-70% cocao bittersweet chocolate bar, finely chopped. ---I used dark chocolate.
Pastry dough (recipe below)
2 cups pecan halves (7 oz), toasted (directions below)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup dark corn syrup
Accompaniment: lightly sweetened whipped cream

Pastry Dough
Makes enough for a 9-inch, single crust pie
Active time: 10 min
Start to Finish: 1 1/4 hrs

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
3-5 Tbsp ice water --I used 1/2 ice water, 1/2 vodka

1. Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle 3 Tbsp water (water/vodka mix) evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
2. Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 Tbsp at a time, stirring until incorporated. Do not overwork dough or crust will be hard.
3. Turn out dough onto work surface. Divide into 4 portions. With the heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together with a pastry scraper. Press into ball, the flatten into a 5-inch disk.
4. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until form, at least an hour.

Pecans
1. Preheat over to 350F.
2. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Spread pecans in a single layer on parchment paper.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove and allow to cool before using them.

Pie
1. Preheat oven to 375F with rack in middle.
2. Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring. Remove from heat.
3. Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured pin. Fit into a 9-inch plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and press against pie plate, then crimp decoratively.
4. Spread chocolate in bottom of of pie shell with back of spoon and let it set, then cover with pecans.
5. Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl, then whisk in corn syrup and pour over pecans.
6. Bake pie until filling is puffed and crust is golden, 50-60 minutes ( I would do 45-50). If pie is browning too fast, after 30 minutes, loosley cover with foil. Cool pie on rack to warm or room temperature. Serve with whipped cream.

Totally Forgot

Scratch and I might check out the new casino (Wild Horse Pass) on Friday...if anyone's interested. I've heard it's really nice...like being in Vegas and since that didn't happen for me this Thanksgiving, the new casino will just have to do.

Only 7 more hours to go

Today is my last day of work this week. So thankful. I can't wait to sleep in tomorrow. I absolutely hate waking up early in the morning when it's cold out. It's so hard when it stays dark for longer and under the covers it's so warm. Luckily, for the rest of the week (except Friday) I'll be able to stay in bed for as long as I want. :)

Tomorrow my plan is to bake for Thanksgiving. I am making 3 different desserts. I know it may seem like a lot...and it probably is, but I just couldn't decide. Below is my dessert list for this year.

1. Bittersweet pecan pie. I got this recipe from a coworker. He makes a ton of pies (like 5-10) every year to take with him on all of his Thanksgiving stops. I've never made a pecan pie...so I'm kinda excited.


2. Double Layer Pumpkin Pie. I was debating whether to make this or not. I already have a pumpkin dessert in mind (see entry #3). But...is it really Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie?? I decided tat maybe finding a pumpkin pie with a twist would be cool. Well turns out there really aren't that many out there. This was the best that I could find...so we'll see how it turns out.


3. My favorite...although I've never made it. Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies. YUM!! I got this recipe from a fellow blogger and can't wait to try it. It seriously embodies all dessert goodness...Pumpkin + Cheesecake + Brownies = AWESOME!


I'm gonna wait to see how these turn out before posting the recipes. I want to be able to back up the recipes and if they turn out like crap...I may not. lol.

Thursday Scratch and I are going to my uncle's house. It will be nice to see the family, especially my cousin, Kayla who's 2 1/2 ...she's a bunch of fun. Plus, it wouldn't be a family get together without a poker game...so that will be fun too.

Friday is Black Friday. Only the best shopping day of the year. Scratch and I are gonna head out around 3am...to Walmart. They are having a pretty good sale. Then make our way to Kohls for a breadmaker. :D Scratch is really excited. haha. I'd like to go to the mall too, so hopefully I can talk him into that as well. Then I'm sure it will be home to pass out.

Saturday is the ASU/UofA game. We got a big group of friends to go and tailgate before. So exciting...although I'm sure I'll be so cold. Hopefully we can kick butt. Go Sundevils!!!

Sunday will be a lazy day, I'm sure...relaxing until it's back to work Monday. Although, the nice thing is I'll only have 15 dyas of work left for the year. Woo Woo!

N is for New Moon

Friday night was all about the girls and, of course, New Moon. My girlfriends and I all met at Cheesecake Factory for some dinner, drinks, and cheesecake. It was such a good time. I found out that Cheesecake factory now serves breakfast all day. Woo Woo! I was so excited...I love me some bacon and eggs. Then for dessert I had lemon cheesecake with a raspberry ladyfingers "crust"...so yummy!


After dinner, we headed over to the theater for an hour and a half wait. No biggie though! It was sooo worth it. The movie was so good. It followed the book so well, which was a breath of fresh air since most of the movies based on books are so different. If you read the book, the movie was not a disappointment. If you haven't read the book, go home and read the book...you will love the movie so much more. Plus, who could not appreciate this...

Yes I realize that he's only 17, but I'm just looking...geez! By the way, the next movie, Eclipse is due out June 30th. Woo Woo! The countdown begins.

Anyway, with this movie I am now on my way to checking off another task on my list. Task #45...Here is my "N" movie. I also watched The Ugly Truth this weekend. Pretty good...although probably not one I'd own. Either way though, that's my "U".

This weekend was also a very productive week for me. Since Scratch and I finished the Thank You cards this week, I finally got to put away all our gifts. Yay! I reorganized the kitchen and put a lot of stuff in the "Yard Sale" pile. Then cleaned a little and set up my mixer (which I plan on using for Thanksgiving desserts). I still have a LONG way to go in the cleaning department..maybe I'll be able to get more done over the holidays since I have 5 days off.

Oh yeah, I have news on the financial front. We (Honeywell) found out last week that we will be getting out 10% pay back Dec. 14th. Very cool and very needed. However, we have to take a mandatory week furlough (unpaid) at the beginning of the year. Good and Bad...it's unpaid which sucks. But...it extends my holiday vacation to 3 weeks no work. I'd rather have this than the 10% paycut. I did, however, hear a rumor that this 1 week furlough is just the beginning. That we will actually have 1 per quarter...essentially an 8% paycut...except more painful because it's not spread over several months...it's a whole week unpaid at a time. Boo! Let's hope it doesn't get that far.

Help!!

This is for all you bloggers out there...Help!

I cannot seem to figure out how to post a comment on my own blog. I click on the post and can view other's comments, but the "POST COMMENT" thread is grey'd out (not clicky).

Any thoughts on my problem??

Thanks!

It's Official

It's official, I can now legally sign my name as Mrs. Scratch. I went to the MVD yesterday to change my driver's license. I was shocked at how quick it was. I was literally in and out in 15 minutes. I was called to the counter before I even had a chance to write my name on the application. Woo Woo! Then I went to the bank and dealt with that...no as quick, but it's done nonetheless. It is so weird signing my name now. I get through with my first name and have to stop and think about what to sign next. Haha.

Plus, Scratch and I have "kinda" figured out our finances. We will finally be saving money again...Yay! It will definitely be interesting to see how this works though. Yesterday, Scratch mentioned that one of our friend's is having his bachelor party in Vegas. He asked me if I minded if he went. "Of course not", I said, "but I mind if you spend 1000's of dollars". It is weird to think that his expenses will be coming out of the joint account now. Do his gamblings come out too? I would think so, but it worries me because I am so, well...we'll call it, frugal with money and he is so NOT. :) I guess it will all be trial and error.

Oh the joys of marriage :D
By the way, only 1 day til New Moon. Woo Woo!

And just so I don't forget...I still need to post the videos from the honeymoon.

T's baby shower

So, let's just start this post by saying I am horrible with a camera. The shots I take when I'm trying to shoot candid pictures are usually people's worst pictures. lol. Therefore, I generally take a lot of posed pictures and that doesn't even guarantee a good picture. Oh, by the way, I can not figure out why sometimes the camera's blurry and sometimes it's not. Oh well...that's why I'm an engineer, not a photographer. :) Below are some of the attendees.



So T's baby shower was thrown a couple weeks ago and my friend C hosted it. She did such a great job. We played several games, including the "dirty diaper" game...eww and yum at the same time. haha. We also played a drawing game. We all looked at a picture of Baby Tony and then put a plate on top of our head and had to duplicate the picture we saw. It was too funny. I won...and I happen to be the worst artist ever. Here's a couple shots of some of the girls and their drawings.

The Momma...
The contender...
and The winner...
If you look close enough, you might see a resemblance of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. There was a stuffed Tigger in the picture and I think it matches quite nicely. :)

Anyway, we also played word games, and wrote T letters. It was so sweet and such a good idea. My friend, C, even started Baby Tony his first "Little Black Book" with these letters. C also built Momma T a diaper cake (I think that's what it was called). I have never seen one of these before, but it was really cute and totally practical. It's a layer cake made of diapers with a bottle of lotion in the middle for support, and a bottle on top as the topper. Really creative!

The shower was tons of fun, plus good food, drinks, and friends. Is there anything better?

Free Earrings

I never wear earrings, but I would really like to change that fact. I think the biggest reason I don't is because I am not in any way capable of picking out jewelry. Well, for the honeymoon I took the plunge and bought some fashion jewelry from Target. I really like them and was pretty proud of myself. So, one day while I was reading other girl's blogs I happened upon a post for free earrings. It's through this company Darcus Tori. I got blue Sapphire studs that are normally $59.95 for free. All I had to pay for was the shipping. Now...they are nothing special, but they are free. What do you expect?? I think they are really nice and apparently every 20 days they give free earrings. So, here's your chance. :)

This month it's free Amethyst studs (normally $59.95). Below is the link and the promotion code is 0801. All I had to pay for was shipping $5.90. Woo Woo! They probably make nice gifts too...but I'm selfish ;)

Darcus Tori Earrings

Anyway, just thought I'd throw that out there for anyone who's interested.

Check Check Check!

Wow! I have a lot to write about. It seems that I've been stock piling things. :D

Each week that I post, I'm going to restate what I still need to post as a way to remind myself.
1. I still owe the video from our honeymoon. The problem is that this is on Scratch's computer and he's ALWAYS on it. I promise to get it though.
2. Pictures from T's baby shower. I actually remembered the camera today, so that I could upload pictures. However, I forgot the cable. Boo!

Ok...back to what I do have to write about. This weekend Scratch and I went on a date (check) to see Phantom of the Opera (check) at Gammage. We had wanted to go, but hadn't gotten tickets yet and my friend was selling his...perfect opportunity. I have been to one other show at Gammage: Mama Mia! and thought it was fantastic. We had good seats where we could see everything and it didn't cost an arm and a leg. I knew that we were not on the ground floor when we saw this, so I assumed that we were on the balcony. I thought that the seats my friend was selling were in the same area and was really excited. WRONG-O! lol We were in the balcony this time, but we must have been in the Tier section last time. Our seats were soooo high. It was a little hard to hear at first and there were some parts of scenes that we missed. That said, it was still fantastic and I learned a very valuable lesson. Don't skimp on tickets. lol. We are actually going to buy tickets (good ones) to see Avenue Q in March. Yay!

Also, Scratch and I are officially trying...so exciting! However, I was researching how much babies cost. Holy geez! I think it was somewhere around $850/month, which included child care. Seriously? My mom better move here soon. lol. So, needless to say Scratch and I have started saving and hopefully we'll be in somewhat of a good place when we do get prego.

Lastly, for now. I just got our professional pictures from our wedding. I love them so much. I was a little disappointed with our photographer that day...and we didn't get all the pictures we'd hoped, but seeing the pictures we did get...I'm satisfied with everything. Below is the link...the password is vogel (all lower case). There are 861 pictures though...so be prepared. :)

http://tamiphotographer.zenfolio.com/p798252986

By the way...I can't wait til Friday. New Moon comes out! Woo Woo! I spent all last week and this weekend rereading the series. I have about 160 pages of New Moon left, then I'll move on to Eclipse. I know I won't make it through the wntire 3rd book...but we'll see how it goes. It's gonna be a girl's night. So fun!

I'll try and get back on here tomorrow and post some pictures and/or video.

Checking Off Tasks

Which tasks, you might ask...

Task #42...Well, I finished yet another book. The 4th in the True Blood Series. I have 5 more to go in the series, but I've decided to take a break from the series for a little while. I have more important things to read right now. For instance, Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. :) Yes, I've already read these...but New Moon comes out on the 20th and I have to be prepared. Luckily, I have enlisted some awesome friends to go see it with me on opening day. So what if we'll be with hundreds of teen girls. I've still got to go get my Team Edward paraphernalia. :D

Task #37...Ok so I actually saw a ballet, but I'm counting it. I went with some friends to see Swan Lake the other night. It was fun to hang out with the girls. We did Majerle's before for dinner, then hit Symphony Hall for the show. I did have an epiphany that night though. I don't think the ballet is for me. :) I can appreciate it, don't get me wrong, but I NEED words. lol. That and seeing it after work probably wasn't the smartest either. I fell asleep in the last Act. haha I kept waking up when people would clap. It sucks because I really would have thought I would enjoy it and the thing is I did enjoy the Nutcracker. So maybe it's just the actual show, not the ballet in general. I am going to see Phantom of the Opera this coming weekend...so I will be able to cross this task off completely. YAY!!!

As for this past weekend, I went to a baby shower for my good friend T. It was so much fun. I am pretty competetive, so I happen to love baby and bridal shower games. However, this weekend I met my match. T's sister was amazing. We played a game where you couldn't say the words "baby" or "Tony". T's sister had ears like a hawk. It was hilarious and so much fun! I'll post picts soon.

Oh yeah and I still need to post videos from the Honeymoon...I'll try and do that later this week.

If not for the mosquitos, I'd stay forever...

So, Scratch and I are back from Jamaica and it was AMAZING. We were there for 7 days, 6 nights and it went by soooo fast. Leading up to the trip, we were really worried about the weather. It was forecasted to rain and storm the entire time. Well...we were really lucky. It rained the day we got there, but that was about it. It did rain while we slept and actually woke us up a couple times, but the days were clear blue skies and perfect weather. Woo Woo!

Scratch and I left Friday on the red-eye...expecting to sleep on the plane to Charlotte. We weren't so lucky. Our seats were right in front of the exit row...worst...row...ever! (Except for the row in the back by the bathrooms..that's probably worse). Our row didn't recline...therefore sleep wasn't possible.We were exhausted and cramped when we finally arrived in Charlotte at 5:30am on Saturday. Our flight to Jamaica didn't leave til 9:30...so we slept on the cold floor in the airport. It wasn't a good sleep...but it was sleep and beggars can't be choosy.

We got to Jamaica around 11am and drove the 2 hours to the resort (Sandals Grande Ocho Rios). We did stop on the way at a little shop that sells jerk chicken and Red Stripe. Soooo good. Anyway, it was raining (like I said earlier) when we got there...boo! It was still so beautiful. We originally had 1 room, but I was misled by our tavel agent and our butler (yes...I did say butler) remedied the situation very quickly by upgrading us. Below are picture of our room. It was a suite with a full living room, kitchen, bed, and bath. We have french doors in the living room and bedroom that led out to our private patio and our private pool. Awesome!



Sunday was a lazy day. We spent many hours at the beach. The water was the perfect temperature and so clear...sooooo different from the Pacific Ocean. So, while I laid out reading my new book series (This actually accounts for Item #42 on my list. I'm reading the Sookie Stackhouse series (aka True Blood). It is 9 books and on the honeymoon I got through 3 and 1/2), Scratch watched the Vikings game from the bar. It was actually pretty funny because there was a male employee that kept coming by to check on me every time Scratch left. He told me he wanted to borrow my book and I had nice eyes. lol. Below is us at the beach grill eating lunch.


Monday we went to Mystic Mountain where we zip lined (we have video that I'll upload later), bobsled, and rode up a "Sky Explorer"...which is just a ski lift, but in the tropics. lol. Let me just say to those that told me going on these things would cure my fear of heights.....WRONG-O! lol Anyway, there was also an infinity pool at this place, which had beautiful views.




Tuesday was another lazy day...beach and this time we ventured to the pool (swim-up bar baby).


Wednesday we took a Catamaran (read: Booze Cruise) to Dunns River and hiked up (or should I say through) the waterfall. Such an awesome experience. We got a DVD of our adventure, but I have yet to watch it. On the way to Dunns River we stopped at a reef and snorkeled. It was so much fun. Neither Scratch nor myself had ever done it...it definitely won't be the last time though. We have pictures, but we went old school and bought a waterproof disposable...so we still need to get those developed.

Thursday we golfed and in Jamaica it's a law that you have to have a caddy. Very interesting experience. You don't have to think about which club to grab, they just tell you. However, if you're not good (like me), they give you advice in EVERY swing. lol...it can be a bit much for an amateur.


Friday, during the day, we were lazy and went to the beach and pool again. Then at sunset we had a massage over the ocean. It was sooo relaxing...a little awkward because we were in public and outside, but after about 2 minutes into it we didn't care (plus we were covered). See the 3 "huts" in the picture below...we got our massage under one of those. Oh yeah. I also learned that "Chamberry" (champagne and cranberry juice) is so delicious.


Every night there was something going on at the resort. We saw a steel pan (steel drum) performance. Unfortunately, we left the video camera in the room...so we got what we could on the point and shoot. Check out the video below.




We saw a Couple's Game Show (Scratch and I signed up, but didn't get picked), went to Casino night, danced at the bars, saw the "fireman"...dances with fire, eats fire, etc...among a lot of other things. We ate a lot of jerk chicken, Italian, Asian, and although I hate to admit it...Tex-Mex. It was at the Arizona restaurant and I would never have gone there except it had an awesome location right on the pier where we got our massage. I couldn't pass up eating dinner over the ocean.

We left Saturday at 10am for our 2pm flight back to the States and finally got home at 11:30pm. LONG DAY!

We had an amazing time and I think my only regret is not taking more pictures....oh and I wish I wouldn't have been such a treat for the mosquitos. In the end, (even with mosquito repellant on day and night) I ended up with 20 bites and Scratch had 4.

Now we're back home and back to the daily grind. We're trying to plan our next trip now...anyone up for Vegas over Thanksgiving?????

Day Zero Project

So, I've noticed a lot of girls on The Nest have started the Day Zero Project and I've decided to jump on the bandwagon.

What is this, you might ask...well...

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

I'm putting my start date as October 21st, 2009 which makes my end date July 19th, 2012.

Wish me luck...Here's my list.

Completed
In Progress

1. Send Holiday cards (0/2)
2. Get prego with Baby Scratch
3. Get prego with Baby Scratch2
4. Visit grandpa at least twice a year (0/5)
5. Have a date night with Scratch once a month (0/33)
6. Take Bella to training school
7. Babysit Kayla for an entire weekend
8. See parents/in-laws twice a year (0/5)
9. Pay for the person behind me in the drive thru
10. Compliment 10 Strangers (0/10)
11. Donate to charity organization
12. Donate blood every 8 weeks (0/17)
13. Send flowers to someone three times. (0/3)
14. Donate Christmas Gifts to Christmas Angel (0/2)
15. Save a minimum of $1000 (0/1000)
16. Start an emergency funds account
17. Clip Sunday coupons once a month (0/33)
18. Pay down credit cards
19. Sell wedding stuff
20. Don’t buy anything unnecessary for a month
21. Deposit $10 in a special account for each goal completed (0/101)
22. Start an auto-deposit into a joint savings account
23. Take a vacation to San Jose
24. Take a spontaneous weekend trip
25. Visit Vegas twice a year (0/5)
26. Go camping
27. Go Snowboarding
28. Visit two new states (0/2)
29. Take a girl’s only trip
30. Go fishing and catch a fish
31. Go jet skiing
32. Stay at a B&B
33. Go to Chicago and stay in the city
34. Go to Zoo Lights
35. Go to the Drive In
36. Attend 2 concerts (0/2)
37. See 2 plays/musicals (0/2)
38. Go to 3 First Fridays (0/3)
39. Go to 3 sporting events (0/3)
40. Go to the Improv or other comedy show
41. See all the Best Picture Nominees each given year
42. Read 50 new books (3/50)
43. Watch all the episodes of Sex and the City
44. Watch all the episodes of Felicity
45. Watch a movie starting with each letter of the alphabet (0/26)
46. Do a wall crossword with Scratch
47. Complete a 1000 piece Jigsaw puzzle with Scratch
48. Paint Guest Bath
49. Install Blinds in Master Bath
50. Buy 2 pieces of Art (0/2)
51. Put pavers in backyard
52. Buy a couple of D’s photos (0/2)
53. Decorate Guest Room
54. Clean out junk drawers and organize
55. Have a yard sale-Donate things that don’t sell
56. Go through multiple filing cabinets and shred old items
57. Get carpets cleaned
58. Have a housekeeper clean house
59. Organize a recipe book
60. Reorganize kitchen cabinets
61. Do dishes every night for a month (0/3)
62. Make Wedding Album
63. Take Snowboarding Lessons
64. Learn to sew
65. Take a pole dancing class
66. Read a world religion book
67. Start a quilt of all my old school shirts
68. Try 10 new restaurants (0/10)
69. NO take out for a week (including lunches!) (0/7)
70. Try 10 new foods (0/10)
71. Cook dinner at least 5 times per week for a month (0/4)
72. Buy Breadmaker
73. Cook a new meal once a month for 6 months (0/6)
74. Make homemade salsa
75. Bake a cake for a friend
76. Bake a lemon meringue pie from scratch
77. Make chili from scratch
78. Host game night twice a year (0/5)
79. Host New Years Eve Party
80. Host a Halloween Party
81. Write about each task completed (0/101)
82. Post to this blog at least weekly (2/143)
83. Turn off computer after 6:00 for 20 days (0/20)
84. Compile a list of family and friends birthday
85. Get wedding dress cleaned and preserved
86. Apply for 4 jobs (0/4)
87. Schedule an orthodontia consultation
88. Get a tattoo
89. Inspire someone else to make a list
90. Buy 1 reusable bag when I grocery shop for a year (1/23)
91. Bring the reusable bags when I grocery shop
92. Walk Bella once a week for 6 months (0/24)
93. Lose 10 pounds
94. Go to the gym at least 3 times a week for a month (0/12)
95. Buy Bikes (0/2)
96. Run 2 5K races (0/2)
97. Go for a bike ride once a week for 6 months (0/24)
98. Cut out caffeine for a week (0/7)
99. Take a yoga class
100. Walk the Breast Cancer 3Day
101. Take Vitamins every day for 6 months (0/181)

Jamaica...Here we come!!!

So, this is just a quick post...mostly because Scratch doesn't think that I am serious about writing here. Anyway, we are about 4 hours away from leaving on a plane headed for Jamaica. Woo Woo! Ok...well the plane is actually headed to Charleston, but eventually we'll get to Jamaica.

Scratch and I have been looking forward to our honeymoon for a very long time, so we're really excited it's finally here. Anyway, I won't be able to post for a little while. But as soon as I get back I'll let you know how it went. I'm sure I'll have lots of stories and lots of pictures.

Yay! See you soon.

Day 1

Ok, so the wedding is over, not yet on my honeymoon, and Scratch and I aren't preggo yet....so I'm lost as to what to obsess over. :) For those of you that know me, I tend to obsess about things. I wouldn't consider it "stressing", as I tend to enjoy the obsession. Anyway, I've decided that blogging will be my new obsession. Fun, huh?

First off, I have no idea what the theme will be to my blog. It will probably be a way to keep my friends and family involved in my life...since I am horrible at talking on the phone. It will also be a way for me to stay active (I hope) since I'll need things to write about. Who knows if anyone will read this and who knows if I'll be able to keep this as up-to-date as I'd like. This is all an experiment. Wish me luck!