Made me realize...

Hard and tragic times have fallen upon a few people who are closest to Dearest, and therefore people very important to me. While I won't get into any details, it's really put my trival complaints into perspective and made me appreciate everything I have. It's made me appreciate the little things in life, to take the time to tell Dearest how much I love him, to basically stop and smell the roses (which I literally did today).

My message to you: life is short, so live it up. Be kind to everyone, apologize even if you feel you shouldn't, enjoy the small things in life, and just be appreciative for what you have.

"Happiness is wanting what you have."

Happy -1 Anniversary!

This past week Dearest and I celebrated our -1 year anniversary of marriage! (Okay, okay, I might have been the only one celebrating.) We threw a house warming bbq last weekend because... you guessed it! We moved! After being rejected from the last apartment we applied for, we got a better place! There's so much more space and it's so sunny and bright that you can't really ever be in a bad mood here. Plus we're literally a block away from the beach. It's surfer town out here, so we're thinking about learning. The kitchen is so much bigger- Dearest and I can cook together now! We've been settling in nicely with our new furniture- another couch and a sweet dining table we found on craigslist. If you didn't make it down for the bbq, you are always more than welcome and we'd love to see you!

As far as the wedding goes, everything seems to be falling into place. Now that the one year mark has passed, I feel as though I need to get moving on other details. My current task- flowers. Who knew there were so many different options?!

School is.. almost over! I have exactly ten, yes count 'em, t.e.n. days of college classes left. Ever. And Dearest is very jealous. :) I've paid my dues and I'm so ready to be done! I'm going out by taking two classes that I'm excited about: travel writing and screen writing! We'll see if I'm still excited about all the writing I'll have...

To Move or Not To Move...

That is the question... We didn't get the brand new place we were looking at. And I think it's for the best. She was being really pokey about getting back to us and we were having qualms about the smaller space and possible parking problems. So it's back to the drawing board. We've got 5 places lined up to view this week so far. Hopefully one of them will be our new home. If not, I guess we have enough to buy a new table and other furniture.

School is going well. I just finished up probably the busiest week of school I've had in my 4 years of college. Taking 20 units is really starting to get to me. But the good news is I only have 3 weeks left! Then a two week break and the 5 weeks of summer school starts. I'll be done on July 24th. Lots for Dearest and I to celebrate that weekend- it's our 2 year anniversary the next day!

The wedding has been put on the back burner for now. We've done all the major things that needed to be booked, etc. For now we're focusing on finishing up school. I think we'll take our engagement photos sometime in August, during Dearest's summer break.

One Year Older...

Dearest somewhat organized a little b-day thing for me. Very last minute, but at least he tried. Still, I had a great time seeing all my friends- even the ones from SF. :) I feel old. 22 was always a milestone age in my mind- graduating from college, finding a job, being independent. So I'm mostly there, but it's still freaking me out a bit. It's sort of a wake up call- Hey, you're not a kid anymore. You're about to graduate, you've got two to support (no, not a baby- me and Dearest!), and you're getting married soon. Crazy!

Classes have been... going. Five weeks left of this quarter and then five weeks of summer school. July 24th, here I come! Funny, Dearest and I will be celebrating our 2 year anniversary the next day. I can't believe that 2 years have gone by already. Hopefully the next 4 years of Dearest's school will go by just as fast. Hopefully.

In other news, come July I'll have to quit my nanny job to find a full time job (gotta pay the bills somehow). So if anyone is up for watching an adorable 2.5 year old about 3 times a week in the afternoon, let me know. She's incredibly cute and fun to play with. She's a bit loud and adventurous, but she'll really make you love your job.

We're currently looking at a new place to live. It's a bit smaller than our current space, but everything is BRAND NEW! Brand new carpet, paint, whirlpool tub, "his/her" double sinks... The best part is the amazing kitchen with granite counter tops, new stove- finally gas again! There's a huge wrap around deck that's ideal for BBQs and entertaining. We're not sure if we'll get the place yet, though. I just can't wait to be out of construction hell. :(

Engaged!

So, lots has happened! First off, Dearest and I got engaged! We just started the planning process and it's quite fun. We've found our ceremony and reception venue, but all i'll say is that it's beautiful! Hey, I have to leave something a surprise. :P

I'm almost done with school- just this quarter and then 5 weeks of summer school! I'm SO excited! Possibly more about this than getting married, but don't tell Dearest. ;) It seems surreal that I'm going to be a college grad soon!

3 months to go- til we move! We love this apartment and it's really a great place to live, but we can't stand the construction that's going on and the parking situation. Hopefully our next place will be a lot better!

Some Munchies...

Okay, so I've slacked off... Dearest and I have tried a bunch of new recipes in the past few weeks. Here's a quick glimpse:

Chicken Tikka Masala- There's this great Indian place in the City that we like to go to whenever we can and this is pretty similar, but still different.





Hot Wings! Always a fan of hot wings, this was my attempt to recreate KFC's original hot wings. Didn't quite make the flavor, but the texture was pretty close. I got the recipe from the Neely's on The Food Network.




Chicken Marsala- This was our "romantic" Valentine's day dinner. Dearest was going to make it all by himself, but we went out during the day and by the time we got home both of us were starving. It was agreed that I'd cook so we'd be able to eat faster. He still did most of the prep work though. :)

Stir-fry

I'm asian, so I figure I should at least attempt to make decent stir-fry. I took a blend of almost every asian spice/ingredient I had at home, cooked it with some chicken and broccoli, and served it over rice. After about five attempts, I came up with something pretty good. We probably won't be having it again anytime soon though; Dearest got tired of it after the third night. :)