kimbalina.com

phone falling

2011-09-29T22:10:00.000-07:00

While talking to my almost 3 year old daughter on the phone, she accidentally drops it, picks it up and says "Oh no Mommy! Are you okay? Mommy fell down."

:)

Just zero

2011-07-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

Little Boy: How old is the baby?
Me: She's almost 1
Little Boy: Oh. So right now she's just zero?

Work. Not shopping.

2011-04-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

Coming home from work is always the best feeling in the world. Especially with my little munchkins rushing the door, cheering and shouting for me. Sometimes...the kids seem to get confused as to where I went though...

A conversation with my son as I'm stepping into the door.

Brendan: Mommy's home!!! Hi Mommy! You go shopping?
Me: Hi Brendan! No, I went to work.
Brendan: Hmm...shopping?
Me: Work.
Brendan: Oh. You go work? Come home.
Me: I am home Brendan!
Brendan: Yay Mommy!!! Yay shopping!!!

30 before 30

2011-04-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

With only 4 months left until I turn the big 3-0, I've finally decided to finish writing my 30 before 30 list and share them. Follow along as I try to do the little things I've always wanted to do before saying goodbye to my 20s.

1. ~~Plant my own vegetable garden~~ (4/2011)
2. ~~Run a mile without stopping to walk or smell the flowers~~ (8/2011)
3. ~~Fly a kite with the kids~~ (7/2011)
4. ~~Build a sand castle with my babies~~ (yay! - 8/2011)
5. Make photo albums of our vacations over the last 2 years
6. Watch all the Godfather movies
7. ~~Learn to cook a real Vietnamese dish and actually do it~~ (7/2011)
8. ~~Learn to cut a mango without slicing my hand off~~ (5/2011)
9. Create, Teach, Do, Record a dance routine with my little girl, Kylie
10. ~~Have a girl’s day out with my Mamma~~ (4/2011 - Cirque Du Soleil : Quidam)
11. ~~Read a new trilogy/book series~~ (3/2011 - Hunger Games. Loved it!)
12. ~~Teach the twins to count to 20 in 4 different languages~~ (8/2011)
13. Learn to play and memorize a new song on the piano
14. ~~Have a family campout in our backyard~~ (Did even better, we did real camping! 7/2011)
15. ~~Have a vase of freshly cut flowers from my own garden~~ (7/2011)
16. ~~Do a jigsaw puzzle~~ (5/2011)
17. ~~Go to a wax museum~~ (8/2011 - kids were freaked out!)
18. Go to the driving range again and dust off my golf clubs
19. ~~Make fresh squeezed lemonade with lemons I pick myself~~ (4/2011)
20. ~~Do a real push-up~~ (5/2011)
21. ~~Do a pull-up~~ (8/2011)
22. ~~Get grape bubble gum and blow the biggest possible bubble I can~~ (4/19/2011 - Went all the way over my nose!)
23. ~~Take the kids sledding~~ (3/2011)
24. ~~Eat a beignet~~ (4/2011)
25. Learn how to change a tire
26. ~~Drink a whole bottle of wine. By myself.~~ (8/2011 - oh boy)
27. ~~Pay for a stranger’s cup of coffee~~ (8/2011)
28. ~~Play my favorite childhood board games: Connect 4, Battleship (sunk!), Monopoly~~ (7/2011)
29. ~~Learn to make crepes~~ (7/2011)
30. ~~Learn to skip a rock on water~~ (Even got this on video. woot. 8/2011)

technology is awesome

2011-03-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

Our voicemail is setup to email me the .wav file of the voicemail along with an email transcribing the person's message. This is pretty awesome, especially if I'm not in a place where I can listen to the voicemail. It actually works pretty well most of the time.

However, my grandpa called the other day and left me the following voicemail:

Hello Bertrand and Kimmy. I received the picture you sent of the kids. Thank you very much. They look very nice in the Vietnamese dress. Okay, talk to you later. Bye.

The email I received said this:

Hello Robert Craig give me. I have you see where you at the show the tape. Thank you very much. They have very now she's now be Trish. Okay. Talk to you later. Bye

Hmmm...yeah not quite. But thanks for the entertainment!

day at the farm

2011-02-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

A day at the farm...

"hi sheep!" "hi animals!"

taking a stroll...

thankful

2010-11-27T21:25:00.000-08:00

I have so very much to be thankful for this year...but one (or three) of the things I am most thankful for are my three little munchkins. Three under two are a handful, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Hello Kitty!

2010-11-08T09:08:00.001-08:00

Conversation with my almost 2 year old daughter:

Me: I like your Hello Kitty socks, little miss! Can you say, "Hello Kitty"?

Little Miss: Hi!

Toby

2010-08-31T11:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we said goodbye to my dear sweet dog of 14 years and my first "baby", Toby. He was the most wonderful loving and cuddly boy who lived a very long happy life.

Goodbye Tobaby...I love you and miss you.

Ooh baby baby baby!

2010-08-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

So it's been awhile since I've updated. I've been just a tad busy with...life.

I am now a mommy of not just one or two...but three little munchkins (under 2 - woah!).

Life is good!

Wait...she's not a cricket?

2010-04-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

One day last week, my friend came back to his desk with some pancakes for breakfast and mentioned how he wasn't really a fan of the fancy organic maple syrup we had and preferred Aunt Jemima or Mrs. Butterworth since that was what he grew up on. I then told him how I never really ate Aunt Jemima's syrup because the bottle always scared me and I asked my mom not to get it...you know, because she's a cricket.

He then stares at me perplexed and says, "what???"

Me, "You know, the bottle is shaped like a cricket."

Him, "No...it's a little old lady."

Me, "Right...a little old lady that is a cricket."

We then proceed to go back and forth, browsing through Google search results and images to decide if I am the only one in the world who thinks this. I called my cousins and my brother who grew up with me, and thought for sure would think the same way...right?

No. Apparently, I am crazy.

After much deliberation and debate, we realized that my 4-5 year old self, probably watched the movie Pinocchio around that time and somehow related Jiminy Cricket with Aunt Jemima. The commercials with a talking bottle of syrup on the table obviously did not help. Since we never had it in the house again after my fear of the unique bottle, the topic never came up again....until last week, when I realized 20+ years later, that No. Mrs. Butterworth and Aunt Jemima are not crickets.

You know...in case there is someone else out there believing the same thing their entire life.

what? me? not patient? what??

2010-02-22T12:01:00.000-08:00

With all the rain that's been blessing the Bay Area, all the hills on my drive to work are turning a nice green. Gorgeous! I take it in all the days I go into work and try to enjoy it as much as possible before they turn their nice golden California color for the rest of the year.

You'd think that since every other lawn is turning green...that our lawn would also. But no! So last week, I requested that my gardener (aka husband) put some fertilizer on our lawn so it would turn green. That was 4 days ago. And every day since, I stand at the window and will my grass to turn green, then turn and question out loud why my grass is not yet green. Come on!!

Who cares if it is supposed to take a couple of weeks...I need immediate results dangit!

rain, rain, don't go away, but maybe come back another day

2010-01-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

We've been having massive downpours (well massive to wimpy Californians) over the past week or two. Crazy wind, thunder/lightning, water coming down in buckets....and I am LOVING it! Really, there is nothing like snuggling on the couch with a blanket, cup of tea, and the fireplace going while it is raining cats and dogs outside. Oh, and having an excuse to wear green polka dot rainboots is also pretty great.

The one only time I do not like rain is when I have to drive long distances which is a few days a week for me. But...I guess that would be too much to ask to have it rain only on certain days, please? Okay fine, I will just sit here...and in traffic...enjoying the rain while it lasts.

Counting my blessings

2009-12-31T13:49:00.000-08:00

This time last year, we celebrated New Years in a hospital where our babies were in the NICU. At that time, imagining living a normal life with babies outside of a hospital seemed like only a dream.

This year, we are celebrating a year full of joy, laughter, and many memories with two perfect, happy, and healthy 1 year olds. Praise the Lord!

Happy New Year!

so spoiled

2009-12-22T09:15:00.000-08:00

I have been fortunate enough that basically my entire adult career, I have been completely and utterly spoiled by my employers. The companies I've worked for have had the motto of "work hard. play hard." and to both, I can do quite well.

Along with the "regular" perks of movies, trips, warm meals, cool gadgets etc. there are also a few other "perks". If the kitchen doesn't have something you really want? Just ask for it, and pretty much soon thereafter, tadaa!

A friend and I went out shopping during lunch one day and we stopped at Williams Sonoma to pick up some gifts for Christmas. And that...is when it happened. I smelled the peppermint hot chocolate. Mammas. And then after I tried it? I was hooked. That was some good fancy hot chocolate there! The taste and the smell lingered with me back to the office where I made my special request for peppermint hot chocolate. Later that day, one of the guys came to my desk and told me he looked all over and couldn't find any peppermint hot chocolate so he got me some hot chocolate and some peppermint syrup to make one. Great! And then...I mentioned how I had seen some at Williams Sonoma. An hour later, he walked by my desk waving a bag from Williams Sonoma.

*gasp*

And now, I am sitting here sipping on the most yummy peppermint hot chocolate ever.

Snob.

Aloha ʻOe

2009-12-19T09:07:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, we went for a nice long restful vacation in Maui. The weather was absolutely perfect and warm, the beaches and waterfalls were amazing, and the best part? The kids were perfect little angels and had a blast playing on the beach, swimming in the ocean (more like floating in their floaties), and playing in the pool. My little miss was so happy and brave she even wanted to go through the waterfalls with me.

Love. Love. Love. Maui.

sleeptalking

2009-12-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

This morning, my dear hubby woke me up at my usual unheard of wakeup time. In my half asleep state, I said to him, "Can't you see I'm covered in oil? Why aren't you helping me??"

Apparently I talk in my sleep. And this isn't the first time.

In fact, almost every other night, I ask my hubby for a sweatshirt or pair of socks and when asked what kind of sweatshirt I'd like or which pair of socks, I specify. And yet, I never remember any of this.

I have also once sat up in bed shouting profanities and another time stuck my arm out, smiled, and air petted my dog saying "awww max".

Hey, gotta keep life exciting.

real cute

2009-11-30T15:16:00.000-08:00

I met an old friend for lunch today who I haven't seen in 9 or 10 years. After a long hug hello, she looked at me, then brushed some popcorn off of my cheek and eyebrows.

Real cute.

sometimes a girl just needs some hot chocolate

2009-10-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

It is pouring rain outside and the wind is gusting. Perfect weather for rain boots and hot chocolate. So I went to the kitchen at work this morning to get some hot chocolate but it was all on the top shelf and I couldn't reach it. I thought about waiting and coming back later when the kitchen would be hustling and bustling and a person not as vertically challenged could help me, but the sudden need for hot chocolate came over me. It is cold and rainy...and I need it. It was still early so nobody came to my rescue to help with this sudden urge I had to consume large quantities of piping hot chocolate.

I reeeeached with no luck. I tried jumping and slowly hitting the box towards me with each jump. The other part of this plan (the rain boots) prevented me from having my usual hops. I found a plastic knife on the counter and tried using that to somehow push the box towards me. When finally...with a combination of all of these things and some mad stretching skills on my part, I got my hot chocolate. Woohoo!

Back at my desk, I happily sipped on my well earned cup of hot chocolate while I told Bertrand about my adventures in acquiring it.

That was when my wonderful hubby asked me why I didn't just pull up a chair to get it.

Oh.

stuff that makes me smile

2009-10-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

I found an old email I sent myself back in 05' titled, "stuff that makes me smile". Reading through this list brought back a huge rush of memories, smiles, and a little pang realizing how fast time has flown by.

I can't remember half of the stuff I wrote down here, but they obviously meant a lot to me at the time, that of all moments, I chose to write them down.

If you were a part of my life during this time...you probably recognize a few of these.

Frappuchino Head
Ghetto dance videos (Denise, Joie, me)
Dan - "I'm too sexy"
The 'feet' smell at Tine's desk
Breaking out singing the Gummi Bears theme song during a meeting
"Bing Bing"
Bread
The bathroom 'incident' in Hollywood
Bertrand jumping at landmarks in LA
Surprise party
heart necklace from Bertrand
Human foosball
CW's Brittney phone ring, and dancing in our seats (me, cw, tine)
Goldman's kids
Groping our way through the pitch black theatre to find a seat for Anchorman
Elbowing Steve in the face
Jason's dirty dance
Tine's booger flicking
Decepting
Silly moose
Bus dance
Tine's sesame pimple
Getting stuck in the elevator
Revo cable
Cord on the ear during meeting
da proof of da pudding is in da eatin
Not matching
Gr8 Sax
Funny bone - hairy palm
He's a normal person Kimmy, he just likes to do math
HOT jumpsuit
Pummelos on the freeway
Free is free

It was so nice to find this list and actually made my Monday morning a little bit better.

I'm going to reinstate my "stuff that makes me smile" list for a rainy day. It's always good to add a smile to your day.

just being a boy

2009-10-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

My little man loves to crawl in tiny impossible spaces. He can freely roam throughout his large play area and crawl around with his sister and explore the many toys strewn about, yet he always prefers to take the smaller more difficult route. He loves to go "offroading" and doesn't really care too much about how he gets there...as long as he does. So whatever is in his way, he will crawl over, under, or through it. My little princess on the other hand is a dainty little perfectionist and has to do what she does the "right" way otherwise, she would rather wait. If they want to reach a toy and I am in the way, Kylie will crawl around me. Brendan will either crawl over me, or push me over, so that he can get where he needs to go. One time, my dad was visiting and laying on the floor on his side with the kids, resting his head in his hand. Brendan crawled through that hole between my Dad's head and the ground.

His adventurous attitude and affinity for small spaces is usually quite entertaining and fun to watch him just be a boy. It does sometimes get him in trouble though...

Sometimes I wish my life was a musical

2009-09-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

Think of the possibilities. How great would that be?

If you're sad, you just let out some heart wrenching ballad. When you're happy, you and whatever friends or strangers around, join in with you in a song and dance.

There is also something incredibly beautiful and moving when a bunch of people, especially complete strangers, can come together in unity and do something so beautiful and fun. Forget about all our worries and whatever disagreements or beliefs...and just sing and dance together.

This is why I am obsessed with flash mobs and Glee. This is why although I will admit, a little pathetic, seeing the flash mob on Oprah, the T-mobile commercial, or Matt dance around the world can bring a tear to my eye.

Can't we just all dance and sing together? =)

mommy moments

2009-09-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

The other day after getting my babies down for a nap after a morning of eating, playing, and cuddling I went to take a shower and as I took off my shirt, two cheerios fell out.

Later that day, while out running errands and heading back to my car, I reached into my purse to grab my keys...and grabbed these keys instead.

Little moments in life are most often the most precious. I love being a mommy.

Look Ma! No hands!

2009-08-24T23:03:00.000-07:00

Every day, my babies learn something new. Every day is a new adventure or a funny moment. This weekend I was teaching them how to play with stacking cups. My little man crawled over to me and laid on his back looking up at me. I told him..."don't move" and then doing a near impossible task for an 8-month old, my little man stayed very very still. I then stacked three cups on his head as he balanced it while we both giggled (and he still kept them balanced!). Finally, I was laughing too hard and he caught the case of mommy's giggles that the little tower tumbled over...and he crawled away to a new adventure.

Next...Mommy will teach me to juggle.

abibas

2009-08-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

I left a pair of flip-fops at work in case of emergency. You know, a foot emergency. When your feet just can't handle being in those cute pair of heels anymore. Since they flip-flops were only for "emergencies", I didn't want to leave a cute pair. What if I wanted to wear the cute pair but they were stuck at work? So I left a pair of my knock-off flip-flops I bought off a street vendor in Vietnam for 50 cents. They say "abibas". My abibas shoes are awesome and are the ultimate ghetto footwear. Perfect in case of emergency since I won't miss them or be wearing them on a daily basis as cute foot attire.

Little did I know...or really think through...that a foot emergency happens just about every other day. So these special abibas shoes make a constant appearance at work. So much so, that I've just gotten used to them and their comfort and slip them on when I get to work. I was blinded by comfort.

Then, one day I happened to mention my emergency shoes to my friend who decided that after my fur-lined crocs...this was strike two and that I am on my way to a shoe intervention from my girlfriends. (When did I become that girl?)

The other week I was wearing abibas around the office when one of my guy friends looks down at my feet and says, "what are you wearing?"

Man...I guess it's time for some new emergency shoes.

famous among random kids...at costco

2009-08-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

The other week, I walked by the school near my house where a kid runs up to the gate and shouts out, "Hey! I know you. Remember I saw you at Costco?"

I am now, "that Costco lady".

get a map already, dude

2009-08-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

I met up with my good ole' pal and buddy Tine for lunch today over at Google...you know, where I worked and practically lived for 5 years. After chatting on the phone, we agreed to meet in front of Building 46, "in front of that dude". I told her I was a minute away and she said she was heading out of the building.

So I got there....parked in front of the robot "dude" and sat waiting for my friend to make her quick exit to my car. 10 minutes later....where is Tine? I thought she was on her way out? So I looked around and thought maybe she had to stop at the bathroom on the way down or got caught by someone in the hall. Finally...15 minutes after saying we'd meet "in a minute", she calls me and says "I'm on the corner of Charleston and Huff". That means nothing to me. "Umm...I am in front of 46...I don't see you" Then she looks around and says, "Where?? I don't see you. I'll go find you."

"Oh, I'm right by the robot dude."

"That's Building 44!"

Dude. We are dorks.

Word to the wise. Do not give directions to others using the word "dude".

Probably not a good sign

2009-08-10T09:41:00.001-07:00

It's probably not a good sign if your babies laugh when you say "No". =)

a decade ago...

2009-07-29T13:58:00.001-07:00

I went to my 10 year high school reunion this past weekend. 10 years?! Really? Why does it feel like just the other day and at the same time...much longer than 10 years ago?

For awhile...I wasn't sure if I wanted to go, but I am so glad I did. I had a blast! So much fun. It was also so very weird being in such a crowded space and yet everywhere you turned...there was a familiar face and yet...not quite so familiar. There were far too many funny moments, old stories and memories discussed, and just overall good times.

I'm looking forward to the 20 year!

oblivious

2009-06-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

This morning, I was sitting at my desk deep in thought when one of my coworkers comes running in and asks me, "Did you shut the fire doors???"

Um. what?

"Did you hear the fire doors shut? They would make a huge bang."

Um. I don't know...

And then, her and another guy start racing around the office looking for the fire.

FIRE!! And I am just sitting here typing away on my computer.

Later on...I told her that before 7 in the morning...I am so unaware and oblivious, that if there ever is a fire, one of the two other early birds needs to run in here and save me.

"Okay Kimmy, we will come save you."

Thank you.

Almost...but not quite

2009-06-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

Little girl: Are the babies identical twins?
Me: No, they are fraternal. One is a boy and one is a girl.

A few minutes later...

Little girl (to her friend): Look! They are twins. They're nocturnal.

dazed

2009-06-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

You know you're tired when you wash your face with conditioner and your hair with face wash.

Not like I would know...just sayin'

spamburger

2009-06-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

I went to a Hawaiian BBQ place today for lunch. I ordered a Spam and Eggs Burger and was stoked to try one for the first time. Spam = good, Eggs = good, Burger = good. Combination of all of the above? Excited! So excited, I took a picture of it before I dug in.

Weird. I don't SEE any Spam. Maybe they ground it all up and made it into a patty instead.

I took a big ole bite. It was just a regular old cheeseburger. They screwed up my order and I was too hungry to go fix it.

Spamburger fail.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

Mom: So our church is having a picnic on Memorial Day weekend.
Me: Oh yeah? When is Memorial Day?
Mom: Well, it's a day where we stop and remember those who fought for us.
Me: Oh. When...not what. hehe.

I definitely know what Memorial Day is.

Thank you soldiers.

firsts

2009-05-12T14:41:00.001-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been full of firsts.

We went on our first family vacation...the babies got to see the ocean and the beach for the first time...they got their first colds, and on Sunday, I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day.

I love firsts.

isn't it obvious?

2009-05-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

My twin babies weren't born with very much hair. They've both got just enough to cover their heads but it will probably take awhile before any flowing locks of hair are blowing in the wind.

When we go out in public, I try to dress them up in the "typical" girl/boy outfits and colors just so it is obvious which is the boy and which is the girl. I put my little lady all in pink, with a little bow on her head, and occasionally a dress and my little man all in blue. And yet...it never ceases to fail, that at some point, somebody will stop us and ask...

"Twins!! Two boys? Two girls?"

"A boy and a girl."

"Oh! How perfect! Which one is the boy and which one is the girl?"

"Um. The one in the pink dress with the bow is the girl. The one in blue is the boy."

"trimmed"

2009-05-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

The other week while I was out in our backyard, I pointed out some overgrown bushes we have in our yard to Bertrand and asked him if he could trim them down. They are beautiful miniature rose bushes, but the thorns are deadly and I am constantly being stabbed by them when I walk past that area of the yard. I told him that eventually, we'd have to do something about those bushes since I was afraid of what they would do to the twins once they started walking around. Bertrand asked me how low I wanted them trimmed and I used my hand and kind of showed him how high I wanted them to come, then went inside the house to tend to the babies. A little bit later, I looked out the window to see what my newly trimmed rose bushes looked like...

Wait...WHERE are my rose bushes?

Where three of the bushes used to be, stood little bundles of...twigs.

Oh my goodness.

"Hun! What happened to the bushes?"

"I thought you wanted them trimmed down?"

"Trimmed...not chopped"

What a thoughtful husband I have. Now I will definitely not be stabbed by the thorns on those darn bushes...at least for awhile.

In the loop

2009-05-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

Our babies are getting a little older and are learning to sleep longer through the nights. This is big news.

Just the other day, I was sleeping peacefully when my husband woke me up... to tell me that our babies were still sleeping.

Thanks for keeping me in the loop! Next time...just leave me a note. ;)

filter

2009-04-18T16:30:00.001-07:00

Ever since I've joined the ranks of parenthood, I feel like I have lost any filter on my speech or thoughts. Actually...it probably started when I was pregnant, but has gone completely out the window now. Now, talking about bodily functions...their frequency, smell, texture, and anything else gross is such a normal part of my every day conversation that I completely forget when I am in public...that this is not normal. What? Not everyone has to change their shirts a couple of times a day because of spit up or not everyone gets the occasional pee in the face?

Too much information? What's that again?

I was warned this would happen.

creepy crawly

2009-03-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have this irrational fear of tiny bugs. Well, tiny bugs that are creepy crawly and come in large groups, ie. ants. Well tiny bugs and anything that has a lot of little holes...because they remind me of tiny little bugs and then I get itchy all over. It's not like I'm afraid they're going to eat me alive or that I don't realize I could just squish them and it's all over with. It's that there are so many of them and I feel like they will all crawl all over me and give me the eeby-jeebeez and I hate that feeling. Hate.

So given that it was raining off and on the past month, all the ants outside decided to come inside my house. Our house became a war zone with random screams when I encountered the little guys. Then there would be screaming, eeking, and laughing as I tried to clean them up and kill them.

As soon as I see ants, I get itchy all over and feel like they are all crawling on me. Whoever would happen to be in my company would get scared out of their socks when I let out a scream and then start slapping myself in hopes of killing whatever ant would be crawling on me. I would make whoever happened to be in my presence including random strangers check for me, "is there an ant on me?" The other day when I suddenly screamed then kicked off my shoe and pulled off my sock to kill an "ant" that I swear crawled into my shoe and through my sock JUST to tickle me...Bertrand told me, "You know...it doesn't really mean there is ant on you every time you itch or feel a tickle."

Oh.

Fine. So everyone thinks I'm crazy.

This morning when I was up at 6am rocking one of the babies in the rocking chair I felt a little tickle on my face. I ignored it at first remembering what my wise husband had told me. But then the itch was out of control and I scratched...and guess what? There was a freaking ant on my face.

See? They ARE crawling all over me. Irrational fear my butt.

can i have my hour back?

2009-03-07T22:34:00.000-08:00

I'm going to lose an hour of sleep tonight because of Daylight Savings.

Not much sleep - one hour = ouchie

Actually, I think I'm getting used to the sleep deprivation so losing one hour may not be so noticeable. Just give me some chocolate and I'll be good to go.

mommyhood

2009-03-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

mommyhood rocks.

I never could have imagined being more in love with two little human beings than I am with my little K and little B. Having twins has kept me on my toes and I have never cherished sleep (what's that again?) so much in my life. I have learned to soothe, feed, hold, and change two babies at the same time. We have mastered the "twin shuffle"...because you know as soon as you put one baby down, the other one wakes up and cries. I could not have asked for a more caring, patient or loving husband and father for my children, to share this journey with. Sitting down to eat, take a nap, watch tv, check email, or you know...breathe, is a luxury now, but one little smile from these little munchkin faces, and it is all worth it!

The day has finally come

2009-02-12T16:19:00.002-08:00

...I am back in my pre-pregnancy jeans!!!

6 weeks later...I am back in my pre-pregnancy jeans (without having to wiggle and lay down on a bed to button up...hehe). Yay!

And now that I'm mostly recovered from delivering the babies...I'm looking forward to heading back to the gym. You know, whenever I manage to get some sleep.

Best Christmas presents ever

2009-01-02T13:48:00.001-08:00

Our twin babies arrived on Christmas Eve.

They were the best Christmas gifts we could have ever asked for!

whatever you call it

2008-12-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

Me: My foot really hurts.
Bertrand: Oh no, what happened? Did you slam it into something?
Me: I don't know. But my left toe really hurts.
Bertrand: Which toe?
Me: My um...thumb toe.
Bertrand: ...you mean your big toe?
Me: Hmm. Yeah....

stretching

2008-12-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

What does it feel like to have two little people moving around in your belly preparing to make their entry into the world...at any moment?

It feels like just taking a normal average breath of air is like hiking Mount Everest. It feels like every muscle in your body is mad at you for making it carry almost an extra half of your original body weight. It feels like you are the biggest klutz because you can't gauge how far something is from you when trying to walk through a small hallway or opening (and then realizing that you no longer fit). It feels like when you try really hard to stuff your entire wardrobe into that little carry-on. You push and squish things into every little pocket, you sit on it, you get others to help you and just manage to get the lock closed...but you can tell it's just about to bust at its seams. It feels like you just said something you really shouldn't have and the person next to you elbows you in the ribs...really hard. It feels like you are a beached whale when you can't manage to roll over and get out of bed without some help from the one who got you into this situation in the first place. It feels like everything is just out of reach...like the far and distant sink while you are brushing your teeth, and so you accept the fact that toothpaste and water will just get all over you. It feels like no matter what you do, or how fast you think you are doing it, you are moving at a snails speed. Actually...I think I've seen a couple of those sluggies stick their tongues out at me as they zoomed past me. It feels like you have two very distinct aliens in your body when you look down and your belly is lopsided, or a little body part sticks out like a head, foot or knee.

And...it feels amazing. I can't wait to meet these two little aliens.

Just when you feel like you couldn't possibly stretch anymore...your body surprises you and keeps on growing.

choppy chop chop

2008-11-26T08:37:00.001-08:00

I cut off 10 inches of my hair.

Woah.

I have never in my life had short hair...unless you count when I was a baby and it was growing to its long state. So this was a big move for me. But it was for a good cause so I feel happy that I was able to share my hair with someone else who needs it much more than I do. I decided about a year ago that I wanted to grow my hair out to donate it to cancer patients. There are a few organizations out there and ultimately I decided to donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths who makes wigs out of the donated hair for women with cancer. I know how hair can be such a great form of expression and self-image for a woman and can only imagine what it would feel like to lose all of your hair. If you're thinking about doing it, I encourage you to find an organization and grow your hair out to donate it and make a small difference in someone's life. After all, it will grow back..right?

So now I'm sporting a fresh new do and still getting used to it. I keep going to touch hair and instead grab some air. My neck is a little colder. And taking a shower and washing my hair? That was quite the learning experience. I know better for the next time....much much less shampoo.

mom delivers baby at BART station

2008-11-21T17:54:00.001-08:00

Baby Born at San Leandro BART Station

The 21-year-old mother was with her 2-year-old child at around 7 a.m. when she started going into labor at the top of the escalator.

A station agent and a police officer helped her until paramedics arrived and delivered the baby, Johnson said.

Hmm...yeah. Not planning on riding BART alone anytime soon! =)

lil' mr. mischievous

2008-11-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

they're coming two-by-two

2008-11-17T09:19:00.000-08:00

A few of my very close girlfriends threw me an amazingly cute and fun little baby (babies?) shower last weekend. The theme was Noah's Ark with little animals coming two-by-two, just like our babies will be coming in a very short while. The place was decked out in adorable decorations, yummy food, great company, and hilarious belly busting games. I had such a great time.

Thank you friends! I love you!

so this is what it comes to

2008-11-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

As of lately...my shoes no longer fit comfortably, or at all for that matter. Given the fact that I am carrying and growing two little people in my belly, my feet have retained some water and grown a tad swollen. Okay, a lot swollen. It has started to make me really sad thinking that my cute shoes no longer fit me and will not be an option for the next couple of months (hopefully they go back to normal after). So sad, that I decided that I no longer cared WHAT I was wearing, as long as they are comfortable and fit.

So this led to me and my husband going to the store and buying some fur lined Crocs that I can wear for the remainder of the pregnancy. I was actually looking for the ones that had the fur inside the shoe instead of showing on the outside, but they didn't have anymore in my size. So out of desperation for comfortable shoes, I bought the fur lined Crocs with fur peeking out on the outside.

This morning before leaving for our many doctor's appointments, I pulled off the tags to my new shoes and popped them on. And then I paused and commented to Bertrand, "Wait...these look just like the inside house slippers I just took off. Am I going to be the pregnant lady who wears slippers out in public??" He then tells me that I am overreacting and that my shoes were clearly Crocs and clearly outside shoes. I asked him again, "...but I really think these might look like my slippers I wear in the house. Oh no!" He reassured me that I looked fine and that they did not look like slippers.

At the end of my first doctor's appointment, the doctor stood up and shook my hand and then leaned over towards Bertrand to shake his hand. Bertrand was too preoccupied trying to get my shoes in place for me to wear once I got off the table that he didn't realize the doctor was waiting for him. Then the doctor chuckled and said, "Oh it's okay, I see you are on purse and slipper duty", said goodbye and left the room. Once we were alone in the room, I turned to Bertrand and said, "Did you HEAR what he just said? He said SLIPPERS!" Bertrand looked up at me and then started to bust out laughing while I gathered my things and whimpered out the door.

I whined and whimpered about my new shoes that look like slippers and that I am now "that lady" on the way to our next appointment. As the nurse greeted me and took me to my room, she looked down and said, "Ooh! You're wearing your comfy shoes" I just glared at Bertrand with my "really?" face who returned my glare with a laugh. Embarrassed, I hid my shoes in the corner of the room so the doctor wouldn't see them. At the end of our appointment with her, she said goodbye and as she left the room, turned and gave a nice long pause as she looked at my lowly shoes in the corner.

We only talked with a few people this morning after slipping on these shoes and almost all had something to say about my "slippers". Bertrand, how could you let me buy these shoes and then let me wear them in public?

I am the slipper lady.

trick-or-treat, give me something good to eat

2008-11-02T18:27:00.000-08:00

One of the great parts about living in family friendly suburbia is all the cute little kids that run around and say little cute kid things and do cute little kid things. This also means...a lot of kids coming to your house trick-or-treating for Halloween. I prepared my usual giant bucket of candy as I do every year and filled it with three giant warehouse store bags of candy.

This was the first year in 6 years where I haven't dressed up for Halloween. Sorry folks. This year, for Halloween, I decided to just be a pregnant woman. BUT...I did wear an orange shirt and Halloween socks.

Before the sun even set, little princesses and frogs and witches and superheros started ringing our doorbell. And soon? It was almost pointless to even shut the door because swarms and swarms of children were flocking through the neighborhood and to our house. By 7pm, we realized we were out of candy. And we had been semi-stingy not knowing how many kids would be rolling through and only gave about 2-3 pieces per kid! So Bertrand did the emergency candy run while I scrounged up some more candy from my own personal candy stash to give to the kiddies.

And then..it poured and the rain came down, and the kids stopped coming. And somehow after buying pounds and pounds of candy and several hundred children later, I got left with some not-so-favorite candy.

Next year, maybe we'll just buy the candy aisle to be prepared. And kiddies, you can't touch my personal stash of good stuff!

dogs and dolls

2008-10-08T08:58:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I had jokingly mentioned how we should get a doll to "practice" for the babies and see how the dogs might react to a baby in the house. My mom bought us a doll that came with all these little accessories including a litle basket, extra outfit, pacifier, blanket, and a little bear.

Yesterday, I opened up the doll and sorted its little toys and then carried it around pretending it was a baby. The dogs did great! They were obviously curious and wanted to check out this new addition. They gave little sniffs and were calm and nice when we would tell them to be careful and to just say hi to the baby.

Then I sat down on the couch and put the baby in it's basket on the floor near me to watch what the dogs would do. Toby decided he would take guard and protect this new "thing" and laid near it. Max would occasionally come sniff it, but was otherwise undeterred and continued running around and playing with his toys. And then...I saw Max walk up to the basket, set down his favorite rope toy against the basket, back up a little, and then proceed to take the little bear toy that belonged to the baby doll. It was his peace offering and he was making friends by offering to trade his very favorite toy for her little bear!

After taking the toy back and telling him that it was the baby's toy and not his, I sat him next to the basket for a picture so his daddy could see how he had given the baby his rope toy. And then Toby? He decided he wanted to have a picture with the baby too...

toby punkeroo

2008-10-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

We turned on our tobycam this morning so we could watch Toby while we were away at work and see what he was up to. Bertrand initially pointed the camera at the doggy beds so we could see him resting in his bed. Instead? Toby decided he'd rather sunbathe by the sliding glass door. So at lunchtime, Bertrand went home and moved the camera to point at the sliding door so I could watch Toby in his "spot". The second Bertrand left? Toby decided to go sleep in his bed.

Punk.

excuse me, what's this?

2008-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

While hanging out with our neighbors out in front of our house, one of the little neighborhood girls came and stood next to me and held my hand. Then she started to lean on me and used her free hand to rub my belly. Soon after, I felt a tug on my arm and heard a little voice repeatedly say, "excuse me. excuse me." I smiled and looked down, "yes?" And then she uses her belly rubbing hand and points and says, "excuse me. what is this?" and points at the belly. I told her, "those are babies" she tilted her head, said "oh!" and then ran off to play again.

What if I was just fat...?

our twins

2008-09-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, Bertrand and I found out the sexes of our twin babies.

We are having a little boy and a little girl!

Happy Birthday, blog

2008-09-11T14:09:00.001-07:00

Happy 6th Birthday to kimbalina.com. It's kind of crazy thinking that when I started this blog, I was a college student. Since then, I've graduated, worked for one of the greatest tech giants, traveled the world, gotten engaged, married, and am now a soon-to-be mommy. Here's to many more years.

Speaking of anniversaries...I also celebrated another anniversary yesterday. :)

Labor Day in Monterey

2008-09-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the long Labor Day Weekend in Monterey.

We walked down Cannery Row...

looked out at the ocean...

watched the jellyfish be jelly...

had a staredown with some fish...

ate a giant sundae at Ghiradelli...

and took a nice long drive top-down in the convertible along 17 mile drive...

The weather was perfect, the clam chowder was hot, and the fish were swimmy. It was a great time.

pre-teen

2008-09-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

This morning while I was lost in my music and work, a few gentlemen walked through my work area and stopped next to my desk, talking loudly and pointing at my monitor. I took off my headphones and said, "good morning!" One of the men, smiled at me, then loudly asked to the room in general, "Is there anyone who works here who is over 12?"

Hello!

Apparently, I am a pregnant pre-teen.

are you eating butter?

2008-08-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

I have a pack of Lemon Hi-Chew yummy chewy candies sitting on my desk. Earlier today, I took a bite of one of the candies and put the rest back on the wrapper. One of my co-workers came over to my desk to talk about something, looked down, and said, "Are you eating butter?" and points at my yellow candy. I started laughing and pointed at the candy pack and said, "No, it's Hi-Chew. You thought I was eating...BUTTER???" Then he shrugs and says, "I don't know what pregnant women eat. Maybe it helps with the pregnancy or something."

fun in the sun...and the house

2008-08-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

A bunch of my friends got together for a fun barbecue this weekend. In typical fun fashion, we stuffed ourselves with all sorts of yumminess, played some games, and had some of the best and funniest moments I can possibly remember.

Most memorable moments from Guesstures: "porpoise" & "batman"

Fruit, fruit, fruit...

Build your burger station...

Catchphrase!

Guesstures!

"Batman". Notice the confused faces.

"Porpoise"

Thank you friends. I feel so lucky and blessed to have such fun, loving, and amazing people in my life!

I love yawn the Olympics

2008-08-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

Man, are the Olympics great or are they great?

I always get so excited when the Olympics are on. Pretty much as far back as I can remember...and sometimes further back than I can remember. I was talking to Bertrand the other night telling him about how great some event in the olympics were awhile back recalling all the details to him, when he interrupted me and asked how I could possibly remember that considering the fact that it occurred before I was born. Hmm. Yeah...not sure about that one. Maybe my mom so vividly described it to me over the years that I somehow felt like I was actually there and felt the same excitement she did watching it.

Given that I am now eating, drinking, sleeping for three people, I am pretty pooped by the end of the day (or really all day, every day). But given the Men's swimming relay race the other night (wow!) and just so many other amazing moments, it has been sooo worth it staying up those extra couple of hours, despite the fact that I feel like I'm about ready to fall asleep for eternity. And I know I could record it and watch it later...but that seems useless when the next morning, all the news stations are giving the recaps and replaying the exciting moments. I want to see it happen before I start hearing results and seeing clips.

Anyways, thank you Mr. cutie-patootie Michael Phelps and the women's gymnastics for making me even more tired than I already am. I complain, but really, I so love it.

max mixup

2008-08-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

Max made his first visit to Palantir with me today. He had so much fun learning his new surroundings and making new friends (both people and dog types).

His presence is also causing some fun humor and confusion for those of us sitting around here...

While talking with one of my coworkers here about how she should have her desk height adjusted, one of us mentioned the name of another coworker who could help her. I then saw Max walk towards her desk and without separating the two conversations said, "Is he over there with you now? I think you have a new admirer." She immediately lifted her head and looked around in panic thinking that the "desk fixer" was an admirer given that I didn't separate the different train of thoughts.

Immediately after, another coworker was talking with Max saying, "No...we don't share lunches. You have to go get your own." The fellow sitting next to her looked up and said, "Huh? Why not?"

haha. Oh Maxipoo. You are causing so much confusion today.

Our family is growing!

2008-08-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

That's right. We've got buns in the oven. Twins!

We are so very excited and feel so blessed about the soon-to-be additions to our family.

never get enough

2008-07-29T11:55:00.001-07:00

My appetite has grown immensely in the couple of months. Or rather, I have an appetite now. I can't eat too much at once, but I'm usually "grazing" on something throughout the day.

Last night, a friend mentioned to me that he'd had a Vietnamese sandwich for lunch that day, and then it sounded sooo good that I had to stop on my way home to buy a couple for me and Bertrand for dinner. But as I drove, I got increasingly hungrier and two just no longer sounded like enough. Four seemed like it could be enough, but what if we were really into them and wanted to eat them again another night? So I ordered 6 sandwiches...for 2 of us.

And because it smelled so good, I ate half of one before I even got home.

do you enjoy beef snacks?

2008-07-15T16:31:00.001-07:00

Our local food lab occasionally calls me for some taste tests for new products. Today, I got a call from a lady there asking a few questions to see what studies I qualified for.

Lady: Are you available on Wednesday, July 28th?
Me: Do you mean Monday the 28th?
Lady: No, Wednesday the 28th.
Me: The 28th is a Monday....
Lady: Oh. I'm sorry. Are you available Tuesday, the 29th?

Lady: Do you enjoy beef snacks?
Me: What are beef snacks?
Lady: I'm not sure....do you eat beef jerky?
Me: Yes, occasionally I do.
Lady: Do you eat beef sticks?
Me: Excuse me?
Lady: Beef sticks. I don't know how they are different from beef jerky, but do you like beef sticks?
Me: I don't think so.
Lady: Hmm....now read this part outloud....oops! Sorry, I was supposed to read that to myself.

after a few more questions for the next 5 minutes....

Lady: Thank you ma'am but you do not qualify for our studies.

Today is a gift

2008-07-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

Seen in a store window as I walked to work down University Ave.

Today is a gift. That is why they call it the present.

Happy Birthday Toby!

2008-06-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

Toby turns 12 today!

Happy Birthday Toby! We love you!

Fair Food

2008-06-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Is so bad and yet so good.

This year's tummy ache has been brought to you by....

the funnel cake...

jumbo corn dogs...

waffle cones w/ frozen yogurt

a basket of garlic fries...

corn on the cob...

giant cups of lemonade...

and some beef jerky thrown in for good measure.

Ugh. Until next year!

push-ups!

2008-06-19T10:39:00.001-07:00

Remember Push-Ups?

These bring back so many childhood memories for me. They are the best treat ever on those hot summer days.

The other day I got back from a walk outside in beautiful warm downtown Palo Alto and was craving a good popsicle. And then I remembered the sherbet Push-Ups and had a major craving for some.

So I asked for some, and my work got them for me yesterday.

I guess The Flintstones are old school and SpongeBob is the new thing now. Am I that old?

staycation

2008-06-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

I got an email from United Airlines this morning stating that their policies are changing now that there is an extra fee for any checked baggage. $15 for your first bag and $25 for your second. What's next? A charge for the seat cushion? Coin operated toilets? Next thing you know, I'll be lugging all the stuff I crammed into a carry-on along with my seat cushion, food, and coins for the bathroom after I've already paid a ton just to get on the plane.

I proposed that Bertrand and I start taking some "staycations" this summer. A staycation is when you relax and have fun in your very own home town or area. In the Bay Area we have so many wonderful things to do and places to explore, why not just stick around town, enjoy why we live here, and help our local economy.

Okay, this really wasn't "my idea"...I heard it on the radio. But it's a good one!

Some ideas:

Day trip to Yosemite
Day in the beautiful city of San Francisco
Day trip to Monterey/Carmel
Hike in the Sunol Hills
Explore all the beautiful little downtowns in the neighboring cities
Learn to fly a kite in the park
Actually wake up early on a Saturday and go to garage sales
Go to the County Fair

My first staycation will be to treat myself to a "relaxing" day of shopping at the local mall. Ahhhh....staycation.

all the little things of me

2008-06-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

While we were in San Diego, Bertrand snapped this picture of me eating one of my favorite snacks...nachos! Why he always seems to have the urge to take a picture of me when I'm eating, I haven't quite figured out yet.

Anyways...this picture so greatly captures so many aspects of "me".

1. My sunglasses. I love sunglasses and pretty much wear them or have them clipped to my shirt or propped on to of my head at all times sun is anywhere in sight.
2. Nachos. Chips + Cheese = Yum!
3. My blackberry. Or should I say crackberry?
4. Purell. bye bye germies!
5. My camera. I love taking pictures of anything and everything (and anywhere)

All that's missing is a shot of me in flip flops and you've pretty much got "kimmy" down!

little stinker

2008-05-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

So my plans for today were to do nothing. And doing absolutely nothing...was exactly how my day started. I slept in a little, then mostly just chilled around the house. I let the dogs out to play in the yard to enjoy the nice day. About an hour later, I went to let them back into the house. Toby ran in, happy and refreshed. Max followed along. I noticed that a section of his fur had gotten all clumped and hard. So I pulled out the towels and brush and was about to brush it out when the overwhelming stench of pee & poop reached my nose. Wow. Did he somehow decide for the first time ever, that today was the perfect day to roll around in that grossness? So I dragged the little bugger out to the hose in the backyard and hosed him down and gave him a bath. I wasn't about to bring that stinkiness into the house to give him a bath in the sink as usual and the little guy was afraid of the hose nozzle so we had quite the struggle.

So now I am all wet and scratched and have another load of laundry to do.

So much for chillin' today, huh?

But how could you stand this little face...

Goodbye Google

2008-05-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day working at Google.

It has been an incredible ride for the almost 5 years I have been at Google. I have been able to see the company grow and flourish over the years and I in turn have grown and learned so much. It has been an invaluable experience to me being able to work on some of the most innovative products and to work with so many brilliant minds.

I still remember the days when the whole Blogger team sat together in one little area and Eric, Steve, Tine, Graham, and I were all squished together in a tiny office throwing Koosh balls at each other. Things were crazy back then, but that is also the time I treasure the most, when things were smaller and more intimate.

While at Google, I got to build up my own team from scratch, establish new processes and work on some pretty awesome projects with some pretty awesome people (Blogger, BlogSearch, and AdWords).

I have accepted an offer at a startup company in Palo Alto called Palantir that does data analysis. The company is small and growing as Google was also a "small" growing "start-up" at the beginning of my time here. I miss and thrive in that environment and this opportunity allows me to do that once again.

I truly treasure the time I have spent at Google. I have made many friendships that will last a lifetime.

Here's to what's next in the future!

I <3 San Diego

2008-05-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

We took a couple of days off to make our long Memorial Day weekend extra long and took a road trip down to San Diego. Of course...while we there, it was unseasonably cool and rained two of the five days we were there. Regardless, it was gorgeous there.

We got to relax at the beach and watch the sun set in La Jolla...

squeal as the cute little penguins played...

brave the screaming of the seals as they fought the birds for fish....

watch ginormous polar bears play together in the water...

and go on a pseudo African Safari at the Wild Animal Park and see buffaloes, rhinos, giraffes, and other animals roam.

Gas prices make me sad

2008-05-21T19:49:00.001-07:00

I filled up my car with gas today for the first time in a few weeks and faced incredible sticker shock. Almost $100?!? Mammas!

family time

2008-05-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my brother came home from the far far away land of heat to hang out with the family for my mom's birthday and Mother's Day. We got to hang out again like in the old days when we were all living in the vicinity of each other, and just like my mom wanted, we all spent the entire weekend together...and had a lot of fun.

We made some spring rolls, played an intense game of Scattegories, ate way too much food at Claim Jumper's, and then played a two-day game of Risk. We battled it out for awhile, but in the end, it was me against my Dad (pink against yellow). The game took too long so we just put it away....but next time? Pink is taking over the world!

is this your shirt?

2008-05-03T22:53:00.001-07:00

The other night, my week caught up with me and I was hit with a sudden wave of extreme exhaustion. I couldn't stay awake through one of my favorite shows and was barely conscious to watch the San Jose Sharks win in overtime against the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Once the game was over...I headed straight up to bed to pass out again for the night. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out in la-la-land enjoying my deep sleep.

And then I heard Bertrand's voice, "Is this your shirt?" I ignored him and attempted to keep sleeping. And then again, "Is this your shirt? Could you open your eyes? I want to know if this shirt shrank or if I'm just getting fat."

At that...I peeped my eyes open to see my husband standing there in a midriff Blogger T-shirt spread tightly across his chest and just a few threads away from bursting. Again, he said, "is this your shirt?"

Instead of laughing or being amused by the sight that was there before my eyes, I was just too tired to even be bothered with these "simple questions". Couldn't he just look in a mirror and tell that that wasn't his shirt?? I grunted and barely opened my mouth and said, "What do YOU think? Check the tag!" He happily said "ok!" and took off his shirt to tell me that it was a size small. I responded with, "yes, that's my shirt" and then went right back to sleep.

Who asks these questions? Look in the mirror already! Try to lift your arms and see if they move. Try taking a breath and see if your shirt rips open. :)

A tip for you men out there. If you'd like to be funny, please wait until your wife is conscious enough to enjoy your joke.

Still feels good

2008-04-14T00:45:00.000-07:00

Rascal Flatts came into town again this weekend, this time at the big HP Pavillion in San Jose. My fourth concert with "the boys", every year with more and more people. The sold out arena was a big difference from when when I saw them the first time a few years ago opening up for Brooks & Dunn. All the teeny-boppers, cowboys, and girls in teeny-tiny clothes came by storm to see the cuties. Once I arrived, I knew I should have worn my sundress and cowboy boots to match all the swarms of girls.

Jennifer saved Bertrand from having to accompany me to the concert and we had a fun girl's night out. Only thing was...she threw out her back literally hours before, so had a hard time moving/walking/standing.

Once we arrived, we made a beeline for the snack bar and each got ourselves a tray of nachos. To help my handicapped friend focus on walking, I held both trays of nachos and we headed towards our seats amongst the throngs of people. So there we were pushing through the crowds, one of us hunched over and hobbling like an old lady and the other trying to balance a giant purse and two trays of hot nachos. Inevitably, I got bumped and then got nacho cheese in a not-so-great place on my chest. I looked down and shouted, "Cheese! Help me!" We "pulled over" to the side of the traffic and Jen leaned over with her napkin to wipe the cheese off, realized where it was, then we did a mad shuffle to transfer the nachos so I could wipe it off myself.

Once we were safely in our seats and the show started, Jen told me that at the last show she went to, they had the same stage and that they were going to make their grand entrance from under the stairs on the main stage. So we both ignored the rest of the stage and stared to our left at the stairs on the big stage. Suddenly the crowd went crazy and we heard the guys start singing. Where are they...? And there, directly in front of us on a mini stage were the guys and we completely missed their grand entrance.

The rest of the concert was awesome. The guys sounded great and the crowd was really into it. Well...except for the girl who threw-up into a cup and then passed out in front of us.

Until next year!

a duck

2008-04-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday while taking Max outside to do his business, he sniffed around a bush in the parking lot. Suddenly, a bunch of rustling happened, and me, thinking that some rodent was about to run out at me ran a few feet away. I asked my friend standing near me, "What was it??? A squirrel? A cat?"

His response, "no....a duck."

What the heck is a duck doing in the middle of a bush in a random parking lot nowhere near water? And why is it jumping out and scaring the cheetos out of me.

Know what you have

2008-04-06T15:54:00.001-07:00

While shopping at Target this weekend, I decided that I wanted to start baking. Since I've never really baked aside from making cookies, we decided we'd stock up on some baking supplies for me. I left the store with a bunch of baking trays and tins.

Once I got home, I was so excited about my new adventures into baking and put my new purchases away....only to find that I had EVERYTHING I had just bought...and more, that was way better quality than what I had just purchased.

Oh yeah...forgot I registered for all that stuff for my wedding and put them all away never to be touched. Well today, they will finally be used!

no pie for you

2008-04-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Last night while running errands, a sudden mad craving came over me while we were discussing desserts, for some good ole' pie. I told Bertrand that I really wanted some pie. He quickly agreed that that sounded good, so we decided we'd stop by the local Baker's Square to pick one up.

I got so excited thinking about what type of pie I wanted...Banana Cream or Chocolate Silk. Such big decisions! As we pulled up to the Baker's Square lot where I hadn't been in years...I noticed all these random moving trucks parked. I joked around and said, "want to buy a truckload of pies too?"

We got out of the car and I skipped my way to the front door, where a sign was posted declaring that the store had shut down permanently...the day before.

Just my luck.

The joys of coworkers

2008-04-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

In a meeting

X: Hey guys, they're giving away free dodgeballs this week
Y: Where'd you hear that?
X points at sign on the wall
X: See? Join pick up dodgeball
Me: No...it's not to pick up actual dodgeballs. It's to come play pick-up dodgeball. You know...when you just show up and play.
X: Oh.

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My cubemate is wearing these cool "rocker" type jeans with holes, hanging little beads/jewels/strings. I point at her jeans and say, "you might want to watch out for Max, he'll grab a hold of those things and pull." Her response? While holding out one long thread, "Yeah, he already discovered them."

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On April Fools Day

Me: Hey, did you see the youtube prank? All of their featured videos point to this one.
Z: haha. That's awesome. Wait...Rick Astley? I have this song.
Me: haha!
Z: Seriously...it's on my iPod.

I love my coworkers.

April Fools

2008-04-01T13:03:00.001-07:00

So...every year, the folks at work pull a bunch of cute/funny April Fools pranks. There was Google Romance, Gmail Paper, Google Gulp...

This year...I saw the thing about Virgle, but then completely fell for Gmail Custom Time and actually kept trying to find where the feature was and wondering why I didn't have it...until of course, I read the documentation on it. Doh!

I love that I work somewhere where people don't take themselves too seriously.

Oh yeah...someone went around and messed with our internal directory pictures too.

Happy April Fools Day!

all domesticated

2008-03-26T08:46:00.000-07:00

The other weekend I went out into the front yard and decided I wanted to pull out some of the bushy plants and plant a bunch of flowers. The section I wanted to take on as my "project" was fairly small so I figured this would be an easy task.

Okay...first of all, what the heck was I thinking? Gardening is not easy work. I pulled out all my tools and a giant shovel and started digging around the bushes to pull them out. I somehow did not realize that plants have roots... So this task became near impossible with my wimpy arms. So I called Bertrand out to pull out these darn difficult things. Next, I got the soil ready so dug up all the existing dirt and mixed it up with my new soil. Then the planting.

I naively assumed that this seemingly simple task for this tiny piece of land would be a quick and easy job. Instead, I spent the entire afternoon out there planting about 20 bulbs and only 6 actual flowers. And then? I was sore from it for the next two days.

Real life is a lot harder than time in the gym!

Spring is heeeere!

2008-03-25T16:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring!

It has been absolutely gorgeous out here in sunny California. Warm sunny days and that it's actually still light out by the time I get home from work? Amazing. I no longer feel like I'm losing my entire day inside at work even though technically it's the same amount of hours. Now with the great weather, we take the doggies out for a walk to the grocery store instead of driving out there. The flowers are blooming and the bulbs I planted are starting to peek their way out.

Yay for sunny days.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

The Infamous Flu of 08'

2008-03-15T23:31:00.001-07:00

That is what I'm going to call this sickness that has overtaken my life for the past week.

Every couple of years I get hit with a "big" illness. A couple of years ago, I had a really bad cough that was so strong and lasted for so long....that my lungs were inflamed and I fractured a rib from coughing. Yes, fractured a rib...from coughing. A few years before that, I had pneumonia.

I jinxed myself by telling everyone that despite the fact that the flu was going around, I surprisingly hadn't been really sick in a couple of years. And then? Of course, it hits me. Like a mad truck. I woke up last Sunday with the worst sore throat I have ever felt in my life. It felt like I had nails going up and down my throat every time I took a breath, said a word, blinked. And then I lost my voice for a couple of days. I thought it would get better after a day or two, but then it got worse! *sigh* But now I have finally reached the recovery stage. Just with a lingering cough to remind me about how bad my past week has been.

I was made aware of how delirious I have been all week when I drove to the bank today to deposit a check that has been sitting in my purse for awhile. Once I arrived at the bank, I spent the next 10 minutes going through my purse in a panic looking for the check. In the meantime, I discovered that I lost my favorite sunglasses at some point in the past week or two and found one of two earrings in my purse...meaning I lost the other one somewhere along the way. We had to pull out the iPhone and use online banking only to figure out that I had in fact deposited the check on Monday....when I was totally flu'ish. Do I remember doing this? No.

So here's hoping that I can stay healthy for another couple of years.

And yes, I got the flu shot this year.

Tearing things down and changing things up

2008-03-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

We've been doing a major remodeling project on our master bathroom the past few weeks. It started out as thinking about just changing the floors, pulling out the carpet and installing stone tiles. Then we figured, since we're already going to be displaced and making a mess, let's replace the counters. Then from there, why not upgrade the shower and tub. Then, since we're re-doing that, let's get a nicer tub. Et cetera et cetera.

The first couple weeks were of destruction. Tearing everything apart and ripping everything out. Starting completely fresh with basically...four walls. Then things got good once the tiling started to be laid down and the granite counters installed this past weekend.

It's been a lot of fun but also a lot of work since we (Bertrand) are doing it ourselves. Mr. Handyman works a little bit on it every night and on the weekends. I am the visionary and designer and picker of items and he is the skill and muscle.

We moved out of our master bedroom, covered everything in plastic, moved all of our clothes and belongings out of our closet and now reside in our guestroom. It's like a mini trip away....in our own house.

Every day it's coming along more and more. I can't wait!

Unexpected baby delivery...in a train's toilet

2008-02-29T13:25:00.000-08:00

Pregnant woman uses train toilet, baby slips out

"My delivery was so sudden," said the Bhuri Kalbi, the mother of the infant, born two months prematurely. "I did not even realize that my child had slipped from the hole in the toilet."

Wow. Seriously?

Google Dogs

2008-02-25T11:15:00.000-08:00

Toby made his debut of the Google Dog T-shirt a couple of years ago. The shirt has since shrunk a couple of sizes and was handed down to little Max.

Tiny dilemma

2008-02-22T09:47:00.000-08:00

I am listening to my playlist of old love songs this morning and am feeling an intense urge to bust out singing.

Problem: I'm wearing headphones and am at my desk at work. Amidst a fairly quiet group of people with tiny clicks of the keyboards and mice.

I may have to go to my car and just get it out of my system.

Just want to be close to you

2008-02-12T08:38:00.000-08:00

When we drive the dogs around in the car, they both always start on either side of the car. But as the drive continues on, Max scoots a little closer to Toby inch by inch. Max really loves Toby. He loves to follow him around, tease him, and wrestle.

Toby also loves Max...but he needs his personal space. So as Max inches closer and closer to Toby, Toby gives him little side glances.

Usually this results in two dogs squished side-by-side against the door on one side of the car, and the rest of the backseat completely empty.

On this particular ride, Max squished Toby to the point where he had nowhere to sit or stand. So what did Toby do? He sat ON TOP of Max.

Both were content with this decision.

Neighborhood Kiddies

2008-02-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

With the break in the rain after a few weeks and a nice sunny weekend, it seemed like everyone in our court was out to enjoy the weather. After pruning my roses out back and trimming back a few trees, I pulled out the cars for a long overdue car wash. I took Toby & Max out front to enjoy the weather too while I washed.

I love living in my suburban cul-de-sac with all the little kiddies and families out. All the neighborhood kids were out in their big wheels and motorized mini jeeps. The kids provide an endless amount of entertainment.

The following events/conversations took place while I was washing the cars:

Little Boy: Hey! Let's go play with Max and Toby!
All the kids rush over
Other little boy: Fine! Go play with the dogs and don't play with your best friend!
Storms into the house

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Several of the kids were playing in our garage, tetherball style, with the hanging ping-pong ball I use to know when to stop my car while parking.
Dad: What are you doing??? Get out!
Little Boy: It's okay...she doesn't mind.

-----

Little Girl: I don't like Max because he's too jumpy. I only like them if they are old and trained. But I like this one. What is his name?
Me: That's Toby.
Little Girl: Toefee?
Me: Toby. Sounds like bee
Little Girl: Oh okay. Toefee. Toefee and Max.

-----

Running around my car while I am scrubbing and washing.

Three boys: Spray us! Ah!!! Don't spray us!

It took a lot of self control to keep the hose pointed at the cars.

-----

A little girl decided that she would have a seat out on the curb in front of my house, take off her jacket, shoes, and socks and splash in the water coming through the gutter....the dirty water I just used to wash my cars.

Mom: What are you doing??? That is dirty water! There is brake dust and oil in there.
Little Girl: It's okay. I don't mind.
Mom: Well I mind and I'm your mother! Get over here right now!

So the little girl picks up her things and starts to walk barefoot across the court. Does a quick turnaround to smile at me where I can see that her white skirt and white tshirt are now stained black from the grease.

Mom: Look at you! You just ruined your clothes.

Then she opens the door to the house and screams in to her husband, "We've got a problem!"

Oh the joys of neighborhood kids.

I'm Feeling Magical

2008-02-07T20:53:00.001-08:00

We took our annual company trip together this week. Instead of our usual ski trip, this year we had a choice to go camping or go to Disneyland. The choice was a no brainer for me. Hmm...do I want to be freezing cold in a tent, going to the bathroom who knows where, and eating food cooked over a fire...or do I want to go to the Happiest Place on Earth where I can have good food and a luxury hotel room? So without question, I chose to go to my happy place.

I have been to Disneyland at least once nearly every single year of my life. But getting to go with my a park full of my friends and coworkers and flooding an airport/plane with all my fellow colleagues? That was a first.

We all filtered our way through the various bay area airports and converged in Anaheim. Then we played our hearts out for the next day or two. There were barely any lines and we rode every big ride and even got on some twice. We were excited to be there, and they seemed excited to have us.

It was an absolute blast and even more fun that I had imagined it would be. What a great place to be and a great company to work for that would treat us to something so fun and special.

Happy New Year!

2008-02-07T09:44:00.000-08:00

Organization only helps sometimes

2008-01-22T23:58:00.000-08:00

But organization can only help when you actually realize that you are organized.

After the winter season last year, I put away all my winter clothes and snow gear. Once we were ready to hit the slopes again this year, it was time to pull out all the necessary gear. There in my special "snow box" I had all my ski pants, snow gloves, wool socks etc. It worked out great! Except...I couldn't find my favorite fleece sweatshirt I usually wear underneath my jacket. I searched high and low. I tore up my closet looking for it, went through all my drawers, and even a random bag of clothing we found in the garage from my college days, but nothing. When I needed to find my extra pair of ski goggles, I also couldn't find them in the usual spots and tore up the garage, shed, closets, looking for them. It's also been a bit chilly so I've been looking for the extra scarves and mittens my Mom so lovingly made me a couple of years ago. Yep, you guessed it. Couldn't find those anywhere either.

Where in the world could all this stuff be? Hidden behind some bureau? Stuck in some dark corner?

Tonight as I was pulling some clothes out to give to Goodwill, I stood in my closet and looked around to admire what extra room I had made. Then I looked at how organized it was looking with things nicely folded, sweaters color coordinated, boxes neatly stacked and labeled.

Wait. Boxes that were labeled. So I read the labels on my fantastic boxes.

"Fleece/Snow Gear/Mittens & Scarves"

There in plain sight, nicely labeled, all along...was EVERYTHING I'd been looking for so hard in the most obscure places.

sleeping bag awesomeness

2008-01-14T17:24:00.001-08:00

A sleeping bag you can wear AND look like a goofy monster in!

I think I want one!

via Uncrate

Top 10 Happiness Helpers

2008-01-09T17:07:00.000-08:00

This list from Self magazine's January issue is so cute!

Be Grateful. Each night, recall three things that went well that day. Focus on the fun stuff to crank up your contentment.
Lose Yourself. Spend at least 20 percent of your leisure time on pursuits that put you into a "flow" state, fully absorbing your mind.
Indulge in your hobbies. Break from the grind to do what excites you. Love to travel? Research your next trip to Rome. Gratifying your desires keeps your bliss battery humming.
Walk your talk. Align your actions with your values. Cherish loyalty? Chat with your best pal regularly. Practice what you preach to stay chipper.
Pen a Happy Ending. Instead of obsessing over what's to come, jot down your ideal future. People who put their positive fantasies on paper reported feeling significantly happier in a month.
Be a favor fairy. Research suggests that doing even small good deeds, such as holding elevator doors, makes you joyful. Altruistic acts create a circle of virtue; pass the karma on.
Remove the blinders. To be satisfied, set a goal with a deadline (for instance, learn basic Portuguese before your trip to Brazil). Then, instead of fixating on the end point, enjoy the steps that get you there (your language class). Score!
Circle up. Joining people who have convened for a cause directed toward the greater good, such as conservation club, is as beneficial to your health as exercising regularly, studies show.
Tap your strengths. Find simple ways to use your gifts. If your forte is community building and you're in sales, view cold calls as a way to connect. You'll find motivation in the mundane.
Make your happy heart pound. Three brief workouts a week can improve your outlook nearly as well as antidepressants, research finds.

If I were to add another one...it would be...get a dog (or two)! :)

The price of going green

2008-01-07T16:31:00.001-08:00

We've been doing our part on helping the Earth as much as we can with little things like recycling, using our Nalgene/Sigg water bottles, turning down the heat, taking the shuttle to work etc. But lately we have taken some bigger steps. We replaced all our bulbs with CFLs and now drive a hybrid car.

But this does not come without a cost. For some reason, our switches do not work well with the CFLs in our family room. Hence, in order to turn on any lights, we must go through the following steps:

Turn on switch
Run over to lamp
Unscrew CFL bulb
Screw in normal bulb
Turn lamp switch a notch
Run over to switch and press again
Run back and unscrew normal bulb and replace with CFL before it gets too hot

Oh, the price we pay to help the earth.... :)