Gettin' Hitched!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, everyone, we are engaged!!!! yay!!!!!!!!!!!  Here is the scoop :)

So about 9:30 this morning, my door bell rang and a UPS man was outside.  I signed for a package and was very much intrigued since I ordered no such package.  Granted it was for Adam, but still.  My auditor instincts told me to open it.  :)

So it was a fairly large box.  I started opening it and went through 2 cardboard layers, a plastic UPS layer, and Ziploc back, a little white box, and finally......a little black box, about 1/10 of the size of the original box.  How was I to know?!

Many of you probably have guessed now that a very special ring was in that box.  A very beautiful, sparkly, perfect ring.  I was panicking.  What do I do?!  Answer: Call Taylor.  

This is what our genius sister minds came up with: I will re-wrap the ring all the way back up, just how I found it.  Luckily, since I don't know the proper way to open a UPS box, I was able to glue the tape back and it was almost exactly perfect!! Yes!! Now I just sit and wait..... or do I?

My wandering mind got the best of me...what if I don't tell him I opened it and he obviously sees that I did?  Not quite how I want my engagement starting off....So I decided to tell him.  Texts follow:

Me: So a package from UPS came for you today.

Adam: yay! gifts for me. Stay out of it :)

Me: What if I got into it before you told me not to?

Adam: What did you find?

Me: A very pretty ring :)

Adam: It's for my mom.

Me: oh...well good thing I wrapped it back up....

And then I had to wait almost 5 hours for Adam to get home from work!!

Finally Adam gets home and begins to unwrap all of my hard re-wrapping work....Small talk ensues... I actually just thought he might open the entire thing and then go hide the ring and wait for another time to ask anything.  Instead, as he opened the final little black box, he said, "Well, I guess this will make for a good story then," and got down on one knee and asked, "I love you, will you marry me, Brittney?"  And even though I knew it was coming, I STILL got misty eyed and all emotional :) awwwweeeeeee.... all in our little California kitchen :)

So here is the ring :) just perfect! :)

Tom is obviously ecstatic.  He's always wanted his parents married :)

So there ya have it! It's official and we are both super excited for the next step.  A celebration to commence in Washington State, although legally, we might not be able to wait that long ;)

SUNSHINE!!!

We finally are enjoying the Southern California weather we have heard about!!  For the past 2-3 weeks, it has been overcast and drizzly....blah! I thought we left that stuff up in Washington! :) Today there wasn't a cloud in the sky!!  Turns out that the mall is within a mile of our house so I decided to take a nice walk.....and what a great mall it is!! Lots of outdoor store fronts and walking areas :)

This morning we took the dogs on an early morning walk along the Paseo (which is the name of the bike/walking trail that goes through the city).  We actually saw two coyotes! Our neighbors have mentioned that coyotes have been spotted around our neighborhood before and now we believe them! Although, I'm still not sure how they actually made it to our street because it's quite a maze to get here from the trail. 

Yesterday, we went to a place called Stoney Point and went rock climbing.  It was beautiful and when we got to the higher points, we were able to see sooooo much!!!  Steve was our tour guide/photographer.  He was able to point out where everything was in relation to where we were.  I was all turned around, apparently my navagation skills don't compare to my rock climbing skills :)



Adam was a little more adventurous that I was :) I was an awesome spotter, though!!


My nickname during the rock climing was "The Crevasser" because I could fit into little crevasses and wedge myself up :)  We loved it so much, we are going again next weekend!!

Tonight is our celebratory dinner for Adam's first day of work. yay! Sushi!!! :)

Can't have a post without a picture of these guys :)

Happy Easter!!!!!

We will be celebrating the holiday by taking the dogs on a long walk on the bike/walking path by our house and doing a little rock climbing...it's a little cloudy here so we won't be getting tan today :(

Easter dinner will consist of tuna steaks prepared by Adam and the entertainment for the evening will be NBA playoff games.

Miss you all!



yay, I must be doing something right in the gardening department :)



House Pictures

Good evening!

Here is an update of what we have been doing lately....

1)  We finally went down by the pool  in our neighborhood and did a little sunbathing and relaxing.  The weather was a little chilly for our liking, but still plenty warm.  The pool we went to is about 2 blocks away, so we can just walk to it.  It has two hot tubs even!


I looooove seeing palm trees all around! :)  This is the view from the lounge chair.



2) We also went to Magic Mountain on Thursday which was a blast!! We spent the whole day there and rode as many coasters as we could.  Since we bought season passes, we received a bunch of coupons for free entries throughout the summer, so hurry up and get down here, people!!! :)

3) Another notable activity was my attempt at cooking last night.  I decided to go for a Mediterranean style pizza with artichokes, tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese.  Guess what?! It turned out soooo yummy! Granted it was a super easy recipe to follow, but nonetheless, it was delicious.  Gone in one night! The pizza crust got a little lopsided so it was difficult to pile all of the toppings on, but we managed....

And now for some before and afters!!! I have been waiting to post any pics of the house because it's a slow process to decorate rooms, but we finally finished a few spaces. yay!!

BEFORE:

AFTER!!!!!!



Our little dining/study area.

This is the wall that separates the kitchen from the dining room.  We have economically filled it with $2 bottles of wine from Whole Foods :) Surfboards courtesy of me :)



BEFORE:



This was just left in our garage.  The landlord said if we didn't want them, she would remove them, but Adam had other plans :)

AFTER!!!!





Now it's a beautiful vanity/make-up closet for me!!! I think someone was a little frustrated with the lack of bathroom space :)





The vanity now sits in our bedroom and I can get ready without bumping elbows with Adam in the bathroom! It's just perfect! :) He is quite the handy-man.

Adam starts work on Monday so it will be just me and the dogs for two weeks.  

Good Night! :)

Domestic Duties....

We have slowly been getting into a lovely routine down here in Southern California.  The days are sunny, the dogs are chipper (yes, even Dudley), and the people in Valencia are very nice. Most importantly, we have been ironing out the household responsibilities.  I'm in charge of flower/herb/vegetable maintenance.  Please observe.



What we have here is a variety of succulents and herbs, carefully and methodically planted and misted to ensure optimal growth.  I have been researching the gardening hobby fairly extensively since making the decision to move to someplace warmer, allowing me a longer, more productive growing season.  This spring, I have also planted a few food items, including tomatoes, rosemary, mint, and basil.  Yummy!!!! I might just try a small citrus tree, also. 

Although our front entrance is a little sparse, there will soon be a small sitting area, along with a beautiful display of lavender and lilies.

We even have two palm trees!!!  Our koi pond is quite eye catching.  There are goldfish living here, and I'm proud to say that we have only had one fish casualty since we've lived here!!  So the new saying around here is "It's been 7 days since our last Koi Pond death!!"  Let's hope this keeps on climbing!

Adam is Kitchen Department Head.  Currently, he is cooking chicken, with quinoa and artichokes!! Deeeelish!!!! Fancy a peep into where all the magic happens??

Well, tomorrow we are planning to enjoy our Thursday roller coasting at Magic Mountain!! Adam has been waiting to do this ever since that fateful day, when he was 8 years old and visiting California, he had to go to the beach because his sister wanted to, instead of going to his choice, the one and only, Magic Mountain.  She was older, there was no further discussion....

Also on the upcoming agenda...tonight is the new Extreme Couponer episode to which I respond,  "Just because you clip enough coupons to buy yourself 84 butterfingers, 176 boxes of dried pasta, and the confidence of knowing you will never, EVER have to buy toothpaste, deodorant, or toilet paper...doesn't mean you should...." 

I love you, GOODNIGGGGHT!!

Crazy Busy....

Well this past week has definitely been an adventure.  In the last 2 weeks, we have single handedly, with 2 dogs in tow, traveled through 5 states in our trusty BMW.  She is up to 157,000 miles already and still drives like a dream :)

Last Monday, Adam went for an interview at a Valencia accounting firm, while I waited for our new IKEA furniture to arrive.  We had a great time finding new stuff for the place and finally buying our own things. Adam, of course, was chomping at the bit to put it all together so he assembled our couch, coffee table, and bookshelf.  The second they were functional, we packed the pups in the car and began the journey to Las Vegas to see Alex and celebrate my big 2-3!!



Thomas is always up for a car ride!

While in Vegas, we feasted on an all-you-can-eat sushi dinner, which was deeeelish, and the biggest slushy drinks I have ever seen.  When the bartender asked if Adam and I wanted an extra shot, we happily said "Yes!"  If we had only known that the drink originally probably had at least 2 shots.  Needless to say, I barely got 1/3 of the thing down before giving up... Vegas - 1, Brittney - 0...



This was definitely the "before" picture.

Also while in Vegas, we were able to soak up some pool time.  Dudley apparently wanted to partake in the festivities, so while we weren't looking, he fell right in the pool!! I think he was trying to get a drink of water, but the fear in his eyes was so sad....luckily Adam was there to scoop him up and even dipped Thomas in the water, so Dudley wouldn't feel embarrassed :)




Thomas is a sun loving dog!

After Vegas, we drove about 5 hours to Yuma, AZ to visit Adam's parents.  Apparently Yuma gets a little sleepy this time of year, as a majority of the snowbirds have flown back to their summer homes, but we enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and the heat! If there is one thing I have taken away from our visit to Yuma, it was a tutorial from Adam's Dad on the variety of Palm trees in the Yuma area.  I consider myself an expert now.  We also traveled to Mexico!!! AARRRRIIIIIBA!!!!  Adam's dad was on a hunt for a terracotta sun to hang up in the house and we were just along for the ride.  I took home no souvenirs, only what Adam pleasantly refers to as "happy shorts," most likely triggered by the massive bean burrito I consumed while on Mexican land....lovely....




So resourceful!!

After spending a few days in Yuma, we were ready to come back and finally enjoy our new home.  So here we are, and it's perfect!  It hit about 95 degrees today and we loved it! Now, Adam is faithfully constructing our new IKEA dresser (going on the 2 hour mark now...), Thomas is barking at noises outside, and Kitty is sleeping peacefully on the bed. We have a week of adventures coming up, so stay tuned!

I'll leave you now with a few closing pictures of our past week....



California Dreamin'!



Thomas loves to lie back and recline on the bed.



"It really is tough being me, you know..."




Our brilliant idea to save time by buying lunch AND dinner in one meal, thus eliminating any unnecessary stops....yummy??



Until next time!!! :)



California By the Numbers

Hi everyone!!

Well, we eventually did make it to Valencia and here are the stats of our trip.

Total miles traveled - 1,006
Roadkill spotted on the freeway - 6.5
Fellow U-haul travelers - 14
Hours Thomas spent in my lap - 16
Hours Kitty meowed in his cat kennel - 12
Time I wish we would have bought cat/dog sedative - countless
Total hours spent in the car - 20 hours and 21 minutes!!!! Whew!

So that means my mom is the big winner of the "How Many Hours Will We Spend in the Car" contest!! We hope to see you down here soon!!!!!!!!!! :)  Sorry Fred and Erin (the ONLY other two people that guessed), but for participating, we will graciously let Dudley sleep in your room when you stay here to help remind you of home... :) Y'all can thank us later :)

And now for the details :)

The actual trip went surprisingly smooth! Helga (the BMW) pulled that U-haul trailer like no body's business, although we definitly got some interesting looks from other drivers.  We made excellent time and throughout the second day, enjoyed beautiful views of California.  The sun was shining and it was so exciting to be going to our new home! I would post pictures, but I have misplaced my camera.... :(

During the last few days, we have just been going crazy painting, shopping, and organizing the new house.  It is a perfect size for us and the dogs absolutely love the fenced yards.  They run all over the place and are really soaking up that California sunshine!  Our land lady was so sweet and brought us Starbucks the morning after we arrived...breakfast of champions!!!

Speaking of sunshine, our most unproductive day occurred on Friday.  Why?  Well, first off, we had scheduled our Internet and cable to be installed that day.  The Internet folks showed up about 9 am and had to erect an flipping pole in our backyard!!! So needless to say, that took a lifetime and it was literally waiting for concrete to dry...fun, right? Once they finished, the dish network man came to hook us up with some cable, during which, our sunny California weather disappeared and was suddenly replaced with HAIL!!! Yes, hail, for about 20 minutes....didn't we leave that weather up in Washington???? :)  So, about 4 and a half hours later, the cable was working and we learned sooo much about our cable guy, including that he was a former full contact fighter! I just don't know what to say about that..... But even after that little setback, we remained motivated and continued with the painting :)

So tonight is the first night I have been able to sit and relax.  Adam is out waiting for our refrigerator to be delivered (we have been without one for the past few days and living on chilled wine from the cooler, classy!), Thomas is asleep next to me, the kitchen, living room and bedroom are finally painted, and our furniture is schedule to be delivered tomorrow.  Hooray! We will finally have couch! :) Pictures to follow....

Adam has an interview tomorrow, then we will leave for Vegas to celebrate my 23rd birthday either tomorrow afternoon or Tuesday morning! Time to party it up!!!!!!! and no....we aren't getting married :)

Soooo much more to say, but a $1.99 bottle of wine from Whole Foods is calling my name :) Good Night!!!!