Dear Daughter, Please Stop Texting

 

 

It drives my dad crazy when I text.

Even though I explain that it makes him sound like an old man, he can't help but say

"Kate! Stop texting!!"

whenever I look at my phone.

My general (annoyed-teenager-sounding) response

"I'm NOT texting!"

 

My dad is super subtle, right?

33 Years

Today is my parents' 33rd wedding anniversary. Considering they were a mere 20 years old when they got married, this is a huge feat. Compounding that fact, they had only dated for 3 weeks when they eloped to Las Vegas and got married at City Hall. So, while they aren't role models, they are a success story. :)

In this picture, they had been married for less than a year. My mom was still fattening up my dad - who had previously subsisted on Breakfast Jacks and Oreos. My mom was still rocking the Dorothy Hamill cut - albeit in a growing-out sort of way. My favorite part of this picture is that they're in it together. So many of their early marriage pics are of one, taken by the other. Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad, here's to 33 more! :)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you :)

February...You Better Be Good!

Happy February!

I have high hopes for this month, especially since January was a bit of a let down.

I hope February is full of continued success with
- my new lifestyle plan (next weigh-in tomorrow night!)
- my etsy shop
- the blog!
- and general craftiness
-oh, and school and friends and the boy and stuff :)

Today, at about 10:30, I got an urge to go to the gym. Of course, that happens when I'm at work! So, instead I asked my dad if I could take one of the dogs, Midnight, for a walk. He said sure, so we went on a brisk 30 minute walk and I came back feeling awesome! These are some pictures I took while on the walk.

This weekend was pretty low-key, but a few things worth noting did happen.
First, I reconnected with a friend who I had a falling-out with last summer. That was nice and it felt like we were picking up where we'd left off. But... I'm going to be cautious before jumping back in headfirst. I felt betrayed by this person and while I think (and hope!) she sincerely regrets what she did, I can't be sure. Especially not after one day. So, we'll see!

Second, my dad was hospitalized again on Sunday morning  - for chest pains. !!!! I know, that was my reaction, too! But, they ran all the tests and said that everything was normal and that is was actually chest muscle pain and not heart muscle pain. Which is so much better! So, disaster narrowly averted there!

Third, Sunday night we had a surprise party for Jonathan at his sister's house. I think he was unaware of our plan right up until we walked up to their door. Then, he was like... maybe there's a party? And I was all, I dunno, I was just told to come pick them up at 7:30. But, surprise or not, he had a good time and we saw some friends we haven't seen in a while!

The lovely Sam was there, someone who we hung out with 24/7 about 5 years ago and then we drifted apart. Recently, we randomly showed up at her Christmas party and now she came to Jon's birthday party and it looks like we're reconnecting. Which is awesome because Sam is awesome!

Robert was also there, and we definitely don't see Robert often enough! He brought along pieces of  what he's been working on for the past 3 years - a film based on a short story by Ellen Gilchrist titled, The Suicides. I read this story last night, turned to Robert and said, I need to read this like five more times. It took me all night to get a rudimentary understanding - and that was with a lot of help from Robert. And it's only 5 pages long! 5 small-paperback-sized  pages. I can't find it anywhere online, or I would link you. But, believe me, it's amazing and disturbing. It gave me the creeps the way Funny Games gave me the creeps. I can't tell you the name of the prospective film or any of the prospective cast or talent attached to it, but I can assure you that they're all fabulous! Good luck to Robert! :)

Fourth, I got a lot of thrifting in this weekend! I found a ton of awesome things and a new favorite thrift store (Palos Verdes Resale in Lomita). Here are my finds:

Fifth, I made a bunch of new cards and will be posting them in the shop tonight and tomorrow. I will save all of those pictures for another post tomorrow, after they're listed.

**I also discovered a lovely new blog today that I absolutely HAVE to share with you. I spent all morning reading ALL of her entries since she started and now I feel like we're bffs. :)

Please meet Tieka of Selective Potential. She has an awesome blog, complete with beautiful photos, an adorable hubby, and super cute photos of her amazing outfits!**

Lastly, don't forget to enter the giveaway for a super cute handmade bag from Jabba's Design Hut

- entries close on February 3rd at 11:59pm.

There will be ANOTHER giveaway starting tomorrow, too!

So, definitely stop on by!

Recap To End All Recaps!

Ohmigosh. What a long posting break. I'm a bad blog owner, but you have to forgive me because it's the holidays and because I am apologizing by having a giveaway! More details on that later; for now, here's what's been happening.

Last Tuesday, my dad had a cardiac catheterization. They found out that one of the three main arteries to his heart was 80% blocked, so they put in a stent to keep it clear. He came home from the hospital on Wednesday morning and Wednesday and Thursday were looooong days of catch-up at work.

Since it's been so long, this could be a really long, detailed post, so I'll keep it to the main points.

Thursday evening: I had a gift exchange with Jon, Mike and Sarah at Mike and Sarah's house and we had tons of fun. Jon and I played Super Mario on their Wii all afternoon and Sarah made plum chicken in the slow cooker. Mike and Jon have a history of wrapping things in ridiculously complicated ways (one year, Mike used an entire roll of duct tape). Jon and I have Mike and Sarah gag gifts (Snuggies) but they ended up liking them a lot!

{our present to Mike - we used almost a whole roll of

painter's tape, 3 paper bags, 1 plastic bag, and wrapping paper}

{snuggies were a big hit!}

{our present to jon required wire cutters to open!}

{mike likes christmas! :) and tennis.}

Friday: Christmas morning with immediate family, then movies with Dad and sister (saw It's Complicated, review here). Home for a bit, then dinner at my parent's house.

Saturday: Jon and I went to South Coast Plaza to hit the Christmas sales. He got underwear, I got paper. Not an entirely successful operation. Then we came home and napped before Jon's dad came over to get help setting up his (point and shoot :)) camera.

Sunday: Early wakeup, head to Laguna Beach at 8 am to videotape (me) and photograph (Jon) our friend's proposal. It was super sweet. :) We all had brunch, then took engagement shots by the water. Home to nap and then to Samy's Camera to find a filter and diffuser Jon wanted, followed by dinner with my family.

Monday: After work, I went to Mike and Sarah's house and we had a lovely dinner of spaghetti, breadsticks, green beans, apple juice and a raspberry tart, all from Trader Joe's. They gave me instructions on how to feed her nano-tanks and kitty while they're gone (in Hawaii, those bastards!) and I met Sarah's sister who is moving from New York to Southern California. And by is moving, I mean, she arrived yesterday, then goes to Hawaii for the family vacation, and will then live in their house. It will be interesting having a new person around all the time; we're pretty close-knit and insular, but she seems nice (and she cooks!). :) After dinner, I went home and made a TON of new eensy-weensy cards. Hopefully, pictures and posting will happen tonight.

Tuesday: That's today! So far, I am at work. Tonight, I will probably go to dinner with my parents and then work on more cards and posting. My shop has been neglected for too long!

It has been a busy, busy time and to be honest, not necessarily a super joyful one. The past 2 weeks have been stressful and full of disappointments and revelations and many moments where I thought, "So, this is what being a grown-up is like." My hope is that things will look brighter soon!

On Wednesday, at 8am, I will be posting info on my new giveaway, please come back and check it out!

On Thursday, I'm posting a year-end recap and listing my resolutions (so you can help me keep them!).

My Dad's Movie Review Blog

My dad has recently discovered the joy of blogging and wants me to help him increase his readership. :) He sees 3-5 movies a week and has decided to review all of them. He sees most mainstream movies, except for ones with aliens or zombies, and a lot of strange indy films (I guess aliens and zombies are okay, there).

He goes into each movie with an open mind and has been pleasantly surprised by movies that have been panned by critics as well as disappointed by movies that were recommended by critics.

If you're looking to see a movie, I can almost guarantee you that he's almost seen it. :) So, check out his blog for some help choosing your next date night movie!

WHOOSH

{me, my dad and my sister at hoover dam on a similiarly windy day circa 1999}

Yesterday afternoon, around the time we were expecting the news that my dad was ready to be discharged, we instead found out that the doctors wanted to do further testing. They kept him overnight again last night and scheduled a cardiac catheterization for today. Basically, it's a diagnostic procedure that, depending on what they find, could turn into a interventional procedure.

Yesterday was a hectic day filled with uncertainty about whether my dad was coming home or even okay as well as trying to make sure the company doesn't fall apart while he's gone.

Today, I am going down to the hospital once I find out when his procedure begins to say I love you and see you in a few hours. Then, I'm supposed to go home and work while waiting and wondering.

-----------------------------------

It's really windy here today. Every few minutes, there's a big WHOOOSH and a gust of wind. It even whistles through the trees. My dad loves days like this. That has to be a sign, right? Look at me, trying to find special meaning in everyday occurrences. Maybe the saying should be, "There are no atheists in waiting rooms."

But what else can I do? He's my only daddy.

Chocolate Cures All

{now, that might have made my yesterday a little bit better :)

from epicute via weheartit}

My Saturday was lovely, with a late breakfast, a relaxing pedicure, and an evening of babysitting. Sunday, I had planned on writing tons of great posts, some to publish, some to save, all full of colorful photographs and funny stories and great finds. But things never go quite as planned, do they?

On Sunday morning, my dad slipped off to the doctor (without telling anyone) because he was having chest pressure and couldn't stop coughing. On his way home from the doctor, he called my mom and asked her to drive him to the hospital per doctor's orders. They spent all day there, having tests done, waiting, watching emergency room brawls, and waiting some more. I went to see him at about 7pm and they had just been told he was going to be admitted, but there were no rooms available then.

When I walked in to see him, I was surprised by how old he looked. Yes, he looked a little pale, tired, and the oxygen tubes and flourescent lighting make everyone look wan, but there was something else. Suddenly, I saw him as an old man, as someone old enough to possibly have a heart attack, as someone who could die. It was like a punch in the gut and I had to take a deep breath to make sure I didn't cry.

We don't know anything definitively right now, but it looks like he'll be fine. Actually, I'm only saying that because it doesn't look like he won't be fine, so this is the alternative. Posting may be light today and tomorrow, or maybe it will be heavy since I need to distract myself from my overactive imagination.

Hope you all had more relaxing Sundays than I did!