Once Upon A Time...

Greg and I recently took our engagement pictures at Disneyland and California Adventure. There couldn't have been a more perfect place for us to celebrate our engagement. All the pictures turned out so great it was hard to pick a few for this blog post, let alone our save the date. Our amazing photographer Silent Stories Photography really worked Disney magic! I have no doubt our wedding photos will be just as amazing. These are some of our favorites. Enjoy!!!!

321 Robinson

3 weeks ago Greg and I moved into our new home. Its right in the middle of Hillcrest, walking distance to almost everything you would need. Very city life. The building we moved into is kind of iconic for this city. it reminded me at first glace of a mausoleum, but maybe that's just in my family blood :). I put a picture on Facebook the day we moved in just to show it off, i did not expect so many people to respond and say they have always wondered about that building. My favorite comment was "It's not a scary Freemason castle, then." Since we are now residents in this building i thought i should do some research on it.

First Church of the United Brethren in Christ. 321 Robinson Avenue. This 1912 classic Greek Revival temple is a rare example of granite construction in San Diego. In 1950 the building became a Free Methodist Church. George Thackeray operated an art gallery specializing in Western and Indian art at this location from 1971 to 1988. Conversion to residential units was completed in 2003.

cork it

One thing i have collected for a while and now have asked friends and family to for Greg and my wedding is wine corks. Its nice that people who will be at our wedding are drinking towards our wedding! I have made corks boards for myself, my sister, and my dear friend Carolyn using a shadowbox. I also love the way they look in apothecary jars and big glass bowls. As i get more and more from people I have wondered where do they come from. Now some of you this question may be easy but for me i thought, is there cork plant? Is there a cork tree? Is it a by product of something? So i decided to do some research and tell you.

Just ­about every tree has an outer layer of cork bark, but the cork oak(Quercus suber) is the primary source of most cork products in the world, including wine bottle stoppers. These trees primarily grow in countries that run along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, where there's plenty of sunshine, low rainfall and high humidity. The countries that produce the most cork include Portugal, Algeria, Spain, Morocco, France, Italy and Tunisia.

So, why does the cork oak have a thicker layer of cork bark than other trees? The tree evolved to protect itself from the harsh conditions of the forests near the Mediterranean. These forests experience frequent droughts, brush fires and temperature fluctuations. Cork is actually made of water-resistant cells that separate the outer bark from the delicate interior bark. It has a unique set of properties not found in any other naturally existing material. It is lightweight, rot resistant, fire resistant, termite resistant, impermeable to gas and liquid, soft and buoyant. It's these properties that make it ideal for stopping wine bottles and tile flooring. Let's take a look at how cork gets stripped from the tree and processed into consumer products.

Stripping the bark -- A cork oak must be at least 25 years old before its bark can be harvested. Its cork can then be stripped every 8 to 14 years after that for as long as the tree lives. The cork is stripped off during June, July and August using a long-handled hatchet to cut sections out of the bark. These sections are then pried away from the tree. Workers must be careful not to damage the inner layer of the bark, otherwise the bark won't grow back. 

Washing the cork -- The cork slabs that are cut away from the tree are boiled and the rough outer layer of the bark is stripped away. Boiling the cork also softens it, making it easier to work with. 

Punching Bottle Stoppers -- From the slabs of cork, holes are punched out to make bottle stoppers. This leaves the slabs full of holes. These bottle stoppers are then sorted and shipped to various destinations. The stoppers can at this time be printed or branded with names or logos. 

Uses for Scrap Cork -- Once the bottle stoppers have been punched out of the cork slabs, there is some leftover cork scrap. This scrap is ground up, molded into large blocks and baked in ovens to make other cork products, such as cork tile flooring and cork message boards.

Cork has been used as bottle stoppers for more than 400 years. It is possibly the best suited material to use as a bottle stopper because it contains a natural waxy substance, called suberin. This substance makes cork impermeable to liquids and gas, and prevents the cork from rotting.

Underwater Art

Underwater Ink Photographs by Alberto Seveso. I was on Pinterest and i saw these shots. i want to get them framed and put in a hallway one day. i absolutely love them. It makes me was to dive in and be one with the colors. i know very avant-garde of me. 

fantasy literary world map

if you know them all you are a nerd. be proud!

book signings

Warwicks book store in la jolla is the oldest continuously family-owned and operated bookstore in the United States. they have petty amazing authors come to their store for sighing and discussion. recently i have been to two. The 1st was Marcus Luttrell, is a former United States Navy SEAL who received the Navy Cross for his actions in June 2005 facing Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wings. During his eight year career in the United States Navy, Luttrell reached the rank of Petty Officer First Class. He co-authored the New York Times bestseller Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10. Recently he co-authored with James D. Hornfischer, Service: A Navy SEAL at War was released in May, 2012. In may mom dad and i went to see him and get our books signed.

The 2nd signing was one of my favorite authors Deborah Harkenss. s an American scholar, novelist and wine enthusiast. She is a well-regarded historian of science and medicine, specializing in the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries. Harkness has published two works of history, John Dee's Conversations with Angels: Cabala, Alchemy and the End of Nature (1999) and The Jewel House: Elizabethan London and the Scientific Revolution (2007). Her 1st novel novel, 1st in the All Souls Trilogy, A Discovery of Witches, a tale of magic, science and history, has become a bestseller and was named to Amazon.com's Best Books of February, 2011 List. The Second in the Trilogy is Shadow of Night. i went to the signing and she has a Q&A and reading form the book. i got the book on Tuesday and the signing was on Saturday. so of course i read the 590 page book in 4 days to have great questions for her. And of course she LOVED my questions. Can't wait for the final book!!!

holidays (like no other) 2011

(i understand this is 7 months late but better late then never!)

for so many reasons this holiday season, from thanksgiving to new years, was a shift for me. many things were different and i felt i was always driving somewhere. most of my family and Greg's live within 100 miles of each other so we can for holidays go to both. we have done this for the past 3 years so we have it pretty down. i can only imagine how much kids will love the car rides too.

for thanksgiving greg came home for 4 days (that's what i was thankful for) and we went to my grandmothers assisted living home to eat there with mom dad me greg and the jakeways (long time family friends of my grandparents). it easier for grandma since being mobile is harder. i was impressed with the food. from there we went to gregs aunt and uncle house in riverside which this time was only 15 miles from where we were. blessing!!

now to christmas. this year my parents went to jersey to be with lindsay, myles, an rocky. since she was super prego and mom has always wanted a white christmas, which she never got. so because they were going to be gone we had to do other christmas early with  with a couple groups of people. i had been opening presents from december 17th to 26th. we did the carndell side, napier side, and hubbard/henninger chritsmas. it was nice seeing everyone.

so christmas eve we went to my cousin george's house to crash his christmas eve with his new family. we fit right in. we had an amazing dinner at Sandra's parents house in laguna nigel with the whole wohlford family. we ate, drank, and sang carols. its official greg and i are family now, they better get use to it. after dinner and a couple rusty nails.... we drove to temecula to gregs parents home. it was kinda late and we took ortega highway at 10pm. and if you know that highway you know you barely made it. haha. we went right to sleep then woke up around 7am to open presents with the henningers (this was the 1st year i didn't open presents in my parents home, growing up is hard..) the henninger home is always run by pets, which is one of my favorite parts.

As the new year came greg and i drove up to laguna  again to go to the Lakers game, our Christmas present from George, on new years eve. Lakers on obviously sine we were there. and after the game we came home to georgies for cocktails crab and movies! it was the best way to end the year. who knew we woudl be engaged the next day!

Memorial

Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. It typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.

"I thank God for my life. And for the stars and stripes. May freedom forever fly. Let it ring. Salute the ones who died. The ones that give their lives. So we don?t have to sacrifice. All the things we love"
~Zac Brown Band

Gravity

Something has changed within me 

Something is not the same

I'm through with playing by the rules

Of someone else's game

Too late for second-guessing

Too late to go back to sleep

It's time to trust my instincts

Close my eyes: and leap! 

It's time to try

Defying gravity

I think I'll try

Defying gravity

And you can't pull me down! 

I'm through accepting limits

''cause someone says they're so

Some things I cannot change

But till I try, I'll never know! 

Too long I've been afraid of

Losing love I guess I've lost

Well, if that's love

It comes at much too high a cost! 

I'd sooner buy

Defying gravity

Kiss me goodbye

I'm defying gravity

And you can't pull me down

So if you care to find me

Look to the western sky! 

As someone told me lately:

"Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly!"

And if I'm flying solo

At least I'm flying free

To those who'd ground me

Take a message back from me

Tell them how I am

Defying gravity

I'm flying high

Defying gravity

And soon I'll match them in renown

And nobody in all of Oz

No Wizard that there is or was

Is ever gonna bring me down! 

this is from one of my favorite musicals Wicked. it speaks to me. 

Happy Birthday Greg

today the love of my life, my best friend, my fiance, my ball in chain, my betrothed, and the nerdiest man i know. he is 26 today!!!! to 26 more years, but then  after that.... hahaha i love you!!!

wonders

I will be glad and rejoice in your love. For you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. Praise be to the LORD, for he showed me the wonders of his love.

Psalms 31:7&21

Skinnygirl

I have always loved Bethenny Frankel since the moment she opened her quick witted mouth on Real Housewives of New York. From there she got her own show on Bravo Bethenny Getting Married then Bethenny Ever After. She has 2 cookbooks called SkinnyGirl Dish and Naturally Thin, 1 fiction novel called Skinnydipping, and 1 inspirational/biography called A Place of Yes. She has skin care, a cleanse, a shape wear line, and a yoga video. But what i love the most is her Skinnygirl Cocktails she has produced. It just is easy to drink, well maybe too easy. You just pour over ice and your done. She recently added some new drinks to the Skinnygirl cocktails family and i can't wait to try them all. Bottoms up everyone!!

Margarita 

White Cranberry Como

Sangria

Pina Colada 

Cucumber, Tangerine, Coconut, and Bare Naked Vodka

Rose, White, and Red California Wine