Yes it has been a long time since I have blogged and no I am not going to write very much in this post. Hopefully 2009 will bring more posts to my blog, I mean come on, I work from home, what else would I be doing but blogging....I mean working like a maniac :) Wishing all 2 of you who read this blog a Happy New Year!!!
I am blogging tonight from the lovely Emporia, KS via the free internet at The Fairfield Inn. We are about 2/3 of the way to Minnesota and will arrive at Adam's parents home tomorrow night. We get the keys to our apartment on the 29th and hopefully our furniture will either arrive that day too or December 2nd at the latest. Our trip so far has been good - nothing too exciting. We ate lunch yesterday at the Sky City Casino in Sky City, NM, signed up for their rewards club, each got $10 just for signing up - Adam cashed out at $10 and I made $2 on the whole thing for $12 :) Last night we stayed in Santa Rosa, NM at a Holiday Inn Express (read CINNAMON ROLLS for breakfast!!!)
More updates to come...
This Friday is moving day...as in Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, FRIDAY!!!! This Friday!!! Both of our last day of work is Wednesday, the packers are here Thursday and the movers on Friday. Our apartment is a disaster and it is driving me CRAZY.
Here is our driving route:
View Larger Map
We are kinda winging it as far as where we stop each night, Adam says we will stop when we feel like stopping. I on the other hand would like to know where we are stopping, so if it was up to me it would be Amarillo, TX the first night and Kansas City, KS or MO the next night. Tune in and see!
Stephanie tagged me, so here is me, a to z:
A-Attached or Single?
Attached
B-Best Friend?
Adam :)
C- Cake or Pie?
Red Velvet Cupcake
D- Day of choice?
No particular day, but Friday's are always nice
E- Essential Item?
I'm going to have to copy Stephanie and say a book...I'm addicted to goodbooks.com
F-Favorite Color?
Blue
G- Gummy bears or Worms?
Gummy bears please, and only Haribo
H-Hometown?
I call National City, CA home, but if you want to be picky it's Bitburg, Germany
I- Favorite Indulgence?
Shopping, pedicures, books
J- January or July?
January in Phoenix, July in San Diego
K- Kids?
Someday.
L- Life isn't complete without?
Friends and Family
M- Marriage Date?
August 17, 2007
N- Number of Brothers and Sisters?
One brother, one brother-in-law
P- Phobia and Fears?
Drowning, failure
Q- Quote?
I don't have a favorite one...I'll get back to you on that one
R- Reasons to smile?
My husband
S- Season?
Spring in Phoenix when the Saguaros are blooming
T-Tag 3 people.
Harmony, you're it. Any other two people to read this, you are also "it".
U- Unknown Fact about me?
I don't know how to swim
V- Vegetable?
No thank you
W- Worst habit?
Eating when I'm not hungry
X- Ray or Ultra Sound?
I had a chest x-ray in February
Y- Your favorite food?
Lolo's Chicken & Waffles!
Z- Zodiac sign?
Capricorn/Aquarius - I'm born on the cusp
One of my new favorite blogs is Cake Wrecks. A cake wreck is "is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places"
So as I'm reading it this week I come across this cake:
"Nothing takes the sting out of a Diabetes diagnosis quite like an insulin-pen-shaped cake" - I love it!
It kinda sorta looks like the insulin pen I use, which is the best invention EVER!
I know you’ve all been waiting for it, and here it is: Our day-by-day, minute-by-minute, down to the smallest detail wrap up of our trip to Jamaica. Ok, not really, but with that kind of introduction, I know you excited to read what I have to say!
Friday, August 29th
We took a red-eye flight leaving Phoenix at about 11pm and getting to Charlotte, NC by 6am. Thanks to our spiffy neck pillows we kinda-sorta, not really slept the whole flight.
Saturday, August 30th
We left Charlotte at 9am and landed in Montego Bay, Jamaica by 11:30am. One thing that I noticed on our flight was Jamaicans like to dress up when they fly. Adam and I were dressed for comfort – shorts, t-shirts, flip-flops. The Jamaicans on our flight were dressed to the nines – men: dress slacks, long sleeved button-down shirts; women: 3 inch + heels, dresses, skirts, very matchy-matchy outfits. We land in Montego Bay and our first stop off the plane is immigration, a very long line where you get a nifty stamp in your passport. Did you know you can’t get a job while vacationing in Jamaica? Another interesting observation: Americans like to complain. There were two customs lines, one for citizens of Jamaica and another for guests and visitors. The first line to be checked was the citizens obviously. You would have thought it was World War 3 the way the Americans were griping, “Why does that line get to go first” and “But we were here first” and my favorite “If it wasn’t for us tourists….”. Nothing better that grumpy American tourists.
Next stop was the customs line, another long line where if you are declaring anything they go through your suitcases like crazy women shopping at Nordstrom’s Semi-Clearance Sale. Luckily for us, we had nothing to declare. Then onto the “Sandals Lounge” where a Sandals employee takes your bags and lets you know that the man watching your bags as you sit in the lounge and drink free beer waiting for your bus is not an employee of Sandals, so please feel free to tip him, because he is making sure your bags make it to the bus. We wait in the lounge, drinking our new favorite drink: Coke Light (aka Diet Coke made in Jamaica). They call our group and our bags are now taken by yet another man, a “red-cap” who only works for tips.
We make it on the bus and off we go for an hour and a half drive east to Sandals Grande Ocho Rios. I doze in and out while taking in the beautiful scenery as our bus cruises along a road that runs parallel with the water. About an hour into the drive we make a quick stop at a local bar/restaurant. It was here where we had our first Jamaican Beef Patty – a pastry that contains various fillings and spices baked inside a flaky shell tinted golden yellow with an egg yolk mixture or turmeric. We were hooked and would eat many more before our trip was over.
Around 2:30pm we made it to the resort where we were whisked away to meet with our Concierge (we sprung for the Concierge, but decided that the Butler Service was just too much). They gave us the run down on all the services they offer – schedule tours, make tee times for golf, etc. Sandals Grande Ocho Rios has two sides: Manor Side and Riviera Side; we stayed on the Riviera Side, aka the beach side. A shuttle runs all day between the two sides. Our room was on the top floor overlooking the beach. We unpacked and pretty much collapsed after 15 hours of traveling. One of the best parts of staying at an all-inclusive resort is it’s all included! You go to dinner, order, and leave…no bill, no tips (tips to resort employees are not allowed and an employee could be fired for taking money). We had our first dinner at San Gerrano, an Italian restaurant. Portions are much smaller in Jamaica, which is a good thing, because you always have room for dessert! After dinner we walked around the Riviera side of the resort and then went to bed.
Sunday, August 31st
Today we had “Concierge Orientation” where we got a tour of both sides of the resort, all the restaurants, and of course all the extras they offer for a price (golf, spa, shopping in town, tour to Dunn’s River Falls, etc.) After breakfast, while we were waiting for orientation we sat our by the pool for about 20 minutes, where yes, I got sunburned. After orientation we went back to the pool where we lathered on the sunscreen and drank all the non-alcoholic drinks they had to offer at the swim-up bar. For lunch we went over to another pool and ate Jerk Chicken, another new favorite. Then, back to the pool. I know, life is rough and it’s only our first full day there! We headed back to our room and got ready for dinner, which tonight was at the Reef Terrace. Adam ordered the Jerk Pork Chops, and I had the Curried Mutton, a new for me.
Monday, September 1st
Today Adam golfed while I went to the spa for a body scrub and massage – it was wonderful! For lunch we went back to the pool and ate more Beef Patties and drank more non-alcoholic fruit drinks. Adam ventured out on a kayak in the Caribbean Sea while I played it safe poolside. For dinner the resort had a “Street Jamboree” up on the Manor side. It was a buffet featuring food from all over, but mostly Caribbean nations and Asia. 
After dinner they had the Parade of Nations, in which we walked the other Americans, kinda like the Olympic opening ceremonies, but on a much smaller scale. They had a marching band and dancers made up of kids from the area – they were so cute! Then came out the performers – an unicyclist, a snake charmer and fire jugglers. When the contortionist came out, we made our exit and took the shuttle back to our room.
Tuesday, September 2nd
Yet another day poolside, rough life. But for dinner we went to Sandals Dunn’s River which is about 15 minutes west of our resort (Sandals has an exchange program where you can use the pools, eat at the restaurants, etc at other Sandals resorts). Tonight we went to Kimono’s for Teppanyaki. 
Hold on to your hats, but I actually ate tuna! You all know how much I am not a fan of seafood, but I chose courage and ate it. The first 2 pieces were actually good, but that last one was pretty fishy – I had to do everything I could to swallow it down, but I did! I passed on the shrimp, but the chicken and beef were really good.
Wednesday, September 3rd
Today was the big day – we hired a driver, Moodie, to take us to Nine Mile and around the local area to see the “real” Jamaica. Nine Mile is the birthplace and final resting place for Bob Marley. We were able to see his grandparent’s house where he was born and the house where he grew up. We walked through the mausoleum where he and his mother were laid to rest. Now at Nine Mile is the infamous tour guide, Captain Crazy, the YouTube sensation. Andrew and Hannah had showed us a video of him when they came to visit this summer and we figured there was no way we would actually see this guy, but lo and behold, Captain Crazy was our tour guide! Here's a video from youtube...wait for the laugh:
After Nine Mile, we made our way back to Ocho Rios, stopping at the Jerk Center for lunch then into Ocho Rios for “combat shopping” – just picture Tijuana with everyone BEGGING and PLEADING with you to buy something from them. They all tell you its home made, but everyone is selling the same thing, so pretty much it’s handmade in a factory in China. So we bought some local treasures and got out of there. Last stop – Juici Patties, Jamaica’s leading fast-casual restaurant chain, for Beef Patties of course! If we won the lottery the first thing we would do is purchase a Juici Patties franchise and set up shop, that’s how much we love them
Thursday, September 4th
Another day at the pool, another day of working on our tans.
Friday, September 5th
Today we went over to the Dunn’s River resort to check out their pool. This resort is smaller than ours, but is a little nicer than ours. We spent time at the pool, ate more Beef Patties, and drank Coconut Water. 
Saturday, September 6th
The low light of the day was the fire alarm going off at 3am – someone decided it was a good idea to smoke in their room and fall asleep and not even hear the fire alarm; 45 minutes later we were back in our room. This wouldn’t have been such a big deal if we could have slept in, but no, we had to be up at 6:30am to catch our 8:00am shuttle to the airport. Our vacation had come to an end and now was the 15 hours of traveling to get home - Montego Bay to Philadelphia, then onto Phoenix.
Adam and I have been listening to the Reggae station on XM nonstop since we’ve got home. The people are amazing and so nice, and do so much with so little. Jamaica is so beautiful and we can’t wait until we can go back.
View from our room:
Our room:
Manor Side Pool:
Nine Mile:
And here is the book I am reading right now to prove it:
And yes I have my very own Quarter Collectors Book - I just need Alaska and Hawaii!!!
TREVOR HOFFMAN is killing me! Right now it's the bottom of the 9th, Padres are up 6-4, and now Hoffman has the bases loaded with NO OUTS!!! He's a great guy, always stops to sign autographs, I even have a picture with him! But come on!!! The Padres are the WORST this year. We bought the "MLB Extra Innings" package so I could watch my beloved Padres every game, and to be honest, I haven't watched a game in months!
UPDATE - He actually struck a guy out! Now 1 out, still bases loaded
UPDATE - Out #2! Catcher caught a pop-up and we only have 1 more out to go...
UPDATE - HOLY CRAP...he got out of it! Padres win!! Trevor - you're still on thin ice....I'm watching you!
Two Monday's ago I met a VERY alive Mr. Spider in the sink:
And this morning I had the pleasure of meeting an almost dead Mr. Roach on our kitchen floor:
After finding Mr. Spider we promptly signed up to get our apartment sprayed for bugs (which nicely is a free service offered through our apartments), so we think Mr. Roach is an after effect of the spraying. We also have cicadas all around Phoenix, including all the trees in our complex. Isn't Arizona in the summer just great!
This year we decided to spend the 4th of July up in Flagstaff where it is oh so much cooler than Phoenix. Luckily we have friends who live up there and they know EVERYTHING about Flagstaff (and the Grand Canyon!). Two weeks ago we went up there and they took us to the Grand Canyon, which is BEAUTIFUL and AMAZING. I swear if we lived up there we would be there EVERYDAY.
Our first stop on the way up was at the Rock Springs Cafe & General Store where we bought the BEST pies ever. We were only going to get 1, but they looked soooooo good, so we bought 2 - strawberry and chocolate. Both were very yummy and I highly recommend if you come to visit us we go there - it's only 30 minutes north of our apartment.
The next stop was lunch at Quiznos which just happened to be in the same parking lot as the World's Largest Kokopelli! According to WorldsGreatestThings.com it is made from hand shaped and welded steel. It was the idea of Lowell Johnson, the then owner of what was the Montezuma Trading Post to draw in customers. He brought in an experienced blacksmith/artist and sketched out the design right on the sales counter. It is made of 1/4 inch plate steel and the hand shaping and welding took weeks as the 12 cubic yard cement foundation cured. Now that's all interesting, but you're probably thinking, what is a kokopelli? Well you know I wouldn't leave you hanging, so here you go:
Kokopelli is one of the most intriguing and widespread images surviving from ancient Anasazi Indian mythology, and is a prominent figure in Hopi legends. The figure represents a mischievous trickster or the Minstrel, spirit of music. Kokopelli is considered a symbol of fertility who brought well-being to the people, assuring success in hunting, planting and growing crops, and human conception.
And now you know!
The rest of our trip was great and relaxing. We ate (and ate, and ate), watched the Olympic Trials (Adam and I are Olympic FREAKS) and played Mexican Train Dominoes, which Adam picked up pretty quick and I'm sure from now on beat us all every time. This morning after breakfast we drove up to the Arizona Snowbowl which is about 7 miles north of Flagstaff.
We got out of the car and walked up to the chair lift when it decided to rain, and then hail, for about 10 minutes. Luckily we were able to stand under a covered outdoor grill area. But the people who were riding the ski lift were pretty much stuck. After that we enjoyed a nice ride home down the I-17 and it's back to work tomorrow.
Since Andrew and Hannah came to visit us this, and we would be in the area ANYWAYS, we would go to Sprinkles Cupcakes. For those of you who don't know (which was me until a few weeks ago), Sprinkles started in Beverly Hills where EPC (Executive Pastry Chef) Candace Nelson used her
great grandmother's cupcake recipe that she made in her San Francisco restaurant during the 1930s. Well, now it has arrived in Scottsdale, Arizona! They have 10 flavors available each day - you can check the chart online even to see when your favorite flavor will be available.
The first thing I noticed when we got in the store was there were no tables and chairs. How am I supposed to eat a cupcake OUTSIDE when it's over 110 degrees outside??? The frosting would of been a puddle on the ground in a matter of seconds. But, the girl did give us our cupcakes on plates and we stood in the corner of the very small store and stuffed our faces. I guess everyone else in Scottsdale gets their cupcakes to go so they can stuff their face in the privacy of their own home. Nope, not me, I like to stuff my face in public, surrounded by 20 or so skinny men and women who are all pretending they are buying these cupcakes for their fat friends.
Ok, on to the actual cupcake portion of this review. I had a Red Velvet cupcake, which was VERY yummy, but left my hands kinda greasy (I guess another reason to get your cupcakes to go). Adam had the Milk Chocolate Vanilla cupcake and Andrew went for the Peanut Butter Chocolate cupcake. These cupcakes had a "high frosting density" (direct quote from Andrew) meaning, there was about a half an inch or more layer of frosting. While standing in the corner of the very small store and eating our cupcakes we realized while our hands were greasy - we read the directions on the cake mix they sell and the batter uses 3 STICKS OF BUTTER and the frosting uses another STICK OF BUTTER. That's math I can even do, 3+1 = 4 STICKS OF BUTTER!!!
Now I don't think I've ever met a cupcake I didn't like, and I did enjoy this cupcake, but it was the experience that left me disappointed. It would of been much better if they had a few tables and chairs so you could sit and talk and eat your cupcakes. I felt like we were breaking some cupcake law by eating our cupcakes inside, but I'm sorry it was hot outside and by the time we would of gotten them to the car and got home, they would of been melted. And I'm not paying $3.25 per cupcake to eat melted mush (but if you know me I so totally would of eaten melted cupcake mush.
So now it's time for the useless information portion of the review: What do you know about cupcakes? Here is some interesting facts:
The name of "cupcake" is given as it is a small cake the size of a teacup. In previous centuries, before muffin tins were widely available, the cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups, ramekins, or molds. The name "fairy cake" is a fanciful description of its size; an appropriate size for a party of diminutive fairies to share. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupcakes
There seem to be two theories about the origin of recipes titled "cupcake:"
1. The name comes from the amount of ingredients used to make the cake (a cupful of flour, a cupful of butter, cupful of sugar etc.)
2. These cakes were originally baked in cups. Old cookbooks also sometimes mention baking cakes in small cups. These cups may very well have been earthenware tea cups or other small clay baking pans. These would easily accommodated baking level oven heat and produce individual-sized cakes. This is not the same thing as contemporary metal cupcake pans, enabling cooks to bake a dozen small cakes in one fell culinary swoop. http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcakes.html#cupcakes
The term 'cupcake' is first mentioned in E. Leslie's 'Receipts' of 1828. Breaking with tradition of weighing ingredients at this time they ingredients began to be measured in cups. According to "Baking in America" by Greg Patent, this was revolutionary because of the tremendous time it saved in the kitchen. "The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America." explains that the cup name had a double meaning because of the practice of baking in small containers — including tea cups. (Crazy About Cupcakes)
For the past week Adam and I have been going down to the pool after work because it's like 112+ degrees outside. We usually see some people we know from our complex and chat with other couples. Tonight a cute little boy was playing near us, maybe 5 or 6 years old. After he is finished annoying another couple in the pool, he swims over to us,and here is my conversation with him:
Strange Little Boy(SLB): You're a girl and if you get pregnant you will have a baby
Me: Yup, that's right
SLB: My mom just had a baby
Me: Oh how fun
SLB: She feeds her from a bottle, she uses a pump to get milk from her boobs because they are fake
Me: Oh really...
How are you supposed to respond to that one?!?!? I guess we were boring because after that he swam away and started bothering the other couple again
Yesterday we tried a new Mexican restaurant, Los Dos Molinos. We were going to be in the area anyway - a hot night of Bingo at one of Arizona's finest casinos, Vee Quiva. So we hop in the good old Hybrid, cruise down the I-17 all the time laughing at people driving huge trucks and SUV's who spent over $100 to fill their gas tanks. All of a sudden we saw this:
Now you might think to yourself, ummm...Erin, why did you take a picture of this? Well duh! If you didn't know that this was the I-17 in Phoenix, you would of sworn you were driving on the 5 south on your way to Tijuana! This was a daily occurrence on the freeways of South San Diego (aka North Tijuana), and I swear this is the first time I've seen a truck piled that high here in Phoenix.
Anyway, I digress. We make it to the restaurant
We are both VERY excited and hungry. Adam mentions that this place is pretty spicy, and I'm like, HELLO...I'm from National City. You can see the Mexico from my house, I know what spicy is. Even the menu has the following caveat:
When you read our menu and see the word "chili" keep in mind we use New Mexico Chilis and this means "Hot" with the best flavor this side of the Rio Grande. If you know "Hot" put us to a test but if you don't we suggest you try one of our other wonderful dishes that don't have any "Heat". I'm sorry we do not provide a mild sauce, I do not know how to make "Mild".
Well this isn't going to stop me! So we order - we both get Chimichangas, I get machaca with red sauce, Adam gets chicken with green sauce. While we are waiting we snack on freshly made tortilla chips and accompanied with a red and green salsa. I go for the red salsa first and then my mouth is ON FIRE. Not like "oh that's a little on the spicy side" fire, more like out of the cartoons with smoke coming out of my ears and flames out of mouth. Adam tries the green salsa (of course just a little dab of it on his chip) and he escapes burning his tongue. The chips were really really good, and when I was brave I would put the SLIGHTEST dab of salsa on it. Meanwhile, the guy at the table next to us (a white guy at that) finished the green salsa and asked the waiter for another, larger bowl of it. Then our food comes - here is mine:
I'm all excited and tear into the chimichanga. Well wouldn't you know that the machaca was cooked in the HOTTEST SAUCE IN THE WORLD that has now ended up on my plate. So here is how dinner went: a bite of burning hot meat, a bite of tortilla with the sauce scraped off of it, drink of diet coke, a few tortilla chips, and a drink of water. Repeat that about 10 times and that was dinner. Although by the time I made it to the middle of my chimichanga I discovered this:
Three nice little, red hot chili peppers that had been cooked with the machaca. OMG. I could have died if I ate those! I would of been like that guy in the A1 commercial where he is putting A1 sauce on his steak on the grill, he spills a drop on the grill and the next this we know he is sitting on the back of an ambulance with his tongue all wrapped up in bandages. Now that would of made a great picture on my blog! All I can say is that we can't wait to go down there again.
I solved my Fortune Cookie problem! At the end of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, she mentions a guy who had saved a bunch of his fortunes and created a Fortune Cookie Album!!! Of course I bought 2 albums IMMEDIATELY. I will post some pictures as soon as I get them!
Check out this GREAT website that recaps every LOST episode:
The Ack Attack
I can only aspire to write witty comments like this:
So back in LA, Sayid has apparently been reunited with Nadia AND his flat iron. He goes to visit Hurley in the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Picture #1- August 17, 2007. Notice the nice tan I have and that you can actually see my neck.
Picture #2- May 24, 2008. Notice how white I am and I live in Phoenix "It's only 100 today" Arizona. Also, my neck is MIA. And I think I have "cankles".
I have Bloggers Block! Every night I come home from work, check my email, etc and log into Blogger ready to write...and NOTHING. I even googled "what to blog about"...nada, not even one idea. Adam is playing poker tonight with some guys from work and I am going to get a TON of things done and then relax and continuing reading "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food", which is very good so far. 
Speaking of fortune cookies, I have saved every fortune I've ever gotten probably for the last 5 years or so, and I want to do something really cool with them, but of course I don't know what. At one time I had the crazy idea of using them to wallpaper a bathroom or something. But if you know me, you know I would NEVER have the patience for that, and I really don't want to take it down whenever we move. I also thought of buying a really cool Asian looking journal and gluing them in there, but I have yet to find the perfect Asian looking journal. So for now they are piling up on my dresser, looking very sad and ready to be used for something!
This was on the Post Secret website a few weeks ago and it made me laugh. A month or so ago I was driving on the 51 and they have a carpol lane and if you have a hybrid sticker on your license plate in AZ you can drive in the carpool lane with only 1 person. I soooooo totally took advantage of that, although there was no traffic and I probably could of gone faster in the other lanes, but the whole time I was thinking how much better I was than everyone else. Has anyone seen the humble pie? I really need a slice right now :)
Welcome to another edition of "It's 6am on a Saturday morning and Erin is wide awake". So sit back and enjoy...
MONDAY 5/26: We spent the weekend in San Diego, so today we drove home. Well, Adam drove and I slept. For some reason the I always seem to wake up right before we get to Yuma because I know it's time for breakfast/lunch/dinner. We had a really great time at home. I read James Frey's new book in 2 days!!! YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK NOW - Bright Shiny Morning. It is his first novel, but it is also a history of Los Angeles, so kinda a fiction/non-fiction mix.
TUESDAY 5/27: Start new job! Yeah! I love it! I have 3 states that I am in charge of for setting up schools and veterans, so this week has been a lot of making lists of schools for mailings and calls as well as contacting the veterans that have already signed up to do presentations and finding new ones. Did I mention I love it!
WEDNESDAY 5/28: 
We (read Adam) made homemade Mac and Cheese for dinner. I'm on the DL (Disabled List) now after an incident with the cheese grater. I guess there is a reason they have a plastic guard on the grater so you don't cut a chunk of your finger off. I guess I should of read the directions "Protect your hands while grating your favorite foods with this box grater. Slider attachment protects fingers and knuckles from accidental abrasion while insuring added control. Just place food against the blade, close the door and slide up and down along the channels in the frame until the desired amount of food is grated. Grater can also be used without the slide attachment. Features razor sharp blades and a large grating area. Dishwasher safe." That slider attachment was getting in the way. Plus Adam had to run to the grocery store to buy condensed milk and wasn't there to supervise me.
THURSDAY 5/29: LOST!!! OMG!!! One of the best episodes ever. During the Ben/Locke scenes, Adam and I were laughing out loud! I always hated Ben, but after this season he is one of my favorite characters. And Locke in the casket! I don't think Jin is dead though - he was on the deck when the explosion went off, so he was probably thrown in the water and swam to the island...speaking of the island, Adam and I think the island was "moved" in time, not necessarily location. And here's another crazy theory we came up with - Charles Widmore used to be on the island, but had to move it like Ben and couldn't get back, but now he wants to go back. And I never saw it coming that it was Penny's boat out there. How are we going to survive until NEXT YEAR without any LOST???
FRIDAY 5/30: I got to see one of our veterans give a presentation to a group of kids at a local YMCA. He was great! I was totally thinking it was going to be some grandpa WW2 vet...nope, this guy served in Beirut, Somalia and Desert Storm. He had a a ton of great things to say and brought his old flack jacket and helmet for the kids to try on, as well as pictures and all sorts of neat things from around the world. After work, I met up with Adam and some of his friends from work for happy hour at The Yard House at the Scottsdale Fashion Square (read half price appetizers). Then we walked around the mall and I tried to buy something at Tiffany's. I have a huge dilemma - I've been trying to spend this Tiffany's gift card my old boss at Supercuts gave me when I left (bet you wish she was your boss!) and I just can't find anything I like! I tried on a bracelet last night, but we still would of had to pay a pretty penny after the gift card amount. Sigh, my life is so hard :)
THE WEEKEND: If you close your eyes and listen carefully you can hear the pool calling my name "Erin...your tan is fading...Erin...we need you here before you completely loose your tan." I have a coupon (YES!) to DSW Shoes so I want to run down there - I need some more shoes for work. I miss wearing flip flops everyday! So I'm sure we will have a pretty relaxing weekend and hopefully I will blog more often so I don't have to type so much at one time :)
Your high school had a surf team. (Nope, we were ghetto, gun cleaning club maybe)
You can correctly pronounce: Tierrasanta, La Jolla, Rancho Penasquitos, San Ysidro, Otay Mesa, Jamacha, Jamul, Cuyamaca, and El Cajon. (Yes Sir I can...but if I could only figure out why they call Prescott "Preskit" and Payson "Paysown")
There are four distinct seasons: Summer, Not Quite Summer, Almost Summer, and Oh Hey! Look Its Summer Again. (Phoenix Seasons - hot, hot, hey we broke a record today, and my shoes are melting)
Chula-juana is a real town. (Just as real as Nasty City)
Your house is worth more than some small countries. (Sad, but true)
You know what MB, OB, IB and PB stand for. (Now its AJ and QC...just not the same)
Every street name is either in Spanish or Spanish related, and you're surprised when other areas don't have this. (I lived on "L" Avenue, so not very Spanish...but you would be surprised how often we received mail for "El" Avenue)
You can determine the accuracy of someone's "I'm ghetto" claim by knowing their high school. i.e.: El Camino High School or Crawford High School. (Hilltop High School = ghetto, but not Crawford or Morse ghetto, a different kind of ghetto as in white kids being ghetto...also know as HillPOT)
You see weather forecasts for four different climate zones in the same county, and aren't remotely surprised. Ah, The Micro Climate Weather. (I miss the Micro Climate Weather and Matt Baylow...but now I've moved on to Bill Bellis and seeing how many days we've gone without rain and how many days this summer we'll be over 110)
You've gone to Mt. Soledad in July and know you still need a jacket. (July and jacket in the same sentence???)
You've tailgated at Qualcomm Stadium, and for a bonus point, also tailgated when it was Jack Murphy Stadium. (Qualcomm = yes, Jack Murphy = no, but nothing beats Chase Field - its just like Petco, but with no views and the roof closes and they turn the AC on...sad, just sad)
You have a favorite- the WAP or the Zoo. (Nothing beats the San Diego Zoo)
You've been on a field trip to see an IMAX movie at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center (Yup - 6th grade)
You still call it the Del Mar Fair. (I will ALWAYS call it the Del Mar Fair and for the record the Arizona State Fair is GHETTO)
You say "I'm going to the track" and people know what you mean. (Yup...although I've never won)
You understand what May-Gray and June-Gloom are. (Yup, now its May-HOT, June-HOTTER, July-HOTTEST, August-KILL ME NOW)
A famous skateboarder or surfer lives in your town. (Hmm...I don't think we had any in National City, maybe famous gang members or drug lords. Wikipedia says Gail Devers and Sam Walton aka Mr. Wal-Mart who's house was actually a few streets over from mine)
You have no problem determining where North County, South Bay, and East County begin, but have no idea if or where Central County or West anything is. (Exactly...here everything runs into each other...am I in Mesa or Gilbert? Maybe Chandler)
"Mossy Nissan! Mossy Nissan! Mossy Nissan Moves You!" (No fun jingles here...)
You know what it means when two guys are walking in Hillcrest. (Does Phoenix even have a Hillcrest? Not that I'm looking...)
You know what it means when a girl in a skirt is walking on El Cajon Blvd. (I'm sure they're here too)
You've gotten stuck in the Horton Plaza parking structure traffic after a Padres game. (I never parked there for Padres games, but I've gotten lost many times in Horton Plaza)
You know what "The Merge" is, and will plan your entire day around not being on it during rush hour. (The good old Merge, now its the 101 which is ALWAYS under construction just like the rest of Phoenix)
You've been to Belmont Park. (Yup, at night even....scary!)
You've ridden the little Fire Engine and the Train at Balboa Park. (Fire Engine = No, Train = yes. I made Adam ride the train too...)
You've taken the Coaster and laughed at people sitting in traffic on the 5. (Nope, I was stuck in traffic)
You call it "The 5" and the "The 805" as if they were important landmarks. (It will ALWAYS be "the 5", "the 805" - inside family joke..."I took the 5 to the 805 to the 54)
You know the difference between Clairemont Mesa, Kearny Mesa, and Mira Mesa and maybe you remember Serra Mesa too. (Kinda...see above reference to Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert)
You've gone to Sea World on a warm day and sat in the first few rows at the Shamu Show to get cooled off. (Um no...you'll never catch me in the front row)
You've been delayed at the Border Checkpoints on the 5 and the 15. (Too many times...yes officer I am a US Citizen and no I don't have any fruit in the car)
There are more bands than people in Ocean Beach. (I guess...was never my scene)
Your house doesn't have air conditioning. (No AC at the O'Connell's. I would die if we didn't have it now, did I mention it gets hot here?)
You know it's San Diegan, not San Diegoan, or San Diegoite. (Amen!)
Everyone has their favorite beach, and no two are the same. (Coronado for sure, they have the "Tempe Beach" here...get this - a man made beach!! HA!)
No matter what the weather is, there is always someone walking around in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. (It is part of the SDSU dress code that you will wear flip-flops everyday, rain or shine...as it is here too. A side note, my brother wears shorts EVERYDAY)
You live on, near or are surrounded by hills. (Not really, we didn't have those things in the ghetto)
You hate tourists and their bad driving. "GET OFF THE ROAD ARIZONA, NOBODY WANTS YOU HERE. SERIOUSLY, GO HOME!" "SAY NO TO ZONIES!" (For all of you who thought I was kidding...sorry, but Zonie is a derogatory term in SD)
You have family and/or friends that have moved to Arizona. (---> raises hand)
You used to, and sometimes still do, ride the carousel at Seaport Village. (Best Carousel ever! Don't forget the golden rings!)
You know someone who doesn't own pants, and have a neighbor who doesn't seem to own a shirt. (Andrew = doesn't own pants, but I think my neighbors wore shirts)
You know what Santa Ana's are and that they have nothing to do with the city of Santa Ana. (I live in a constant Santa Ana...)
If the menu doesn't have California burritos on it, forget it, its not authentic Mexican Food. (RANT TIME - Ok, they seriously call them "Arizona Burritos" here, oh I'm sorry "Burros"...it just has wrong written all over it)
And if you're NOT from San Diego, well, that's too bad. Lo Siento! (Now you know why I can't bring myself to change my cell number to a Phoenix number)
It's official...Adam and I are true Americans. Why now you may ask? Well, last night we went to Wal-Mart and waited until midnight to buy Wii Fit. 
I know you are all shocked...I actually stayed up past 9pm! But it was easier than waking up early this morning and standing in line waiting for Best Buy to open. I guess this is what it feels like to spend your Thanksgiving day camped outside of a big box store waiting for Black Friday sales. I brought a word search book and some Diet Pepsi; Adam people-watched. I do have to say that people watching at Wal-Mart should be some sort of Sociology class - I would of totally taken that class! Here are my observations during my 2 hour wait at the Happy Valley Wal-Mart:
1) This Wal-Mart was actually clean and neat and (dare I say) organized.
2) The employees were actually working AND helpful! We asked a guy where the humidifier filters were and he was actually able to tell us (in English even! GASP!)
3) Parents were actually shopping at 11pm WITH THEIR KIDS! Ummm...shouldn't they be home in bed? I mean, it was way passed my bedtime and I'm 27!
4) Most of the Wal-Mart shoppers were very "East County" looking. For my non-San Diego readers, "East County" is a term we use to describe people who live in the eastern part of San Diego County (El Cajon, Santee, Lakeside, etc). They're kinda red-neck, kinda white-trash, kinda people who go to "the desert" on the weekends to drink beer and ride their 4 wheelers, etc. If they were Barbie's, this how they would be described:
Santee Barbie - This pale model comes dressed in a shirt, and a Tweety Bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Coors Light and a Hank Williams, Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken's back side when she is drunk. Purchase her pickup truck separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.
Lakeside Barbie - This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a
pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased Beer-Gut Ken out of Lemon Grove Barbie's house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter top. Also available with a mobile home.
East County Barbie - Was a cheerleader in middle school but now only rides with Desert Rat Ken in his California lifted Ford F-150,
complete with white unfinished flair fenders, bed floor removed for
spare tire holder, and no carburator. F-150 can only be purchased by
parents who live in Alpine. Both come with optional Weed from Harbison Canyon and/or barbed wire tattoo. Will party in the desert all through her 20s and then finish her AA at Grossmont College when she's 35.
In conclusion (I feel like I'm writing a paper for a Soc class!), my Wal-Mart experience wasn't so bad. I'll still take Target over Wal-Mart any day though...
Yup, you heard me right...108. That is what the high is supposed to be in Phoenix today....heaven help me
OOOOOHHHH I wanna take you...ok, enough singing and picturing Jon Stamos playing the bongo drums in the background...We FINALLY book our trip to Jamaica :) More details to follow...but here are some pictures to make you all (and by all I mean the 3 of you that actually read this blog!) jealous:
Phoenix has finally arrived! We are now the proud home of 2, count them 2, Culver's!!! What's Culvers you may ask? Only the best hamburger goodness ever (shhh, don't tell In-and-Out I'm cheating on them). I had my first Culvers "butter burger" two Christmas's ago when I went to Minnesota and I fell in love (with Adam I mean...duh!). About three weeks ago they opened one just up the road from our apartment and I think we've been there about 4 times now! And did I mention their frozen custard??? YUMMMMMMMMM....
