Dominick's 2nd Birthday

(Birthday gift from Auntie Monika & Cameron)

B-Day Cake & Playing in the Fountain

"I'm 2!"

Seeing his birthday cake for the first time.

This weekend, we went to Folsom to celebrate my nephew DJ's 2nd Birthday.  He is such a cute kid, and I think he had a lot of fun!  We did too!  The weather was HOT, but the kiddies all enjoyed playing in the fountains, while the rest of us found shade in the pavilion area.  So fun to see all the family/relatives :)

Finally Complete! (We got the "coffee table" all situated)

I LOVE how the living room area turned out.  It's so nice to come home and relax.  Couches are comfy.  And everything just makes you feel right.....at......HOME.

All Dressed Up...

...for Tim & Jessica's Wedding. Congrats to the Sullivans!

This is how we like to spend our Sundays

It was nice and sunny today.  I think I overdid myself with the tanning though.  Both Ryan and I fell asleep out by the pool, and we both turned red only on one side.  Good thing, neither of us actually burns, so the red will turn into TAN by tomorrow.  And yes, I was wearing sunscreen.  Just stayed too long on the one side :P

Oops.

This is what happens to you if you fall asleep on the floor...

...Alvin will jump on top of you [wherever he pleases] and just hang out there.  He's comfortable.  Hahahaha.

Stacy's Bridal Shower

Stacy (Ryan's cousin's Fiance) had her Bridal Shower this weekend.  It was thrown by Ryan's cousins Dawn & Sam.  All their planning made for a VERY CUTE bridal shower!

Sharon (Ryan's Mom) & Me

Olivia, Stacy, Dawn, Madden, Sam

Stacy & Dawn

Stacy, Sam, Me, Dawn

Sam, Me, Dawn

Deviled Eggs

Mmmmmmm.  Love these, but hate the smell when you have to crack open the hard-boiled eggs!  What we like in our deviled eggs:

Celery

Mayo

Dijon Mustard

Paprika

S & P

Relish

Red Onion

Garlic Powder

Yum.  Yum.  Yum.

Finally: Pics of the Living Room!

*You'll notice I still haven't found a coffee table I like, but the rest is done...

To Sgt. Peter Stadler, on Memorial Day:

Thank you for serving our country.  (I don't think that gets told to our troops enough).  It's because of soldiers like you that we can remain the "land of the free."  We know you're on your 2nd tour in Iraq, and you're missing being in California, so we just wanted to tell you how much we all love you and how proud we are of everything you are doing.  Be safe.

We all miss you very much!

Love, Your Big Sis & All the rest of your Family & Friends!

Dinner at Milagros for Sara's Birthday

Last night we celebrated Sara's birthday at Milagros (which happens to be a few blocks from our apartment). It has been really hot lately in Redwood City, so it was nice to have a dinner outside and some yummy chips & salsa. And the margarita's didn't hurt either :) We had a great night with good friends and good food. Completed by Sprinkle's Cupcakes out by the pool (since they tried to charge us $2/cupcake to eat them at the restaurant - no thanks!). All in all, it was one of those perfectly relaxing "summer-like" evenings...


Ry and I waiting for our table to be set up.


Orion loving the black beans!


Me & Sar.
(Did you read my post about the dress she wore on my fashion blog? It was gorgeous!)


Orion's "camera face". This kid is seriously so adorable.



The whole group :)

Update on Re-Decorating...

So Ryan and our friend Bo took a trip to IKEA this evening, and I think we finally have the finishing pieces for our living room re-organization (or should I say, MY living room re-org).  I will post pictures tomorrow showing you the finished...or close-to-finished product.

XOXO

P.S.  Why is IKEA always out of 1 (yes just 1) item that you need???

Wow it has been forever...

Sorry folks...I've been so busy posting on my fashion BLOG (have you read it yet???) that I have neglected our other blog. So what do I write about? Hmmmm...

Things that have happened since March 12th (our last post):

*Ryan's company moved him to Pleasanton (from San Mateo)...little bit longer of a commute!
*Ryan bought a new truck.
*Alvin got a haircut. He looks so darn cute...I will try to post pics soon.
*The weather (well up until the last 2 days has been amazing!). April in California and you get 90 degree weather. Perfect for pool time with friends :)
*I have re-visited the idea of re-arranging the entire bedroom. Shhh...Ryan doesn't entirely no this yet - haha!
*We sold our coffee table (finally), now we are on the hunt for a new one that doesn't have the same issues as our old one did (no glass ones).
*Work for both of us has been busy busy busy.
*Shopping "ban" is ALMOST OVER! Can you believe we made it??? May 1st is the date! Wahoo!
*Paid...yes P-A-I-D taxes...sigh...

I think that's about it for now.

XO

GAP GIVE & GET 30% OFF Starts Today!

Have you seen this???  It starts today.  It even works on sale items!  Such a great deal AND it benefits the World Wildlife Federation :)

VERIKE HAS A NEW FASHION BLOG!

Hooray!!!  Please click HERE to view Verike's new blog, devoted entirely to fashion :)

It's been a long-time comin' folks...

Luv for our Tassimo Machine

Why do I love the Tassimo so much?  Because it makes me the perfect cup of coffee.  Ryan's parents got us hooked on this thing and it is A-MAZING.  I should be one of the spokespeople for it.  If you've ever come to our place, I've probably told you how awesome our coffee machine is and how you should probably buy one for yourself :)  Haha!  Our favorite beverages from the Tassimo are:

*[Gevalia] Cappuccinos

*[Gevalia] Lattes

*Chai Lattes

They all taste delicious!  It makes just the cup you need and in the long-run is much cheaper than going to S-bucks.  Today I'm drinking my coffee out of one of the cute mugs Bo & Tawny gave me for my birthday (thanks guys - love them!).  One has a V, the other has an R.  I'm using Ryan's today...

JuRy DuTy

Oh how I hate being cramped in this little room with all these other people.  I think they said there are 65 of us in here.  It's quite small.  At least I won't have to come back here for another year (or more - hopefully!).  Have I ever told you that I have the WORST luck with Jury Duty?  I think I have been summoned 5-6 times now.  Holy Moly.  I know it is my duty as an American Citizen, but I sure don't enjoy it.

I live 1 block away from the Redwood City courthouse.  Where did they assign me to???

Answer: South San Francisco

The waiting room for jurors is kind of like jail.  There is a TV that doesn't work, but DOES play the "How to be  Juror" movie on it.  There is a water dispenser.  Bathrooms.  Lots of rows of chairs with about as much room between them as an airline seat has.  And for the lucky few (yep, I was one of them), a long table with chairs so that you can sit at your laptop.

Save Me.

For breakfast, I had this...

Cheerios aren't just for kids (that's what I tell myself - haha).  I still prefer to eat the plain ones dry.  Just like a kid would :)  But this morning we had MultiGrain Cheerios.  I'd never had these before, but they were on sale at Target yesterday, so I decided to try a box.  Yums.

I had this:

and this:

Good breakfast.  Now time for work.

Oh how this makes me laugh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Ev5HgGACg&feature=channel

Hope it makes you chuckle :)

***You have to click on the link, NOT the picture to see the video.***

[Raisin] Bran Muffins - Yummy!

My mom always used to make mini Raisin Bran muffins when we were little. At that time, I still liked raisins. I think during my teenage years (haha I sound old), I decided I really didn't like raisins anymore. And I still don't!! However, I love these little muffins. I just pick out the raisins :)  These are a great source of fiber.  Really good warm with a little butter.

Mixing everything up in the KitchenAid.

Sifting the dry ingredients.

All ready for the oven...

Yum!  All ready to eat :)

P.S. I do NOT use the recipe on the Kellogg's website, although they do have one posted there.

Chik'N Nuggets

These are my favorite veggie-friendly meat-substitute. Whenever I don't feel like eating anything else, I still want to eat these. You may think they're a weird concept, but they're delicious!

MorningStar Farms makes a bunch of other really yummy soy products. The cool thing is that on their website they also have different recipes to try using the various soy products :)

http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/

I'll Follow the Sun

"One day you'll look to see I've gone.
For tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun.
Some day you'll know I was the one.
But tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun.
And now the time has come
And so my love I must go.
And though I lose a friend,
In the end you will know, oooh.
One day you'll find that I have gone.
For tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun.
Yes, tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun.
And now the time has come
And so my love I must go.
And though I lose a friend,
In the end you will know, oooh.
One day you'll find that I have gone.
For tomorrow may rain, so I'll follow the sun."

(The Beatles)

*Rachel, you will be dearly missed by so many.

Add a little flair to the table...

...new place mats can really make the table look so fun and bright!  We got some new ones to brighten up the table a little :)  Just a little something to change the dining area without REALLY changing the dining area.

To my love...

Thank you for the most amazing Birthday/Valentine's Day ever!  You do spoil me so.  Thank you for loving me the way that you do.

Lunch at Navio (my fav) was delish!

The 4-course Dinner you cooked me was fantastic!

(2nd Course: Carrot Ginger Soup)

And what a perfect way to end the meal.  Chocolate-dipped strawberries & my favorite Champagne!!!

You really do love me, don't you? :o)

27 things...

Since I'm turning 27, I though I'd share 27 little facts that you may or may not know about me.  Hope you enjoy reading :)

1. My birthday is on Valentine's Day.

2. Ryan and I have been together for almost 4 years now.  Little did I know that at the age of 4, I'd already met the love of my life...

3. ...my family moved to Half Moon Bay, CA when I was 4 years old - right across the street from Ryan (!).  Ryan really IS dating "the girl next door"!

4. I have a dog named Alvin.  He is amazing and by far the cutest dog you will ever meet.

5. Ryan and I had our first "date" at the San Francisco Zoo.

6. I'm a tofu-eating, soy-loving, Vegetarian.

7. My parents made my name up.  It's a combination of 2 of my German great-aunts names: Vera & Frederike.  That makes me one-of-a-kind ;)

8. I have the most amazing family and friends.

9. I am very afraid of heights.

10. I have a phobia of homeless people!

11. It's pretty probable that I could live off of French Fries and coffee.  Circa 2003, that coffee would have been replaced by Sugar-Free RedBull (terrible, I know).

12. I am very OCD about our apartment being clean and organized.  I hate clutter.

13. I think I missed my calling as an interior designer and stylist - haha.  There's still time, right?

14. Fourteen is my lucky number.

15. I have 2 brothers.  I'm the oldest, but even so, they are very protective over me :)

16. I am 1/2 German (Dad) & 1/2 Filipino (Mom).

+

17. I am a reality TV junkie.

18. Eventually I will be the next Imelda Marcos.  I think I might be half-way there in the shoe department - haha!  Love a smokin' hot pair of stilettos!!

19. I don't really move when I sleep.  I've heard it freaks people out.

20. My favorite color is PINK.

21. I heart champagne.

22. I have a love-hate relationship with my hair.

23. I work at an awesome video game company.  Ironically, before working in the video game industry, I'd never really played any video games.  Well, maybe Duck Hunt!  Haha.

24. I majored in Sociology at UCLA.  I now work in HR.  I have a thing for understanding people :)

25. I love love love traveling, especially to Europe.  So far, I've been to: England, Germany, Spain, Mexico, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, and Denmark.

26. I am a darn good cook if I may say so myself.  (Just ask Ryan!)  Ryan and I would consider ourselves foodies.  We love a good meal!

27. I have the most amazing closet you will ever see.  My closet is organized by color, and also by clothing item (ie. pants, tank-tops, dresses, etc.).  It looks like a small clothing boutique.  My shoes are all in clear boxes with Polaroids of each pair on the front.  What can I say...I have a passion for fashion!

xoxo,

Verike