Have you been good this year? hehehehe....

For your enjoyment..it's a one of a kind Christmas Tree by me!
Happy Holidays!

Click to see more, username is dylan's last name and password is dylan's birthday (format is mmddyy).

Note to self: Never buy any furniture unless delivery is complimentary. Seriously, folks, if you think your wife wants to buy furniture all the time, the way to see it stop is go buy it with your wife and then say no to delivery service. This works really well ya know.

The someone (don't wanna mention names hahaha....we all know who you are) and I bought a bedroom set but since delivery is $140, someone said no to delivery. So today, we brought a 1988 VW van with us to pick up the 6 piece bedroom set. I'm not kidding you. And then of course, the headboard wouldn't fit in the van. We tried it sideway and every which way we can think of but it just wouldn't fit. Am I surprised? NO!!! Was he surprised?...Yes! Amazing....and then when we got home.......well, I can tell you, I was so frustrated I started crying..well that was after we went up one flight of stairs where one of the corners of the dressser hit me in the temple and then one of the dresser's legs ran over my toes......why oh why did I want new furniture? They are currently sitting in the living room...and the bedroom is one more flight of stairs...I don't want to think about it....I have a feeling my back is gonna hurt tomorrow.

after this experience I don't ever want new furniture ......how about when we got the sofa? our coffee table? our the buffet table? Yup, we also moved that ourselves too...but this experience was the worst ever! Is it really worth it to save the delivery fee?

It's been over 2 years since we visited the squirrels at the Golden Gate Park. 2 years ago, there was this one special squirrel who followed us around and was super friendly. I named him (it looked like a him) Willis. I wonder if Willis is still alive or whether it was Willis that we saw on Sat. Could this be Willis?



It sure looked like Willis. Well, kinda hard to tell cuz Willis and his friends and family and extended family all look alike.

They were, as always, super friendly, sweet, and adorable! 2 years ago, there weren't any signs prohibiting the feeding of squirrels. Now, it's all over the place. That's too bad! If we don't feed the squirrels, where are they gonna find food? They need (unsalted) nuts and acorns to help them get through the winter. *wink* *wink*

I hope they had a great thanksgiving.

This photo archiving/restoring project started off because I miss home. Now, I miss home even more. It's been over 3 years since I moved to the bay area yet somehow I still get super homesick.

Can you see an upside down heart in this picture?

Tis the season to be thinking of turkey. Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la :)
Advice: from 1 to 2 weeks before thanksgiving till hmm.... new years day...forget about dieting....that should be umm...next year's resolution. Enjoy the eggnogs, the deserts..and whatever your heart desires!

hehe...well, some things to think about before the 23rd arrives if you're planning to make make a turkey...
- confirm the # of ppl who will be eating the turkey
- order the turkey
- make a shopping list.

My Cubicle

It's not the eastern sierra but it's got some fall color. Did you know that Mount Diablo is the highest mountain in the bay area? It's a got a great view from up top.

Dahlia...Dahlia...Dahlia. Fall & Dahlia go together hand in hand. You can't have one without the other. I had to fight this lady at the farmer's market for them. I was there first. I asked the sales person if I can get the rest of the Dahlias for a discount. The price said "$3 a bunch". He said he'll give the rest of the Dahlias to me for $3 and before I can say ok or grab them, this lady got her hands on them and said, "I'll take them for $3!" Usually, I wouldn't fight for it cuz I'm kinda timid that way but I really wanted them so I said, "um..excuse me, I was getting those" and she just looked at me. Then the sales guy said, ok, you ladies work it out. 3 bunches is a lot so I suggested that we split them so in the end, I got 1 bunch and she got 2 bunches, I paid $1 and she paid $2. Not exactly what I had in mind, but better than nothing wouldn't you say? Click on the picture get to my gallery of Dahlias and Strawberries.

Stars of Bethlehem, that's what this flower is called. I saw a bunch of them at today's wedding. Each little bulb really looks like a star. A bunch of stars, how pretty! What do I know about it? Absolutely nothing, well, other than that they are originally from southern europe and that it's a perenial.

OK, who ate my lunch? I can't believe there's a lunch thief at work. Someone took my beef stew (ate half of it) and rice (ate all of it - the tupperware was empty) and returned it to the fridge at the exact same spot that I had put them. How rude is that? Doesn't that somebody think that if he/she took someone else's lunch, that will leave someone else hungry?!!!! That's it, I'm looking into buying a mini fridge.

Flying in a small private jet is like umm, let's see, sitting on a swing except there's no chains holding it up. I forgot when but when my boss mentioned he could fly but when he did, I was like, "oh neat!". And somehow, I got myself committed for a flying tour. Probably because I was the most excited of all my coworkers.

Right before my coworker and I got on the plane, my boss said, "OK, this is so you know, this plane is a single engine plane and doesn't have a parachute. So if it fails, that's it. You can still back out if you want." Haha...well, I came so far, I might as well go through with it. Let me tell you, I was so scared!!!

Here's some pictures.

Biking from Fisherman's Wharf to Sausalito and/or Tiburon, is not just for tourists. If you haven't done that and you live in the Bay Area, it is something you should definitely put on your to do list. If you don't have a bike, do what the tourists do, rent it at a place like Bay City Bike. It's about $27 to rent a bike for a whole day. Great deal for whole day of fun!

Favorite Shots from the ride:

OK, where are the bugs when you need them? I went around looking for them, no luck. I sat around waiting for them to come, no luck!!! Well, looks like no interesting macro photo of bugs as of yet. I did however get to bring home some roses from today's wedding set up! Here'a macro photo of a sexy rose. The rose's a little too centered but it's the only macro shot that is not too blurry. Alan took off w/ my tripod in his trunk! Kinda hard to take macro picture w/o a tripod. Bad DH!


Here's a normal shot.


Here's b&w one.

Pluto is no longer a planet but instead a "Dwarf Planet". I'm pretty sad that it got demoted. Here's a link to more information on this. I need a moment of silence for this.

Macro Photography, it's whole different world! I just got a hold of my new toy, Canon's EF25 II extension tube. The extension tube works really well. The only problem is, I can't take normal pictures when the extension tube is attached.



This weekend, when Alan's playing Halo w/ the Lotz, I think I'll find myself some bugs to take pictures of. Hmmm...where can I find some lady bugs?

Pictures of the Sunol Bike Trail is up. Go here to see it.

Flat tires..., can this be the reason behind that that pissed off look captured by the wifey (me)?? I had one flat tire and Alan had 2 flat tires! Good thing we had llamas to entertain us while we waited to be rescued. The white llama with black spots is Lucy. Isn't Lucy cute? I got to feed them grass hay and apples. Do you know that llamas love apples?

OK, back to the pouty face question, the answer is no. That's the normal "honey, hurry up and pick up the pace" look.

Hmm...I think I should go & apologize to the neighbors tomorrow for hurting their ears. I spent 1+ hour playing karoake revolution! (hehe) Funny thing is when I was singing, the chirps were chirping. At least the chirps enjoyed it, I don't know about Mr. Chirp-Head, he went upstairs soon after I started singing. OW!!!!! WHY DO I KEEP USING MY LEFT INDEX FINGER TO TYPE G???!!!!! SO FORGETFUL..gotta take care of the injured finger......!!!!!

Been working out but not seeing results? You may find this article interesting, go here to read it. Have fun!

Wow, it took approximately 30 minutes for my finger to stop bleeding. About half an hour ago, while cutting cheese, I cut my poor index finger. I cut my finger all the time before and yet it never really puncture the skin or ever go that deep. I think I should stick w/ using blunt knifes or learn how to cut properly. I was wondering if I should seek medical attention as it wouldn't stop bleeding and it was quite deep. It occurred to me that I might need some stitches but I was afraid that the nurses might laugh at me if I go in and my finger was in no immediate danger of falling off. I don't know, I just feel like unless I'm dying or something is chopped off, there is no need to go to the emergency walk in. Anyhow, I went online to see if i need medical attention. This is what I found out. If a straight cut is more than 1/8 of an inch or .3 cm deep (goes through the demis layer), it should be stitched only if the area in resting position pulls the skin back and prevents the wound from closing. It also said that if it's not a not a straight cut and it's jagged and is 1/8 of an inch or .3cm deep, then seek medical attention immediately. Interesting eh? So even though my cut went through the dermis layer and I could see the white stuff, after about 1/2 hour, the wound had no problem closing by itself. Whew, good thing I checked, otherwise I will look like such an idiot. Hehe.

audreywong.com is up! go on, click on it ~ dont' worry, it's rated PG! :)

Which picture did I have a problem w/ auto-focusing and had to resort to manual focusing at the end? Why?

Picture 1:


Picture 2:


First friend to get this right wins a free non-alcoholic drink (pick your own place).

interesting link, go on, click on it. lots of stuff for all those who like supernatural/horror/sci-fi stuff. oh! oh! you can find a 3 part article on Spike under "column" and "coffin". oh heck, here's the link to the section on Spike, the vampire (from Buffy the Vampire - tv series for those who do know - warning..spoiler on there).

If my husband hates ants. I hate ants even more. They turned my husband into an ant killing maniac. When we get home from work, Alan used to help me with cooking, like making the rice, setting the table, and sometimes even cutting the vegetables so that we can have something healthy for dinner. Ever since he turned into this maniac, the first thing he does when he gets home is look for ants, carrying with him his Ortho Home Defense, the indoor/outdoor insect killer (one of these day, it's gonna kill us cuz he's spraying it all over the place..... we'll die from eating minute amounts of ortho everyday). When he finds them, he asks, "Where the F**K are you coming from?", over and over again. That is very annoying. He really keeps repeating that, like once every few minutes. And, I can forget about him helping me with dinner, I gotta cook the rice and cut the veggies myself. Now, that sucks.

I often wonder what it is that moves a person to finish something. For a very long time, I tried to figure out the best way to push myself so that I could accomplish the goal I set for myself, which could be by miles or by time (15, 20, 25..).... Umm..sorry, forgot to mention what I am talking about here..which is running/jogging. I have a love/hate relationship with this activity. I hate the process, yet somehow towards the end of it, it feels great, and at the end I love it that I crossed the finish line. Needless to say, it's a complicated relationship. For a while, I tried to encourage myself to endure this activity by letting my mind wonder and imagined that I was doing something else. It didn't work cuz I always ended up imagining myself running (running in the desert, running away from monsters)...no matter what it was that I started with. For instance, I could be imagining that I was relaxing somewhere on the beach but then a monster would come out of nowhere and start chasing me and then outrun me and then when that happened, I would give up and stop. Recently, I discovered that if I just imagine myself reaching my goal, it's enough to get to get to the finish mark. A determined mind is that much more powerful. Use it, it's a great tool.

My polarizer filter came in the mail today. Can you tell which picture was taken with the polarizer filter and which wasn't?

How clean are your hands? OK, if you have clean habits and all, you may think your hands are clean. Let's say you wash your hands before you eat. Hmm...very good, if you're at home. Suppose you're at a restaurant and you do the same. You go into the restroom, wash your hands, wipe it dry w/ paper towels and open the door to get out. Clean? Well, let's see, suppose someone went to the restroom to finish his/her business (#2) and decided to not to wash his/her hands and opened the door to get out just before you and you happen to touch the same spot as that person with bad habits? You think your hands are clean? Hmmm...think again. Better open the door with paper towels. That's what I do. But, what if it's one of those not well kept restroom and there is no paper towel or one of those w/ dryers? Sometimes, I wait till the next person pushes the door open, catch it w/ my foot and then let myself out. But, waiting for the next person may take forever. This is where one of those anti-bacterial cleansing hand gel (kills germ without water) comes in handy. If you ask me, I think restaurants should have restrooms with automatic doors. Since that is unlikely to happen, carry one of those hand gels with you. Solves the problem.

Having the right tools in the kitchen does make a difference. Cooking is so much more fun and oh...so much easier too! I've been using the pasta cooker/vegetable steamer from Crate & Barrel . It was a weddng gift from a good friend. I absolutely love it. I love it so much that I've been using it everyday. I highly recommend it if you're into steaming your stuff. Note: It's healthier to steam stuff...and oh..easier to clean too.

Today, I used it to steam tofu and yesterday, I used it to steam eggs, a chinese dish my grandmother often made, called "Steamed 3 eggs" (it has normal egg, salty egg, & thousand year old egg and minced pork) . It is one of my favorite childhood dishes. My grandma made it all the time when I was a kid. When she makes it, it's so much better though. I don't have the touch yet. I got lots to learn.

In the meantime, I gotta go search for more recipes that call for steaming. Steam broccoli, steam asparagus, steam anything! If you got a good steaming recipe, send it my way. I would love to try it out!

After 10 sick days or so, I have forgotten how good it feels to run. Running is funny. When you start, the first few minutes or so, it feels horrible but once you get past the plateau, it starts to feel better. Some calls this the runner's high. And when you reach your goal, you know that you've done something good for your heart and lungs and that's the best part. I love that feeling.

OK, do all homes have to have so many friggin bathrooms? OK, if it's a house meant for a big family, then it makes sense...but for a townhome (about 1174 sq. ft.) like ours (meant for newly weds)? Why in the world would Alan and I need 2 1/2 bathrooms? More bathroom equates to more cleaning! It takes approximately 40 min. to clean one bathroom (approximately 20 min to clean the 1/2 bathroom)...so this translates to 100 min of bathroom cleaning time? 100 minutes?!!! I can get past so many different levels on Prince of Persia III with 100 minutes. No wonder Alan is so much ahead of me!

Speaking of bathroom and toilets, I highly reccommend using the Scotch-Brite Disposable Toilet Scrubbers. Unlike other disposable toilet cleaners, the scrub doesn't fall off the handle easily so that you can scrub as hard as you like and plus, it's got a nifty shape that fits under the rim to allow you to scrub under the rim. Right on Scotch-Brite! I don't know about you, but I hate storing toilet brushes. I wear latax gloves and use paper towels to clean the toilet seats and stuff because I don't like to store sponges that's been used to clean the toilet .....so disposeable toilet srubber, that's a great invention!

Remember that song from J Lo, "Love don't cost a thing"? It goes, "Think I'm gonna spend your cash I won't, Even if you're broke, my love won't cost a thing..." Sounds promising doesn't it? Umm,.. problem is, love doesn't cost a thing but a wedding does!!!!! After you're engaged, it's "...think I'm gonna spend all your cash (on our wedding) I will, even if you're (gonna be) broke, I don't give a damn..."...ok, this is umm...a little exaggerated..but there's an element of truth to it. :)

Speaking of weddings, I love weddings!!! I love going to weddings, whether as a guest or as a hardworking florist assistant. It is after my own wedding that I appreciate weddings so much more. This is probably because now I know how much they cost and how much work goes into planning one. Today's wedding was at the Kohl Mansion. The Kohl Mansion is absolutely gorgeous! Getting married at a national historial landmark. Now that's something! Here's some pictures from today's set up.

Summer used to mean 3 whole months of fun. That's how kids look at summer. Remember when you were a kid and you were always looking forward to the summer ~ the long days, the wonderful ice cream truck? Remember how time was spent in the sun ~ running around, biking, swimming. I think that many of us have lost that spark in us to have fun in the summer. I feel that being a kid shouldn't be limited to all those under 18 years of age. Let's be kids again this summer. Let's learn how to relax and enjoy in the sun. No, I don't mean staying at home w/ the AC on or go shopping in the mall. I mean really being in the sun. The sun is out, enjoy the day- go outside, forget the AC - wanna eat ice cream and desert before dinner? Go right ahead! Go out there, play some softball, or jump rope, or anything you used to love as a kid! Take some time and be that kid you used to be!

Despite being sick, I went to see "The Lake House". I've been sick for over a few days now and not just sick, but very very sick, congested head, headache, ear infection, sore throat, you know, the whole enchilada. No fun at all. Initially, I took Monday 7/3 off to go to a wedding in LA, enjoy 4th of July, and then took Wednesday 7/5 off to drive back. In retrospect, it seems like I was preparing for my sick journey. I decided to get sick on the weekend, get sicker on Monday, then get even sicker on Tuesday, and finally get extremely sick on Wednesday (I think I slept through most of the 5 to 6 hour drive). At one point, it was so bad that it felt like a truck ran me over and my brain was oozing out of my nose. Sorry, that was umm..kinda graphic but umm...ya sorry. Anyhow, I don't recall ever feeling so miserable due to a flu and I don't recall taking this long to recover. This must be the side effect of being you know...(sorry to those are older than me), not that young anymore...you know, another way to put it, the older you get, the longer it takes to bounce back. So, I finally felt a little better today...and what did I do? I went to see "The Lake House" and I don't know if it's because the movie sucked or if it was too cold in the theatre, I felt like throwing up at the end of the movie. By the way, the movie was pretty bad, very slow and the timewarp thing, it created a paradox. It doesn't make sense. So if you haven't seen it, and really want to see it, I say wait till it comes out in DVD. Oh, don't read any further if you want to see it and haven't seen it! Spoiler warning!!! I think that the movie would have been better if Alex did die. I'm not saying this because I'm the type of person who likes sad ending. I like happy ending but this ending just doesn't make sense. If he didn't die, then an alternate reality in 2006 would have been created. The thing is if Alex didn't die, then Kate wouldn't have gone to the lake house and everything that happened wouldn't have happened. Because Alex didn't die and yet they met at the lake house at the end as though nothing in the timeline had changed created a paradox! I will have to say that this movie was badly done. The story was too slow, too long, ..................it wasn't a mystery, it wasn't about time travel, it wasn't action and it wasn't even romantic enough to be ....ugh..I want my money back!

The San Gabriel Hilton is a lovely place to get married. Its ceremony location, which is the Garden Terrance, is situated on the 3rd floor, high above most of the other buildings in the San Gabriel area. It provides a view of the mountain and the sky. My favorite part of the terrace is the fountain (picture is below). It makes the place picturesque and romantic. This is definitely not a bad choice if you want the ceremony and the banquet to be at one location, especially if you want an outdoor ceremony.

favorite shots of the day:

Isn't Scratchy cute? Looks like Scratchy just had a bath!

Well, if a location is perfect for a wedding, then chances are that every bride is going to want her wedding there. Look closely to the left of the gazebo. Notice anything peculiar? Yup, that's another wedding being set up to the left of the gazebo. Interesting isn't it? Although it's not uncommon that a location can service more than 1 weddings on the same day, it is howerver, rather odd that the Ritz allow these 2 weddings to be so close together (time wise that is). You would think that if you're paying a whole lot of money, the least they can do is either to seperate the 2 weddings, put them far apart from each other or make sure they start on very different time. It is very unsightly (not to mention how confused the guests will be)! The photographer's gonna have to photoshop the other wedding party out of the pictures. I would definitely not like that. Ask about situations like this before signing the contract and/or paying the deposit. Brides beware!

My DH and I, we have communication issues. This morning, before we left for work, I told my DH, "Honey, I'm bringing the minestrone soup for lunch." He asked me why and mentioned something about the minestrone not being enough to fill me. I told him, "well, I'm bringing lunch because I got no cash." His reponse? He said, "I got cash." How is a wife like me suppose to interpret that message? Well, I don't know about anyone else, but it sure sounded like "honey, I'm taking you out to lunch" to me. When lunch time came, he said to me, "I never said anything about taking you out to lunch, I just said that I got cash."

Maybe I was reading too much into what he said? But still,.....that made me mad, especially since we carpooled and he had the car today. I made him take me out to lunch!!!

Newly Wed Lesson #3: Do not read between the lines. If unsure, ask!

This is my favorite new drink, the (syrup-less) Green Tea Latte from Starbucks. You'll have to ask them to not put syrup in there. It tastes better w/o the syrup. Hmmm...it's so goooood.

Side note: The husband (the hairy chest man) has gotten a new pet. It resides by the front door and it eats ants. It's got 8 legs and is not very friendly to me. It is always trying to scare me. Alan said that we need the new pet because that way, we won't have to spend money on buying pesticides to kill the ants. Anyways, I hope Dawg eats it. They look like they'll be good at it. Hmph!

The Ritz Carlton hotel at Half Moon Bay is an excellent wedding location. Well, that is if you got some extra cash to spare. It's right by the beach and it's situated up high enough such that you can get a view of the coastline. I love the smell of the sea and the sound of waves crashing onto the beach. What a romantic place to exchange vows!

After the set up at Ritz Carlton yesterday, I came home and told my dear husband all about it. How beautiful it was and how romantic it must be for the couple that were getting married that day. My dear husband, I could tell, was simply glad that this revelation came to me now and not while we were planning for the wedding!! You know what he was thinking...hahaha!

Starpals forum...coming to a place near you! Actually, it's already here, with a click, you're there!

It took me 30 minutes to convince my dear hubby to go to the gym with me. I basically dragged him there with me...he should thank me..cuz if he gets used to being lazy..there's no going back!!! Anyhow, we got to the gym, went into the weight room..and sure enough, there were hardly any girls there.

It's very intimidating, being the minority. Everytime I'm there, I'm either the only female there or 1 of the 2 females there. Resistance training improves muscle strength, endurance, increases metabolism, increases bone mineral mass and prevents osteoporosis! This is something that everyone should do, it's not only for men.

At times like today, I feel like I am the luckiest woman alive. When I feel I need some music in my life, my dear husband can serenade to me. He can play both the guitar and the piano. When I need an oil change or change my brakes, there is no doubt that he can do it. If I need a new system, my dear husband can build that. Wow, it is amazing what he can do. And he smiles while he does things for me. All I have to do is say, "Hubby, I love you". That is so sweet.

Does anyone want to guess what Alan is up to? Yup, you guessed it, he's working on his car! He just bought a navigation system. Yup! You guessed it again, it was the first thing he did too when we got home yesterday night. And the night before that? He was reading up on how to do the installation. And before that? Oh you mean since we came back from Carmel?...he was doing research on which navigation he should get. Oh..how's married life you asked? It's um..very exciting...you know...cars stuff...very fun~ OK, I gotta quit whining and look at the bright side -the big picture-, a month of solitude at home...but it'll mean that we'll always know where we're going! That's great news! We all know how guys are about asking for directions.....yep..I bet you do!

While he's having fun w/ the installation...I think I'll find something fun to do. I know! Online shopping! ....oh look..is that Alan's credit card sitting there?......*evil laugh*!!!! Now married life is exciting!!!!!

I've been told that I'm lucky because I am blessed with a high metabolism and can eat whatever I want and not gain an ounce. I think that this is only partially true. I think that working out on a regular basis has been keeping my metabolism at bay. Since college, the longest time I've gone without working out at least a few times a week was 3 months - when I fractured my tailbone. I don't know how long this lifestyle is going to last.

I started working out because I wanted to gain weight. Yep, to gain weight!!! People would asked me if I was anorexic. Anorexic! Oh dear God! Was I that sick looking? I was just lanky, not sickly. At one point someone thought that I was in denial and had suggested that I seek help. And, upon seeing what a big appetite I had, she then changed her mind and thought that I was bulimic instead. After the, "Audrey, are you bulimic" question, I decided right then and there that enough was enough, I gotta create some muscles so people would believe me when I tell them, "No, I'm not anorexic" or "No, I'm not bulimic". Today, I can say that I've reached my goal..I look healthy.

So, for the past 10 years or so, I've been pretty motivated about being healthy, especially when I was preparing for the big day. Alan and I were hitting the gym after work almost all the time, at one point, it was 5x a week. Today was the first time that we were at the gym since we got married. Boy, I tell ya, I was UNmotivated. Is this the "I am married" syndrome? Alan didn't help either..I think he caught it too. Everytime, I looked at him, he would say, "Let's go home" and no matter how I tried to convince myself how good it was for my back that I was pulling down 50 lbs..."Let's go home" was just so much more enticing.

I think this might be it unless I find a new motivation....perhaps..my next motivation will be to lose some weight?

Mr. Chirp-Head and I should really look for other people to carpool to work with. He is super busy and I'm super bored. Sure, this saves us lots of $$ cuz gas is crazy expensive these days..but I could be at home right now cooking a home cooked meal., or be at the gym.....but I'm stuck here waiting for Mr. Chirp-Head to finish his work.

Last night, Mr. Chirp-Head did it again. At dinner time, he let 2 of the chirps out to play! Dawg and Diddy stood on Mr. Chirp-Head's shoulders, nibbled his ears and played with his necklace while we ate. I was annoyed, despite what I said, my request that the birds be put back in the cage was ignored...sure I love the chirps..but to let them out while we're having dinner?!!...Mr. Chirp-Head...what was he thinking? Actually, I know what he was thinking...he's trying to get the chirps to side with him and want them to like him more than me! Hmph! Evil!

After 2 weeks of break, today's the first day back at work . Back to reality. I cannot focus at all. All of a sudden, being a housewife doesn't sound that bad at all. Hmm...actually, I just thought about it, I don't really enjoy cleaning the house all the time either, I don't think I can be a housewife. I take that back. Wonder what Alan will say if I tell him that I wanna be the kind of housewife who has a maid. hehehe...it's gonna hard to get that by him. Better luck next life! OK, in this case, I better start focusing or buy lots of lottery tickets!

Oh ya, the chirps are back home. I miss them!!! The place feels empty without them.

Newly Wed Lesson #2: What you think is important might not be important to your husband. Therefore, you shouldn't assume that your husband will take care of it if you don't explicitly tell your husband that it's important, especially sentimental items. The best thing to do is to look after it yourself.

Why so? There's a reason for this. Here's the short version ~ There was something from the wedding (no, not the top tier of the cake, I have no regret eating it...the cake was so yummy...it was the wedding favors ~ the picture frame place cards with our names on them) that I wanted to keep for sentimental reasons (I wanted to take them out and use them on all the anniversaries to come)...and I found out today that we don't have them. Mad? No. Sad? Yes!!! Is there anything I can do? I hope the photographer took pictures of them. I guess I can print them out and frame them and use those instead. Other than that, there's nothing I can do about it. :( Lesson learned? Yes!!!!

To be fair to Alan, here's the clause to lesson 2.

Clause to Newly Wed Lesson #2: What you think is important might not be important to your wife, especially if it's related to electronic stuff..even if she's tech savvy.

I woke up and said, "I know! Let's bike the 17 Mile Drive!" He said, "Oh, good idea, why didn't I think of that?"
......
at 1:30, we picked up 2 mountain bikes and off we went. The first picture, that was taken after 30 minutes into the ride. Still pretty happy. No bickering. Two hours later, I requested that we give up and turn around. Ya right, said the husband, this was your idea and there's no turning back. Picture #2 was taken after going up the hill (and against the wind)..notice the furrows? Don't I look pleased that we made it to the peak? See that pout? It's really a smile...hahaha.. ya right!
.......
....hmm....(note to self)....newly wed lesson #1 - do not make suggestions or voice ideas without first thinking about the consequences because the husband is a "you must follow through" kinda guy.