SEA-HAWKS

It's only fitting that my first blog in oh I don't know 3 years is about my beloved Seahawks.  I am a very proud fan, and they are, at this very moment, on a plane on their way to ATL to play on Sunday morning at 10am PST.  I couldn't be more anxious, excited and thrilled to be a fan and will continue loving that team no matter the outcome.

It's funny being a female fan of a football team though...here are some observations I have made over the course of my love for this team for over 10 years now.

1.  Boys don't like girls who have teams in the playoffs when their team didn't come close...especially when their team is supposed to be conference winners i.e. Steeler (ugh!), Saints, etc.  They talk smack and there is nothing you can really say to prove a point.  They get in their macho, big ego ways and there's no way to change their mind.  It's just one of 'em things.
2.  Boys do like when a girl is willing to go watch the games with them and actually know what they are talking about and can keep up (and be able to throw back a couple).
3.  Boys don't like when a girl wins their pick pool for the week or fantasy football, because girls are NOT supposed to know more about sports then they do.
4.  Boys do like when really female fans host tailgates because it generally means that there will be Jell-o shots of said teams colors.
5.  Boys don't like when girls have an opinion of who should be Rookie QB of the year.  For instance this year it should be Russell Wilson, sorry about the whole leg snapping thing for Rookie RG3 in last weeks game against the Redskins, but we were out to prove a point and we did!

I have to constantly defend my team which I am more than happy to do.  The thing about being a Hawk fan is we are generally happy whatever happens.  It isn't a team that constantly brings in a "W" on a Sunday so when we are doing well, it fills our heart with joy and makes the world a better place to live in.  If we loose, that's ok there's always next year.  Well guess what folks...it's next year!

Go Hawks, beat those Falcons!

*bisous*

Raise a Toast to You...Mums!

In honor of mothers day tomorrow I just want to mention how awesome mums are. Mine is amazing, I am told I am my mother's daughter through and through and I am more than happy to take that honor!

I also want to give a little shot out to my sister who is also an outstanding mum. I spend a lot of time with my nephews and they bring me such joy (mostly because you never know what is going to come out of their mouths). I still remember the day when Zach (3 years) called me a babe. Made me want to cry, who needs a man when I have him to give me all the affirmations I need!! And just tonight after he said I love you, I said I love you more and he said "no Tia I love you this much" and then he threw out his arms that then hit the wall which didn't even bother him because he was demonstrating his love for me. Cutest little dude EVER!

So Happy Mother's Day to all you mum's out there, I don't know how you do it! It's a 24 hour job and if anyone argues that give them your kids for a weekend and see how they look at the end of it!

Reason # 101 why I love my Room$

Last weekend was beautiful so Room$ and I decided to go to the beach. We drove separately as she needed to go to the movies after and I had to drive up to my parents. At the first stop light I sitting waiting for the light to change behind her and notice something...I think to myself...is she planning on turning right? But we are in the left turn lane. And then it occured to me...ahh yes, Jenny shows her Asian in only two places in her life...her food and her driving skills.

Loves it!

(Room$ don't be mad at me for posting this...it was am awesome moment!!)

Say a little Prayer!

I keep looking at slide show after slide show of people in Haiti. I remember the day it happened and I was looking at pictures of the aftermath with my co workers. The first thing I said was "I want to be there" the first thing out of their mouth was "you're crazy!".

But it's true I really do want to be there. Just like I wanted to go when New Orleans was flooded and that feeling that came over me when I got to Iowa to help out with the flooding there.

I want to do something bigger, go and save the world!

But for now I just look at the photos and follow a blog about an amazing family at my church who is waiting to get their adopted son from Haiti. The wife Kristen was actually there when the earthquake hit and was evacuated. I HIGHLY recommend checking out their blog. If you don't do anything else today absolutely check out their blog and read their story, it's life changing and you too will be changed. (and might have the urge to adopt a Haitian baby just like I do!

www.thehowertons.blogspot.com

***updated Keanan's on his way to Orlando, praise God!

Always a bridesmaid...

You know how the saying goes...

As posted in my blog below, it's wedding season so I have been doing some research recently and have some really fun things that I have found.

My roommate laughs when she comes home and finds me watching "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC, which is a show about the store Kleinfelds in New York where girls go to fine "the perfect dress"!! I swear up and down that it's my maid of honor duties to research dresses and such, when in actuality I find the show so amusing! You should really check it out! Yes I am that girl who has a picture of a wedding dress cut out since I was in highschool, but from watching this show (and the change in fashion), clearly that is not the style that I should be going for. Right now my favorite designer is Lazaro, here's a sneak peak at one of his designs.

My roommate also told me about an AWESOME website called once wed that feature pictures of different weddings, different locations and fun little trinkets to use for decorations or party favors. Take a moment to check it out, even if you're already married because it's just nice to see all the love that's still in this crazy world we live in! (click on the words "once wed" above, if you couldn't figure it out)

Back on Board

Seriously I have gotten so bad at blogging I apologize to my 3 followers that I have not written more for you!! Yes all THREE of you!

My New Years goal for this year is two fold. First is not really a goal but more of a...verb...the word "focus" meaning focusing more on things that bring me joy. For instance like blogging stuff, focusing on myself, focusing on my family, focusing on what is best for my life (like budgeting and saving and travelling).

My second goal for this year is to start golfing. During this holiday season my family and I went up to Lake Arrowhead, California for 4 days and we went "snow golfing". It was so much fun and reminded me of the (few) times that I went to the driving range. It brought me joy and so that is one of my goals for the year. What do you think? I think that they are two goals for this year that are both healthy and will be uplifting.

Next subject...travelling. Of course I am going places this year as I do every year. I remember last year I started this blog for my trip to Israel, well this year I am starting off the year with a bang! In two weeks I will be travelling up to Seattle to do some of my "maid" duties and going to a Seattle Bridal Expo with Juanie! A day full of drinking champagne and looking at fun wedding stuff?!? Sign me up! As long as it's not my own wedding I am in!

Then in February I will be travelling down to Australia for my cousin John's wedding. A time filled with family, guys with accents ;), and exploring.

So far sounds like a great beginning to a fabulous twenty-ten! Stay tuned for more cause I have some more exciting things up my sleeve!

Just Because I Can!

So as my roommate would put it “how adorbs is this”. I saw this one night with one of my “I’ll just step into this store to kill time, while hoping I wouldn’t actually purchase anything” moments. I actually picked it up, walked around, justified why I should by it but some how by some force unknown to me put it back on the shelf. Then the next day at work I showed two co workers and thought about it through out the day. That’s when you know you are really allowed to by it. When you keep thinking about it. Is it me or do other’s do the same thing, they figure it’s “ok” to buy it because you can’t stop thinking about it, so why deprive yourself of this item.

Unfortunately for me there aren’t many times I actually have to go through this very often because shopping is my weakness and I right away justify buying the item.

So there is no sleep on it moment for me. Though I am trying to rectify this knowing that I do not need every item that I see, it is purely impulse buying and then I remember all the little kidos in Uganda who won’t be able to ever just walk into a store and buy something just because they want it.

You’re proud of me? So am I.

It’s been a hard thing to realize but slowly and surely I will learn that I do need everything…or do I?

Back to the cup, so stinking cute right!! If you want one they are at Urban Outfitters. Enjoy!!

500 days...

So this weekend I had a really great time enjoying the lovely town on LA and I have decided to share it with you. Awhile back I saw the movie 500 days of summer. Amazing movie and I highly recommend it. As I was watching the movie though I was trying to figure out where it was filmed and to my surprise it was right here in my backyard. The movie made LA look cool all over again.

So my roommate told me about a walking tour of the film to see where it was filmed. I was instantly excited and took the day off work to enjoy the day in LA. It was set up through the LA Conservancy who does tours all over LA and including Venice Beach. Our tour guide was the guy who choose the places for the movie to be filmed which was great because he told us why he chose those places and what makes the so unique.

I highly recommend taking a tour around LA to fall back in love with the place you live because sometimes we all just get stuck in a rut!

Awesome building that I want to plan an event like a wedding or a ball, this scene was at the end of the movie when the main character was at a job interview. Amazing amazing building!

LA first sky scraper, so cool to see up close and notice all the little details.

The famous bench in the movie also known as Angels Knoll, super cute place to relax and just hang!

When I say I do...

So a couple of my friends are getting married this year and the last couple of months I have seen multiple engagement and wedding photos. It doesn't help either that I work at a wedding destination where for a mere million dollars you too can get married there!

At work we receive wedding resumes of the couples, with information all about their grand event and the names of all their vendors. I usually look at who their wedding event coordinator is and then I look at the photographer and visit their website for ideas of my own. I find that photographers are so creative not just with pictures but also with such a beautiful view of life. I know have my dream wedding pretty much planned in my head but won't be planning it for quiet sometime!

I have come across one of my favorite photographer so far. I love this guys work because it is so vintage, funky and out of the box. I have also met him and his wife and think they are just the cutest couple! Check out their blog and see for yourself, this is Gabriel Ryan's blog.

I had to share!

Ok so with Twilight's new moon coming out soon there has been much talk about promotional items, memorabilia etc etc...

I am not one who usually buys those types of things also I am not one to wear a star wars shirt or have figurines. You're surprised by this? Not so much.

But when I came across a designer who had come out with a line of jewelry for Twilight's New Moon I decided that I might just have to get one.

Take a look for yourself and if you are a fan of the series I am sure you will be on the look out for this collection, the designer's is Gina Nigrelli and her jewelry line is Jules Smith.

Just a sneak peak...

Uber Cute!

I'm the kind of person who enjoys grocery shopping, it brings me a sense of peace to walk up and down the isles looking for something new or just being so fascinated with the amount of choices we have now a day to spice up a meal.

I remember being in Israel and grocery shopping with my uncle, which was one of my favorite moments because we spent hours upon hours there trying to figure out what things were because all the labels were in Hebrew. Luckily I pride myself in the kitchen so I was able to figure out what things were by just the taste and touch test.
Ok so that was a bit of a side track to the theme of this post. Back to the topic at hand, another thing I like to do it walk up and down the card isle. Some of my favorite places to meander is Where's the Party? on 17th and also Papyrus. I purchase cards in case I need to quickly send one out to a friend who is not feeling well, or a birthday that has snuck up on me.
Recently I found the uber cute online store called The Paper Wink. Adorable stationary, note cards and labels (which are shown below). Our culture has lost the art of writing cards and we now send impersonal emails or facebook messages. I propose that we all go out and buy (or even make your own) cards and send it to someone to brighten up their day! You'll be surprised how good it makes you feel just for that little gesture.

A little Change Goes A Long Way...

My roommate and I have been redecorating our apartment since the beginning of the year and it has been quite a fun process. We started out by taking a day trip up to LA's fabric district which is always an adventure. We came home with a wonderful cream colored (washable!) fabric, we managed to barter down the price quite significantly, as two well knowledgable ladies would do. My extremely talented roommate then made a slip cover for our lounge chair from scratch with no pattern. We also rearranged some items so give more height and depth to the room, painted a mirror, ordered at print online which I saw at a store in Fashion Island for $250 but found online for $25 on esty, a great source for all things creative and hand made.
The next step was to pick a color for the walls. This came from an inspiration pictured below which my roommate found. Now that we are in the just about finished we are so pleased with the results and will catch each other staring at the walls.

Redecorating can be done on a budget from getting discounted fabric to saving on paint at home depot and just a simple reorganizing of a few fixtures. You'll be amazed at how a little redecorating can change the whole feel of your home and makes everything look fresh again!

So Creative

I was on the plane on the way to Nelson, New Zealand to visit Mum's side of the family and found these in the Air New Zealand Magazine. Kiwi's are so creative, little ginger cookies dipped in chocolate in the shape of a spoon. Yum! Don't be surprised if you see these for your next birthday present or Christmas present as I think they are darling!

Universal Language

Note the Kosher sign below it.

Kosher Hamburger with unleaven bread cause of passover. It was interesting for sure.

Yogurt land can you believe it!! I didn't go there though because I didn't want to have it taste different and ruin my love for froyo!

This is where we got the furniture, but the weirdest thing is that is was so expensive there, not the typical IKEA we are used to!

I Hate Guns!

All my life I have been told not to use the word hate because it is "not a nice word". Well I hate guns, hate hate hate them. They are not nice and they hurt people. Being here I have had to get used to seeing them every where and worn by any one. The other night after dinner we were walking to the taxi and there was a kid dressed in civialian clothes carrying this big gun, I was told he was an off duty solider but I think he was just showing off to the girl he was walking with.
Now I have gotten used to stopping in the front of parking lots so the attendants can check your car to see if you have any weapons or bombs and I have gotten used to opening my purse to show the security guy that I have no weapons when entering a store, but not to the open policy of guns!

Here it is acceptable to have a gun and wear it around town. My uncle has noticed my fear of them and now points out when he see's one. For instance we were walking out of the grocery store the other day and there was a nice looking man walking in front of us with one in the back of his jeans, just as normal as carrying his cell phone clipped to his belt.

Here is a typical day in Tel Aviv out and about shopping with some friends, and oh yeah encountering more guns. In this picture are two police officers on the sidewalk next to me, this is one thing I won't miss.

Tick, tock it's almost time!

A few of you might have heard recently that I am gearing up for a month long adventure overseas. I leave in a week in a half to spend 2 weeks in Jerusalem, Israel with my uncle and then fly back home for 36 hours to spend a little time catching up on sleep, doing copious amounts of laundry and visiting the nephews before I fly off again to New Zealand. I am still in disbelief that this is all happening! I am so excited and in a bit of denial that I am this truly blessed!


So I have been trying to prepare for my trips and as I have lived and been to New Zealand many times I know what’s in store for me there. Israel is a whole new ball game. I went shopping a couple of weekends ago with my bestie trying to figure out what to wear while touring over there and not sticking out like a sore thumb. I have heard that I need to cover my knees and shoulders, well for goodness sakes coming from Southern California I don’t have many items that go past my knees or that are some form of tank top.


Luckily Old Navy just came out with these long flowing dresses I can put a shirt under or throw a cardigan on top when in need of covering my shoulders. Needless to say, little by little, as I was piecing it all together I noticed my "look" was very reminiscent of biblical times, a long flowing dress with a cardigan and roman sandals. So I guess I subconsciously concluded that when in Israel one should still look like they did when Jesus roomed the earth 2 thousand years ago!


Another fun fact about my trip is that my uncle emailed me suggesting that I learn a few key Arabic phrases. Fortunately I work in the hospitality industry and have a co worker who speaks Arabic so he has been teaching me words like hello, goodbye, where is the woman’s bathroom, don’t shoot…you know the basics. Hopefully those few words will suffice along with whatever I might find useful and easy to understand on the pod cast that my roommate was so kind to find for me.


A few things I think about while I am gone, one that I somewhat have an understanding of what people are saying or ironically there will be a group of English speaking tourist who also can speak, read and write Hebrew and Arabic that are coincidentally are on the all same tours as I am! Two that I won't get completely lost in a foreign country, get kidnapped become missing, turn into an Arabian princess and have a movie made about my life. Three that I will not want to come home because I am already internally struggling with the over abundance of things and stuff and nonsense that are consumed by Americans these days.


Over all I am so overly excited about this adventure, it finally pays off to be single 25 with no major responsibilities therefore having the ability to whisk myself away for a month of fun adventure and memories to last a life time!

Golden Birthday

Happy 50th Birthday Barbie!


You might wonder why I am wishing Ms. Barbie a Happy Birthday. Well this falls under the savoring the memories category. Recently my mom decided to get rid of all the things at her house that belong to me, which includes a box of my old barbies and accessories. I was going through the box and came across two barbies that had me giggling for quite some time!

They had pink lips and obnoxious purple and blue eyeshadow circa 1980's. Interestingly enough one was bald and the other had a failing attempt for a short cut a-la Zach Morris from Saved by Bell. Memories came flooding back to the fact that I wasn't allowed a Ken doll, therefore defying my parents by cutting my barbies hair instead to make them Ken!!

Needless to say after my run in with my past I picked the fanciest dress I could find in the box, put it on the Barbie, took it home to my apartment, propped he/she up on the mantel place so my roommate could see it with a sign next to it saying NO on Prop 8!

I actually owned the barbie below which was featured on most memorable barbie looks on LAtimes.com! I am pretty sure she was one of the ones who had her locks cut off!