the best early birthday ever

k, so today really didn't feel like my birthday today.  probably because it wasn't.

but due to a wedding and travel plans, this happened to be the only night that christopher and i had available to celebrate.  so we did.  it was glorious.  absolutely perfect.

i opened my TWO presents from christopher.  TWO new little buildings for my [soon to be ginormous] christmas village.  don't ask why i'm obsessed with having one.  i blame it on the christmas room at calabash.  i salivate over it every year when we go there during our beach trip to ocean isle.  they have the most incredible christmas village you've ever (or never) seen.  anyways, i got a country home and a toy shop.  the toy shop is the best.

 

then we went out to eat at chili's, a birthday favorite.  this might have been my most favorite chili's experience EVER!  our waitress was incredible, our food was out fast, everything was absolutely delectable, and they sang happy birthday to me and gave us a free chocolate molten cake!  but really we went there because i was really craving steak (but not wanting to go to an expensive steakhouse) and that turned out to be a good decision!  maybe it was just the "fast sunday effect" (y'know, where if you're THAT hungry, any old thing will taste absolutely delicious) or maybe it really was the most exquisite steak that was ever born.  i can not even describe how juicy and flavorful it was.  and the rest of my meal was wonderful too.  and my conversation with christopher was just so fun and entertaining and everything was just perfect.

anyways, i was totally on a birthday high when we got home and i was pumped to open up my present/special-request-carepackage from mom.  it did not disappoint!!!

 everything i'd ever hoped for and more!!!  homemade salsa, homemade granola, a variety of store bought chocolates including my favorite lindt truffles, much needed deluxe lotion, and some coupons for good measure.

but best of all....

yes, that's it.  i'm holding my very own copy of the REAL pride and prejudice on the two most beautiful dvds ever.  i have waited my whole life for this moment!!!  side note-- chris let out an audible groan when he saw this.  he was MUCH more excited about the birthday salsa and chocolates!

so if i'm ever not blogging.  it might be because i've lost myself in another, higher, world.

it hasn't even happened yet, but i gotta say, 24 is looking REAL good!

pretty

sometimes pretty just happens.

here are two pictures that are pretty to me.

sometimes it's important not to forget to find the pretty.

stanford vs. #7 oregon

we went to the football game on saturday.  it was incredible.

okay.  so lately,  i haven't been too much in the mood to write for this blog.  BUT, i've decided that's no reason to let that get in the way of my newfound blogging frequency.  pictures are supposed to be worth a thousand words (EACH!) so this should actually be my lengthiest post yet.  so take your time, look at the pictures and "read" what they're telling you.  and on the weird ones, just make a good guess as to what you think i would have written for a caption.

happy interpretation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

friday night basketball

stanford mens basketball had an exhibition game friday night.  we went to it and it was a lot of fun.

we got special shirts for buying season tickets...

here is mine.

chris signed up to do a putt putt game during half time.  here he is.

stanford has a great basketball team.

look at them go!

blowing sonoma state (or sonomast, as i first read it) out of the water

not a suspenseful game... but i'm sure they'll meet their match one of these days.

christopher was checking hockey scores of course.

and there we are having fun.

the end.

good morning!

daylight savings this year has not been kind to me.  chris and i live on the east side of our building.  i absolutely love that we're on the east side of the building with the beautiful view of mountains and trees instead of the drowsy west side with a gross view of the parking lot.  but we have a number of large window/screen doors that let in plenty of light.  this was always a nice treat before.  it makes our home feel more cheerful.  and it makes it easier to wake up and get out of bed in the morning. 

but since the time change, it has been a little too easy to wake up.  monday morning i woke up with the question, "how did we fall asleep with the lights on?" and when i looked at the light and realized it was not a bulb giving off light, i shot straight up in my bed completely alarmed!  "how on earth did i sleep through my alarm?!?!"  "what time is it?!?!" to which the response was "oh, 6:00 am" ...fabulous.  only an hour and a half early.

first thing i did when i got off work on monday was to call mom (and dad).  lucky for me they actually stayed on the phone for an hour and a half!  (well, mom did... dad made a trip to the store or something somewhere in there)  although our conversation started out as "have you thought of birthday/christmas present ideas?"  it led to wanting blackout curtains for christmas, no, my birthday, no, i can't wait that long, help me find a way to construct makeshift curtains TONIGHT!

we discussed a number of options, and although dad was dead set on tin foil (i wasn't sure i had enough), i ended up going with...

hallelujah!

say good night to...

and good morning to...

it's not cruise-ship-perfectly-dark quality.  but it at least it kind of takes us back to pre daylight savings.  which for now will have to suffice.

_______________________________________________

mother,
i had originally said it was not worth the price of blackout curtains. after talking to a number of friends in my building also living on the east side, i might have to jump on their bandwagon.  y'know how these stanford people are smart like that.  surely they know when blackout curtains are worth it, and they have not been having trouble with daylight savings.

crafty emmy,
i heard it's super easy to make blackout curtains, or at least something to line my current curtains.  maybe you can work a deal with mom.

wonderful liza,
thanks for reading my blog.  and for calling me.  sorry i have been unavailable.  love you.

my sister emmy

here is a shoutout to my sister emmy (don't get jealous liza, i love you both equally) who i spend my nights with since i became an mba widow. 

these pictures are from when she came to colorado for a weekend.  we had a photo shoot in chris's parents' living room and again the next night while we were waiting for chris's hockey game to start. 

anyways, we spend hours online together at night on the phone, webcame, skype, and whatever it's called when you share your screen (which is what we've been doing tonight for the last 2.5 hours).  sometimes we look at blogs or facebook together.  tonight i helped her shop online for a camera and taught her how to use picasa and have been watching a bascially constant slideshow of her pictures ever since. 

my nights are incomplete without my emmy.  in this lonely world of the west coast and three hour time zone differences, i am lost without my wonderful mountain-standard-time, late-night-student-hours, internet-loving sister.

so tonight when i felt an absence, i sent her a text, and she got online to keep me company (as soon as she got home!) and i haven't been lonely since!

so here's to you emmy!  and to many long, late nights to come!

halloween

halloween this year was pretty laid back.  christopher and i decided this is not our holiday at this time in our lives.  we're currently rejects among our california friends.  our gsb friends were mostly partying (we don't drink) and our church friends were taking their kids trick or treating (we don't have kids) so we had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate as just the two of us!

after the ward halloween party (delicious chili and desserts including INCREDIBLE apple pie - gosh i need to learn to cook wonderful things) we headed to mountain view, per my request, to do some much needed grocery shopping at the dreaded walmart where we saw even more freaks than usual.  unfortunately, i think i was one of them.  i thought i was dressing festively but while i was crossing the crosswalk to enter walmart, i got a shout out from a ghetto black man in a low riding car yelling to me something about an orange shirt.  you tell me, did i elicit this shoutout?

aside from the colors, i'm wearing perfectly normal clothing!  of all the freaks to pick on at walmart, he picked me!  i was humbled.

anyways, while we were in mountain view, we stopped at a california pumpkin patch...

this california pumpkin patch is not your regular pumpkin patch.  it is set up in a giant parking lot.  the same lot that houses walmart, trader joes, milk pail, kohls, ross, and a bunch of other stores.  what a great location to dump hay and sell overpriced pumpkins!

check out the selection!  we strategically showed up about three minutes before they closed and christopher worked his negotiating skills.  he wasn't able to get us a pumpkin for free (maybe he'll be able to do that after he graduates?) but he got us a good sized pumpkin (originally $15) for $3 which i thought was fantastic.  and it was very pretty and nicely shaped too.

the other big one by his feet was our runner up.

to their credit, they had a real tractor for hayrides...

and a bunch of random games and activites set up for kids.  which i imagine was all a big hit during the day.  i want take this time to thank my friend cherie (if she even reads this blog) for warning me about california pumpkin patches.  she totally called it with the fenced in patch of hay covered parking lot etc.

so then we (chris) carved the pumpkin...

 

with such precision...

christopher wouldn't pose for any pictures but at least he let me take some!

look how well it's cleaned out!

and this is 100% of what came out!  i was disappointed not to get more seeds.  i thought we would for sure get lots of seeds and pumpkin innards... boy was i wrong!

finished product

doesn't it just look like a happy pumpkin?

anyways, hope you had a great halloween!!!

ps- this is what a GEORGIA pumpkin patch looks like... burt's pumpkin patch to be exact...