Memories

It's Thanksgiving and my mom is cooking up a storm already.  I forgot to turn my alarm off at 6:30 and I stumbled downstairs to let the dogs out and she was already putting the turkey in the oven!  She's a machine!  Waking up to my mom cooking is so nostalgic for me.  It reminds me of chocolate chip, Minnie Mouse pancakes on weekends and playing Ninja Turtles and Barbies with my brother (they co-existed in the Barbie Folding Fun House, naturally).  It was a much simpler time.  Isn't it funny how we miss those simple times when nothing really mattered but having fun?  Once we grow up we're told fun is frivolous and that we have to do something important, but what could be more important than having fun??  Most people live to work, but I've always worked to live.  Not to say I haven't enjoyed my job, but at the end of the day it's not my bliss.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to travel the world in search of bliss.  What are you thankful for?

So, I've been putting together a house collage (mostly for myself, but I figured I'd share).  Put on  some Sarah McLaughlin or something equally emo because this is a tear-jerker.  (I realize that none of this is sad for anyone but me, even my mom and Aaron are doing jigs and making it rain in the corner).  Okay, here come the water works:

Misty, water-colored memories of the way we were (if you haven't seen The Way We Were, don't panic it's not epic, but the song is one of those songs that you'd need a lobotomy to get out of your head).  Anyway, I know what I'm thankful for, hopefully you do too!  Happy Thanksgiving!

SOLD!

Our very first house is sold.  I must say it's extremely bittersweet.  On the one hand, I'm happy because now I have the pretty, pretty money, which will buy me lots of pretty, pretty things.  On the other hand, I'm completely heartbroken.  Our very first house, the place Capone and Kane grew up; the place Aaron and I grew up, is now SOMEONE ELSE'S place.  It's extremely weird and really quite sad.  The four of us will move on and have other places to call home, but we will never have another FIRST place.
We painted the entire place from top to bottom practically with our blood, sweat and tears.  Every scratch, chip and stain has a story.  It's where Kane first learned to go up and down stairs, it's where I made my first Thanksgiving dinner, it's where we got drunk and played hide and go seek in the dark and it's where we made a house a home.
It may not have looked like much to the untrained eye, but to us it was home.  This house has been a part of our family for over two years and now it's gone.  I'll probably never go back for the rest of my life.  It's like a period frozen in time; I couldn't go back, even if I wanted to.  Even if I barged in on the house-buying assholes, it would never be the same, never look the same, never smell the same, never be my house again.  We'll all move on: us and the house, but we'll always have that moment in time, not even those house-buying whores can take that away from us.  A short, fleeting blip where we belonged to each other and it all fit together perfectly.  However, that moment is gone.  They've called last call and turned on all the lights and I'm actually ready to go, but I'm still sad the party's over.
Yes, I'm aware I am referring to an inanimate object that doesn't know me from a hole in its wall, but I tend to put a lot of sentimental value on stuff because I relate stuff to memories and experiences.  I'm aware I should be studied in a lab somewhere.
Anyway, here's how we spent our last night (Friday):

Here's Aaron with the notary, signing the last of the papers.  Sorry Notary Lady, I didn't ask your permission before taking your picture and posting it on the internet.  However, in my defense, I had to snap a picture before anyone saw me because I tend to take pictures at times most people would consider inappropriate.  I'm the token picture-taking Asian chick everywhere I go, but guess what?  I can pretty much chronicle every event in my whole life since I was a teenager, so I bet you're not making fun of me now!  No one was more excited for digital cameras than my parents (film was getting pricey and as you can see I'm still not a great photographer...hmm you would think after like 15 years I'd be better huh?).

Okay, let's head on back to our last night.  Aaron and I decided to do fun face masks (no idea why, we were feeling oily in our T-zones, I guess):

I got this fancy clay stuff from my cuz Shelly and let me tell you it worked!  My skin was so soft afterwards I gave myself a rash because I couldn't stop touching it.

Yea, I was going for a really fierce, tribal face there, but as you can see men don't count before they take pictures, they kind of just snap whenever they feel like it because they always look good, so I look like I either smell a skunk or am really constipated.  I'll leave you in suspense on which one it was.

Okay, moving day!  I would like to give a really, truly heartfelt thanks to Jake, Travis, Mario, Andrew and my momma (none of whom read this blog, so it's kinda pointless) who all came over at 8am and helped us move everything from the house into the storage and then from the storage to the dump.  It was a CRAPLOAD of stuff and it was NOT easy, but they made it immensely more tolerable and we definitely couldn't have done it without them.

We rented a U-Haul Saturday morning and here's Aaron driving it:

Here it is a couple hours later after we filled it with our stuff:

Again, this is a terrible picture, but I was trying to be sneaky.  Imagine me with a bunch of sweaty guys moving heavy furniture, while I'm snapping pictures of the process.  Let's just say they're not my target audience.

Here's our crap stuffed in the storage:

We ended up getting 2 storage spaces because they didn't have one big enough to fit every piece of crap we own.  In the end, it turned out better because we put furniture in one and boxes and smaller stuff in the other.  Now if we have to dig through boxes, we don't have to worry about moving any furniture (which would be impossible anyways seeing as how packed it is).  

Although I'm sad about the entire concept of leaving my old life behind, I'll admit I'm glad the move is over.  It's been quite stressful and it feels great just to be done with it.  Now it's just a matter of unpacking all the junk we brought to my parents'.  The fun just keeps on coming...

1-2-3, 1-2-3 DRINK!

It's officially my very last Sunday in my own house and I'm not going down without a fight.

I now hate the house-buying couple and plan on stalking them vigorously after I move out.  I also plan on peeing on the carpet somewhere, just to mark my territory for all eternity, akin to carving your initials into a wall, but WAY better because it's grosser.  I've come to the conclusion that the grosser you can be, the more memorable.  Who cares if the memory is just for being gross...at least you're being remembered, right??  Okay, I'm a little drunk....and it's a Sunday, so tomorrow morning at work is gonna be super fun!  

In other news, Aaron and I are currently obsessed with Sia.  Everyone knows the "Chandelier" song, but Sia is AMAZING all-around.  Her new-ish? album is fantastic:

Her voice and lyrics are disarmingly haunting.  Super talented!  Listen to her on YouTube immediately!  

The other thing I'm obsessed with:

Yes, it's a food, but trust me!  Obviously you have to like dark chocolate and nuts, but if you can check those two boxes then you're in for a treat!  These are incredible!

Okay, onto more serious matters:  we found the perfect dog-sitters!  (Way to bury the lead, right?)  Aaron's friends Ryan and Sophia are the sweetest people on Earth and they just won the dog lottery because they have agreed (against their better judgement) to take care of my babies as their own for an ENTIRE YEAR!  Poor, unfortunate souls.  Have I mentioned these are the sweetest people on EARTH and we are basically ruining them for life??  What can I say, that's America for you.  Wow, I'm a pessimistic drunk tonight.

Also, we saw a house we loved in Pinole and put in an offer.  It's at the top of our price range, so we're crossing our fingers (sexual favors aren't out of the question either, Hilda.  I'd totally pull an indecent proposal kind of thing on Aaron, no prob!).  

***COOLEST THING EVER ALERT***

One of my best friends, Maiko, is from Japan (hencetoforthsomethingorother is Japanese) and thanks to the Bing Translator app, she can read my blog:

Pretty fucking cool!  (Sorry dad, that deserved a fucking cool).  So, I'm officially international!  Cray cray!

Nothing much else interesting to blog, just trying to pack, plan (TAD gets back tomorrow!), and not fall over (I've had a few).  I guess I'll end with something cute because cute always wins points.  

Okay, I bought Sachi her first poncho and I have to say it was an amazing experience for both of us.  There were tears (me) and laughs (her) and she got a haircut (my hints comparing her to Lionel Richie were subtle, I swear).  Overall, I'm entering her in some sort of vomit-inducing, forever-debilitating, self-esteem-crushing pageant because my niece is gorgeous:

What can I say?  She deserves the best.

What's cuter than babies?

MY DOGS!  No, I'm totally sane! Why do you ask?

Lastly, I was at Pieology the other night (if you haven't tried it, you haven't lived) and I thought this quote was kinda my motto:

Okay, on second look, it's not my life's mission (I practically epitomize couch-potato), but it still goes with the theme of travel, so I'm going with it...for now.  Have I mentioned how awesome Pieology is??  Get up and go on the double, but just not when I'm there.  I hate when it's busy.

Gotta go, I have a chandelier to swing from!

Halloween

My favorite holiday is definitively, without a doubt Halloween.  Since I was little, I've loved everything from dressing up and eating copious amounts of sugar to being scared out of my wits.  As an adult, I have to admit, the being scared out of my wits part is less fun than it used to be.  I think some of it has to do with my adult-onset paranoia (yes, I just made up a disorder) and the other part is from living on my own.  Technically I live with Aaron, but he's away for work a lot (either because he's out of town or working a night shift) and being creeped out and unable to shut off the lights (or my brain) simply because I watched some massacre movie just doesn't do it for me.  Being terrified should never be done alone, it's supposed to be a unifying experience.

This is probably the first year of my life that I'm not dressing up.  Half because my parents' annual Halloween party was cancelled, half because Aaron is working tonight and half because we want to save money and 4 costumes ain't cheap (how many halves make a whole?  Math was never my thing).  Of course, I still got my babies costumes.  They're not super original, but they were FREE because my mom bought them for me at Home Goods (AKA Heaven), so I figured I'd go with it.
Kane is an old-timey-looking baseball player (let's just say from THE GIANTS!):

Capone is a football player:

Here they are, united in their hatred of their family, forcing them to wear ridiculous outfits:

I get it, these pictures are completely lacking in any sort of quality, but I took them with my iPhone like 3 weeks ago and the dogs wouldn't sit still.  I have since removed the tags and had both outfits tailored (my mom did a fitting...yes, I hear myself and I'll get professional help at some point).  Anyway, this is the extent of Halloween for me this year.  Depressing, but I'll live.  In the past I've decked my entire house in webs and even bought a new friend:

Charming, isn't he?  Mister Charming is in storage this year, so calm down ladies!

Now for the moment you've been patiently waiting for...drum-roll please!  Making their debut, in what would have been the hit of any Halloween party, my parents:

That's right, folks!  My parents' were going to be eggs and bacon (with better outfits underneath, of course).  Oh well, there's always next year!  (We ALL need professional help).

Lastly, no Halloween is complete without decorations!  This year my parents have outdone themselves with this gem I found in their sun-room:

You could have knocked me out with a feather!  I think my bestie Jessica said it best "I don't know whether to cry or puke."
Wishing everyone a safe and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!  MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

My So-Called Life

The house-buying couple AKA my new favorite people in the whole, entire world (for whom I'm in the process of erecting a shrine), signed the offer today, meaning we are officially in contract.  Now slow your roll folks, that doesn't mean it's a done deal.  No sirree!  Just to make things extra fun, they have 17 excruciatingly LONG days to back out.  In the meantime, my parents' house is just booming with excitement.  There are 4 of us and 3 dogs on a good day, not to mention the people who are in and out constantly (my brother, his gf and their dog come over everyday), as well as neighbors, cousins and friends.  If these walls could talk, they would say "Help!  These creatures keep multiplying!"  Although, I have to admit, it feels nice being here while my dad is on his way to a full recovery.  It's nice to look back to a week ago and realize that the best possible outcome actually happened.  I feel like we won some kind of God-lottery.

To further complicate matters, we have decided to purchase an investment property and rent it out while we are gone.  To further, further complicate everything (this is getting redundant), Aaron is working night shifts for the next couple weeks, making getting him involved pretty difficult.  We have about 2 hours a day when he's in the house AWAKE to get all the signing and explanations over with, before he dozes off into a peaceful slumber.

While all this crazy is going on around me, I'm still trying to keep in touch with TAD (Travel Agent Deb), who's currently vacationing in Europe, and get everything ready for us to jet off to paradise sometime around the beginning of January.  So, if I'm able to pull it all off we'll be off and running in the next 2 months.  Yikes!  Gentlemen, start your engines...

Timing.....my new best friend

If timing were a person, I imagine she'd smoke a cigarette attached to one of those long cigarette holder thingies.  She would have a big poof of curly, brown hair, with some sort of head-wrap situation holding it together.  She'd dress like a gypsy, layers upon layers of silky robes and scarves, each one purchased at some sort of Lilith Fair type concert.  It goes without saying that she's probably a vegan.  I don't know why I picture Timing as a kooky hippie, but regardless I hold no judgement: she is my new best friend.

My dad almost died last Tuesday.  He had a heart "episode" leading to his internal pacemaker to stop functioning and his heart slowed to a crawl.  Later that night, his heart actually stopped 4 different times and the cardiologist they called into the hospital in the middle of the night told us he was "hanging on by a thread."  They put in a temporary pacemaker while they ran tests and a couple days later the real dual-chamber pacemaker was installed.  He was finally released late Saturday and he's doing fantastic.

It's been a whirlwind of a week.  We have been through extreme levels of shock, terror, despair, stress, helplessness, exhaustion, delusion, elation and peace.  It has been the absolute worst and then best week of my life, quite strange I'm aware.  I've never been in the hospital for extended periods and it's been surreal and taxing, not only for my body, but my mind as well.  I give real props to people who have to go through being in/staying with someone in the hospital because there's no feeling quite like it.  You're on edge ALL THE TIME!  Every time a machine beeps, every time their blood pressure goes up or down, every time the nurse comes in and kicks you out, every time they write some other illegible thing on the whiteboard, I could go on and on.  I have to give props to my mom, she really was the rock: silent and stoic, never leaving and never losing it (which can't be said for myself).  We also had friends and family rush to our sides, which was amazing.  I can't thank Doctor's Medical Center enough for what they did, even though they are short-staffed and closing, they woke people up in the middle of the night and EVERYONE came!  A bunch even offered to come in on their day off to help run tests, which was unheard of.  They were the best group of people and we'll never be able to repay them.  If you're in the health-care field, just know I appreciate you!

Okay, you're wondering when that hobo Timing shows up aren't you?  Well, the wait is over!  So, the day after my dad is released on a clean bill of health, what do you know?  WE GOT AN OFFER ON THE HOUSE!!!  A real, legit, these people loved it kind of offer!  It's mind-numbing because we went from one end of the spectrum of emotions to the other.  Don't get me wrong we're on cloud 9, but it's just so much so fast!  One thing's for sure, that Timing sure is something.

Deep thoughts with Jack Handy...

The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A death. What's that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you live in an old age home. You get kicked out when you're too young, you get a gold watch, you go to work. You work forty years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You do drugs, alcohol, you party, you get ready for high school. You go to grade school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a little baby, you go back into the womb, you spend your last nine months warm, happy, and floating...you finish off as an orgasm.