Our room from hell...

When we bought our townhome it was finished with two bedrooms and an option to have a 3rd done as an upgrade. We left it undone and have used it as a storage room. That was until Zack started working from home and then it suddenly became a necessity. The study room does not have a door and so Natalie and I have become prisoners to the upstairs so as to not bother Zack especially when he is on conference calls.



Well I thought it was a one-day project. I mean the ceiling and one wall were already framed. We started this project of finishing over two weeks ago. We spent a day framing, stuffing insulation, and wiring electrical. Then another half-day for to frame the closet and insulate the ceiling. So after all that hard work I thought no biggie, one more day to drywall and we will be good to go. Man that wasn't so bad. Boy was I wrong. Nailing sheet rock to the ceiling nearly gave Zack a neck attack, and my wimpy muscles fell short many times on driving the nail in before it would bend. (Those bastards- Ron said swearing was aloud for projects of this nature.) So after a full day of that horrendous project came the mud. Oh that mud. It is not fun. Swipe, swipe, swipe. I can spend two hours and not have all the nail holes and seams covered once. Which I might add they generally need three coats, and did I mention you have to sand each time it dries. I have dust suddenly moving in. Everything is now covered in a white layer of powder. Well today- I decided to bust out to Elvis as I needed some good booty shaking to make me tackle this room again. I thought if anyone could see me now, rocking out to Oldies in my grubs. As soon as "You're the Devil in Disguise" came on I knew I made the right choice.

I loved San Fran....

Most people or at least chocolate lovers know Ghiradelli was founded in San Fran so we visited the square early Sat morning. It was only 10 o'clock and I made Zack order a hot fudge sundae with me. (Of course he barely had a few bites.) Below is us enjoying our treat.



This is a pic at the top of Lombard street. Its the famous (very steep) crooked street. It zigzags the whole way down- you can't tell from the pic b/c of how steep it is. We were on the cable car back to our hotel so we didn't get off to see it. Maybe next time



Before we hitched a ride on the cable car (or trolleys) we were walking up part of Nob Hill and saw the TransAmerica building in the background. Thats me in front of it.




At the Fisherman's Wharf we visited Pier 39 and there were all these seals on the docks. Then we read a sign that stated in the early 1900's they took over the docks and so boats haven't docked there since.

There is Alcatrez in the background. We didn't have time to take a cruise to it.

Here is Zack and I on the pier....thats Golden Gate in the background

Beautiful view of some of the city behind me. No one told me it was NYC with a CA flair. No wonder they are the two most expensive cities to live in. I love the fast pace, walking, and feel of these cities. I can't wait to get Denise to go here with me sometime!

We didn't get to many photos since it was a fast trip. On Friday night we went walking around Union Square which is kind of like SoHo and 5th Ave in NYC. Tons of shopping with stores like Neiman Marcus and Barney's. After we ate and shopped we walked past this bar called the Gold Dust Lounge and had to stop in. It was like an old western saloon and they had a live band playing music from the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's of classic rock and roll. They were playing Johnny Cash, the Steve Miller Band, and John Denver. When they busted out Country Roads everyone in the bar was singing along. It was fun, unfortunately Zack and I were tired so we didn't stay more then an hour.

Taking a Walk

Natalie must be part dog. The other day she asked me to help her put on her shoes randomly. After I did she walked to the front door saying "walk, walk" and then patted it. (We have taken her on a walk to get the mail a few times before.) Then this morning first thing upon coming up stairs she went to the door saying it again. When I told her it was too early and cold and she started crying.

Its like having a puppy who whimpers when they want to be walked, its sad. Makes me anxious for spring and summer when we can go outside more.

Winter Accesories

Most kids hate to wear their winter clothes right? Not Natalie. She loves to find her winter hats, gloves, and scarf and run aound the house with them on. She ran into the living room to find me wearing this hat. (She also loves to sit and flip through all my books- not her's, mine. She's gonna be a reader in the future!)



Temp wise it was nice outside so I decided to take her out in the jogging stroller for a run. I put one of her gloves on and then decided to leave the other off so she could eat snacks and she kept holding her other hand out and saying glove over and over. I finally put a sucker in it and she shut up about it. She must have thought I was the idiot for not putting them both on.

The scarf she has my sis Denise knitted for her. Everytime she wears it I ask her who made it for her and she says "Dnis and Mikl" (thats what it sounds like). Its so cute b/c Michael is Denise's roomate and he did not help make it...however, she remembers them both as a package from the NYC trip we took.

Playing Mommy

Natalie was so funny this morning with her baby. When I asked her to sit at her table to eat Oatmeal she put her baby in her chair and sat in the other. She kept saying "baby" then "seat". Well i ended up at Kmart today to pick up some things and they had this baby set for 20 bucks. It came with this swing and high chair.



As soon as I set it all up she instantly wanted to feed her baby and give it a sippy cup that came with it. I put water in it and it would drip all over the baby when she would tip it up. Then she would come over to me saying "more, more". I guess I shouldn't have put water in it in the first place and had her use her imagination. Pretty soon the baby was soaked.

Updates on the happenings...

It's been a crazy week. As some of you know we have been waiting anxiously to find out what was going to happen with Zack's job. Logitech's CEO had annouced that 15% of their salaried employees would be let go. It was to be annouced with their public earnings report. Well, with some luck I am sure, and Zack's amazing work ethic & drive he managed to keep his position. It was sad to know that almost 600 other employees were let go. This all happened this past week. Zack laughed at me for going from one day of "I guess we will have to live on savings until you get another job - don't stress" to "Zack how about an Italian cruise for the big 5 this year (our anniversary)". Hey, I just roll with the punches.

Then on Tuesday Zack's grandpa (on his Dad's side) passed away. We drove down yesterday to Wales (just north of Manti) to attend the viewing and then the funeral was this morning. We are back home now and excited to see that the rain is clearing the inversion.

My new sewing creation...

I was so excited on Christmas when what to my wonderous suprise...my mom had given me a brand new Sewing Machine. So its been almost a month and I haven't used it once. My mom had the day off today so we got together to embark on my first item...an apron for Natalie. I want one because Natalie loves to stand on a chair in the kitchen and watch me make dinner.

I had no idea how to get started but my mom just traced out a pattern on an old newspaper and then we just put it all together. My sewing lines were not that straight but if I do say so myself it came out quite cute. I am super excited to make more. The fabric was only a buck at Wal-mart for the half yard we needed. Talk about cheap.