Yay for our toaster oven

OK, I've always been a believer in toaster ovens. No question there, they're great. When I moved out on my own, Josh used to come hang out after work & I'd make dinner for the both of us - usually something that worked perfectly in a toaster oven - like chicken & veggies - one pan kind of thing. So it made sense that 1 thing we kind of splurged on with our giftcards from Bed Bath & Beyond after the wedding was a higher quality toaster oven. It has a convection (no Kim, not confection - that's candy, silly), setting, can fit an entire 10" pizza (that's a bit tricky, but I've heard works really well if you remember to rotate it mid-way), toasts, bakes, broils, you name it you got it, right?

So here's the excitement. Back in the day I could've been the poster child for Bagel Bites. Pizza in the morning - check, pizza in the evening - check, pizza at suppertime - you get it. I have since married a guy who completely spoils me when it comes to meals, so I rarely resort to Bagel Bites. But today I had some in the freezer (oh yeah, thanks mom!) & Josh is gone. I already spent an early lunch break going for a run & I'm hungry, so I popped some in. Here's how it works - 13 min on the highest setting under the bake function at mom & dad's. Get this - 8 min in mine @ 400 on convection. Hell YES!

I say again, Yay for our toaster oven! Here's to money WELL spent! I will say also that I have some individual-portioned cookie dough in the freezer that works perfectly here as well, I may go for that later & embrace yet again the joy that is the toaster oven. Cheers!

What is this, a joke?

First off, my lack of posting isn't due to our inactivity, or even a lack of personal interest; Dana has been doing a perfectly adequate job of not only blogging about what we've up to, but reminding me that this whole thing was my idea. So it seems we've been horrifically busy since we've been married, which would only surprise me more if Dana and I weren't so totally awesome. Labor Day weekend we jammed back out to PHX with some of the fam for the blessing of The Trips. It was incredible, seriously incredible to be there and to be a part of that, I feel like it's such a huge blessing having them added to our expanding family.

The next day Jon, Dave and I met up with a group of guys Dave knows to play some paintball, it was pretty wicked fun and we did a good job of showing that we don't mess around. Interesting fact, as it turned out opening season for Dove started that same morning apparently, and the first location we showed up to play was soon filled with half drunk hillbillies wandering around firing bird-shot at anything that stirred up the brush, we ended up taking when the gunshots we're getting too frequent, and after Jon and Dave got shot, seriously (just not seriously). The last round we played was capture the flag, and you weren't out until you said you were, basically it's a toughness thing, and if the 90+ visible welts were any indicator, I'm a pretty tough dude. I wish I had gotten a picture of it because with my shirt off I looked like I was suffering from some bizarre disease. Other notable things that have happened in or around the last month. We learned that there is a very real difference between "Phantom" and "The Phantom of The Opera", mostly that Andrew Lloyd Weber used up every one of the good ideas that could be associated a play about "Opera's being invaded by a phantom!"; also that "Cats" is not a very good play unless you're super interested in any of the following things:

- Actual cats

- Local theatre

- The physiques of people that are involved in local theatre

- Said physiques stripped down to nothing but form fitting spandex

- ...and acting like cats.

So yeah, if that's what you're into do I have a treat for you, and if not I'm sure you could look up the songs "Memories" and "Mr. Mistoffelees" familiarize yourself with those two songs, learn the phrase "Jellicle cat" and imagine a theatre nerd dressed like catwomen, and you can pretty much say you've seen Cats...

No Jay Maynard did not actually make a guest appearance as the Rum Tum Tuggard, but you get the idea right?

I Love My Family!

I have officially started my marathon training - thanks to Kim. I love my sister (not so much waking up at 5am, but it sure is nice to have someone who's diong it with you).

This morning we went running & she ran to the store to pick up OJ & brought me back a bagel. In the meantime, Roman & Isaac woke up so I got hugs. But then I had to leave. Isaac said "Aww, does Dana have to leave?" and I said "Yes, I have to work." :( Then Roman asked if I would come back later. "Like when?" "I don't know, maybe this afternoon." Oh, I love my nephews! Unfortunately, I had to decline b/c today's Henry's day & I was going to grab groceries on the way home for dinner that was supposed to be at 6:30pm.

So I got back to work & called Josh about an hour later. He said he'd do the grocery shopping today so that I could hang out with my nephews. I love my husband!

And I got to play with legos after work today b/c my family loves me :)

We should go to the Temple more often if these are the kind of days you have afterwards! (We went last night for Ward Temple Night - loved it).

Aww Mans...

Josh just told me I have a lesbian hair cut. Good thing it will grow out in 2 days. Now if only I can convince him to get a hair cut! He's lucky, though. I've been strongly considering going completely bald or with a little boy haircut - I guess the lesbian comment shouldn't bother me since those were "possibilities". I'm a freak...

Arizona Again...

Deb turned 30 this month, so we snuck back out to AZ for a surprise party. It was a ton of fun.

e got to head out to Christopher Creek again in Payson to jump off the rocks - pictures this time (to be posted shortly).

Deb's party was fun. She was totally surprised that we were all out there & we had a good time. I have to round up some pictures from that since we forgot our camera!

More fun times with the triplets, though I would have liked to spend more. We just had to stay hidden most of the time we were there. Not too worried, though - less than 2 weeks until we're back there.

Until then, back to the grind!

Arizona

Finally met the trips this past week - they are so adorable - next chance we get, we're headed back out there to hang out! Cate's so laid back, Isaac's such a cutie & Chloe is the best little clinger. Loved it!

Joshie & Chole loving life

Isaac & my silly face

Chlomonksupial - I loved her clinging on!

(not angry, she was just over the flash of the camera, so she closed her eyes)

We headed out there & I worked while Josh hung out with McCall. He put her hair in rag curlers & I got all super model with it (I think she looked oto sexy b/c Deb took it out & put it in lame poof pony tails before we went over to Dave & Koren's, but here's a pic).

McCall's hair was righteous - wish I could pull that off. Only her & African super models!

We had the greatest dining experience ever, no joke. If anyone is ever in or near Scottsdale, check it out: Digestif

We sat at the bar (which was 1/3 of the total 25-30 seats in the whole place, so it's cozy) and chatted with the chef while he served a taster, which basically is a several-course meal that he splits between you & your date/friend/whatev and tells you what everything is. So great, our 8-courses (b/c I can't say no to food). Drum roll, please...

Dungeness Crab & Watermelon

Burrata

Shrimp Ceviche

Grilled Flank Steak w/Sweet Corn Relish

Mac N Cheese for Adults

Butter-basted Wild-caught Halibut

Warm Cookies & Milk

Banana Bread w/a White Choc Banana Sauce

Their menu changes every week depending on what's available from the market & it's all great. I loved every moment (of our 2.5 hr experience). In fact, we loved it so much we've already made plans with a couple of friends who will coincidentally be there for Labor Day weekend as well. Can't wait! We'll have to document it next time - I am ashamed that we forgot to the first time, but it took us by surprise with how great it was!

Dr. David (Josh's bro) hooked it up with hour long massages at his office, which was the greatest massage I've ever had. Most likey another tradition for Phoenix trips :)

We crammed in more fun on our last day there. Drove up to Payson to do some hiking, rock-climbing & cliff jumping. Believe it or not, I jumped off a rock that was probably 55-60 feet high into water. I was so proud of myself! I was shaking at the top, so I just did it. Dave's friend who acme with us totally wussed out & I was the first one to do it. So rad. I only felt like I broke my nose off, and I was still shaking for next hour, but I think I could get myself to do it again sometime. Another tradition in the making - who knew AZ could be so much fun?! Still no desire to move out there, but I think we might make more frequent road trips!!

And after the cliff diving, we jammed back to Scottsdale to go out karoaking with Deb & friend. Much fun as we laughed at everyone & the girls stayed & sang with everyone at the table & the boys rocked their stuff with the microphone.

Josh finally got to do karaoke - he's been trying to make that happen for months!

Wish I had more pics of our fun times, but we forget the camera too many times - that's also Josh's responsibility ;)

Thanks to Deb, Dave & Koren for a fun time! Ready for the next adventure!

Also signed up for the PF Chang's Rock N Roll Marathon in Phoenix in January - everyone's invited!

Summer is here!

It's really starting to feel like summer, aside from the warmth.

Last weekend was the 4th of July. We surprised my mom AGAIN with a dinner party at my grandparents' house in Poway. That was a blast - I got to show off my new husband's cooking skills. He made us all pulled pork sandwiches & they were delicious. Then we jammed out to Grape Day Park to listen to the Marine Corp band & watch fireworks. The neices were having their own little adorable dance party - I'll have to find some pics from that to post :)

We'd gone to Moonlight Beach the day before & luckily escaped getting sunburned, but it sure was packed like it was summer. Allison hated the beach, Bri got trapped in seaweed while Josh & Jared were taking her out & McCall got into a fight with the water when it erased her name in the sand. Fun times.

Lots of treats since Deb was in town & a day of recovery from it all. Can't wait for all the excitement that will be this summer - jet skis, beach camping, bonfires...we plan to make the most of it!

Coronado, etc.

After a totally over-cast weekend, Brooke & I finally enjoyed some sun at Coronado. It's so pretty out there. I really love it. Too bad it's such a far drive (considering all the beaches that are much closer). I took several pictures for other people (like randoms who asked me to), and I think we may have 1 or 2 of us. It's so clean there, we could have stayed longer, but my red nose is evidence of not putting on sunscreen, so we left pretty early. I'm not one who would really choose to live on the beach, but I could live there. It's so pretty. They even have perfectly landscaped medians - yeah, one had it's own little garden complete with mini gazebo!

That night we went to sushi - my bad, I should have made reservations with the 8 of us, but I didn't. So we ended up going to a different sushi place that didn't have specials that night & we were too late for happy hour. So much for planning (luckily, everything else went well). Of course, with the exception of the grunion run. We went to Moonlight Beach to enjoy a bonfire full a whole of 30 minutes before the beach closed (what?!) and then waited in the cold for the grunion that didn't even show. Oh well, I'm still holding out for the red tide - that's more fun anyway. Someone let me know when that's here again :)

Genuine Fun Times

So, this weekend is/has been such a blast! Dad Kerby surprised Mom Kerby by flying Joy & the girls out here since Brooke was already coming out. We picked the girls up from the airport & came back to Mission Bay to surprise Mom. Original idea was to drive up & be like... "SURPRISE!" but mom always takes appts on her day off (lesson learned?) so we improved & Joy & the girls snuck up on Mom when she came & was distracted by other grandbabies. Hilarious & never to be forgotten... hands over the cheeks... "ahh, ahh, ahhhh... oh my gosh!"... tears. Awesome. Luckily no Kerbys spilled the beans. Probably one of our greatest feats ever.

So we had fun out on the jet skis with everyone. I may or may not have thrown Josh off the jet skis once or twice & he may or may not have skipped across the water the first time he flew. Oops! Luckily I'm able to grab on to him when he drives =) We survived & my wonderful husband has a great sense of humor, so we laughed it off. A sunburned nose, but that's about it.

Saturday dad let us take out the jet skis with the Hansen fam - Yvonne & I hung out in the morning with the girls in the rain (without blankets or sweaters for the girls) while Jared & Josh spent 2.5 hrs at the Swap Meet - sheesh! Jon & Mel showed up with their kids right before Josh & Jared, and they luckily brought a sweater for Bri & some blankets. It was cloudy the whole time we were there, but that didn't stop us from having a blast. I got to take each of the girls out for slow rides near the shore & then I hopped on with Josh & the girls went with their dads (Taylor went with Mel, too).

We came home & Josh made some delicious grub for the Kerby clan & then we played games with the Hansens after watching the Ultimate Fighter Finale. Blackjack for nasty jelly beans after already regretting the ice cream we'd eaten - a bad idea. But what's worse is opting for a hot pepper instead of taking the chance to get a rotten egg jelly bean. I don't think I've ever had a pepper that hot! I even dumped out all the seeds & I still cried as my ears steamed from the heat. I felt the burn in my mouth for the next hour. Yikes!

Tomorrow Brooke & I are going to Coronado... let the good times roll!

The end is near

Josh & I have officially started putting together our food storage. 31 packs of assorted gum...check.

It's official

Josh has given me my first gray hair...

Ugh...

No sense in waiting for Josh to do anything with this thing anymore & I feel some sort of obligation, even though it's totally not my thing.

Anyhoo...

A lot has happened since we got back from our Honeymoon! Fun times in Coachella - as always! The Killers put on a fantastic show. It was sad to see J & YV take off back to Sac Town, but we were happy to know we'd see them again soon. And we did - we flew up to Sacramento where I hung out for the weekend of Jared's CHP graduation. All sorts of wicked cool auto maneuvers & all around good times. We headed out to San Fran where we took pictures of ALcatraz in the background, I had my 1st ever fish & chips (not bad), and tried a bite of Josh & Deb's fresh crab. Saw some intersting street performers & the Golden Gate Bridge. Glad we went, but unless something exciting is going on there, I'm not all about getting back there anytime soon.

Then I left my hubby in Sac Town for a whole week (miserable!) so that he could have some good old fashion brotherly bonding & help them move down to LA (yay!). Needless to say, I survived, but am glad that he could help. After the week was over, I couldn't wait to go pick him up, so I made the drive & we hung out there for the weekend. Saw an awesome UFC fight (but only 1 - I was exhausted after helping move a little). It was Evans vs. Machida, though & worth waking up for :)

Had a good Memorial Day BBQ at my parent's house. Have started running with Kim again on Saturday mornings - last Saturday was the 1st and only time that Kim's going to get out of our committement :o) It's great to get out & run in the fresh air & also to be able to catch up with Kim since neither of us are really phone people.

Now I'm holding my breath for the excitement that keeps coming. Brooke's coming down for Father's Day & I'm thinking I'll take a day off & maybe go down to Coronado, or something. And we have a Sushi Date! Weather's getting to be perfect for jet skiis - and my dad's got some! Jared & Yvonne are also coming down Father's Day weekend. No plans for the 4th of July yet, but we're going to do a beach campout with Josh's family the following week. Taylor Bug & I started planning it a few weeks ago - she'll be excited once we have the date set in stone. Ooh! And we're watching Tay & Dukie Friday.

I think that's it. We're so greatful for the fortunate situation that we're in. That we aren't fighting, even though we spend all our time together. We have the greatest family. And we're looking for a house. (Crossing my fingers that people start getting kicked out of their houses again, so that we can take advantage of the vacancies, for real!)

Do things ever slow down?

Sorry, no update on the cruise yet. We had a blast! I got sunburned & then turned right back to pale after it all peeled off. Bummer! Josh looked slightly Mexican while we were there with his dirty mustache & tan. We ate all the time until I thought I was going to explode (literally) on Thursday. Then kept eating. We explored all over the place & even ran into some missionaries in the heart of Puerto Vallarta.

And to keep the fun times going (in the midst of all the hustle & bustle of our new married life together), we're headed out to the desert for COACHELLA - http://www.coachella.com/event/lineup - this weekend! I'm stoked. We didn't think we'd be able to go this year since Jared's in the CHP academy & he/Yvonne are the hook-up. But it turns out we're going. And so are they. So fun times rocking out to the likes of Franz Ferdinand, the Killers, Lupe Fiasco... and even funner times seeing what Brianna & Allison are up to these days & how much more adorable they've gotten. I know, we just saw them for the wedding, but there was not much down time while they were here & we didn't get to hang out too much.

Pictures to follow so you can all be jealous =)

Busy, Busy, Busy

Wow! Josh is not very good at this blog thing... we've been married for 2 weeks & still have no post since it's been official.

But seriously, things have been crazy busy! We've been opening gifts...trying to find places for everything...getting thank you cards written out...packing for a cruise & just about everything else cruise-related other than purchasing the tickets...working...

Now we are back from the cruise. We have our new mattress (whoo hoo!). We have things somewhat in order. We're getting used to waking up next to each other. We're starting to think that this whole marriage thing is pretty rad.

We're so glad for the people that could share the day with us & only wish that more could've been there. But everything went really well. I can't believe how perfect the day was. We had 10 total nieces & nephews and not one single fight. No parent fights. Josh & I didn't fight. Great weather. Awesome family. Nothing more that we could've expected or even asked for. Thanks to everyone who made it that way!!

Googled lyrics and last minute revelations.

My original intention was to lay down something really insightful that I had come up with while preparing to make all this happen; but my minds only half up to the task of even typing this so I'm somewhat playing it by ear. Humor me and insert into the space below some poignant epiphany that surely must have struck in the scramble that has been the last few days.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Maybe something about how life as I am accustomed, is essentially rebooting; or how I will not only be the head of my own household, but accountable full time for more people than myself. Perhaps delving into the intricate details of husbandry, and could even include something funny about how although that sounds like the correct word to use in that sentence, isn't even close; but still manages to be very weirdly relevant. All the while the 1986 smash hit by Genesis would be playing in the background, the chorus of which has been in my head throughout the day. Poetry? Why not, I'd have meticulously scoured the interweb for a really touching piece that summed up the emotional impact of the past week, and as you read it, the amount of growth that must have surely occurred on my behalf will become subtly obvious and the whole shebang will end with some really clever emotional finish that leaves you with a sigh or some equally audible sign of satisfaction...
The fact is I'm sitting here quite nonplussed, watching this little mosquito thing buzz distractingly around my screen.  I'm extremely grateful that I could have so many of my family and friends to be here to share this with.  The biggest thing on my mind is that in less than 7 hours I will be married in the San Diego Temple for time and all eternity, to the person that has been my bestest of friends and most amiable of accomplices through all the strangeness life's thrown at me, and I could not be more happy. - Josh                                                                                                                                                                                      

Road block outta here!

So , yeah - the last road block was received in the mail today, so it looks like we'll be able to get married...phew! I'm really excited now. Everything else should be very manageable. Thank goodness...

Good Kharma Yesterday

So, yay! Things went very well yesterday. Josh was finally able to get ahold of his old friend who does photography & she's available. Super excited about that. We can check that road block off the list :) I think that leaves only 1 big one...

Crazy Times

So things get pretty hectic when it's close to the wedding date. Josh is even starting to feel it. Hopefully we can make it past the roadblocks & have a great day!

Last week we got older. We both turned 26 - Josh on Thurs & myself on Friday. It was really nice. We went to Disneyland for the free birthday pass & Josh still has his year pass, so all we paid was parking & the gas to get out there. It wasn't too crowded, so we did everything we wanted & took off before it got too cold & I got too grumpy (that's what I do). Got sushi for dinner, too - yum!

We found a place on Monday that we can rent until we find a house to buy - we're still putting in offers on every place decent, along with everyone else in town. Crazy to ponder on how many offers we'll put in that are above asking price & still not get the house.

Getting the final touches on the wedding plans - you know, like the marriage license, photographer...minor things, right? Good thing we went & got us a Best Deb to help us out next week. I'm not sure she knows how busy she'll be :)

Have I mentioned how awesomely adorable the kids will be yet? That's what I'm most excited about & probably the biggest reason I'm actually considering an expensive photographer. I can't wait.

Excited to see everyone next week!


Here's an action shot from our Disneyland adventure. See that there? that's the score of a winner.

The Final Countdown

No idea how I got stuck with blog duty. This is Josh's thing, but here goes...

This weekend was eventful, to say the least. Friday I had my stress break-down. Work is crazy busy & I have no chance to go home & relax w/all the things to get in order for the wedding. So everything hit me. But I was able to pick up the most adorable shoes for the nieces' super-secret outfits. My dress was at my house when I came home from work on Friday - I think it will work really well! And we got our 1st official wedding present - yay!

Saturday we met w/Darlene's friend who is letting us borrow all the tables, chairs, tablecloths & some serving dishes, got those plans solidified. Picked up lots of stuff for the reception, including the shirts for the extra cute nieces' outfits. Played a super-brutal game of soccer w/our co-ed team (great game, though we should've own rather than ending at a tie).

And yesterday I finished the girls' outfits, all I have left are accessories. The nephews' outfits are already done. And believe me, you're in for a treat - the kids will be so awesome.

Less than 3 weeks & we'll be married. And in 4 weeks, we'll be in the Mexican Riviera. Double yay!

280 lbs of Awesome

Current Details...

Engaged: Nov. 6th 2009 (on top of a mountain!)

To Be Wed: Mar 21st, 9am (PST) 

Where: San Diego LDS Temple

Us: Stoked

Maid of Honor: Brooke Kerby

Best Man: ? TBA, I've got too many brothers...

Best Deb: Deborah Dame

Reception: Rocco's Garden, 209 E 4th Ave, Escondido 1pm-4pm

Registered: Here

Any where else: Here too

Currently: Stressing out a because planning everything while home shopping is a silly thing to do.

More info: Will follow, the whole idea of this will be to keep all of you tapped into our lives.  As we have time, either of us (me) will check in (frequently?) and update it with what's what.