the north

is the new album by canadian band stars. while this album makes me feel all sorts of emotions, it only leaves me with one word = love ♥

congrats, kim & kess!

this past weekend, we ventured through the heat to attend the wedding of our long-time friend, kim. i have known him since he and my sister were in middle school. he used to come over and study with her. he and i were also roommates with my sister when we were at college in san diego.

kim is one of the most romantic guys i know so i was super excited to hear that he was serious with his girlfriend, kess. i met her a couple of times at nordies so i knew she had good taste, especially with dating kim and all. the wedding took place at the ranch golf club, which is very close to lisa's house. the golf club is on top of a hill and has a beautiful view. the only downfall was the heat. the ceremony took place outside in the burning sun. luckily, it was a short ceremony and we only baked for about 30 minutes or so.
the reception was lovely. we took advantage of the open bar and the food was delicious. i caught up with old friends and met a couple of new ones. one of the bride's maids sang a 45-minute set with her band. she only sang covers but i was still impressed with her. i thought it was very special.

at the end of the night, we all hit the dance floor to kelly clarkson's breakaway requested by willis. we danced away the night and were the last ones to leave. the happy couple left for a european honeymoon the next morning. mazal tov!!

the carnival returns

the last time we went to lisa's work carnival was 2006 and the kids had been wanting to go again ever since. every year, they would ask me about the carnival. finally, after 2-3 years, i told them that it was never going to happen so they should stop asking. so when she told me there was a carnival, i couldn't wait to tell the kids.
i took the day off and got there early, when they opened it up. the kids were in school so we had to get them. we filled up with samosas, egg rolls and hot dogs. when we returned with the kids, we started with some food and cotton candy, then we headed over to the 30 foot slides (see titanic slide below).

afterwards, we head over to the water slide. the water slide turned out not to be worth changing into swimming clothes so lisa took the chunkster to the bull ride while i waited for my lollipop head to do some rock climbing. see chunkster vs. the bull ride video above. we then spot bath tubs that you can drive. i think this had the longest line but nothing compared to the boat ride at the last carnival. after several tracks of the tub ride, we went to cool off with some snow cones. as it was starting to shut down and there wasn't much left to do (we tried the face painting but it had already closed down), we headed back over to the 30 foot slides and the kids got several rides on the titanic slide. overall, it was a fun and hot day. the kids definitely want to come back again. maybe in another 6 years though i'm not sure they'll be up for 30 foot slides as teens.

first time @ the gilroy garlic festival

almost every year, i pondered going to the annual gilroy garlic festival. i made a very pathetic attempt a couple of years with my sister to the festival but the traffic was so horrendous that we made a detour to the gilroy outlets. plus, it was hot as hell. this year, however, we had a work outing there so i made it! not only did i make there but i made it with a couple of kids in tow. we got there when it opened so traffic wasn't bad, at all. and to top it off, it wasn't as hot as it usually is. this was our reaction after tasting garlic ice cream for the first time. chunky and i didn't mind it, however, chris and lollipop head hated it.
here, the kids are enjoying some $6 "frozen lemonade". yes, it is minute maid and a complete rip off. but it made the kids smile so so big. there was much for the kids to do. they rock climbed and played inside plastic bubbles in water like hamsters in those plastic balls. (video to come soon). i walked around in my comfy 3" heels which was a mistake. after hours of walking in the sun, my feet were killing me. this is something to remember the next time, if there is a next time. though, i am thinking this was a one-time only thing.

next image is of the kids with the garlic torch. if you have never gone to the garlic festival in gilroy, it is huge and vast. there was this whole other area that we missed initially. it is this enormous arts and crafts fair. that's where the garlic torch is. i walked through the festival in uneven dirt and grass for hours, carrying the kids' jackets from morning.
finally, the last image is of me with the kids at the very end of our time there. we were under a tent waiting for the others to meet us. we had a good time but it was quite warm and i was ready to leave. since we were there and all, we made a pit stop at the gilroy outlets on the way home.

20 years ago...

in celebration of my 20-year high school reunion, i decided to post age 16 ½ y/o pictures of myself. enjoy!

color blocked wedges!

these wedges are black & cream with a 4" heel. they are a bit like this pair but they are still different. and yes, this is me modeling them.

ps, this is shoe #10 for 2012. two pairs of boots not shown.

it started with a kiss

how could i resist
the aroma of your perfume
you and i were in separable
it was love at first sight ♥

okay, one more... because every girl needs a nude pump

these are open toe mary janes in nude. they are 4" heels with a 1" platform.

last one, i swear! kinda...

these look familiar because i have them in charcoal. these wedge heels are 3¼" and very comfy. i found them just in time for this rain storm!

i can't stop...

these ankle strap pumps have a 5" heel with a 1½" platform so it feels like it's only 3½".

a little bit of leopard

these booties in nude leopard have a 3½" wedge heel. they were also 70% off!

all that glitters

because it's so hard to say no to anything that sparkles this much on me...

first pair of 2012

i ♥ ♥ ♥ my wedges! these are 4½" heels with a 1½" platform.

happy leap year!!

rip: dory previn

how i adore you, dory previn
turned you up to eleven for the band's ears to bleed...

official news on my recent body scan

i saw my endocrinologist today about my body scan last month. it's official, i'm still cured of thyroid cancer. :)

goodbye 2011

my last meal of 2011. this is what you get when you live near and are related to a restauranteur. mmm... delicious!

happy new year, everyone!

hello... lover!

meet jimmy, the python.

first body scan post cancer-free status

i started my low-iodine diet the day after thanksgiving. this time, the diet lasted 2 weeks instead of 10 days. the 4 extra days is even more excruciating. and having to endure 3 holiday parties while on this diet is torturous. i also missed a baby shower because of this damn diet. boo...

nov 24th, friday - start low-iodine diet (no black friday for me!)

dec 5th, monday - get 1 of 2 thyrogen injections at o'connor (and not in upper butt cheek this time! big surprise!)

dec 6th, tuesday - get 2 of 2 thyrogen injections at o'connor (side effects were major fatigue, i wonder if that is the difference between the types of injections)

dec 7th, wednesday - i-131 pill to be administered in nuclear medicine at o'connor (no bloodwork required!)

dec 9th, friday - whole neck and body scan in nuclear medicine at o'connor

results of the scan after were clear. in fact, dr lim (in the past, dr yen has been my nuclear medicine physician) indicated that my body reacts to iodine the exact same way, every time. if you threw up all of my scan results (this was my 8th, i think), you wouldn't be able to tell when which scan happened as they all look exactly the same.

jan 26th, thursday - official scan results and follow-up with dr bruhn

booties!

on the left, these booties are grey, stretchy and have a 4 ⅛" heel. the other pair have an open toe and are in plum. the heel is 3 ½". they were both 70% off!

birthday goodies!!!

as i have in previous years, i spent my birthday with my dear sister. she took the day off to go to the city with me.

the rings above are from her. they represent us and our birthstones, in the form of diamonds. they are cognac diamonds on yellow gold (topaz for november) and blue diamonds on white gold (turquoise for december).

i picked up this pair of shoes for such a bargain! i picked up some other goodies too. we finished our day in the city with a birthday dinner at the house.

the monday i returned from my birthday week off, my office staff surprised me with these flowers. this was the first year that my staff has done something like this for me. they are too sweet.

and this was my 3rd year taking all of thanksgiving week off. i'm hoping to make it a tradition.