Tuesday, December 14, 2010

One Down, Three to Go

I think Ross and I have officially discovered the most stressful 2 weeks of our lives so far. We thought planning our wedding, buying our first house, or evening moving to a different state was stressful. Those events don't even compare to last week and this week. We both knew that finals this year was going to be more intense than last year, but not this intense. And then throw in two audits for me at work and you have the perfect storm.

Last week Ross had his first of four finals. Usually his finals were split up pretty evenly between the two weeks. But this year had to be different. One final was one week and the other three are the next. And to make things even better, two are back-to-back. Which makes studying for them even more difficult. Last week for me was filled with my first audit. To keep the details at a minimum, the audit was to review our Technical Files of all the products that are manufactured. Each product is put into a Family and each Family has a Technical File. So, one of 30 files was selected to be audited. Well, what made this audit more stressful was that these files hadn't been reviewed and updated for quite a few years. Which meant I was the lucky one who got to spend a lot more time at the office making sure they were as current as possible and ready to be torn apart by an auditor. So you can imagine the extra stress I brought to the table. But after seven and a half hours of overtime in just three days, we passed the audit with no issues! Too bad I didn't have much time to relax and enjoy the feeling of passing because we had one day to get ready for another audit. Thankfully I wasn't too involved in the second audit but I still had plenty of work to get done that would be reviewed. And good news is that we passed that one as well!

So now the focus goes back to Ross and finals. The last few days have been filled with reading, outlining, going through flash cards, and just flat out talking through the outline to make sure all points are covered and memorized. There have been some late nights but he feels pretty good about the one today. Which means tonight is going to be another long night of flash cards and talking through the outline to get ready for the final tomorrow. The last final of the year is on Friday. And after that we are planning on movie marathon weekend and nothing but relaxing. We are also planning an evening in Disneyland since the last time we were there was when Mom, Dad, Shaun, and Amanda were here back in October. I think it's time we visited the Magic Kingdom again.

Once finals are done I think it will be easier to get into the holiday spirit. Although the weather out here has not been very helpful. This past weekend the temperatures were in the mid to upper 80s! That's right 80s. Thankfully they are are slowing starting to get back into the low 70s and upper 60s (which is cold for people out here). I guess you take what you can get.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

December Already

It's hard to believe that December is already here. It feels like last week we were figuring out Halloween costumes and looking forward to Thanksgiving. December not only brings Christmas and holiday events but finals and the end of another semester of school. But before we get into December, we need to talk about how we spent our Thanksgiving weekend since it was filled with a lot of firsts for us.

As this was our second year as orphans, we found other orphans just like us and had our own Thanksgiving. Last year we celebrated Thanksgiving early when my parents came out but we didn't do anything on the actual day. So this year we actually helped cook. If you were to look at just the food alone that was spread out on the table, you would have thought there was going to be about 12-15 people getting together for dinner. Really there was only 7 of us, so needless to say there were tons of left overs.

Friday night we went out bowling to celebrate a friend's birthday. This was the first time we have been bowling since moving out here. And all I can say is that the bowling alleys out here are nothing compared to what they are back home. You are basically going to a fancy restaurant/bar that just happens to have pools tables and a bowling alley. Oh yea, and a live DJ playing music. So the atmosphere is nothing like the old bowling alley feel but more of a bar/dance club where they serve you food and drinks at your lane. Something you don't see at home.

Saturday night we went out yet again to celebrate another friend's birthday. This birthday celebration, however, was held at an Indian restaurant. So another first for Ross and I. Thankfully there was a large group and most of them have eaten there before so they were able to give us tips on what was good and what to stay away from. Can't remember what my dish was called but it reminded me of chicken wings. Ross' was more of a sauce/gravy you have over rice. The taste was pretty good but the portion was small.

And finally, the last first for us that took place Thanksgiving weekend was the we put up our Christmas tree and some holiday decorations! We have a fake tree that is 7 and a half feet tall and worked perfectly in our house with the vaulted ceilings. But out here in the small apartment, the ceilings are only 8 feet. So we improvised and removed one of the center poles so the tree is about 5 feet tall. I think this is the first time I was able to put the angel on top without having to stand on a step stool or ladder. I posted some pictures below of how our modified tree came out.

After our Thanksgiving weekend filled with a lot of firsts, we move into December which brings with it something that is very familiar.....FINALS!!! The first of four finals takes place this Wednesday. The last three are all next week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday). All Ross can say about finals this year is that they just plain suck. Things are so stressful that it's even harder to get motivated to study. And what makes things worse is when we have technical issues and Ross loses 2 and a half hours worth of work on his outlines he uses for studying. Sometimes it feels like when it rains it pours and nothing seems to go right. All I know is that we are both counting the days til finals are over with and we can both relax and enjoy three weeks of no school!








Saturday, November 20, 2010

Too Long

I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since I last posted. Where has the time gone?? Things are always busy and never seem to slow down. And lucky us, things are going to just get crazier! The last time I posted was right before Ross' birthday. With the huge paper Ross was required to write for Law Review and me getting sick (again), updating our website got pushed to the back burner.

Unfortunately because of how busy things have been, we haven't actually been able to put Ross' birthday gift to use...well at least the gift I got him, which was 3 races at the indoor go kart place. Hopefully with the Thanksgiving break next weekend we can enjoy some down time and get in a few races. One of the other gifts he got for his birthday was the Play Station Move that has been getting quite a bit of use.

As of this past Thursday, Ross is officially done with Law Review for this semester. The day ended with him turning in his 72 page paper. That's right, 72 pages! And I was the lucky one who got to help proof read it! Thankfully the margins were larger than normal and EVERYTHING was double spaced. If the margins were at their normal size, the paper was only about 38 pages. So now we get to wait until sometime in January to find out if it will be picked to be published this time around. If not, he will be able to work on making changes/edits with the hopes of it being chosen for publication in the next round.

Now that the giant Law Review article/paper is complete, the next big event is finals, which is coming up in just a few weeks. So that means studying all weekend and pretty soon each night during the week. There is some light at the end of the tunnel though. After this semester Ross will officially be half way done with law school! And he will get to enjoy a couple weeks off before the Spring semester starts. We are already starting to plan a vacation after graduation (in 2012) to enjoy some relaxation. Always need something to look forward to.

Work for me is going good. Things are really starting to get busy at work which makes the days fly by. If you don't remember, back in Oct I had to take a notary class and pass a written exam. I finally received my results about a week ago and I passed!! The next step now is to get sworn in at the courthouse and receive my official notary stamp. But before all that can happen I have to wait for my background check to clear which can take about 2 months.

So besides the usual school and work, we are doing good. And since I never posted any pictures from our Halloween party, here are few to enjoy. And in case you aren't sure who Ross dressed up as, he went as Ted "Million Dollar Man" DiBiase. A bunch of guys from school all dressed up as 1980s wrestlers.


Ted "Million Dollar Man" DiBiase








Monday, November 1, 2010

Surrey Bike Ride

Here are some pictures from our bike ride along the beach and our pit stop at the bar.














Family Trip to Disneyland

Here are some pictures from our trip to Disneyland. Since we took a lot of pictures of our trip, the rest of them can be viewed in the slide show on the side.





























Sunday, October 31, 2010

Two Exciting Weeks!

These last two weeks have been busy but full of fun! First we found out something very interesting when it comes to carving pumpkins. Unlike back at home, you can't carve them 2 weeks before Halloween and put them on display. Ross and I carved our pumpkins on a Sunday and two days later they started growing hair and mold. So they only lasted 2 and a half days before we had to feed them to the trash. But we still had fun!

Last week we got to enjoy a visit from my parents and brother. The visit with family started on Saturday the 23. After a quick trip to the airport and a quick lunch that consisted of pizza and beer, we packed up the back pack and were off to Hollywood to hike up to the famous Hollywood sign! The weather couldn't have been better considering we had rain everyday the previous week. So after an hour and a half of hiking to the top, we enjoyed a small picnic of wine, beer, cheese, crackers, and meat (you know....the typical picnic you take hiking). To relax after a 5 mile hike, we enjoyed a nice Mexican dinner with margaritas and then off to the beach to listen to the sounds of the evening surf.

After a 5 mile hike what would be better than walking around Disneyland all day?? Well we got to enjoy just that....something Shaun and I haven't done with our parents for 20 years!! Minus the light mist/rain that moved in later in the evening, the weather was nice and we all had a great time! We even got to see the new water show, World of Color!

And if a 5 mile hike and walking around Disneyland an entire day wasn't enough physical activity, we decided to do a 10 mile bike ride along the coast. But this wasn't just any regular bike ride....we rented a 4 person surrey. Basically it's a bike that looks very similar to a golf cart. Since Shaun and Amanda had to leave that morning, Mom, Dad, and Ross and I got to enjoy this one on our own. We started in Huntington Beach and rode south along the beach to Newport Beach. To replenish ourselves after our 50 min bike ride, we enjoyed lunch and drinks at a bar overlooking the ocean. After an hour of relaxing, we had an hour ride back up to Huntington Beach where we started, but this time with a strong head wind that made it all the more difficult.
Even though this last visit from family dealt with a lot more physical activities, it was tons of fun and we can't wait until we see them again.

To finish out this past weekend, we enjoyed our first costume party for Halloween! Ross and a couple guys from school all dressed up as 1980s wrestlers and I went as the referee. After enjoying a few drinks at the house party, we all headed down to Newport Beach to one of the bars on the coast. I have to admit you feel a little goofy walking down the street going to a bar dressed in a costume. Thankfully we weren't the only ones dressed up so that makes things feel less weird.

And now that October is officially over, the next big even is Ross' birthday! Details on how that plays out will be in the next posting. So for now, below are some pictures from the last few weeks, more to come later.























Wednesday, October 13, 2010

My Birthday

To celebrate my 28th birthday, Ross surprised me with a dinner cruise! We set sail around 7:00pm and cruised down the harbor along the peninsula. We enjoyed a 4 course meal, a bottle of champagne, and of course dancing! Every time we would go to the beach we would always see these cruise ships/boats leaving the harbor and I thought it would be so much fun to go one of them. So Ross was sweet enough to take me on one! I posted some pictures below. And in addition to the dinner cruise, Ross surprised me with flowers during lunch at work on my birthday!

Not much else took place these last two weeks. But the next few weeks are going to be busy. This coming Saturday I will be taking a class to become a Notary. My boss wants me to become a notary and in California, you are required to take a 6 hour class and take an exam. So I get to do all of that this Saturday.

Ross has his rough draft of his law review article due in a couple weeks so he has been spending a lot of time working on that in addition to mid terms. So like usual, he has been extremely busy.

Next weekend will be something different for us because Shaun and Amanda will be here next Friday and Mom and Dad will be here next Saturday! So excited to be able to spend time with all of them together at the same time! We are planning on going to Disneyland on Saturday and then we are going to hike to the Hollywood sign! So far those are the only two real events set in stone. But I guess that is what is nice about visits from family, you don't always have to have everything all planned out. They are usually easy to please.










Bonfire Pictures











Saturday, October 2, 2010

Welcome Home Car!!

After almost 5 weeks and a lot of phone calls, we finally got my car back. Thankfully things weren't too bad with just one car, but it does make going to work and school a lot easier when we each have our own transportation. But since it has been 3 weeks since I lasted posted anything, I have some catching up to do on what's been going on.

Last time I posted Ross had his tryout for Trial Advocacy. He found out the following week that he was one of 20 people that made it on the team. There were a total of 50 people who tried out and they only took 20. So that was really exciting! And now that he is part of Trial Advocacy, that means more time at the school. But this is something he was really wanting to be apart of to help build skills and experience. Law Review is still going well. This past week he finished the first part of his article which was creating his outline. And as for classes, the first midterm is next week so the heavy studying has begun.

As for fun stuff, a couple weekends ago we went to our first movie premier in Los Angeles. One of the ladies Ross goes to school with did stunt work and small acting parts before going to law school. Well this is a B rated movie so it was nothing like the red carpet in Hollywood and it was something that was completed in 2008. She had a small speaking part that lasted about 5 mins but it was still fun to go to. There were 20 of us total that went and we all rode in a limo to the premier and then we went to a night club in Santa Monica for a few hours. Even though neither of us are really into the club scene, we still had a good time.

The following weekend we enjoyed a campfire/bonfire on the beach with a group of friends from school. That was a lot of fun....roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over the open fire on the beach listening to the ocean in the background. The last time we were around a campfire was in the mountains back in Colorado.

So September was a packed month. Now we are moving on to October which means my birthday, Halloween, the start of the holidays, and another visit from the family! Mom and Dad, and Shaun and Amanda are making another trip out to see us....this time together. They will be here the weekend of the 23. So we are looking forward to seeing them again. This time we plan on spending a day in Disneyland and then we are all hiking to the Hollywood sign. Can't wait, it's gonna be a lot of fun!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Not-So-Good End to August

Well, here it has been yet another 2 weeks since I last wrote. But I like to think I've had good reason. On Sunday, August 29 we were involved in a small car accident. Everyone is fine except for my car. In a nut shell we were hit by a 19 year old girl who stepped on the gas pedal instead of the break pedal when pulling out of a parking lot and ran right into the front tire on the passenger side. We had to have the car towed because it was no longer drivable. It has now been two weeks and the car is still at the repair shop and it is still waiting for parts to arrive to be fixed. So for the last two weeks Ross and I have been carpooling around town in the Durango. It has actually worked out pretty well and forces Ross to get up early and do some studying for school instead of sleeping in and watching TV.

In addition to the car drama, Ross has been super busy with school. Not only has he been busy with his regular classes but he has to spend extra time on research for Law Review as well as attending weekly meetings that are on Saturday mornings for a couple hours. And this past week he had his tryouts for Trial Advocacy. For the tryouts he had to prepare a cross-examination of a witness and a closing arguments. Both could not be over 5 mins. So this past week I was role playing as both the witness and the jury. Unfortunately he tried out on the first day so we have to wait until sometime next week for the results. But I'm pretty sure he made it with no problem.

Other than Ross being busy with school, work going good for me, and the car spending more time in the repair shop than I would like, things are going good for us. I posted a few pictures of what the car looked like after being hit.