Yesterday was a rather slow day with absolutely nothing going on. Anyway, yesterday around 5:45, one of my clients came in and sat in a chair in front of my desk. Now this chair has had a problem before. I had a 300+ guy bend this leather and steel chair and ever since its sat a little lower than the other chair at my desk. So my client sits down and I'm working on his invoice and all of the sudden the chair starts bending and the guy is on the floor. It was all in slow motion all the while my client is going, (Oh no, OH NO!) His legs went up in the air and his arms flailed out to the sides. It took all that I had not to laugh out loud. My co-workers were snickering and ran over to see what happened. I thought they were going to help him up but they just stood there looking down at him trying to stifle their laughter. I ran over to him in an attempt to help him in some shape or form but I was useless as well since I was trying to compose myself like the others. Luckily he was a really good humored guy and eventually rolled himself off of the chair. He was super embarrassed but he played it off well. After he got up he then told us that its happened to him before while in a meeting and the chair snapped instead of slowly bending to the ground. Personally I would not have told anyone that. After he left I couldn't take it anymore and neither could my co-workers. We all busted up laughing so hard and wished we could have recorded it to put it on YouTube. A perfect ending to a rather dull day at the office. Oh, and my client looks just like Newman.

The not so brown bag Lunch

The other day I was out shopping at one of my new favorite stores since moving to Ohio and found something so lovely I just couldn't pass up. Old Time Pottery www.oldtimepottery.com is a great store chalk full of home decor, housewares, storage solutions, bedding and a lot of little odds in ends at discount prices. Well, my find just happened to be an insulated lunch bag that looks like a purse. The lunch tote provides ample storage room for a couple Tupperware containers, a drink and a snack. It also has two large side pockets for utensils, napkins and what ever else you might be packing. A super find at only $12 bucks.

When I first used the lunch bag and stuck it in the fridge at work there were some funny reactions. Sitting at my desk, someone in the break room yelled out, "WHO PUT A PURSE IN THE FRIDGE?" Yes, it was me. I had to show them all that the so called "Purse in the Fridge" was actually an insulated lunch bag. Now that I have this super fancy lunch tote my lunches need to be as spectacular as the bag! Maybe I will post some tasty lunch recipes.

Who said lunch had to be boring!

El Chupacabra

The El Chupacabra has resurfaced! Now for those who don't know what a Chupacabra is, its a mythical creature that likes to raid farms and kill farm animals.

(Chupacabra; pronunciation: /tʃupa'kabɾa/, from the Spanish words chupar, meaning "to suck", and cabra, meaning "goat"; literally "goat sucker") Well this morning when I was looking at Yahoo news there was a front page article on one being caught. In my opinion this is not the Chupacabra and really just looks like a Coyote with a severe case of mange. You can read the story here: http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/92971?fp=1

Anyway, Jared and I had a Chupacabra experience of our own in 2000 while we were still dating and the story brought back that haunted memory.

One late night as Jared was walking me to my car and saying our good byes we felt a very eerie presents around us. The summer night was very still and the sky was starless. There was no sound at all and as if we were the only ones breathing on the planet. The only light came from a street lamp across the street casting a long yellow glow on the blacktop. As we waited and wondered why the air felt so weird around us, it happened. We saw a strange shadow emerge out of the yellow light as if the shadow came right out of the lamp post. The creature seemed to be walking on two thin legs with its back hunched over and arms dangling in front of it. its hands had long bony fingers with sharp nails. It was about 3 to 4 feet tall with long spines running down its back and a whip like tail. Its movement was quick as it ran across to our side of the street to the neighbors driveway triggering the motion sensor light on the garage. Both Jared and I clung to each other in fear. Never had I seen Jared so freaked out like that. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and goosebumps rose on my skin even though the air around us was warm.

The neighbor had a boat parked in the driveway and a strange knocking sound was coming from the hull of the boat. The knocking was a rhythmic ( bump, bump, bump) as if the creatures tail was swishing back and forth hitting the hull. We both just stood frozen locking our eyes on the boat. Jared then took me by the shoulders and put me in my car, kissed me good night and ran into the house. He later told me he double locked the front door and checked all the windows which is totally unheard of for him. As I drove home I was worried that maybe another one of those creatures had been clinging to the bottom of my car. I feared that when I swung my legs out of the car that the hitchhiking creature would grab my legs and begins is bloody terror on me. Luckily there was nothing clinging to the bottom of my car and I got home safely. After the incident Jared and I agree that it was a very real and weird experience that happened to us. Every time we've told that story people think we're just telling an old ghost tale but it was real and it was weird and we hope to never experience anything like that again.

Thinking of Moving to New Zealand

So Jared and I have been thinking about "defecting". We have this crazy idea that we're going to be world gypsies and our first real destination is New Zealand. Its hard to get in but we've found an immigration attorney that specializes in setting you up with work, housing and all the paperwork that goes with it. This idea started as a "what if" joking sort of conversation to a full blown (this could be a reality). Both of us are itching to explore the world, its cultures and free ourselves from the daily grind. I want to focus on my art while Jared wants to explore his own creative side. Our plan is to save up for a year, locate jobs that would suit what we are trying to accomplish and eventually purchase a homestead with some property to start a sort of Hobby farm. No real animals, maybe a couple of goats for Jake our dog to play with. So far everyone we've told of our hair brained idea, they seem to want in. Well, I guess we might start a mass exodus into paradise.

http://www.organicexplorer.co.nz/Home.html

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/explorers/interior-exploration

http://www.exploring.co.nz/

Fancy Nancy Party

On Saturday it was my little sister Olivia's 4th birthday. It was a great party with lots and lots of kids all dressed in their Fancy Attire. For those who don't know who Fancy Nancy is check out the link that leads you to Harper Collins books... http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/harperchildrens/kids/gamesandcontests/features/fancynancy/meet.aspx

Anyway I designed the nifty invitation and and had a great time helping my mom decorate for the party. We decided to have 3 games for the kids to win prizes at. The first was a fishing game, where I painted a river scene that the kids could care less about but luckily the parents seemed to be impressed. The second game was a bread toss with fake begets and croissants and a ring toss around a 2 1/2' Eiffel Tower. I think we would have made Fancy Nancy proud.

Below is the invite I created and some pics of the party. More pictures will be updated on this post when my good friend Rachel shoots them over to me. Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to take pics since I was running the fishing game.

Anyone want to buy my townhome in San Jose, California?

So our townhouse in San Jose, California is still on the market. We bought way too high and now we are selling for dirt cheap. There are a ton of upgrades in the home, such as hand scraped hardwood flooring, stainless steal appliances in the kitchen, upgraded carpeting and tile in master bath as well as a great color pallet to work with. The neighbors are gems and view is great. Another great thing about this house is its perfect for entertaining.

Check out the link:

House description: (Incredible buy! Almost $200k below owner's price! Gorgeous 2-year new Spyglass Hill townhouse! $40k upgrades throughout: stunning hand-shaved hardwd floors, upgraded bedroom carpet, upgraded baths, granite kitchen counters, stainless steel appliances! Lvng rm has dramatic 14' ceiling. Attached 2-car garage w/extra storage. Spacious bedrooms w/attached baths. Quiet location in interior of complex!)
Asking Price: $449,000

http://www.californiamoves.com/property/propertydetails.aspx?propertyguid=a4da5441-65eb-4406-a43c-2371c97e9a0f&WT.MC_ID=201810000000000

Tom Jones Concert at the House of Blues, Cleveland

So last night my mom and I went to a Tom Jones Concert at the House of Blues in down town Cleveland. Let me tell you it was the best concert I have ever been to. #1, it was a small venue and we were so close we could see the sweat on his brow, #2, for a man of 69 turning 70 he still can make a woman's toes curl. The man still wears tight pants and an open shirt. Mind you he's the only guy that can pull off a sexy hairy chest. I know that might sound totally weird coming from a 29 year old but you had to be there to see it for yourself. Also his concerts are known to make women so hot and bothered that they throw their panties on stage at him. Well me being a fan and for nostagia sake I brought a bright orange lace thong to throw on stage and I'm proud to say I was the first panty flinger of the night! Below is a fuzzy picture of my panties on stage. I also took some video clips from the show. Unfortunately my mini cam doesn't have the best quality in low light. But here they are....

Spring Has Sprung, Well sort of.

Its has been hit or miss here with the weather and today started out as a beautiful day. Granted its been about 21 degrees but the sky was clear and the sun was shining. But as everyone says here, "If you don't like the weather in Cleveland just wait 20 minutes." However in this case the weather turned snowy again. Oh well, at least I was able to find some pleasure in a store bought tulip that just seemed to lift my spirits. When we find a place of our own I can't wait to layout my garden plans and see a multitude of color spring from the ground.

Last Night I was watching Miss Potter. The life story of Beatrix Potter. Anyone who love British period films and wonderful English cottages will love this movie. Anyway I could not get over how wonderful her Hilltop Farm was and how much I wanted one of my own. Some day that's for sure and I think I found the architect for the job. https://jackarnold.com/default.asp

Check out the link and you will be amazed.

The Great Cleveland Adventure

Finally I get to sit down an write about my cross country adventure. So on February 1st we left our sunny California and headed east. We crossed into AZ, NM, TX, OK, MO, IL, IN and then entered the Buckeye State of Ohio. It took us 3.5 days to get there which was amazing since we had a 26' moving truck with another 15'-18' of car trailer in tow. Its amazing that they rent those enormous trucks to just anybody. Crazy if ya ask me. Anyway the whole way there it was clear and mostly sunny. When we hit Flagstaff, AZ it was a little snowy and icy but not bad. The only bad weather that we ran into was about 30 minutes before we got to our final destination. The snow was really coming down and the highway was turning white. Both Jared and I got a little nervous and knew that everyone around us must have thought we were nuts to be moving in such bad weather. We definitely would concur with them!

The next day we decided to head over to the local Walmart to get a warmer jacket, gloves, thermals and all the other cold weather accoutrement that is needed for cold weather. We then made our way to the shoe store and picked up some all weather shoes and silly me I really should have worn the shoes out of the store. When we got home I stepped out of the car and the California cold weather shoes I was wearing did not keep me on my feet. I slipped and fell into the 3' snowbank. As I tried to pull myself up by the car door handle my feet slipped even more taking me practically under the car. It was hilarious. I just wish someone was actually video tapping my first SNOW FALL!

Today we took a picture of more snow and me in it.

Moving to Ohio

Leaving California is a really difficult thing to do considering that I've spent all of my life living in California. Facing this move I've reflected on what I've been taking for granted living in the Golden State. First: The Weather, it's January and in San Jose its been in the low 70's for the past couple of days. In Ohio its still snowing. (GREAT!) Second: The Food & Culture, California's diverse gastronomy and its people is like none other. Living in California you are exposed to all sorts of global flavors, cultures and traditions. Third: The Beaches, From sunny San Diego to the rugged Northern California coastline. Nothing beats the warm west coast sun shining on your face, the cool salty offshore breeze in your hair and the huge waves beckoning surfers to ride them.
I haven't even left yet and I feel home sick. The reason for the whole move stems from the over priced housing market as well as the lack/loss of work/job. Living in California has really stretched us way too thin and we've decided to move closer to family and save up and just a chance for a humble life's adventure. We've decided to make a cross country road trip with all of our belongings in tow which will be an adventure of its own. Anyway I just hope and pray that we will gain a greater knowledge of our own abilities, strengths, bravery and willingness for change, adventure and life itself.

The quote below really sums it up for me.

" A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is till she gets in hot water."
-Eleanore Roosevelt