Visit to Arizona

Last weekend I visited Laura in Chandler, AZ. My godson Andrew celebrated his 3rd birthday with his friend RT and I was able to go to the party. Laura, Jen and I went to dinner and then to see P.S. I Love You...have to love those Irish guys! The next day Laura and I relaxed at the spa and then had Mexican food and saw The Golden Compass. It was great relaxing, seeing the Vehrings, and meeting Andrew's cousin Adalyn for the first time.

Chatter's First Christmas

Chatter had a blast with her new stuffy from Santa. She carried it everywhere and loved making it squeak! She also had a great time with Claire and Charlotte and their cousins. They got her to jump up on their laps and snuggle. Who can resist that face!

Christmas Dinner

This Christmas Nick and I decided to have an intimate dinner party for some of our friends. We served champagne with cheese and bread for appetizers (compliments of Andrew) and honeybaked ham with veggie side dishes for dinner. Kathy brought two pumpkin chiffon pies for dessert and even made fresh whipped cream. Kassey was a last minute addition because of her change in travel plans which meant we also got to have her brie and pesto dip :)

After dinner our guests opened their gold wrapped "gifties" and somehow the evening morphed it's way into a dance party...maybe it was one of Kimia's playlists--on that new ipod of hers--that really got the party started. Chatter jumped in the pool--in solidarity with Kathy...a.k.a. the life of the party...and Rich locked himself in Daisy's cage in order to behave himself.

All in all it was a great time and worth all the effort during this busy holiday season :)

Kassey Visits

Kassey came back to visit just before Thanksgiving and we went to North Beach for a bite to eat and Dragonbar for some good old fashioned top 40 dancing!

Chatter at School

I promised my reading class I would bring Chatter in for a visit... they loved her! Every day since then I have at least one student ask me if their "baby" was back... sadly dogs aren't really allowed at school, so it will be a while until I bring her back.

Halloween at Hogwarts

Here are some photos from the Halloween at Hogwarts all-school event. The kids had a great time and thanks to Kathy who came to school to help me! Photos include Harry and Hagrid, Professor Trelawney, and various other magical creatures :)

Halloween

Nick, Kimia, and I dressed up as Perez Hilton (from perezhilton.com), Kim Kardashian (one of Paris' ex-best friends), and Paris Hilton in jail...see above...

Concerts

As a concert buff it is sometimes hard to keep track of all the concerts I've been to. My musical adventure began back in high school when my dad would bring me to the Fillmore to see old bands still kicking and has morphed it's way into an eclectic mix of true favorites and exposure to new sounds...below is a list I've compiled of all the shows I've been to...feel free to comment if you and I have a band in common...and check back often because I'm sure the list will grow :)

Alanis Morrisette (2)
Allison Krauss and Union Station
Bat for Lashes
Ben Harper
Black Keys, The
Bob Schnieder
Bravery, The
Cary Brothers
Cold Play (2)
Corrine West
Cranberries
Dave Matthews Band
Death Cab for Cutie
Dixie Chicks (4)
Dolores O'Riordan
Eagles (2)
Eisley
Family Force Five
Fiona Apple
Fray, The
G Love & Special Sauce
Hot Tuna (2)
Imogen Heap
Ingred Michaelson (2)
Jack Johnson
Jason Mraz
Jefferson Starship
Jessie Baylin
John Mayer
Joshua Radin
Magic Numbers, The
Mandy Moore
Mat Kearney (3)
Matt Costa (2)
Matthew Dear
Michelle Branch
Mute Math (4)
No Doubt
Norah Jones
Pat Benatar
Patty Griffin (3)
Paula Cole
Pete Yorn
Regina Spektor
Ryan Adams
Shania Twain
Shiny Toy Guns
Si*Se (2)
Sixpence None the Richer
Slip, The
Stars
Switchfoot
U2 (3)
Zap Mama

Dixie Chicks with Dad

I went to a Dixie Chicks show with my dad and met some of his fan club friends.

Brandon's Wedding

Brandon Gill got married and Kimia invited me to be her date to the wedding. We stayed at the "W" hotel (fancy!) and enjoyed the beautiful decor, fluffy feather pillows, and oh so hip atmosphere. When I arrived, Kimia picked me up, we had brunch, and then got mani/pedi's...it was so relaxing I almost fell asleep :) That evening we arrived at the wedding (late--oops!) and mingled the night away. We saw Adam Bagley and Charlie Schaunwasser and had so much fun catching up and dancing to our high school favorites.

Rich's Birthday

Rich and Roy's birthday was a charmed evening. We went to Osha for Thai food and sat at this long table that fit everyone. Then, we went back to Kathy and Rich's hotel room and had some cocktails and birthday cake--with cream cheese frosting...yum! Later, we went to Dragon Bar in North Beach/China Town for some top 40 dancing...the power went out and came back on just before we arrived so we got in for free and there was no line! Kimia and I requested Britney's new song and the DJ played it for us because he liked our dresses! Ha! I figured if you are going somewhere to dance to top 40 music, you have to hear Britney, Rhianna, Beyonce, Timbaland, and Justin Timberlake...and guess what? We did :)

Limantour with Kathy & Chatter

Kathy and I spent the day at Limantour Beach in Point Reyes. We had never taken Chatter to the beach before and she went absolutely crazy in the water. It was as if nothing existed but her and the waves. In all my years as a Marinite, I have never experienced a more perfect day in West Marin.

Spontaneous Dinner with Kathy & Rich

On Monday evening, Nick and I went up to drop some stuff off at the breeders in Petaluma and met up with Kathy and Rich at a new Mexican restaurant in downtown. It was a fun spur of the moment get together and we even got to start planning Rich's B-day party...

We got a dog!

Her name is Chatter. She is actually Nick's dog and I just get to put up with her hair shedding all over the place...but she is really cute and she likes to press her face up against you and cuddle. Nick got her from a breeder and she is six years old. She used to be a show dog but for the last few years she has been passing those award winning genes on to other lucky puppies :) The breeder named her Chatter because she makes these little growling noises (friendly growls) when she wants to tell you she likes you...Nick might change her name, but we aren't sure yet...

Edison BBQ

My first school activity as Student Activities Coordinator was an all school BBQ. The school provided hot dogs and the families brought pot luck side dishes. The kids had so much fun... While I was passing out plates a bunch of the elementary kids told me that this was the "best day ever"--so cute! Next is our Halloween at Hogwarts Celebration on Oct. 31st. Until then, I'm working on the school fundraiser and would like to organize a Jr. Academy art club...