baby teeth

I think Garbanzo has officially lost all of his baby teeth. Over the past couple weeks I've been collecting his teeth, is that gross?! I'm amazed at how fast dogs lose teeth and get new ones. It's almost immediate!

Now we need to put some treats under Garb's pillow.

Good Bye Jeep, Hello Foebe Fit

Yesterday we took advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program. We turned in our jeep for a more fuel efficient car. We are very excited to have a new car, but we love the jeep so much, it was hard to let it go. That jeep has been with us through our entire relationship! It took us on many weekend drives across the state of Utah to see each other. It took us from California to Boise, to Utah for many Christmas vacations. It took us on a trip up the Oregon Coast to the great state of Washington, and then back again. It's taken us through the rough terrain of Death Valley. It was there when we brought Redji home. It was there when we went to meet Garbanzo, and then brought him home with us. It has been packed from the floor to the ceiling for numerous camping trips. It has never failed us. It was always a reliable, lovable car. RIP jeep.

We loved the jeep, and now we have a new Honda Fit (aka Foebe Fit)! We are so excited about our new car. I'm excited for all the adventures it is going to accompany us on. It is so fun to drive, and feels so smooth. Best of all, it has air conditioning! Yay! We think it looks like a Mac book.

For whatever reason I couldn't get these pictures to rotate, sorry.

Funny Story

On Friday I went to the City to the running Expo to pick up my race packet. Every year the Expo is full of vendors giving away or selling all sorts of items. Items like t-shirts, race frames, bed sheets (weird), shoes, and all sorts of goodies like peanut butter, granola, and power bars. I rode the train up to Expo with Greg on his way to work, which was when I remembered something terribly funny that happened at the Expo last year. I thought I'd share that story.

So this it, I was walking around the Expo (2008) taking as many free samples as possible. I had already sampled fruit smoothies, granola bars, energy beans, you name it. I was going from table to table just taking things. At one particular table I started taking power bars (you know those candy bar like things that are suppose to give you energy), the man behind the table said to me, "You have to pay for these." Not even thinking, I said to him, "Oh, I'm just taking samples." Then I walked away with one in my mouth. The man just stared at me blankly, and it wasn't until three or four tables later that I realized, OMG, he was telling me I had to pay! I blatantly stole power bars and looked him straight in the face as I did it. He was so shocked he just let me do it.

This year, they got smart and labeled every item's price. Probably because of me. haha!

Update: Today I ran the San Francisco 1/2 marathon. I did ok, a little slower than last year, but I'm happy with my results. :) Glad to be done.

Eli!!!!!!!!

I've realized that the older I get the harder it is to make genuine friends. All through elementary school, middle school, and high school, it is easy to find friends that have similar interests, senses of humor, or whatever else you are looking for in a friend. Not to say that I don't have great friends now because I absolutely do. It seems that at certain life stages friends can be few and far between. That was the case when I moved to California two and half years ago. I was lucky though. I met a few friends in a French class taught at the Bechtel International Center at Stanford: Eli, Yumiko, and Annie :) These three girls are seriously some of the most interesting, open-minded, fun, and genuine people I've ever known. I was so sad when all three moved away a year ago. I've missed our weekly get-togethers, our self-taught French classes, our lunches, poker nights, just everything. So you can imagine how happy I was yesterday when Eli came to visit :)

I had such a great time with Eli yesterday. A year ago she moved to Texas, so I got to hear all about her transition. I feel completely inspired by her! She has gotten so involved in so many activities in TX. She teaches Spanish and French, she is learning Italian, she dances and dances, and lives her life passionately. She's really done a great job at putting herself out-there socially (which is such a scary thing to do), and it seems that she had made a lot of friends.

We went to lunch like in the good old days and totally reminisced and missed our dear Yumiko and Annie. Come visit girls, we need a reunion! In the evening we (and Greg) went to The Guild, in Menlo Park and saw the movie Whatever Works. It was such a good day. I was sad it ended, and sad that it doesn't happen more often, but so happy that it happened.

Thanks for the visit Eli!

Bisous!

Three Years and Counting

Yep, it's been three years since Greg and I tied the knot! I've been loving every second of it! I love you Greggy! I feel so lucky to be married to Greg, he really is the love and light of my life.

This years KJ & G Volume 6

1. Down the Mountain, Robinella
2. Lucky, Jason Mraz
3. She's Always A Woman, Billy Joel
4. I Will Possess Your Heart, Death Cab For Cutie
5. Imagine, Avril Lavigne
6. When You Were Young, The Killers
7. The Greatest, Cat Power
8. They, Jem
9. The Forgotten People, Thievery Corporation
10. Lucky, Kat Edmonson
11. This Is Us, Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
12. LDN, Lily Allen
13. A Sorta Fairytale, Tori Amos
14. Downpressor Man, Sinead O'Connor
15. Hotel California, Eagles
16. Nobody Knows Me Like My Baby, Lyle Lovett

Us Dancing to Nobody Knows Me Like My Baby by Lyle Lovett

The Sountrack of Our Lives II

KJ & G Volume 4--
1. Something, Shakira
2. Seven Years, Norah Jones
3. Canon in D, Pachelbel
4. S’il suffisait d’aimer, Celine Dion
5. When You Say Nothing At All, Alison Krauss
6. Quelqu’un m’a dit, Carla Bruni
7. Baby Now That I’ve Found You, Alison Krauss
8. Satellite, Dave Matthews
9. La tribu de Dana, Manau
10. You, Evanescence
11. Mr. Jones, Counting Crows
12. Love and Some Verses, Iron & Wine
13. I’m Glad There Is You, Jamie Cullum
14. Leaving On A Jet Plane, John Denver
15. Nobody Knows Me Like My Baby, Lyle Lovett

KJ & G Volume 5
1. Black Dog, Led Zeppelin
2. Caring Is Creepy, The Shins
3. Stoned, Dido
4. Let Go, Frou Frou
5. Crazy, Gnarls Barkley
6. In These Shoes, Kristy MacColl
7. Relax Max, Dinah Washington
8. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Joe Zawinul
9. Strings That Tie To You, Jon Brion
10. Money For Nothing, Dire Straits
11. Mr. Blue Sky, Electric Light Orchestra
12. guitar solo by Mark Knopfler
13. I Will, Alison Krauss
14. Kathy’s Song, Simon & Garfunkel
15. Don’t Crash The Ambulance, Mark Knopfler
16. God Shuffled His Feet, Crash Test Dummies
17. Underneath Your Clothes, Shakira
18. Nobody Knows Me Like My Baby, Lyle Lovett

December 2005 at the cabin

The Soundtrack of Our Lives

I often daydream while I'm out running about what blog I should write next. This particular post is one I've been daydreaming about for a long long time. There is no other way to begin than to say, I feel most like a movie star when I run. This is because I usually have my music blasting through my headphones narrating every move I make... it's easy to imagine that I'm in a movie with music dictating the mood of my every movement. And quite literally, the music does dictate my mood while I run, causing me to run slow, fast, confidently, and timidly. If I'm sad or happy I choose music that reflects those moods and I'm able to match my running. To put it mildly, it's cathartic, especially if I'm angry.

This post isn't really about running or my moods, it's actually about Greg and me. You see, as long as I've known Greg he's been influencing my music. That's right, for the past 9 years Greg has been influencing my music!

Way back when I was 16 Greg made me a cd, one I still listen to. It was accompanied by a note, that I still have, giving a reason for every song. So romantic :) When we started dating the second time around I was in a big car accident, and Greg made me a cd for my new car, which he sent to me in the mail with the sweetest card, which I also still have.

Then we got engaged and Greg made the first KJ & G album. It is this album and all that follow that I've been thinking about. They are filled with songs that are so completely Greg-style, and some that are Kj-style, and other that are OUR-style, and others that just simply are. These are the songs that make the sountrack to my life. Today I'll share some of them, tomorrow some more, and on Wednesday (our 3 year wedding anniversary) I'll share the newest album :)

KJ & G volume 1:
1. For You, Barenaked Ladies
2. If I Had a Boat, Lyle Lovett
3. You Got It, Roy Orbison
4. I'm Gonna Be, Proclaimers
5. Short Skirt, Long Jacket, Cake
6. You Can Call Me Al, Paul Simon
7. Bette Davis Eyes, Kim Carnes
8. Me Gustas Tu, Manu Chao
9. New Slang, The Shins
10. Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key, Woody Guthrie
11. Such Great Heights, Iron & Wine
12. Doctor, Catie Curtis
13. Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime, Beck
14. The Luckiest, Ben Folds
15. Trapeze Swinger, Iron & Wine
16. Nobody Knows Me Like My Baby, Lyle Lovett

KJ & G volume 2:
1. Trim, Underworld
2. For The Longest Time, Billy Joel
3. Better Together, Jack Johnson
4. Wildflowers, Tom Petty
5. This Love, Maroon 5
6. Such Great Heights, The Postal Service
7. The Boxer, Simon & Garfunkel
8. Under A Stormy Sky, Crystal Plamondon
9. More Than Words, Extreme
10. We Will Become Silhouettes, The Postal Service
11. Right Here Waiting, Richard Marx
12. Scarborough Fair, Simon & Garfunkel
13. Bee's Wing, Richard Thompson
14. Pink Moon, Nick Drake
15. Fields of Gold, Eva Cassidy
16. Wonderful Tonight, Eric Clapton
17. Nobody Knows Me Like My Baby, Lyle Lovett

KJ & G Volume 3
1. Burning Up, Alpinestars
2. You're My Best Friend, Queen
3. We Will Become Silhouettes, The Shins
4. Don't Crash The Ambulance, Mark Knopfler
5. Crash Into Me, Dave Matthews Band
6. Buildings and Bridges, Ani Difranco
7. Gentle Moon, Sun Kil Moon
8. I Love You Always Forever, Donna Lewis
9. One Hundred Years, Five For Fighting
10. Make You Feel That Way, Blackalicious
11. Make Someone Happy, Jimmy Durante
12. That's Amore, Dean Martin
13. Change The World, Eric Clapton
14. (They Long To Be) Close To You, The Carpenters
15. Perhaps Love, John Denver
16. I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song, Jim Croce
17. Hallelujah, Rufus Wainwright
18. Nobody Knows Me Like My Baby, Lyle Lovett

More to come tomorrow :)

Welcoming Samantha Claire

My first-ever niece was born on Thursday! Greg and I are thrilled to pieces :) I have not met my new favorite baby yet, but I can't wait until I do. I'm already in love with her. Samantha Claire was born on Thursday, July 2nd at 11:45pm. She weighs 8lbs 13oz, and is 22 inches long!!! Oh, and she definitely has her mommy's nose :)

Cutest little pumpkin ever!

Sammy-C with Grandma Nelson

Happy Family :)