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Sunday, September 21, 2008

Introducing...




Mr and Mrs James R. King!


My oldest brother just tied the knot last night. It was a beautiful day and an even more beautiful wedding and reception. Jessica is an amazing woman and I am so thankful to have her as one of my sister-in-laws!


There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears that went into making this wedding happen. Blood you say? Yes.. literally. The night of the rehersal I was walking in the dark to my car when I rammed my freshly pedicured foot into a loose piece of asphalt. It hurt like crazy but I kept going. It felt kinda funny so when I got to my car I turned on a light and sure enough.. my foot was covered in blood. That moment reminded me of Romy and Michele's High School reunion when Romy said "will you excuse me, I cut my foot earlier and my shoe is filling up with blood." then she hobbles away. I was wearing flip flops so the shoe wasn't "filling" but it was all over. I headed back into the house for a wash cloth and band aid. Ouchie!

Katie and I headed down to Escondido early(7:15am) Saturday morning to meet up with the Bride and Matron of Honor to get our hair done. I grabbed some super yummy muffins and bagels from Big Apple Bagels. We munched on the goodies and chatted, joked, laughed for hours while we got our hair done. It was relaxing.
Once Jess was done, the Matron of Honor hopped in the chair and Jess, Katie and I headed to Michael's for a couple things. We had to make a couple stops so we decided to divide and conquer. I dropped Katie and Jessica off in front of Mervyn's and Hallmark then headed to Target. We were done in less that 15 min! We got a couple funny looks from people but we had fun. When everyone was done at the salon we headed to the hotel to get ready. Katie and I grabbed lunch for everyone on the way. We spent some time just hanging out before everyone arrived.
Pictures, pictures and more pictures were being taken. It was great though. The ceremony was short and sweet. I cried during the sand ceremony though. I just couldn't hold it back. The sand ceremony is kinda like a unity candle ceremony. Representing separate lives becoming one. They had Justen and Alissa join them. Tear jerker! Only teared up again during the Father-Daughter dance (gets me every time) and the Mother- Son dance.... and the Bride and Grooms forst dance... and when dad dedicated a song to mom.. ok fine.. I was an emotional wreck! :) It was all beautiful.

We danced, laughed, took more pics.. And has some amazing food! I didn't get to eat nearly enough. Maybe a few bites of roasted pig (yes, they really roasted a pig.. it was cool), rice and a rolled up something or other. It all came together nicely. I can't believe it is all over. Months and months of anticipation and it is done now. How quickly it comes and goes!
The photographer was a great! Super nice, got things done quickly.. definitely going to recommend her to other people! We even did a funny "jumping" shot when we were at the park. At which time brian says to me " shannon maybe you shouldnt be jumping".. ok ok.. one happy jump gone wrong and I never get to live it down! Just for the record.. we did the jumping photos and I didn't fall.. not even a stumble! So HA!

Ta Da!!!



Well folks.. here it is.. the infamous Wedding Cake for Jimmy and Jessica's wedding. I have to say I am pretty darn proud of it. I started baking last Sunday. I figure each layer takes about an hour or so to bake. There were 4 tiers, each tiers w/ 3 layers and only one oven. That's a lot of baking time. Stretching it out over the week made it way less stressful. I knew I would have plenty of time.

Much to my surprise everything went well in the baking department. I didn't have to re-make any of the layers because of breakage! That's probably a first.

Everything was going great until I had to transport it to Valley Center. Hwy 78... not the straightest road in the world. The rehersal was at 430 and I was desperately trying to be on time. I decided to get my pedicure after I finished the cake. That was a good idea until I sat in the spa chair for a good 10min before someone started helping me. The clock was ticking and I could feel it. It was like this pounding ticking in my head " better hurry up or youre going to be late". Stop the voices! ahhh! So I kept glancing at the clock and time seemed to be flying by. Those of you who get pedicures know that it isn't something that should be rushed! not fair! To top it off the lady didn't even ask what color I wanted. She just started painting them this redish-pink color... uhhh.. I have the brown I wanted to use... So she removed the other color from my 4 toes (she's quick) and she started over. Then all I wanted was a simple yellow flower. She just kept going with the detail! A slash of color here, a nother color there.. all the time I hear "tick tick tick tick" from the clock.. in perfect rythm with my heart. In the end I love the design.

My heart was pounding. I booked it from the salon(with wet toe nails) and back home to box up the cake and make the journey north. I loaded it and off I went... at 10mph. Just kidding. It felt like I was going that slow. Pretty sure I drove about 30-35mph down the 78. No one was behind me. Around the curves I could hear a couple of the cakes slide and hit the side of the box. I cringed with every "thwap, thwap". I imagined i would find a mangled mess by the time I got to the Longs'. My nerves were shot by the time I got there. I think I was shaking a little. The cake arrived relatively unharmed.
On the day of the wedding I was at the hotel getting ready with the girls. I left about 15 min before the rest so I could set up the cake. To my horror, guests had already started arriving! NOO! You are only supposed to see the finished product! Not my retarded way of setting things up! Oh well. I was rushing around trying to get it set up.. I recruited the groomsmen to help carry stuff.. It was fine until people started saying hi to me. They were literally chasing me around the table "Stop for a sec, I just want to say hi". Seriously people.. time crunch. Can't I see you at the reception?? It was slightly comical though. In the end it turned out great. I got a lot of compliments and even got a little teary-eyed when Brian said the my family " this is definitely her best one yet". Then he laughed at me when he comfirmed I was pretty proud of myself for a job well done :)

P.S. I was only about 10 min late to the rehersal..

Friday, September 12, 2008

How now brown.. shoes

Yellow Bridesmaid dress.. check.. brown sash.. check... brown shoes.. the search seemed never ending.


A simple thing really.. brown shoes to wear for Jimmy and Jessica's wedding. Brown is totally an in color right now so this should be a piece of cake...right? The search began a few weeks ago. Payless, Marshalls, ROSS, Shoe Pavillion, Target, Mervyn's, JCPenny, even KMart. No brown strappy shoes. Not even one pair. They are all closed toed business-women looking shoes. If I still worked at the bank, this would have fit in perfectly with my wardrobe.


Store after store I find bright yellow, lime green, snake skin, silver sequins, black, black, and more black, red, purple, light brown, tan, large bows, small bows, rhinestones, more sequins, polka-dot, stripes etc... but not one pair of just simple chocolate brown shoes.


By the time I walked into Famous Footwear today I was done. Katie had seen a pair a couple weeks ago and I was hoping they were still there. Then the poor innocent sales person smiles and asks : "are you finding everything ok?". I took a deep breath, smiled and said yes. What I really wanted to say was "NO! No, Im not finding everything I need. What is wrong with you shoe people? You sell bright yellow shoes but I cant find one stinking pair of brown shoes for my brothers wedding. I've been to endless shoes stores and departments and not one brown strappy shoe was in sight. ".. I refrained from going off on the unknowing sales person.


I continued my search and finally found some...without a meltdown. I don't love them but they will do. Its a week until the wedding so the time to be picky has passed. I figured if I hadn't found shoes by today, I would buy a pair and huge can of spray paint and make them brown. So here's what I found..

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Never Forget


7 years.. Sometimes I can't believe it has been that long and other times the pain and sadness is so strong it feels like it was yesterday. Never will I forget where I was, what I was doing or how the events of that day unfolded in front of my eyes. The tears shed, the hugs given and recieved. And worst of all the waiting.. would my friends aunt survive? where had she been? was my other friends father flying one of those United airplanes or did his schedule get changed.. would they find any survivors.. anywhere?


We all remember that day. If not everything, then some portion of the day. Every year on Sept 11 I take time and reflect on that day: the lives lost, the world and how it was effected. Hundreds of Law Enforcement, Fire Fighters, Port Authority personnel etc gave the ultimate sacrifice by running towards the mayhem to help the innocent. Thousands of innocent civilians lost their lives. The sacrifices for freedom carry on with our Military defending our country overseas.


So today take the time to remember. Honor our fallen brothers and sisters. And most of all... Never Forget 9/11/01.

What the Skunk?!?!?!!

Feeling somewhat blah last night I decided to go walking. Mostly because I knew my body needed the exercise and somewhat because I don't want to be huffing and puffing around the firefighters next month at the Breast Cancer walk.

Picture a cool evening, stars shining, moon glowing, great tunes on the ole iPod. The fresh air making you feel refreshed and alive when.. there it is... the distinct smell that raises the hair on the back of your neck and your eyes to become the size of saucers. A skunk...

I started looking around, hoping it is no where close to where I was at. I was walking past Ramona Sta 80 when I smelled it so I figured the little rascal was in the field across the street. Let's be honest, that smell could cut through steel. And travels quite far as well. I continued scanning the area but kept my pace fast. The only problem was that the smell was getting stronger. Did that mean I was getting closer or was I just following the path of the rank odor?

A car pulled up to the stop sign at 11th and H st and then I saw it.. the familiar fluffy black and white tail.... illuminated by headlights. In one swift move I jumped about 3 ft off the ground and 5 ft backwards then froze. Little Pepe' La Pew was climbing into the storm drain. No problem except I had no other choice but to walk past said storm drain in order to get home. At that moment I feared the worst.. I would start to walk by , he would jump out of the storm drain ninja style, spray me, then scamper away. Leaving me to walk into a grocery store to purchase their entire stock of tomato juice. I took a deep breath and ran past the storm drain, across the street, and about a block down the street.
I cautiously turned around and little Pepe' was no where to be found. As I arrived home I was shocked that I came out of the situation relatively unscathed. I didn't fall while jumping in the air (which from previous blogs you should know this has been a problem), I didn't fall into the street and get hit by a car nor did I have a face to tail encounter with my black and white smelly friend. You never know what mood those little guys are in. He couldv'e been having a bad night and taken it out on me. Afterall, not all skunks can be as charming as this guy:



Here's a little Skunk Smell removal link.. just in case

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Flower Power

My BFF Jessica is amazing and has already given me some pics from Jessica Long's bridal shower. I thought I would share a few. Everything went really well and I think Jessica enjoyed herself. Its amazing how much work goes into one of these things. Totally worth it though! Here's some pictures of the decorations, centerpieces, Peyton and me with my amazing Sister-In-Laws. Most people know that I love fresh flowers but I am not into floral print that much. For whatever reason "flowers" were kind of the theme for the shower. For party favors I even wrapped up little teracotta pots with packets of wild flower seeds for people to plant in honor of Jessica and her upcoming wedding. Everything felt very summer-like and the day turned out just as I had hoped. Eventhough it was Africa-Hot that day!We all survived by sipping on the yummiest mint lemondae.. compliments of Jess LaTour.. and ice cold water and iced tea.

Sweet Memory

Isn't funny how little things will remind you of your childhood? The other day I was reminded about random after school treats we used to get as kids. My mom picked us up every day from school and on occasion she would spring a surprise on us. One of my all-time favorites was " lets go to McDonalds and get an ice cream cone". IM In!! I rarely got a cone though. I opted for the equally delicious Butterscotch Sundae. Nothing can beat the vanilla soft serve covered in warm, gooey butterscotch and topped with a healthy dose of peanuts. Mom would usually get the cone. It was funny to watch her race to catch the drips as she drove home. I guess licking an ice cream cone is easier than scooping from a cup while driving. Either way it was the perfect little treat to finish off a long day at school. I never experienced a bad childhood. It was fantastic to be honest. My parents are selfless and did everything for us. I know sometimes they think they didn't do enough because we didn't have a lot but what they don't realize is little things like this stick out to us kids and it makes us appreciate them even more.
So today I endulged in my childhood memory and got a $1 Butterscotch Sundae. It was heavenly!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Inspirations and New Adventures!

One of the first times I went to visit the command center (prior to employment) I met a woman name Chris Hess. She instantly made me feel welcomed and she was eager to show me things. I asked Brian if he knew her and he said yes. He told me that she has been a Captain with CDF for a number of years. I found out she was the first female Captain for CDF EVER! Thats a pretty amazing accomplishment. She was diagnosed with Breast Cancer quite a few years ago and she survived it. She had a full mastectomy. She pushed and pushed and overcame the disease.

I tell you, other than the lack of boobies, you would never know she was once plaqued by such a serious illness! She is full of life, funny, outgoing and gives the best hugs forever. I was so excited to get hired with CDF because I would have the opportunity to work with her. She is really an amazing person. She has always inspired me so I have decided to dedicate my walk to her.

So, when my friend Becki approached me about walking with "Team Peas" in the Inland Empire Breast Cancer 5K (3miles)walk, I jumped at the chance. I was unable to walk with them last year but I am all over it this year! I can't even explain how excited I am! I set up my webpage and anyone who wants to can make a donation. I was little worried about having an amount I HAD to raise but it is totally not like that. The team has a goal and we are allowed to set personal goals. I set my personal goal at $500. I would absolutely love to raise more than that! Much to my pleasure, people have already donated $325!!!!! I have had the website for less than 24 hrs. I cant even express how excited and grateful I am that people are donating. I have already recruited 2 friends to walk with me. The team is made up of CDF employees and their friends and family! So.... if you would like to donate money or sign up to walk with us, click here. If you are signing up to walk, it is a $27 registration fee. Just make sure you sign up on the team section and click on Team Peas. If you can't walk you can also sign up for "sleep in for the cure". You register ($16) and it supports our team but you dont have to walk. Easy as that. If anyone wants more info, email me! JCsKiddo@hotmail.com

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Here Today.. Gone Today..

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly events come and go. Today was the Bridal Shower for Jessica Long. I've spent weeks coordinating with my Mom, Katie, Jess LaTour and the matron of honor to plan a wonderful wedding shower for Jessica and now it is all over. My days off went by in a flash but they were great. I had the wonderful opportunity to watch Peyton for a whole day. We has SO much fun! Then yesterday was spent getting last minute things for the shower and visiting with a friend that was down from Northern California.

I had to get a few last minute things at Hallmark today so I ran over there this morning, put in my balloon order and returned home to make the last little bit of food. I got to Jessica's to set up and that's when the fun started. I took the balloons out of the car and put them on the porch. I figured they would be safe because they could rest on the overhang.. I grabbed a bunch of stuff from my trunk and took it inside. When I got back outside I looked on the porch.. Umm, where did the balloons go? Thinking they were well on their way to the heavens, I sucked it up and continued to get stuff from my car. I looked up and they they were.. stuck in the tree. All 10 of them in tact!! Jimmy, the balloon hero, got a pole and got all of them out of the tree safely. I took them inside and put them in the living room. No way I am going to chance them flying away again!

While Jess and I were setting up tables outside I hear this " thwap thwap thwap thwap".. what in the... uh oh... Balloons just got wrapped up in the ceiling fan. I started chuckling and told Jimmy to shut off the fan. he says " Don't worry, it shut off by itself when all the ribbon got tangled up in it.".. Oh.. oops. Like a trooper he cut them down and once again saved the balloons. We only had one loss this time. Not too bad considering the tramatic morning our little latex decorations when through. Overall the day was great. I (surprisingly)had no trips, near misses, spills etc all day! That alone is a miracle. Jessica got a lot of cute stuff and I think she really enjoyed herself. I had so many people helping me so it made the day go smoothly. I even had time to do a load of laundry this morning before the shower! The day turned out exactly how I wanted it to. I couldn't ask for more.

Lessons learned though.. always tie balloons down.. no matter what room you put them in they always wander away.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

It's here!

Football Season has officially started! WOOHOO! Which means my fantasy football team can start earning points! yes! I sent out an official "trash talking" text message to all the teams in our league and recieved a couple jabs in return. It is all so good-natured and funny. It makes the games more fun. Brian kept up his trash talking when he saw my roster and realized I didn't put in one of the wide recievers from the New York Giants. Like a dope I created my roster just after the draft was complete and didn't change anything. That wide reciever would have earned me 13 points tonight. Combined with my quarter back (also from the Giants) I would have earned 24 points tonight. Lesson learned! Never fear.. the Ghostriders are slightly in the lead with 11 points.

On a bigger note this weekend is Jessica's bridal shower. I am SO excited. I really hope she likes everything. Just when you think things aren't going to turn out right, they do! The Matron of Honor has been ordering some supplies and shipping them to my place. One minor detail missed.. she forgot to put my apartment number on the shipping info. Oops! No worries, everything got here! Purely a miracle.

My day was spent playing with Peyton. We hung out at Auntie Shannons for a while, went to Costco and to Monte Vista Communications (my job) to see some friends. She is so smiley and happy. We even had a little cuddle time while we both napped on the couch. Only draw back is that she is a little heater when she sleeps. She was laying on my chest and we were both sweating. A little sweat is well worth the snuggles of an 8month old! I look at Alissa (10) and Justen (8) and I am amazed how big they are. I sometimes try to hold them like babies but I usually get a roll of the eyes from Alissa with a " TeeTee, Im not a baby anymore" followed by her little girl giggle when I tickle her. True true but she will always be my little "bear"! I remember sharing my bed with those two a couple times when they were little. They too were little heaters. I even ended up sleeping on the floor once because they were both sprawled on my bed. I loves these little kids. They are growing up way too fast for me!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

See it

Last night at work we watched the movie "August Rush" starring Keri Russell, Robin Williams and a couple others. Holy crap it was a fantastic movie! It took us like 4 hrs to watch it because we were busy but it was well worth the wait. It is a down to earth feel-good type of movie. Definitely one to keep for the home collection!