Stood Up.

So I THOUGHT today was gonna be a good day....

...and then I got stood up for my date with Berkeley, tonight.

Yeah, didn't think that was going to happen since he was the one complaining last Friday night about being stood up for his date that night.  

WOW. 

I'd be more mad or pissed, but honestly, I stopped getting my hopes up about dates and whatnot.  

Besides, I've been trying to be 'less invested' with certain friendships and relationships.

Tonight's events don't really make me want to try to ask Oeste out again.  

Really, do I want to be shot down again? 

A heart can only handle so much.  

This

is

why

I

cannot

stand

dating

!!!

All the B.S. games and drama.  

Why can't it just be easy, like;

I like you.

Do you like me?

Ok, let's do something about it.

Done!

Dear God, 

I hope I don't die 

single...

or alone,

or a virgin. 

Amen.

ok, I take that back.... I am pissed. Who can't pick up a damn phone and call....or hell, at least drop a text. 

Christmas Eve!

Oh man! Today's Christmas eve.... so much to do and enjoy!

*I'll become the best of friends with scotch tape & wrapping paper. Let's hope I make it out without any cuts!
*I hung out, for the first and last time, with W.Anthony last night.  Now I know why I shouldn't date 25-year-olds...or at least this 25-year-old! Within the first 5 minutes he was demeaning and rude with his teasing.  LAAAAAAAAAME!!! Needless to say, I will NOT be calling him back!

*On a happier note, I'll be going out on a date with Berkeley.  Last night, he called me complaining about the women in his YSA ward flaking out on dates with him.  Berkeley's a really nice guy, intelligent, spiritual, RM, college educated and going back for his Masters in Law, cute, beautiful blue/hazel eyes and lovely smile---quite the catch! My only gripe about Berkeley is that he talks soooooooooooooooooo much!! But he does listen and has a great memory, so at least there's a trade off.  Well, he called me and was majorly bummed. I asked him how he felt about dates and if a woman asked him out on a date, who would pay.  I was kinda joking, thinking he'd know I was teasing, but he seriously said that a man should always pay.  Well, I waited about 2 minutes then said, "Do you have any plans next Friday?"

"No"

"I was wondering if you'd like to go out on a date with me, to Berta's" 

"YES!"

I was shocked by his immediate response! But I seriously thought he would have known that I was slightly joking--I wanted to see if he'd catch me trying to score dinner off of him [I would have paid for my own dinner].  But then he made a comment, which now I know that it's a date.  So here's to Berta's next Friday!!   

*I'll be singing in my ol' YSA ward tomorrow. I'm nervous just because our quartet hasn't practiced together and I don't know if the 2 other girls even know the song.  Ugh......  I hope it doesn't bomb.   I'm just excited to see all my friends!! I miss them so much!!  

*I'm stoked to decorate cookies with my niece tonight.  Or maybe tomorrow, since I'm lagging on wrapping gifts. 

*It's 3:30pm and I haven't eaten anything all day......dang, this is gonna be a looooooooong night! 

Merry Christmas Eve!!

PB ward Christmas party & Vans.

-It's 12:45pm.

-I'm drinking the BEST cup of HoCho, EVER!! It's by Nestle and I added two packets-thats' the way to go!! ♥

-I love cracked wheat! Try it! The texture is fun! 

-I saw Oeste tonight at my ward Christmas party. I asked him if he knew of any good places for Pho.  It was a brief conversation about Pho and where to have some. I guess he couldn't tell what I was trying to hint at. :-/  Do I even try to attempt to ask him, directly? Ugh.... I don't know...we'll see.  

-So my new ward friend, "Vans" was also at the Christmas party.  He came over to talk to me and it was cool getting to know him more. He studied Psychology (trippy).  I asked him if he's assessed me. He has.  I asked him to share it with me.  He said that I live my religion, but I don't make it my entire life.  I like that, I believe it.  He said that I'm easy going and friendly.  All true!  I told him I was a lil worried he'd tell me negative things, but wanted him to tell me his brutal honest opinion anyways.  He said he likes to be positive with his assessments since so many people think Psychology is just negative.  It was good.  I think it'd be cool to chill with him sometime.  He attended BYU-Hawaii, so I think there's some "hang loose" in him.  Small world, he knows Berkeley.  They grew up in the same ward and live out in east SD.   Vans suggested that I make it more of a habit to drive to east county to visit Berkeley.  I don't really want to, since it's about a 45 minute drive.  Berkeley and I meet up when it's convenient for both of us.  Eh, we'll see...

-My nephew, Sim & niece, Novee went by Mr. Red's tonight.  She invited him over for dinner.  Bless her heart! :) She's been wanting me to cook for him, again.  My family has all taken a liking to Mr. Red. Can't blame them, he is pretty spectacular!  When he interacts with them, he makes them feel like they're the most important person on the planet. I know this.  He does it to me all the time. I'm pretty dang lucky, I know.  

Thanksgiving at the Beach!

I made some of Mama McK's cinnamon rolls for my ward's "Thanksgiving at the Beach" party, today.   I was pleased with them! Oh, I love Mama McK so much!! I think I feel a 'Gratitude List' post comin'....
Invited Berkeley and got to spend the day with him....

...at my ward party and then at the temple, waiting for his mom. So much fun!! I love Berkeley! 
While waiting for her, I took some pictures. These were my favorites! Oh I love the temple so much!

I had a wonderful time in the temple this evening. Came across ol' friends from my ol' temple shift. It was like a beautiful blessing from the Lord...a treat to come across kind, familiar faces. I love when He blesses me with those tender mercies.  
Today was one of those days that makes me TRULY love living in San Diego, having the friends I have and just being ALIVE!  Awesome, awesome day!! 

Friends, Work & Stuff.....

-Wow, what a cool, wonderful week....makes me feel a lil randi.....
-I can't believe it's Friday and I start work on Monday.  I'm stoked...and a lil nervous. But more stoked than nervous.  I'm especially giddy about my 2nd day at work! :) More on that later....
-I can't get enough of this blog. It makes me look forward to motherhood with anticipation and enthusiasm. She's so positive and uplifting about life, family and everything in between. LOVE IT!
-I got to hang with my ol' CV5 (ward) friends this week.  I truly love them and am grateful for their friendship.  They mean so much to me.
-Oh how I love cardigans!! I wish I had one in EVERY shade & color! Or at least dark purple and mustard yellow, to start off with....
-Tomorrow is my new ward's "Thanksgiving at the beach" in La Jolla. I'm kinda excited about it.  I'm thankful Berkeley said he'd go with me. It's nice to have a friend at this functions.  
-My sister comes home on Sunday. I'm glad. I love my sister and couldn't be more grateful to have her in my life.  (sidenote: she's actually my sister-in-law...well, to be technically correct, she's my ex-sister-in-law, but to me, she'll always be my sister). My hat goes off to her and all mothers, especially single parents. Parenting is a hard enough task, so to do it alone, that is quite a feat. She's blessed with children who love and appreciate her.  
-Hmmm.... I think that's all I have on my mind right now. Can I just say how STOKED I am for Monday! Wow, it'll be here before I know it! I'm so excited, I want to go put my outfit together! Geez, I sound like it's my first day of school or something.... anyways... Happy Weekend! :)

Stupid crazy Monday!

In short, today started out CRAZY--- (more on that some other day)
And then it ended quite nicely.
I went to my new ward's Halloween party, with my friend Berkeley. 

Then I had the awesome surprise of coming across an ol' friend from my old ward. I was so ecstatic to see a familiar face! It was comforting because I was suddenly shy when I showed up to the party.  It was a blessing to have two familiar friends around me. Thank you Heavenly Father for answering one of my many prayers today.  

In LOVE with a Viking♥

Meet Viking:

Viking:

Chocolate crème brûlée and milk chocolate whipped cream are hidden between chocolate cake layers and smothered with fresh caramel. Crushed chocolate almond pralines surround this dark and dense torte. An absolute necessity for chocolate lovers!

Last night was my very good friend, Neffie's lil birthday shindig. As much as I love this friend...I love this chocolate cake just as much :) I told her that I felt like it was my birthday too, because this was definitely a gift from the Chocolate gods. God bless "Extraordinary Desserts"!!

Hmm...what else....

So I moved back to my ol' YSA ward. I'm really stoked to be back! There's a lot of new friends to be made and several HOT guys to be dealt with ;) I do miss my ol' friends who've gone off and gotten married...but I'm glad I still keep in touch with them!

Berkeley moved back from Utah. I'm so glad, I've missed him.

I got to see my friend PajamaPants the other day. He makes me laugh. I always have the best times with him. He's been on my mind a lot, lately. The other night I woke up from a nightmare that he died. I was tremendously sad. I started crying, I would never be able to bear such a loss. PajamaPants and I met while on our mission to Jersey and we've been friends ever since. It also helps that we live in the same city. He's the best guy listener in the world!!!! I know I can go to him with anything and he always makes it better. I trust him immensely and love him dearly. I'm so grateful for him and his friendship.

SNL Weekend Update...minus the SNL part.

Friday night I went to "December Nights" at Balboa Park. OH SO MUCH FUN!!! I had TONS of fun with my 5 dear friends. With the amount of fun we had, we consumed double the amount in food!!

What we ate:

-Hungarian Sausages w/ sauerkraut

-Puerto Rican Empanadas (pastillos)

-Lebanese Baklava

-Irish stew

-Indian stew

-Filipino Lumpia

-Czech/Slovenia Sausages w/ sauerkraut

It was ALLLLLLL SO DELICIOUS!! We also watched some Chinese, Peruvian & Polish dancers. Such a wonderful international evening!!

Saturday's Temple day wasn't the best one. I really needed my friend Berkeley. Oh well, I guess there's always next week.

Sunday...well, it was definitely better than Saturday. I love the First Presidency's Christmas Devotionals! I love Pres. Monson. I love to hear him speak, I always feel the Spirit and have a greater desire to be a better person. I also love to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, especially when they sing, "Silent Night".

Can't wait to go to work tomorrow! (WOW! NEVER THOUGHT I'D EVER SAY THAT IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!) Thank goodness for Atticus :)

"Poly of Love" at the Temple.

Yesterday, the temple just wasn't the same.  

I needed a friend, the same friend I've had the last couple of months.  I needed someone who would make the temple fun and seem less like 'work'.  Someone who understands what it's like being an older YSA return missionary.  Someone who could take the stress and 'work' away from what was a very stressful moment. Someone who's put a smile on my face and made me laugh during the toughest of times.   

My temple shift doesn't seem the same without my friend Berkeley.  It almost makes me sad to go to the temple now.  I feel alone, even though I'm surrounded by friends...it's not the same without him.  

Some may think that I have feelings for Berkley, those of a romantic sense.  I did at first, but I found more than just a 'crush', something deeper--a friend.  He is my friend, in the truest sense.  It is possible to be friends with someone of the opposite sex.  It hurts my heart that he's not a part of our temple shift.  It was incredible having him around.  I never felt alone or obviously unmarried while at the temple.  Something I had been feeling for a while whenever I would visit the temple.  I miss his sense of humor.  We were always together, and when we weren't it felt like we would be in search of the other.   His Mom, amongst others, also noticed that we were always together.  I sincerely loved his company.  I missed it yesterday while I was in the cafeteria alone, without the hope of Berkeley soon joining me-as usual.  I forgot what that had felt like, it hasn't happened for a long time.  

Even though his stupid "Poly of Love" song would sorta get on my nerves, I miss it.  I would do just about anything to have him sitting next to me on the 2nd floor couch singing that darn song.  

Thank you Heavenly Father for blessing me with Berkeley, it's been a pleasure....please bless him to hurry up with his grad school stuff so he can come home to San Diego, the temple and me.  

My bad/good/bad week.

Bad:  Last Thursday, my other car was towed from in front of my house.  My other car is my old Kia that died laaaaaaaaaast August (2008).  I didn't renew the registration this past January, so it was towed because it just sat there.  Dead.  When I got home that evening, after 5pm, I called the San Diego parking authority that left a lovely little ticket ($25) for me to pay.  The automated voicemail said that their hours were Monday-Thursday, 8:30am-5pm.  Wow, lucky me that it was now 6pm on a Thursday night.   

Good: My friend, Berkeley, from the temple didn't move to Utah (this week) like he was suppose to...so he was at the temple for one more week.  Hopefully, another week this Saturday as well?  We'll see.  That made me so tremendously happy!!  I love hanging with Berkeley, he makes the shift so much more fun.  We talk & laugh...he has a great personality! He's such a breath of fresh air [compared to the other YSA guys on the shift].  

Then Saturday night, my missionary nephew got to call home from LAX (LA airport) on his way to Fiji.  His family also drove over to see him and spend sometime with him and the 3 other elders from him MTC district.  He sounded so good!!  I was ecstatic!  He later emailed us on Sunday night to inform us that he made it to Fiji and that the mission home was located on temple grounds.  He's so immensely happy to be there and was hoping to start tracting that very night!!  Oh man, this kid is AWESOME and will be a FANTASTIC missionary!!

Last night, a friend put on a musical fireside and my good friend PajamaPants sang a couple pieces.  My goodness, I was speechless.  I attended the fireside for the sole purpose of hearing PajamaPants. I love to hear him sing! He could sing the dictionary and I'd still be very content. He has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard.  It's like a cross between Aaron Neville & Luther Vandross--but BETTER!  I told him that for Christmas, I wanted him to sing me a song of my choosing.  Thank goodness I've got a good 2 months to find a song.  Oh man, it brings tears to my eyes whenever he sings.  BEAUTIFUL I tell ya, so beautiful.  Plus last night, watching him sing brought back a lot of mission memories.   It was a great weekend!

Bad: If you've ever been fortunate enough to deal with a towing company, they charge 'holding fees' every day your car is in their yard.  Today I was finally able to get through to the SDPA and they informed me of where my car was.  I could pick up the car with a current DMV registration ($350+), current insurance (another headache since I cancelled the insurance when I got my new car and the Kia was non-operative anyways) and a tow truck to tow it off the yard ($140)--OR....sign over the car's title to the towing company & pay $327 for towing & holding fees.  I paid the fees and walked off the yard with a garbage bag full of stuff from my ol' "Foxy Roxy".  So many memories with that car... Dang it, another expensive lesson in Procrastination.  

Last week.

MONDAY:

My friend PajamaPants and I went to Balboa Park's organ pavillion to watch a silent film, "The Cameraman". Oh man, it was a trippy experience!! It was really neat to be watching a film outside, underneath the stars. And then for it to be a silent film was a real treat! Below you'll notice an organ. The organist played the entire 77 minutes of the film!! I couldn't believe it!! It was truly fantastic!!

TUESDAY:

The last Knox softball game for the season :( Some really great times were had!! I'll miss that softball field--it was right on the bay. So pretty!! I'll miss hangin' out with my coworkers out of work and Mr. NY trying to teach me how to get there. So many fun moments!

FRIDAY:

YSA luau! Good food...great friends...Fun times!!

SATURDAY:

Went to the Temple and had a FANTASTIC time!! Learned a lot of new things & can't wait to learn some more new things next week. Hung out with a new friend at the temple, who'll soon be leaving in a month once she has her baby. She's so funny and I loved watching her with her husband. They make a wonderful couple. I hope to find a man as sincere and caring as he. Also got to hang out with Berkeley (He's in the left Friday photo above.) and LOVED IT!! He makes me laugh and I'll miss him when he moves to Utah in a month.

TODAY:

Today was my last Sunday in my YSA ward. Luckily, I was able to see my friend Jane who came to SD for a visit. I'm really going to miss my YSA ward. Terrific people, but I know it's time to try something new. I also attended a baptism of a friend's husband. I'm really stoked for this new change in their lives and can't wait til they become an eternal family in a year.

Tonight was the first practice of stake choir. I was invited to sing with them again. I'm so ecstatic!! I'm truly humbled and happy to be apart of the choir. However, I will miss having my nephew there with me, like last time. Last stake conference we sang, "Called to Serve" which was dedicated to Simi since he received his mission call right before a choir practice. Tonight we sang it since we'll be singing it at conference again. The floodgates opened up....it made me miss Simi oh so much. On the way home from church, he and I would always sing the two pieces from choir. So singing "Called to Serve" made me miss him more than ever. Note to self: DO NOT WEAR MASCARA TO THE NEXT STAKE CONFERENCE!!

All in all, I've gotta say it was a great week and I can't wait for all the new and exciting experiences that await me this week!!

For Jane:

(Whom I miss dearly! MOVE BACK!!)

Mr.NY: My HOT co-worker that I’ve known since last July. I first met him when I walked into the office for my interview. He instantly helped me out and has been uber nice to me ever since. He’s gorgeous, inside and out…but unfortunately is not a member of the church. He graduated from UCONN with a degree in English/Creative Writing (TOTALLY LOVE IT!!). He has beautiful blue eyes, super perfect soft skin and a SWEET New York accent. Why this man is single, I have no idea...but he is BEAUTIFUL with a very kind heart.

Pythagoras: I’m not sure if I ever pointed him out to you at the Temple, but we have the same Temple shift. Talked to him once at the Temple (actually twice) and it totally bombed. He seems extremely shy, which makes the awkwardness enjoyable. I call him Pythagoras since he’s studying Math at UCSD. Yes, just like Katie’s sister….his ex. Why I dig him…The blue eyes are totally mesmerizing, obviously a member & an RM, and he’s pretty to look at every Saturday.

Berkeley: The son of one of the sister‘s on my Temple shift. I met him about 3 weeks ago and LOVED every second of it. He kept me laughing and it was so refreshing! He still has a personality even though we’re in the Temple…he’s not fake. I like that, a lot. He studied law at Berkeley, hence the name. I haven’t really gotten much of a chance to talk to him lately, but when I do it’s always such a comic relief.