Pretty, pretty car!

So for over a year now, I've been needing to get my car repaired.  There were 3 separate incidents where my left rear bumper was hit and cracked.  It was frustrating because I was not left with a note for any of the incidents.  The last boo-boo was my fault.  I hit the stucco on the side of our garage and scratched the left rear door and side molding. 
On Monday, I dropped my car off at an auto body place in Whittier that I found on Yelp.  It's a family-owned business and they take pride in customer service.  I'm pleased with how my car turned out, and they even took out some other minor scratches.  Here are some before and after pictures.

Before

After

Before



After

I don't have a before of the side door so let me paint (haha) you a picture.  Scratches on the door and molding in the color of the stucco which is...a yellow-creamyish color.

All better!  :) 

Happy Birthday (Uncle) Paddy!!!

On Wednesday we went out to BJ's for Paddy's birthday.  He couldn't decide between a couple of places, but what broke the tie was being able to get a pizookie!  My desire to get a pizookie is always two-fold.  One: it's yummy! And two: it supports the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which holds a dear place in our hearts because of our friend Emily. 

Here is Paddy enjoying his pizookie...and my dad being goofy.

Happy Birthday honey...hope you had a good day!

Life lately...

I apologize for the lack of blogging.  It seemed like a great idea to keep people up to date with our life, but our life is NUTS!!!  Things have slowed down just a bit, so I here I sit on a quiet Sunday afternoon to let you in on a few special moments that have happened in the last 2 months.

In April, we celebrated Kyle's FIRST birthday!  What a blessing he has been in our lives and it has been a joy to watch him grow up.  He seemed to enjoy seeing all of his school friends and it was also a great adult social gathering.  Since his birthday was the day before Easter, there was an Easter egg hunt and the kiddos played a game of hot potato.  However, Kyle did NOT enjoy his cake time and he let everyone know.  Despite this, I would have to say it was a success and a fun day. 

The birthday boy!

This isn't so bad... 

Not a fan...

A couple of weeks ago, we had another momentous occassion.  Paddy graduated from APU with his Bachelor's!  This was such a proud moment for him and something that he worked hard for.  This also marks the temporary end to a crazy schedule where we would go a couple days at a time without seeing each other.  Yay, I have my husband back!!!  It was a great ceremony with a wonderful speaker and a day of celebrating.  Good job Paddy!  I'm so proud of you!

 Can you see him?  Getting his diploma.

 Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Wife and the Grad!

 Both sets of parents and the grandparents.

Good job honey!!!

So there we are...a couple of life updates for you.  I will do my best to get better with blogging more consistently.  

Walnut Valley 5k!

I did it!  Approximately 9 weeks ago I bought an app for my phone called C25k that took me through a training program to get ready for a 5 week.  In order to stay motivated I also signed up for a 5k.  I was pretty faithful in my running and felt confident for the race.  The race was held at Diamond Bar High (Class of '02!) so I knew the area and what I was up against (terrain wise).  Paddy also decided to run the race, KFuj and Kyle walked the race and my mom was working at the first water station.  My goal was to finish under 45 minutes or at least under an hour.  Paddy finished in about 28-20 minutes and I finished in approximately 40 minutes (I didn't see the time clock until I came around the second time with KFuj and Kyle)...so yay!

Here we are before the race...see how happy I look  :)

After the race...we made it!

Kyle enjoying his medal...it was actually his mommy's, but she was willing to share.

If I'm not crazy enough, I've already signed up for my second 5k on March 27.  It is at Angel Stadium and benefits the Angel's Foundation...we also get two tickets to an upcoming game (slightly motivating). Yay for running!

New Recipe

A couple of weeks ago Paddy got the tomato soup from Panera Bread...yummy!!!  Since it was so good, we figured we could find the recipe somewhere.  So I went on the Panera website and found a recipe for a similar soup.  Here is the recipe courtesy of panerabread.com

Tomato, Cheese and Bread Soup

8	ounces crusty Sourdough croutons
2	tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
9	garlic cloves, minced
3	large onions, finely chopped
8	cups chicken stock or low-salt chicken broth
2	28oz cans peeled plum tomatoes, drained and crushed
1/4	cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
	Parmesan Reggiano rind (optional)
1/4	cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves (for garnish)
1/4	cup Parmesan cheese shavings
1/4	cup freshly grated Asiago cheese

HEAT OLIVE OIL in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until very tender, about 25 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute. Add chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, cheeses and cheese rind. Simmer soup uncovered 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For smoother texture, puree in blender or food processor before serving.

Ladle soup into Panera Bread Sourdough bread bowls. Add croutons, torn basil, and Parmesan cheese shavings just before serving.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

ABC's of Me!

I got this from KFuj (my SIL)...it was on her blog.


A- Age: 26
B- Bed size: Cal King...mainly for Paddy
C- Chore you hate: Cleaning bathrooms
D- Dogs: Madison and Tessa (my parent's and in-law's dogs)
E- Essential start your day item: Wash my face and put lotion on
F- Favorite color: Green
G- Gold or Silver: White gold
H- Height: 5'0"
I- Instruments you play: Rock Band bass guitar :)
J- Job title: Speech-Language Pathologist-VTW
K- Kid(s): None
L- Live: La Habra
M- Mom's name: Jean
N- Nicknames: Love, Honey, Fuj (it's stuck with me forever)
O- Overnight hospital stay other than birth: None, had a close call when I was younger with pneumonia.
P- Pet Peeve: People who don't use turn signals, tags that stick out from t-shirts and sleeves being rolled up.
Q- Quote from a movie:  "There's no crying in baseball!"       
R- Right or left handed: Right
S- Siblings: One brother
T- Time you wake up: 6:00
U- Underwear: Yes
V- Vegetable you dislike: All :)
W- What makes you run late: In the past it was my big brother, Mr KFuj :) but now it is usually me underestimating the time I need.
X- X-rays you've had done: Wrists, finger, chest, back, foot, knee, head...I think that's it.
Y- Yummy food you make: Tacos, potato wedges
Z- Zoo, favorite animal: Monkeys and giraffes

About me...

I got this as an email from my mom, but I thought it would be more fun to post it here...

a.) Three names I go by: Honey, Fuj, Teacher

b.) Three places I have lived: Diamond Bar, La Mirada, La Habra

(c & d are MIA)

e.) Three people who email me regularly (texting is not emailing): my principal, Souplantation, Laurie

f.) Things I love to eat: Taquitos, chicken, french fries

g.) Three people I think will respond: I don't know...

h.) Three things I am looking forward to: Mammoth, starting a family (not for a while, no one get excited), being done with school.

C25K

What is this you ask?  In an effort to get back into shape I decided that I needed to start running.  In order to keep my motivation for an extended period of time, I needed something to work toward...so what do I do?  Sign up for a 5k!  The Mexican and I have signed up for the first annual Run For Your Life Murrieta 5k in March.  Since then I have found this wonderful app for my ipod that takes you through a 9 week program to get you from the Couch to 5k.  It is interval running, which is perfect for me, and what's even better is I'm enjoying it!  Who knew me and running would actually get along.  I completed my second week this morning and although the running interval time will increase next week, I'm looking forward to the challenge.  I'm already able to see the difference in myself from two weeks ago.  Hopefully I'll be ready for the 5k in March.

What's wrong with this sign...

This is a sign that I see on my way to work everyday...and it bothers me everyday!

Can you tell me what's wrong...

What we've been up to...

Mucinex (regular and DM)

Nyquil

Ibuprofen

Aleve

Nose spray

Antibiotics

Vitamins

Just a glimpse into what we've been doing for the past 2 weeks...fighting a nasty cold/sinus infection.  Paddy got sick on Christmas Eve and was kind enough to share it with me the following week.  He has been absolutely miserable, while I haven't had it too too bad.  We've endured many sleepless nights between our coughing, sneezing, snoring and other random noises.  Paddy even went to the dr! (with a little encouragement from me) but you know that's when he is feeling crummy.  

With all of this said, I think we are both finally on the mend.  We have lingering coughs and some congestion, but I feel safe to say we have turned the corner and should be back to our normal selves by the end of the week...yay!

2010 in a nutshell...maybe a big nutshell

2010 had it's up's and down's, but when I look back I have so much to be thankful for.  I'm hoping 2011 is the springboard for both Paddy and I to be on our way with school, work and eventually a family.

- My "6 month" illness has finally left my body.  After months of blood tests, doctor's visits and a bone marrow test, it turns out my body was just fighting some ugly virus.  While I'm glad it was nothing serious, it was still one heck of a journey.
- Paddy and I moved in AND out of his parent's house.  We are thankful that they were willing to have us keep their guest room occupied, as it could be a possibility in the future again :)
- We moved closer to my work (woo!) and super duper close to Paddy's (which is due to change next week).  I think being 15 miles closer and 30 minutes closer has helped my health and stress level a great deal.  While it takes a little more planning to get together with family and friends, it's worth it to not be spending endless hours on the 57 and 91 freeway.
- We got a new car.  We said goodbye to Paddy's red Accord and welcomed in a new metallic gray Accord.  This was the first major purchase that we have made together and quite a good one I might add.  Although it was Paddy's dream to get the 2-door, I had to rain on his parade and say no...it's not car seat conducive.  And when we do have a little one, I'm not bending, lifting and bumping my head to get the baby out.
- Paddy is in the home stretch of finishing his bachelor's program at APU...yay!!!  After he graduates we will have to find a "house divided" sign since our school's are big rivals.  Go Eagles!  Sorry honey...
- We welcomed the newest addition to our family - baby Kyle!  Although he's growing up so fast, it doesn't seem right to call him a baby much longer.  I love hanging out with the little man and it gets me excited for when Paddy and I can give him some cousins.

These are the moments of 2010 that stick out in my mind...I know there were many other things that happened that were great and not so great.  With that being said, here's to 2011, may it bring joy, happiness and love into your life.