Wednesday, May 31, 2017

The Last Page

For some reason, very coincidentally, May 31st has served on more than one occasion to be the last page of chapters of my life. I know that metaphor is just so cliche and I can't handle it but it is what it is today. Maybe May 31st, 2017 will be the end of me using cliche language.

May 31st was the day I departed France after a year abroad. It's been ten years since I studied abroad and it doesn't feel as far away as it is now. But it was hard, and a struggle, to reacclimate to life in the United States. A lot of my values and core beliefs are not in tandem with American culture, read: gross accumulation of wealth, profits before people, no work-life balance, etc. So a part of me has always felt a little less at home since studying abroad. But in a good way. I'm happy I've seen what it really means to both work hard and live well... to value people and practice business within ethical boundaries, and see the value of fresh things over shelf life, of the customer not always being right and creating the culture of gross entitlement over simple human error, etc etc. But, I digress.

May 31st was also the day that I finally got the courage to abandon a decades-long bully relationship in my life that inflicted physical, emotional and endless verbal abuse, as well as narcissistic gaslighting and manipulation (and no, it wasn't a boyfriend). My life has peace, serenity, calm and support in it now without that toxicity.

So, every May 31st is something of a reflection, something of a rebirth, something of the end of something. I'm happy.

And so I also look forward to every June 1st as the anniversary of a renewed beginning, a fresh start of new milestones and a real celebration.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Memorial Day Weekend

I have actually been dreading Memorial Day Weekend since July. That's because I started this job in July and I was told we were going to be hosting an event on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend that I needed to attend. On Memorial Day Weekend! On the Sunday! The Lord's Day! So I had been bitter about that and just looking forward to getting through it all. Well, I got through it, and it was actually a pretty awesome weekend!

On Saturday we celebrated the first birthday of Penelope, essentially the first kid to be born in AJ's immediate and closest friend group. Penelope has been a light in our life! I love that girl, and it's cute how much Anana loves her too and protects her.











That was a really fun day, and there was face painting and games. My skin is too sensitive for unknown paints, and since I was working the next day I didn't want to risk not being able to scrub it off, but there were some sick facepaints there, especially Jon's Mike Tyson tattoo lololol!


I worked on Sunday (ugh, trying to erase it from my memory lololol) and then we had to go to AJ's grandmas house to go over some stuff with his family. The best part was how something so depressing turned into something so fun! AJ invited his friends over and we turned it into a pool party - with BBQ, baseball (the drinking version) and champagne in squirt guns!







We didn't end the night until about 10pm in the jacuzzi. And for us 30+ folk, that was pretty impressive.

AJ and I had the grand plan to go play tennis the next day around 11:30. Long story short, we left the house around 4pm lololol but hey, we still made it out to a tennis court! We slept in, had breakfast, lounged around, I watched Bridesmaids and lots of Portlandia, and we took Anana out to the tennis courts with us. It was probably the first time I even held the racket in literally ten years. Probably longer. But muscle memory kicked in, and I was relieved that I could still hit a top spin and even my backhand was still decent.

We had tied up Anana to the fence on the shady side of the court, and all of our water bottles and stuff we put on the bench on the opposite side of the court. Unfortunately this meant that every time we took a water break, Anana was going crazy and barking from the other side of the court, thinking we forgot about her and was sad we were hanging out without her. Poor pup! I can't wait to play again though, I forgot what an amazing work out all that start-stop action is!

Friday, May 26, 2017

How Is It The End of May Already?

I'm an aunt, Genevieve is graduating, it's June next week and I've had a headache since Monday. This is part due to some annoyingly big events my office is putting on which will more or less signify the end of this season and I will be on a relaxing downside throughout summer. But, things continue to move along even when I can't keep my head on straight.

AJ and I continue our weekly volleyball, which has been really fun and always something that we both look forward to.

Banana has been enjoying her new toys...




Khaleesi needs a bath...





And AJ and I both coincidentally take pictures of each other sleeping with the kitty around




And speaking of cats... my boss just came back from Brazil and brought me back these Brazilian chocolates called "cat tongues". I finished them in 1 day (duh) but kept the box cause it's so funny looking and I appreciate it!



I'm not really looking forward to the weekend, but I am looking forward to being done with next week and then getting to see Modest Mouse to celebrate the end of all of this insanity!

Monday, May 22, 2017

Life Duality

This weekend, like life, was a weird, confusing mush of celebration and mourning; of joy and grief.

On Friday I worked remotely and had a good day. I went to the doctor, I went shopping for a birthday present for a one year old's birthday party this upcoming weekend (and found gifts I wanted to keep for myself! Hashtag unicorns...), got a lot of work done at a Starbucks, and got to go visit Heather and Luca, who was finally awake for a substantial amount of time!






AJ and I were supposed to go camping with friends for Anana's 10th birthday, which was Saturday, and had been planning it for a longgggg time.






That morning, however, AJ got a call from his mother, that his aunt had called and was hysterical, and all she could make out was that an ambulance was at their house, where the aunt lives with AJ's grandma. Plans were ditched and AJ headed to his grandma's house, updating me that she was being taken to the hospital but was unresponsive. About an hour later the next text I got was "She's gone." And that was it.

I think the weirdest part was that our friends from San Diego were in town and I didn't know what to do. I wasn't about to tell them to leave (although they offered) but I was in shock and at that point there was nothing more to be done, and it was just... weird. AJ's grandma was getting up there in age (in her 80s) but she was more or less fine, and still played piano at jazz clubs a few nights a week. Just last week I stopped by and sat and talked with her for awhile and she was lamenting that AJ and I live "too far" from her (btw, we live probably a 7 minute drive haha). But she helped raise AJ, and he and his mom and sister lived with her for a few years after his parents divorced, then his mom bought the house across the street, and AJ spent his summers with his grandma and grandpa driving around the country in their motorhome and learned to play gin and other card games, and he was even living with her for the past few years. He is, very understandably, shocked and upset.

We actually were able to get a little bit of a distraction that Saturday afternoon though. AJ came home from the hospital, took a shower, and was wanting to take the dogs to the beach (our friends brought their dog to help celebrate Anana's birthday- haha!). Oh, and they brought her a birthday gift, which was this ice cream cone toy and Anana, being the brat she is, is extremely defensive over food and toys, and this is her protecting her toy and and growling at Montezuma if Montey even so much as looked at Anana!



She got over it when the toys were removed though.

So we went down to Huntington Beach and got lunch at BJ's on the patio and walked around the beach for a little. The weather was actually hot! So it was nice to be at the beach.




Afterwards, we hung out at our place in our backyard for a bit, and then Pam and Doug headed back to San Diego.

On Sunday, we had been invited to a brunch, but weren't sure if we were going to be up for it. At the last minute, AJ was up for it, so we headed to Laguna Beach for a nice bottomless mimosa brunch followed by champagne at the Skyloft rooftop. It was beautiful.




We went back to our friends place for a little bit, and then AJ and I went to his grandma's house to be with his mom and aunt and help with some arrangements. AJ cooked dinner too. It was hard, and it's been weird. Even I am still in shock and upset. It doesn't feel real, and it was eerie that she wasn't there. We felt like any minute she would just come walking out and go sit on her recliner like always. Everyone was struggling, it's been hard.

So, it's been quite a Monday. AJ is home today and I'm at work, struggling, because it's always hard to go back to work after such loss when your eyes have been opened to what really matters...

Thursday, May 18, 2017

Angelinosssss

Last night AJ dragged me to the Angels game. I say that because it was a kind of a work thing and I was sorta obligated to go, which made me drag my feet. Well it ended up being super fun (of course), not least of all because I got comfortably giggly drunk and the game was amazing - they were playing the Chicago White Sox and the final score was 12-8 (Angels)!!! Runs were being scored all over the place! We also had great seats so I got to cheer on mah boy Cameron Maybin!



We had great seats that really were this close!

Because of how long and sloppy the game was, we decided to leave at the top of the 8th since it was already passed 10pm by that point, but then as we were walking to our car, the White Sox started scoring (it was 11-4 when we were leaving) and so AJ made us duck back in to watch the rest of the inning. We sat behind this family and the baby was IN LOVE with AJ. She couldn't stop staring at him and waving at him and even blowing him kisses!



I was mentally done by this point and rediscovered Snapchat (something I open once every 4 months, take pictures of all the filters, and then never touch it again) and went to townnnn. That blowfish was cracking me UP and I was trying to change my picture in AJ's phone to that blowfish picture hahaha








I'm getting old. That was plenty for a Wednesday night!

Monday, May 15, 2017

Kara-o-ke

Last year for one guy's bday, we went to all you can eat KBBQ followed by a session of karaoke nearby. It was such a freaking hit... that he re-created it again this year. on Saturday we went to some om-nom-nom KBBQ, and then way too long at Plush karaoke.

I sang every song I could get my hands on (everything from Moana to Dr. Dre) and yet my favorite part was Jon and his freaking tambourine. I don't think he sang a single song... he was just in his own world with the two tambourines, which some people thought was annoying but I thought was the funniest thing I had seen all night.









Here is a video of Jon, not doing anything but living in his own world, shaking the tambourine.



In the morning, his wife sent us this picture... the inside of his thigh were he was banging that thing all night long!



Yesterday AJ got a lot of work done on the yard and I did a lot of reading. It was a weird day and we ordered Indian food at 9:30pm. Happy Monday!