I feel like I have been rather absent the past few weeks on both the writing and the reading front on tumblr.  Between all of the stuff that has been going on, including the last month of school push, I haven’t had the time or the energy to keep up!  Well I finally had the chance to catch up  on the reading side, and here are the last few weeks in pictures (and some words)…

After spending Spring Break in Long Beach with Ellen, 

 we traveled back home to attend Alice’s Bridal Shower!

The bride and me!

The lovely ladies that make up the bridal party!

I saw Water for Elephants, and I loved it!  

 (image via)

My family and I celebrated Mother’s Day weekend at the beach,

with Rummy Cube and Dominos.

with the most amazing brunch at the Harbor Cafe in Santa Cruz,

and family photos above the beach!  It was a cozy weekend filled with grandmas, laughing, cocktails, food, and sharing a room with my parents!! You know you are traveling with elderly people when you put a walker in your trunk, a cane in the front seat, and the car conversation consists of coupons, doctor’s appointments, vitamins, and sweats with pockets!  If I had a dollar for every time I was asked, “Do you need a kleenex?” I would be rich right now!  I love my nans more than I can say, and to be able to spend a whole weekend with them and my family was a tremendous blessing!

Matt and I went to our first ever Brewfest in Sacramento:

Aren’t they a dainty bunch of men with their coasters and pinkies!

The crew!

And finally we went and saw Bridesmaids

 (image via)

and it was absolutely hilarious!  It almost reminded me of a female Hangover!

Thanks Elle!

Easter weekend came and went, which means that I am officially on Spring Break!

Monday was a busy day trying to get all of my errands ran before I left on Tuesday for…

LONG BEACH to visit this lady!!  

I have never been to Long Beach and thought that this was a perfect time to do it!  The two of us have a bridal shower to attend this coming weekend for Miss Alice (since we both have the pleasure of being bridesmaids), so I am bringing Ellen back home with me!  It will be fantastic to have company on the return 5.5 hour drive!!

So I got into town late last night.  Today we filled the morning, before Ellen had to head to class, with breakfast and a walk around her area.  Once she headed off to get smarter at school, I went down to the beach with the intention of grading papers while laying in the sun.  You know what they say about the best laid plans…it was too windy to grade, but I did spend some time sunning and reading!

Now I am grading papers/getting caught up on tumblr before its time to hit the town tonight!

ellenruhstaller:

My roomie, Sheila, started this via Facebook…so I’m stealing it and putting it to use over here in tumblrland. So as the peas of black eyes would say, “let’s get this party started.”

Here is the challenge in it’s 60 day entirety….

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.
Day 02 - A…

I am definitely diggin this and may have to steal/join you on this one, Miss Ellen!

On Sunday I bought a Nook!

I have been having an internal debate for months on whether or not I wanted to purchase an e-reader.  

I love, love, love books…the way they smell, their feel, the covers, the excitement of buying a new one, and I didn’t know if I was ready to give all of this up.

After chatting with Ellen, who is a Nook-owener, and the lovely saleswoman at Barnes & Noble, I realized that I did not have to give up real books, but I could do both!  I also realized that with trips to Europe and Mexico planned for this year, a Nook would be a handy (and much lighter) companion than the multiple books I usually have to pack!

I bought a cover (highly influenced by my hubs because he knows how clumsy I am and he said this cover suited me), a clip-on reading light, and some screen protectors!

I am ready to e-read!

Side note:  I just downloaded The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake that I am going to be reading with The Reading Resolution for the month of February! I am extremely excited to have this be the first e-book I read!

Now, don’t go thinkin all these crazy things about a girl’s trip to SF.  We headed to the city for an apartment-warming party for a friend of Ellen’s. Since last weekend was Ellen’s last here in NorCal, Alice and I thought that we should tag along and make a real trip out of it!

After an endless wait in a Starbucks drive-thru and a quick jaunt across the bridge, we found the sun and spent the day soaking it up in the city.

We hit up Fog Harbor on Pier 39 for some snacks and wine (both were delish and we decided a very grown-up way to spend our afternoon)! 

We also hit up Kara’s Cupcakes for some treats for later because these are the best cupcakes! 

The rest of the afternoon and evening were for standing in as helper-hostesses since our host for the weekend was a single guy!  The housewarming party was a lot of fun…meeting new people and enjoying the rooftop deck!  

Fortunately (or unfortunately, I’m not sure yet) the above picture was the only one taken with my camera, and I am not too sure if I want to see all the rest!

Our trip ended Sunday with some lunch (which was supposed to be brunch but by time we got a table and ordered, it was definitely lunch time!) after a very strenuous walk up Russian Hill!

It was a great weekend spent with my fav ladies! 

• Starbucks Friday! (I only let myself go to Starbuck once a week, on Friday, so every Friday has a little cup of pleasure to start it off with!)

• Making a new dish for the first time last night: tilapia tacos!  They were so delicious and really easy, I impressed myself!  I am not very creative in the kitchen, but last night I went off the cuff and tried something new without a recipe!

• Sweats…there is nothing I love more than throwing on sweats when I get home from work, especially on the chilly nights we have been having lately!

• Sushi tonight for dinner at my favorite sushi restaurant.

• San Francisco tomorrow for a last night out with Alice and Ellen before Ellen moves away.

• Cooking dinner two nights in a row (which for most people is not a big deal, but for me this is a pretty good and makes me feel like a good wife!)!

• Catching up on the DVR last night.

• Looking forward to having a turkey sandwich for lunch (btw sandwiches are my all-time fav food)! 

• Three-day weekend!!

You can see where my priorities are since many of the things on this list are food related!

since I just figured out how to get pictures off the new camera, I wanted to share a few from New Year’s Eve!!

Me and the ladies!

Matt and I with some New Year’s bubbly!

Who says that girls want all the attention??

Tooting my own horn (haha)!!

It was a great first celebration of 2011…full of glitter, bubbly, good friends, and fun! 

meghantheshrimp:

NSYNC | Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

This is to get your Friday on an upbeat, old school (old school, as in elementary school) track!

I am dedicating this to Ellen because every time I hear this song, or anything else by NSYNC, it takes me back to rocking out to JT and the boys with you!

The other reason for this song is because it is the last day of KK week at school and our staff Christmas party is tonight!  I am narrowing down the list of who my secret gift giver might be, but I am not altogether sure if I will figure it out by time I have to make my guess tonight!