Vacation time....

So...this is a recap of our vacation time we have been spending since November 4, 2010! I left my SPH monitoring position 1 day after Shyama's 31st birthday! On his birthday we went to a very popular mexican restaurant in Phoenix. We enjoyed some very authentic mexican food...and drink! Below Shyam is enjoying my Sangria-very seriously-...

...and here i am enjoying his negro modelo....we tried to photograph our food but didn't quite remember in time and the shots that we got were...well eaten:)

and here is the cute couple bringing in yet another bday!

Our next journey was down to Tucson where we didn't realize so easily could rise in elevation and camp out! The trick was keeping Bilis warm...

Luckily we had made her a horse blanket AND bought her a sweater! so here you see her with her dad very warm!!

I'm sure you have both seen beautiful Tucson but i couldn't resist including this shot:)

On our last day we checked out Barrio Brewery and enjoyed it very, very much....we forgot to take pics of our trip to Nimbus Brewery which was very, very cool as well:)

Our next adventure was down to Mexico!...but we were able to get a hold of too too many prescription meds (to tide us over) and missed out on a number of pictures we should have taken:(....there is always next time :) Below is a shot of a bar on a popular strip that we enjoyed. It was actually pretty funny cuz we showed up and it seemed like it was a bunch of friends opening a bar and then part of them were scattering and the other half were catering to us:)

And when we returned i visited my tatoo artist Rico and he ink'd me up with my desired Sonoran pronghorn portrait...i had an idea and he brought it to life! i love it! I just found out that i will not be starting work next week and have decided to return to AZ where i have kept in contact with some biologists with AZ game & fish and will help with the yearly captive breeding sonoran pronghorn capture and release operation. i am really exciting about this oppportunity and will def post pics!

On that same day Paul, Kohl and Bryson so graciously came down to Buckeye to help us load the truck and Shyama SOOO kindly sent them home with the Prev..yes, the prev is no longer with us:( There will be no more party Prev trips taken in the Prev...it is now a family vehicle and below is Bryson's first ride in the Prev and i am pretty sure he loved it and that made us happy:)

And then we arrived to CA! I spared you all details of us getting settled it will be more of a surprise that way:) HOwever, we did do some research in San Diego and decided that the gaslamp district downtown would suit us best:) One bar that we stopped off at is called Dick's Last Resort and i am pretty sure that we won't be visiting until we are trashed just so that we can handle the service...it is one of those rare places where it is NOT customary to give customer service ...so the servers are drawing on paper and making caps that read..oh something like, 'my vibrator chips my teeth', yeah and then they put it on your head! we were sober when we got there and you can imagine my discomfort in thinking about how bad they were gonna embarass me....i look forward to going back once i have my alcohol confidence:) below is the bib they put on us..its actually pretty funny....

And very AWESOME is that we ran into this rattlesnake alongside the road, and of course i had to stop and shoo it off the road while trying to identify the species and less so watching out for my safety:( Luckily i have a great man that watches out for me and warned me when i was too close...actually the critter warned me but Shyam forced me to be done with him:)

OMG- this was the second most amazing event here at home-but at the time it was THE most amazing event! We had rain for 2 days, not too heavy though, and what it brought was this amazing waterfall that we could watch and listen too for a couple days! As much as i hope for good weather when you guys arrive i also hope for rain so that you can witness this awesome-o waterfall!

And with the rain brings the western toad! It was Awesome! we drove home one evening after a day of rain and were stunned that out of nowhere there were toads ALL over the road (the road that takes us to our home). We had to stop-of course-and take pics of this adorable critter and to shoo them off the road as we ran the gauntlet! what a beauty:)

Ok, Alright, i will leave you with this horrible shot of a fuckin bobcat whom i spyed? (spied) through the kitchen window about 50ft from our house. i was talking on the phone and honed into this critter creeping along (in the middle of the day) around the yard. i grabbed my binocs thinking that it might be a small dog from the neighborhood but realized that he didn't have a tail. before i knew it i was watching a young bobcat approach our house-Shyam was downstairs in the garage working on his bike and before i knew it the cat was crossing our driveway and Shyam was coming inside slowly and quietly-obviously he had seen what i was seeing! i watched this cat walk along the driveway and jump up through a broken part of the fence where he sat, stretched his claws, washed his face, and pondered his thoughts while i snapped some (not so great) photos of him. It was amazing! and we will be very much aware of when the doggy door is open and hope the gatos gorditos keep their culos inside!!

we are soooo excited to see you both! xoxo- ac & ss

4605 Park Lane, Alpine, CA 91901

Welcome!! this is the entrance to our new home:)

Here Tis!!!! This is our double (sorta) driveway. the front door opens up to this amazing view of green hills with massive boulders around. elevation is ~4000 ft. and we were told after the rains there is a natural waterfall that comes down right up there in those hills...:)

This is literally at the of the lane. you just drive up our driveway and wa-la!

This is the fenced in backyard..plenty of room for Bilis to dirty herself up. the yard is kinda dirt and kinda grassy and there is a doggy door built in to one of the doors!

my garden!!! you cannot really tell but it's HUGE!!! and it is fenced so Bilis cannot get into it...however, the cats will be a different story:(

This is the backside of the living and kitchen...i uploaded them in the wrong order:( see below:)

This is the entry way. you walk into the living room and the kitchen is kinda open behind it and our bedroom is beyond that.

This one is for Taj- lime tree outside our front door! and there is a tangerine tree around the side of the house. The rest you will just have to come and see for yourself!!! :)

i tried to upload a video that i took while walking around the property but it wouldnt take it:( gonna run, getting ready to get outta town! Steve, i commented back from my previous post! have a great weekend all....xoxo

this and that...

So i feel like it has been forever since we blogged and so much has happened so i compiled a bunch of photos to share that have been taken over the last 6 weeks.....

Can you see me...? if you double click on the picture you will see a speckled rattlesnake slithering away quickly rattling incessantly at me for disturbing his sunbathing session.

Unfortunately, the lighting sucked this morning and he tucked himself away in between these two rocks and waited patiently for me to leave...if you look close you can see his rattle shaking away...i am such a bad biologist for harassing the wildlife:(

Above is a mojave rattlesnake, one of the most poisonous in the state because of the neuro toxins in his venom. This guy was hanging on for life. you can see he was on the highway and we pulled over and set him aside under a creosote hopefully his suffering ending and provided a nutritous meal for another.

This was an AMAZING encounter....do you know what mammal that tail is attached to? I will give you a hint, Arizona's state mammal.....still don't know....

duh!, the most adorable mammal (besides Bilis) in the state!!! ringtail...I had heard rumors that this fellow made appearances every so often on this OP and sure shit last month he just appeared before my eyes....

and he was not even scared off when i went into my pocket for my camera he was actually quite curious and let me take a few shots, again, my lighting was shitty so they didn't come out as clear as i would have hoped for...

nonetheless, ADORABLE!!!!

Thanks for the bday wishes from all!! We had a fabulous day Shyam surprised with this beautiful black hills gold necklace...

and handmade bracelet!!!! I have been wanting black hills gold jewelry forever and he surprised the shit outta me with these pieces...I know, i know i AM the luckiest girl eva:)

Above is our adorable dog playing with a 'free gift' that i received for donating to the conservation of national parks. it WAS a buffalo for about 3 hours in our house. We learned that 'stuffed' animals are not good toys for our dog...good times, picking up the fluff around the house:)

This is our beauty in a homemade (unsuccessfully) jacket/sweater/horse blanket...don't matter what you call it, it did'nt work! Shyam kept saying i don't wanna put my dog in a sweater but we learned because of the shape of her body she needs something snug all around to keep her warm. We (Shyama) finally finished making this in time for our camping trip to Alpine, CA this weekend to find a house and it helped but didn't quite do the trick. nonetheless she was adorable in it:) and while we were there house hunting we found a lil locally owned pet store that had a sweater that fit her perfectly! (pictures to come)

The below photos are of a pizza we made from a recipe from my girlfriend. I thought i would share because i thought it was an easy meal and something that maybe T could do with D (minus the shrooms:).

We started with a jiffy crust mix (follow directions on box) and then mixed a batch of sauteed spinach (u can also use drained box of frozen spinach) and a 1/3 C of parmesan mixed together as the spreadable layer (used instead of pizza sauce). We then (thinly sliced) garlic and mushroooms sauteed them up and added them on top. Used almost 2 C of mozzarella on top, with sliced roma tomotoes and red onions. baked at 350 for 15-20 minutes until browned edges

and wa-lah!!! delicious!!! obviously you can use whatever ingredients you like:)

This whole work thing is really bittersweet. you both know how much i love what i do (minus the hours) but i am through putting up with the bs people involved. i have never met such closeminded, disrespectful peeps in any line of work that i have done and unfortunately, management supports/defends the behavior of these people so I am through......the bottom line is that we are both miserable here. things would be way different if Shyam could land steady work here..i know i could make things work but since that is not the case, it is pointless for us to stay. below are some pics of me working....and NO, i have not put on that much weight! the wind was a blowing fiercely!! :)

I will leave you with the cutest picture yet:) Mom and I went to the zoo where you could feed the stingrays and she absolutely loved it! she loved the stingrays, the tortoises, feeding the giraffes, (getting bruised while) feeding the geese and ducks......and i wonder where i get it from

We are waiting to hear back on a dreamhouse-literally-in a (Cleveland) National Forest in Alpine, CA. We should find out Monday if we are approved to move in 11/15! We will keep you posted and as soon we know something we will share:)

take care guys, xox

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!

I just wanted to thank everyone for a great birthday. When the clock struck 10:17am on Thursday morning I was in Raleigh with Paul and Kristie and they did not let my birthday go without fan-fare. We had a great time, Kristie took me out at lunch for wings with a side of beer and Paul and I went out later for some beers and a little pool. They also got me this great cake of Cookie Monster, which was pure icing. An awesome birthday! I can't thank Paul and Kristie enough :)

I also felt that simple text could not do justice the happiness that Amanda, Shyama and Taj made me feel on my birthday. So I made a little video, expressing my appreciation for you all.

Thanks sooo much for the Dumbass hot sauce Amanda and Shyama!!! There was only going to be one take on this video, and I'm sure you can deduce why. Thank you Amanda, Shyama and Taj for all the wonderful gifts. I truly felt the love, and had a great birthday even though you guys were so far away. Thank you all!!!

Dr1nk4me,
sh

Here are some of my pics from the Gorge this year, which was... as always... a blast. We were quite a crew this year, made up of four guys, which made even more extreme the ratio of dick and fart jokes, the level of drunkenness, and the final level of stinky that accompanied us home :) The band's not touring next year, though, so the show was particularly awesome this year, with Ben Harper opening all three nights. On Saturday, he came out and played "All Along the Watchtower" with Dave on his slide guitar, which was a bad ass fucking song. The video below is of Matt (shirtless, from Australia) and Gabe (sunglasses, from Philly) attempting to hula hoop at the campsite of some new friends we made. It was quite an experience hanging with Matt all weekend, as his accent (which I, of course, tried to imitate) was the greatest pantie-dropping elixir I have ever seen... women would hear him say something walking by, grab him, and not let him leave until he spent some time in their tent. Over the course of the weekend, we had him shotgun his first beer (something they don't do in Australia, apparently, though they binge drink plenty!). The funny horn this one young lady is blowing on is Sam's vavuzula (the South African horns that were made famous at the world cup, where he obtained this one). It makes one hell of a noise, but it's tough to do. Dmitrius got it very easily and wouldn't put the damned thing down, but I kept failing in my attempts :)




In addition to all of that, I've been spending a good amount of time with my boy, who is getting so damned big. He's also recently developed an adventurous side that had been missing. These pics are from an afternoon when we went to feed the ducks and ended up spending about three hours wading through waste deep streams, finding cool rocks and critters. He's become even more of a character, too, and the one thing that I'm most proud of these days is how well our relationship had developed. We talk about everything, and he can even explain to others why he doesn't like Wal Mart ('they like money more than people or nature') or Target ('they don't like boys with boyfriends or girls with girlfriends'). I know that's a funny example, but what do you really expect from me?! Beyond that, he's getting so big! He turns 5 in 18 days, at which point we'll be in Legoland, which I'm really excited about. He can't even describe how stoked he is, and my mom's going to be there with us, and he loves his Gramster. I love her, too, but she's fucking nuts, right Steve?!

Amanda, Happy Birthday! Sorry I totally spaced when we were talking today. I don't even pay attention to what day it is usually, and I'm generally bad with dates. No excuses, but it may have something to do with short term memory loss or old age or something. Regardless, you are now 32, too, and I'm still 31. :)

Everyone keep thinking about new years eve, at which point we need to all be together. It even looks like I'll have the money to travel to wherever we're heading, but we've gotta make some plans. Thoughts, all?

Miss you guys!