We were recently introduced to skype. I had heard of it before, but never used it. As a going away present, we received a webcam in order to skype with our families on a regular basis. I have to say, I really kinda love it. Other than a few glitches with our camera, skyping is truly delightful! I often skype with my sister and my almost 2-year old niece. It's really fun! I think I see them more now through skype than I did when we were at home. I also occasionally skype with my sister-in-law and my nephew although my nephew has a hard time standing still within the frame. So a lot of the conversation is yelling at him to move back in front of the camera. :) Evan also skypes with his whole family every Sunday - it's convenient because they are all together in one place. It's really almost like we are at home and that's so awesome!
One of my biggest worries was that I would miss so much of my niece and nephew growing up, but now with skype, it's like I'm not missing anything. Thank goodness, because they really light up my life and I'm so thankful that modern technology makes it so easy for me to connect with them. If you have skype, look me up so I can add you to my contacts and we too can chat like I'm not several states away!!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
CoooOOOoookies!
Admittedly, I am not a good cookie baker. My cookies always end up burnt, misshapen, and not too great tasting. Usually, I can follow a recipe and it turns out pretty good, but cookies and me just don't mix. However, I always feel like baking this time of year and since I have nothing else to do, we decided to bake some cookies this afternoon. We chose two recipes: Chocolate Chip and Thumbprint Cookies. I was just gonna do the thumbprint cookies, but Evan wanted some chocolate chip. I am convinced that the one recipe for chocolate chip cookies that I have is flawed because each time I've tried to make it, the cookies were melted, flat, burnt pieces of crap. So Evan was put in charge of finding a new recipe.
After 2 trips to the grocery store - I forgot baking soda the first time - we were ready to bake. I started with the thumbprint cookies because the dough needed to chill for an hour. My mom makes these thumbprint cookies every year, so I decided I needed to try them myself.
Next up, I baked the thmubprint cookies and Evan filled them with apricot and boysenberry jam. Usually, these cookies are made with nuts, but since Evan is allergic, I only made 6 with nuts for me. Toss in some "Colbert Christmas Special" and "A Muppet Family Christmas" playing on DVD in the background and it was quite the merry time. And now, we have 2 plates full of cookies that the 2 of us have to eat!! I could be nice and fix some plates for our neighbors, but that would require actually talking to them, and doesn't sound like something I'd do. :)
After 2 trips to the grocery store - I forgot baking soda the first time - we were ready to bake. I started with the thumbprint cookies because the dough needed to chill for an hour. My mom makes these thumbprint cookies every year, so I decided I needed to try them myself.
While the thumprint dough was chilling we whipped up the chocolate chip cookies. Evan was in charge while I supervised. And being, well being Evan, he decided that he wanted to add some marshmallows to the chocolate chip dough. I convinced him to only put marshmallows in the last few because I thought the marshmallows would just melt and mess up the cookies. Well, his recipe was successful! Not only did all the cookies turn out (minus a few with burnt bottoms) the ones with the marshmallows were pretty tasty!
Next up, I baked the thmubprint cookies and Evan filled them with apricot and boysenberry jam. Usually, these cookies are made with nuts, but since Evan is allergic, I only made 6 with nuts for me. Toss in some "Colbert Christmas Special" and "A Muppet Family Christmas" playing on DVD in the background and it was quite the merry time. And now, we have 2 plates full of cookies that the 2 of us have to eat!! I could be nice and fix some plates for our neighbors, but that would require actually talking to them, and doesn't sound like something I'd do. :) 
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Jay Leno Show
So living in California, more specifically, in Burbank, definitely has its perks. One of those perks is that we basically live next door to all the major tv and movie studios. This allows us to go see tapings of shows like The Jay Leno Show. Tickets are free, you just need to reserve in advance and show up on time.
The time to show up was 2:45 and we left our apartment at 2pm - NBC is less than a mile from our house. Well, NBC sits on the intersection of Alameda and Olive which is a stupid, crooked, little intersection. Olive runs diagonally through Alameda so it's a little confusing. Anyway, we found where we were supposed to line up and there was already a TON of people there. Basically, if you wanna be one of the folks who go up and shake hands with Jay at the beginning of the show, you better be there waaaay early. Anyway, now that we knew where we were going, we had to find parking. I am still astonished at the complete lack of parking in LA. You would think that a city that is so reliant on auto transportation would have places to park. UGH! Anyway, we parked in a parking garage under an adjacent building (that cost $12.50, by the way!). And then we had to walk all the way around NBC studios to get to the line-up area.
We got to the place to line up around 2:35. Now, on the tickets it says that seating is "first come, first served and that a ticket doesn't necessarily mean you will get a seat." There were already 2 sections of the line that went in to the holding area next to the studio so we were a little worried that we wouldn't get in. But finally, we made it to the holding area - where we waited...and waited...and waited. The show doesn't start taping until 4pm and we were seated at about 3:50. We were seated in the far stage right corner (near where the musical guests perform). Not the best seats in the world, but hey, they were free. The guests for the show were Morgan Freeman (AWESOME!), Maxwell (who?), a segment of "Jaywalking" and then comedian Daniel Thune (Hilarious!) at the end.
It was hard to actually watch Jay and not watch the tv monitors right above our heads. Most of the time Jay was blocked by camera equipment or the guy sitting right next to me that was leaning over way too far. What was interesting is that while the show was on commercial or there was something playing on the monitors, like the Jaywalking pre-taped stuff, Jay would just kinda wander around, chat with crew and then quickly go over his next cue cards 10 seconds before the cameras came back to him.
I had no idea who the musical guest was, and I guess his song was ok, but I was mesmerized by his suave moves - that boy could dance. And then it was done and we were all ushered out. It was fun, and it's nice to have a free (except the parking) thing to do in California. I'd really like to go to the Ellen show someday, but she seems to be a pretty hot ticket and books up fast. Anyway, there you have it, our Jay Leno experience.
The time to show up was 2:45 and we left our apartment at 2pm - NBC is less than a mile from our house. Well, NBC sits on the intersection of Alameda and Olive which is a stupid, crooked, little intersection. Olive runs diagonally through Alameda so it's a little confusing. Anyway, we found where we were supposed to line up and there was already a TON of people there. Basically, if you wanna be one of the folks who go up and shake hands with Jay at the beginning of the show, you better be there waaaay early. Anyway, now that we knew where we were going, we had to find parking. I am still astonished at the complete lack of parking in LA. You would think that a city that is so reliant on auto transportation would have places to park. UGH! Anyway, we parked in a parking garage under an adjacent building (that cost $12.50, by the way!). And then we had to walk all the way around NBC studios to get to the line-up area.
We got to the place to line up around 2:35. Now, on the tickets it says that seating is "first come, first served and that a ticket doesn't necessarily mean you will get a seat." There were already 2 sections of the line that went in to the holding area next to the studio so we were a little worried that we wouldn't get in. But finally, we made it to the holding area - where we waited...and waited...and waited. The show doesn't start taping until 4pm and we were seated at about 3:50. We were seated in the far stage right corner (near where the musical guests perform). Not the best seats in the world, but hey, they were free. The guests for the show were Morgan Freeman (AWESOME!), Maxwell (who?), a segment of "Jaywalking" and then comedian Daniel Thune (Hilarious!) at the end.
It was hard to actually watch Jay and not watch the tv monitors right above our heads. Most of the time Jay was blocked by camera equipment or the guy sitting right next to me that was leaning over way too far. What was interesting is that while the show was on commercial or there was something playing on the monitors, like the Jaywalking pre-taped stuff, Jay would just kinda wander around, chat with crew and then quickly go over his next cue cards 10 seconds before the cameras came back to him.
I had no idea who the musical guest was, and I guess his song was ok, but I was mesmerized by his suave moves - that boy could dance. And then it was done and we were all ushered out. It was fun, and it's nice to have a free (except the parking) thing to do in California. I'd really like to go to the Ellen show someday, but she seems to be a pretty hot ticket and books up fast. Anyway, there you have it, our Jay Leno experience.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thanksgiving = Christmas Decorations
So we just celebrated Thanksgiving which means that it's now acceptable to put up Christmas decorations. It's not yet December, but Xmas here we come! We brought just about all of our xmas decorations from Colorado, so today I took the opportunity to decorate. I got the tree up and all it needs is our ornaments. Evan had rehearsal this afternoon, so I'm waiting till he gets home so we can do it together. Other than the tree, we have a few xmas knick knacks here and there and that's about it. I also have this really sweet Christmas Village, but I don't have a good place to put in the apartment. I have some options, but none of them are really convenient for minature buildings and fake snow.
We are going home to CO for Christmas and I couldn't be more excited! You realize just how homesick you are when you have booked a flight home and comfort, family and friends are only weeks away. Because of Evan's show, we can't stay in CO very long, but I plan to enjoy every minute of it. There are so many things that I love about Christmastime and we are fortunate that we don't have to miss them even though we moved away. Here are just a few of the things that bring me so much joy during the holidays:
We are going home to CO for Christmas and I couldn't be more excited! You realize just how homesick you are when you have booked a flight home and comfort, family and friends are only weeks away. Because of Evan's show, we can't stay in CO very long, but I plan to enjoy every minute of it. There are so many things that I love about Christmastime and we are fortunate that we don't have to miss them even though we moved away. Here are just a few of the things that bring me so much joy during the holidays:
- I love my mom's house at Christmas. She goes all out and makes sure every room is decorated some way. I used to always help put up the decorations and had to learn where each decoration lived and how everything was supposed to be stragetically plugged in. I didn't get to help this year, but I can't wait to enjoy the decorations. The house is really magical this time of year.
- Stocking stuffers at the Marquez house. My siblings and I stopped getting stockings when I was about 10. Kinda sad. Luckily, I married into a family that will never stop doing stocking stuffers. I have my own stocking at the Marquez house and I LOVE opening them first thing on Christmas morning. It's full of all sorts of small, fun trinkets and it's always an adventure to see what's in the stocking.
- Watching all the little kids open stuff at my mom's house on Christmas Eve. What I particularly love is that because they are kids, they pretty much get their way, so when they want to open presents the second they walk through the door, they get the fun started right away. They have so much fun and it's great to watch.
- As much as it might be frustrating, I love how my dad tries to put off gift opening to the very last second. We always need to cook, eat, clean the kitchen, do the dishes and sit around for what seems like forever before we can start the gift exchange. It used to drive us crazy when we were little, but now we expect it and I think it's kind of funny.
- Lastly, I LOVE getting gifts from Evan. Not just cause it's neat to get presents, but because Evan's gifts are always thoughtful, unique and just so "Evan." It reminds me just how great he is, as if I could ever forget. He pays attention to everything and applies it when giving gifts. If I mentioned something in passing 5 months ago that I thought was neat, it will show up under the tree at Christmas. And there is usually something surprising and funny - Something that makes me giggle and something that no one else would ever think of getting me.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Skittles.
I had plans to go to the gym in our apartment complex this evening. Instead, we went to the store and bought candy. Yup, nothing says health like skittles and snickers. Perhaps I'll still go later, but I'm pretty dang good at finding excuses not to work out.
Let's see, so what else is going on? Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow and Evan's sister is coming to visit! I have a big ol' meal planned that will, no doubt, yield mountains of left overs. I'm looking forward to cooking all day, especially since one of the first things I'm making is pumpkin cupcakes with a cheesecake filling. I really hope they turn out because otherwise there isn't another option for dessert except for eating frosting out of a can.
What else...oh I've been applying to jobs like mad. It's really becoming quite annoying. I have applied to so many jobs that I'm PERFECTLY qualified for - like they couldn't have written it more for me unless they put my name on the job posting. So I submit my stuff and hear nothing. Not even a stinking interview. I don't understand. I get that the economy is shit and there are like a billion people searching for jobs. But why wouldn't a company want to interview those who are most qualified? Ugh, oh well. Something will come along. And it's not like I'm desperate for money quite yet. Severance will be here for several more weeks, and when that ends, then I really panic.
Still no auditions or agent yet either. I know I've only been here a few weeks, but I hope and pray everyday that something will happen. It's also super difficult to answer questions from loving friends and family about what's going on here when nothing is going on. It's really hard to believe that I made the right decision to move when all I do is sit at home all day. I believe in my abilities, I just need a little outside help to kick things into gear. I've researched, researched and researched and know exactly what I'm doing...and other than shelling out hundreds of dollars for acting classes, I'm doing a lot of things right. And yes, I know that acting classes are important, and I may very well take a whole slew of them, but right now I can't justify the expense - especially when I know that I don't learn well in those situations. I learn the best on my own when I can watch, absorb, experiment on my own and then apply. Or just by doing it! Ugh, anyway, enough venting for now. Time to work on some monologues.
Let's see, so what else is going on? Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow and Evan's sister is coming to visit! I have a big ol' meal planned that will, no doubt, yield mountains of left overs. I'm looking forward to cooking all day, especially since one of the first things I'm making is pumpkin cupcakes with a cheesecake filling. I really hope they turn out because otherwise there isn't another option for dessert except for eating frosting out of a can.
What else...oh I've been applying to jobs like mad. It's really becoming quite annoying. I have applied to so many jobs that I'm PERFECTLY qualified for - like they couldn't have written it more for me unless they put my name on the job posting. So I submit my stuff and hear nothing. Not even a stinking interview. I don't understand. I get that the economy is shit and there are like a billion people searching for jobs. But why wouldn't a company want to interview those who are most qualified? Ugh, oh well. Something will come along. And it's not like I'm desperate for money quite yet. Severance will be here for several more weeks, and when that ends, then I really panic.
Still no auditions or agent yet either. I know I've only been here a few weeks, but I hope and pray everyday that something will happen. It's also super difficult to answer questions from loving friends and family about what's going on here when nothing is going on. It's really hard to believe that I made the right decision to move when all I do is sit at home all day. I believe in my abilities, I just need a little outside help to kick things into gear. I've researched, researched and researched and know exactly what I'm doing...and other than shelling out hundreds of dollars for acting classes, I'm doing a lot of things right. And yes, I know that acting classes are important, and I may very well take a whole slew of them, but right now I can't justify the expense - especially when I know that I don't learn well in those situations. I learn the best on my own when I can watch, absorb, experiment on my own and then apply. Or just by doing it! Ugh, anyway, enough venting for now. Time to work on some monologues.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
I need a hobby.
Ugh...the days are certainly starting to drag on. Evan works from home full-time, but I'm still on severance searching for a job. Since he needs to be on the computer all day and with the dismal offerings that daytime tv provides, there really isn't much to do. I've been trying to read, but that gets boring. I should clean more often, but it's hard to find the motivation to do so. Today I chose and worked on 2 monologues for drill, but even that only took an hour or 2.
I try to apply to at least 1 job every day, but after days of this you realize just how few jobs are posted during the week. I have had one interview in the week we've been here, but I was outrageously over qualified for it and therefore haven't heard anything back on it. I've also been self-submitting myself to acting jobs, but that hasn't yielded any auditions yet. I have also sent my stuff off to agents, so now I just wait to see if, by chance, someone calls me.
So everyday I sleep in, eat breakfast, watch the today show, get ready for the day, eat lunch with Evan and then honestly do nothing until it's time to cook dinner. It is really a pathetic existence. And the hard part is the longer this goes on, the less motivation I have to actually do anything. What's extra sad is that it was BEAUTIFUL outside today, but I couldn't think of anything to do or anywhere to go to enjoy the weather. Sigh...something needs to happen soon or I just might go insane!!
I try to apply to at least 1 job every day, but after days of this you realize just how few jobs are posted during the week. I have had one interview in the week we've been here, but I was outrageously over qualified for it and therefore haven't heard anything back on it. I've also been self-submitting myself to acting jobs, but that hasn't yielded any auditions yet. I have also sent my stuff off to agents, so now I just wait to see if, by chance, someone calls me.
So everyday I sleep in, eat breakfast, watch the today show, get ready for the day, eat lunch with Evan and then honestly do nothing until it's time to cook dinner. It is really a pathetic existence. And the hard part is the longer this goes on, the less motivation I have to actually do anything. What's extra sad is that it was BEAUTIFUL outside today, but I couldn't think of anything to do or anywhere to go to enjoy the weather. Sigh...something needs to happen soon or I just might go insane!!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Home Sweet Apartment
Going from a 3 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom apartment was quite the transition. We packed up a TON of stuff to store in my mom's basement and still moved quite a bit of junk. Well, here we are 1 week and 1 day as residents of California and I think we are finally all unpacked. We still have some shelves to hang up, but I think we're all settled. It doesn't quite feel like home to me yet. I'm stuck in some middle ground between home and a hotel. All of our stuff is here, but it still doesn't feel quite like ours.
There are a few features of our apartment that we prefer over what we had in our house. First, we have a bathroom that is adjoined to our bedroom. In our house we had to go out into the hall. Second, the living room is very large and open. There is a really nice flow from the kitchen to the eating area to the living room. There is also a long wall that fits our furniture nicely. Third, it's kinda nice to not have to worry about a lawn. Don't get me wrong, I love outdoor spaces and flowers and what not, but it's one less thing to have to worry about and spend money on.
Then of course there are few things that aren't quite as nice. The first major one is that our washer/dryer is in a closet...in the living room!! Yep, right there in the middle of the room is a damn closet that screwed up my whole furniture plan. Next, the dishwasher is not only kinda small, but is the loudest damn thing I have ever heard. We can't even hear each other talk while that thing is on. And since it's smaller, we have to do more loads, ugh. And lastly, the shower head was meant for really short people. We both have to kinda of bend down or squat just to wash our hair. It's a little ridiculous.
Ok, enough of the descriptions, here are the pictures I promised:
One wall of the office: 
Another wall of office that was apparently the magnet for ALL of our stuff:
Our bedroom as seen from the far corner:
Our bedroom from the door:
The second 1/2 bathroom:
Hallway from living room to bedrooms:
Living Room:
There are a few features of our apartment that we prefer over what we had in our house. First, we have a bathroom that is adjoined to our bedroom. In our house we had to go out into the hall. Second, the living room is very large and open. There is a really nice flow from the kitchen to the eating area to the living room. There is also a long wall that fits our furniture nicely. Third, it's kinda nice to not have to worry about a lawn. Don't get me wrong, I love outdoor spaces and flowers and what not, but it's one less thing to have to worry about and spend money on.
Then of course there are few things that aren't quite as nice. The first major one is that our washer/dryer is in a closet...in the living room!! Yep, right there in the middle of the room is a damn closet that screwed up my whole furniture plan. Next, the dishwasher is not only kinda small, but is the loudest damn thing I have ever heard. We can't even hear each other talk while that thing is on. And since it's smaller, we have to do more loads, ugh. And lastly, the shower head was meant for really short people. We both have to kinda of bend down or squat just to wash our hair. It's a little ridiculous.
Ok, enough of the descriptions, here are the pictures I promised:
Here are some closets we have in the hallway:
One wall of the office: 
Another wall of office that was apparently the magnet for ALL of our stuff:
Our bedroom as seen from the far corner:
Our bedroom from the door:
The second 1/2 bathroom:
Hallway from living room to bedrooms:
Living Room:
Living Room:
The dining area/front door as seen from the living room:
The kitchen:
The Kitchen take 2:
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