currently reading: Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

i just finished it and can't decide if i liked the ending but i did shed some tears so if you are a hopeless romantic like me i recommend this book

currently trying to remember:

i am scared. i graduate this year and will be thrown into the real world. i want to land my dream job so bad. i don't want to be working retail forever. i want to (have to) contribute financially to my little family. i just hope i can do it while doing something i love, studied for, & dreamed of.

currently dreaming of:

a home that we can decorate & make our own. 

currently missing:

the weekend. being with ben. oddly enough salt lake for the people & our little apartment. 

san jose. cooking. my nephew henry. sisters+sam.

living for the weekend

this weekend was perfect.

 i live for the weekend where i can hang out with my Ben all day and all night.

friday night Ben got off earlier and so we decided to go out to dinner at this little french restaurant downtown. the restaurant made us feel as though we were transported back in time. roaring 20s era with the music and the furniture.

  i am a sucker for eating out. it's an experience.

saturday we decided to head over to santa monica for brunch & then check out malibu. Ben also packed a little picnic to have on the beach.

the sun was shinning, it was breezy & i had the perfect companion.

couldn't have asked for anything more.

saturday night we headed over to west hollywood where we had an amazing dinner at artichoke's heart. 

if your ever in the area go ahead and try it. i had great artichokes, duck, octopus, & lemon pie. yes, octopus. i couldn't pass it up when i had never tried it and who knew when i could again.

well it was cooked very well but wasn't exactly my favorite. little too chewy. but if i hadn't tried it i always would have wondered so i can check it off my list.

sunday was a lazy day filled with church, brunch, card games, lost & a home cooked sunday dinner with my family

hope you all had a great weekend!

mama bear

with ben working late into the night (10 or 11), i have gotten the opportunity to go down and stay with my family for a couple nights during the week.

 it's the best. 

i get to hang out with my mom all day and night.

we go out to lunch, look through old pictures, discuss life, play card games, bake fun treats, laugh & love.

this little lady always calls me her sunshine but she has really been my sunshine this past week.

it's hard when ben's away and your living at a hotel and so you can't even feel productive by cooking a nice meal for him when he comes home. 

but i know i am here to support ben. to rub his back at night. cuddle. smile. make him laugh.

i am just lucky a couple nights a week i can go down and rejuvenate myself so i can continue to be the happy, supportive wife.

ps my mom even taught me how to play "my heart will go on" on the piano in honor of the new 3D premiere. i get chills when i see that preview.  lovin leo

guilty pleasure

just got a little giddy & giggly while watching this

is it weird that i hope that one day they will get back together?

 along with JT and Britney?

a weekend to celebrate love

Ben and I decided to celebrate Valentines Day on Saturday since he works late during the week. 

We started it off by waking up a little earlier in the morning to head up to Oakland to go to the temple.

The Oakland temple is so beautiful. It may be my second favorite looks-wise (after San Diego of course). 

It was the perfect way to start off our Valentine's Day.

The temple is nestled on the top of this huge hill that overlooks all of San Francisco. If you are ever in the area I strongly recommend just walking the temple grounds. It is breathtaking.

 yes, oakland really is this green. I am really loving northern california.

We then ate lunch at a little cafe up the street & headed back to San Jose. 

Ben was in charge of the dinner plan. He researched and found this cute little cottage type restaurant located in downtown San Jose (little Italy to be exact). The atmosphere, service & food were all top notch. I hope we can go back soon. I had the best lamb chops and B of course had salmon. (best salmon he said he ever had which is quite big coming from the man who orders it whenever it's on the menu!)

 yes i know, i should stop thinking my phone takes good enough quality pictures.

I have grown to really love Valentines Day. I love showing not only my husband how much I love him but also my family and friends.

 I decided this year to make homemade valentines and I hope to continue this for many years to come. 

on to the next..

Well it's official, we are moving to Los Angeles this Sunday and will be staying there for about three weeks. There is currently more audit work to do in LA than in San Jose so Ernst & Young offered Ben an opportunity to head down south. 

I honestly could not be more thrilled. After visiting my family in Orange County last weekend it was hard to come back to San Jose and be on my own most of the time (Ben works 9-11 hrs a day). 

Don't get me wrong, I have loved exploring San Jose and making it my home for the time being, but I am ready to be in sunnier southern california for three weeks where my mom is a mere hour away. 

We are on to the next adventure.

PS I did beat out Ben in the battle of sugar. He couldn't fight the urge at the Sacramento Kings Game. Better luck next time. I am looking forward to using my winnings in LA!