♥ Happy Birthday Jose ♥

Jose's birthday was yesterday, August 7. He is now 28 years old, just two years shy of 30.... Jose, I know you feel like you are becoming an "old man"... But in the words of Mariah Carey, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE MY BABY!!! :)

I love you, sweetheart!!!!

XOXO,
Nikki

In Recovery

I think I'm getting sick right now :( I woke up an HOUR late for work this morning (as in, I'm supposed to be in at 8 and I woke up at 9)... Then when I got here I realized I'm not feeling well.. Not sure if I'm coming down with something, or it's just Vegas and everything else catching up to me, but either way I'm not feelin so hot today... Speaking of Vegas, I am going to be posting a blog dedicated to our trip very soon, I promise. I'm just waiting to get some more pics. For now I will just say that I am loosing my voice, I am exhausted, achy, and probably still a little hungover.... And I had a GREAT time... "Totally worth it"!! Hehehe

Well, the wedding is only about 10 days away. I can't believe it. In a weird way, I don't want it to come, because then I won't be a bride anymore! Haha... But I am very excited. I'm stressed out, but there aren't many things I actually have to DO at this point. Last night I made a cute box for people to put cards in for us... I bought a round card board box that looks like a hat box, and painted it navy blue and then decorated the top with these really cute pearls. It turned out pretty good! I love being crafty :)

Tomorrow night we're heading to Berkeley for a meeting at the Berkeley City Club (reception hall), and on Thursday we have a meeting with the photographer. Thursday is also Jose's 28th birthday!!! Watch for a special blog dedicated to him... I've got something very cute up my sleeve ♥

XOXO,
Nikki

This Weekend

I'M SO EXCITED!!! :)

XOXO,

Nikki

Bachelorette Party!!

This past Saturday night was my "Bay Area" Bachelorette party, hosted by one of my bridesmaids, Jenn. We went to the Radisson Hotel in Dublin, where Jenn had gotten a two-story hotel room. She had gotten there early along with Nichole and Tina and decorated the whole place:

They had a blow-up penis that they named "Jose", and made me carry it around the whole night!!

After everyone got to the hotel, we were off to PF Changs for some fun with drinks and dinner! We had a FABULOUS time at Changs, and afterwards went back to the hotel for a quick rest, take some pics, and then went to Hooters.

In addition to carrying a blow-up weenie around all night, I was given a list of things I needed to do by the end of the night. I got almost everything done including:

Having someone buy me a shot:

Get kissed by a girl:Writing my name on someone's boxers:
Have someone propose to me: And get a lap dance!

It was a really great night!! Thank you so much to Jenn, the ladies who helped with putting it together, and to those who came... I had SOOO much fun!! :)

This week I'm working on more wedding stuff, Jose and I just got our marriage license and we're meeting with the minister on Wednesday to talk about our vows. Then on Thursday night it's off to Vegas with Holly, Heather and Ashley for Bachelorette party number two!

XOXO,
Nikki

Please Take Note:

I am no one's "secretary". I am an advertising and music licensing coordinator. Just because I answer phones and help to field calls, does not mean I am a receptionist. I work at a small company, and we all answer the phones. Please take note that if you refer to me as a receptionist or secretary, I will be offended. Nothing against those who are, but I was a receptionist 3 years ago, and I have worked very hard to move up.

I just received a call from some D-Bag wanting to license a song, and he says to me "I understand you are Shelly's secretary". Sorry buddy, you understand WRONG. This is after he called last week, and asked if I was "very knowledgeable about music publishing". Yes, yes I am... Aaaannndddd I will not be helping you out now. Little tip...If you want help, make sure you know who you are talking to before you decide to be condescending and treat them like they don't know what they're doing.

Thanks for letting me vent :P

XOXO,
Nikki

Damages

This Saturday Ashley and I hit up the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. This was a little dangerous because A) It was the biggest sale of the year, B) I have a Nordstrom card that didn't have anything on it, and C) I was with Ashley, and she always inspires me to buy! :)

Here are some of my favorite purchases:

New Juicy suit! This was a big purchase, but it was reaaalllly on sale, I couldn't pass it up. Besides, I'm going to be taking a couple of trips soon, and I need something cute and comfy to where on the plane! ;)

Report boots... These boots are soo cute, and the leather is really soft. Still not sure where I'm going to wear them, but I love 'em!

Jessica Simpson shoes. These are great to wear with long jeans, especially for tall gals like myself :)
I did get some other small things... a couple of tops from Brass Plum, and a dress from Forever 21 to wear in Vegas...I still need to get a couple more things for Vegas and the Honeymoon, but I think I've more than filled my shopping quota for the month!

XOXO,

Nikki

Vintage Tats

I've been wanting to get more tattoos lately. It's been about 6 years since I got my last one, and I think I'm due for another. I want one on the back of my neck, and one on my wrist. In my search for ideas, I have come to realize that I really LOVE the look of vintage tattoos (think Sailor Jerry http://www.sailorjerry.com/index.php). I know these seem cliche, and can probably be seen on every "hardcore" t-shirt line in hollywood, but hey, I like what I like. Plus, they are girly, which is totally me :) Anyways, I found this on a compact mirror, and I totally love it: What do we think?? For the back of my neck? I've never really been into sparrows, but for some reason, I am just drawn to this. It's so cute! I would probably add a little something to it though, just to personalize it a little more... Maybe she could be wearing a little princess crown ;)

As for my wrist, I have an idea that involves a pink anchor with black roses wrapped around it. This would also be personalized, and have meaning behind it. If you look at an anchor, you will see the letter "J"... And roses wrapped around it could easily be made to resemble an "S". Get it?? :) Anyways, let me know your thoughts!

Have a great weekend everyone, I know I will ♥

XOXO,
Nikki

TDK

OK, so as promised I'm writing this blog to let you know how "The Dark Knight" was. Ummm... Awesome :)

I went to see the movie at the Dome theatre in Pleasant Hill last Thursday night at midnight with Adam. I was really not looking forward to staying up until 3am, but I drank a HUGE Rockstar energy drink before the movie started, so it turned out fine (don't even ask me how I was getting up for work the next morning, though)! The movie was everything I thought it was going to be, and more than lived up to the hype. I loved how it was not only an action, comic-book movie, but also a drama with various themes and morals. I LOVED Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes. From the very first scene she was in, I thought "Wow, what a huge difference she makes!" She definitely added so much more to the character than Katie Holmes (sorry, Katie)... Aaron Eckhart was great as Harvey Dent, and I really loved his story line. It was hopeful, yet raw and heart-breaking at the same time. Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine were wonderful as well, of course.
As for Heath Ledger... AMAZING. It's funny because it seems like so many people are hesitant to see this movie because they think it will be weird or bittersweet to watch him in this role, but let me tell you, when you are watching The Joker on screen, the LAST thing you are thinking about is Heath Ledger. It does not look or sound like him one bit. In fact, nothing about this character says Heath Ledger. Some people say the Oscar buzz around this performance is mainly due to the fact that he is now gone, but it's not. If acting is about becoming someone else and completely transforming into that character, then Heath Ledger's performance is nothing short of greatness. OK, I'm done gushing... now go do yourself a favor and see this movie :)
XOXO,
Nikki

Pink Showers and Lemon Drop Shots

So this weekend was wild, crazy, and fantastic! First on Saturday was my bridal shower!! I had been looking forward to my bridal shower for sooo long, so when the day finally arrived, I couldn't believe it. My bridesmaids planned everything, with help here and there from my mom and fiance, and everything turned out perfectly :) We played 3 games, all of which were unique and I hadn't played at a bridal shower before.... For the first one, Heather put out 10 pictures of me at all different ages (including my "Awkward Stage"... thanks Heather), and everyone had to guess how old I was in each pic. Then, Holly did a game that was like Scattegories, and it was really fun. Lastly, we did a "Newlywed" style game... Heather had video-taped Jose answering questions about us, and I had to guess his answers. It was really fun, and everyone was so impressed!! I only got 11 out of 20 questions right though.... Or maybe I should say Jose got 9 out of 20 WRONG! Haha ;)

The bridal party: Holly, Ashley, me, Robyn, Heather, Jenn and HelenI was so happy that so many people came, and I got some really great gifts, which I am so grateful for! It couldn't have turned out better :)

After the shower, we all went home and took naps, and later that night it was time for us to go out to celebrate Holly's 25th birthday, which was on 7/16. We went to this really fun bar in Berkeley called Thalassa...

Robyn had come up for my bridal shower, so it was sooo great to be able to go out with all the girls, and have everyone be together... When we all get together it's pure madness and I love it!

Sunday I got to just relax and hang out with Robyn and Jose, and then Jose and I went to his dad's house for dinner.... All and all it was a very fun and memorable weekend!! This coming weekend is my bachelorette party here in the Bay Area, hosted by Jenn... No doubt it will be another crazy night, with lots of fun pics!! For now, I have to get back to work on planning the wedding.... Only 3 1/2 more weeks to go!

XOXO,

Nikki

Long Time No Blog

Hello to the few people who read this! Haha... Well, its been over a month since I've written.. Sorry... I have been soo busy and caught up with everything, I haven't had a chance to really sit down with my blog. Actually, I don't really have that chance right now (I'm at work), but oh well, here goes...

So things right now are MUCH better than they were a month ago... I think things with the wedding are finally starting to come together, I just need to organize a schedule for the day of, send out rehearsal dinner invitations, get some attendents gifts, and I think I'm done! I can't wait... This Saturday is my bridal shower, I could NOT be more excited... I can't wait to see everyone. My brides maids have been secretly planning everything, so I can't wait to see what they have put together :) Also, Cyndi should be buying me this:

Just about the cutest Monopoly game you've ever seen!! Instead of buying properties, you buy boutiques and shops... Love it.

Tonight I'm going to see The Dark Knight at midnight... I can't really wrap my mind around go to the movies at midnight, its been so long since I've done it, but I think it will be worth it. I'm going with Adam, who is basically the biggest Batman fan on the face of the planet, so it should be fun... The only part that's weird/sad is, yep you guessed it, the whole Heath Ledger thing. I know EVERYONE is talking about it, but it's true... He is supposed to be absolutely amazing in this movie, and I think the saddest part of all is that he is not here to experience the movie's success.... Well, at any rate, I'll let you know how it is :)

OK, signing off... I guess I should do some actual work, huh? I'll leave you with this:

XOXO,

Nikki

Drowning in a Pool of Life

I am so beyond tired/stressed/overwhelmed right now. This week has been especially hard... I've woken up late for work the past three days in a row, and yesterday I even called in and said I wasn't feeling well (which I wasn't), and would be in late, and came in to work at around 11:00am. I also haven't been eating much, and when I do, its crap. The other day I ate a 1/2 bag of Goldfish, and a box of Mac n Cheese....I guess it's just a mixtured of things. Mostly, the wedding, but also Team In Training (which I have not been keeping up on this week. Bad Mentor!), friends, life, etc. Also Jose started his clinical internship for paramedic school in Stockton, so he has been working nights out there. I don't mind when he works nights... It used to bother me to be home alone, but it really doesn't anymore. Plus I have Adam and the cats there, so its not so bad. But, when Jose works all night for some reason I can't go to sleep until very late... usually around 12 or 1 at least.

It's funny, because I've been engaged for a year and a half, and I was never really that stressed out about the wedding. I just planned things as I went, and everything seemed to go very smoothly. But once the 3 month mark hit, man it was like a light switch went on, and things are CRAZY! I have been working on the invitations this week, coordinating everything with the Berkeley City Club, trying to find a parking lot for the guests in Berkeley, getting addresses, talking to the minister who is going to marry us, getting info about tuxes to all the guys in the wedding party, looking for attendants gifts, etc etc etc. Simply nuts. Not to mention the fact that I'm IN a wedding next weekend. When did life get so crazy? It seems like even without planning a wedding, I have too much to do. Maybe its just my anxiety...it may be time to get a higher dose of Ativan! Haha... Oh well, only about 2 months to go, and we will be relaxing on the sunny beaches of Mazatlan! Until then, please excuse my insanity.

XOXO,
Nikki

A Woman's Work is Never Done

So this weekend was very fun, but jam-packed! On Friday night, I met Heather, Holly and Ashley in Walnut Creek to grab food/drinks before going to the movies. We went to Tiki Toms, where we got a Scorpion Bowl... Its like a HUGE drink that you put in the middle of the table, and everyone shares. It was good, but STRONG! haha... Afterwards, we went to the theatre where we stood in line with about 200 other women, anxiously waiting to get our seats to see the movie. While in line, we ran into some girls from high school. It was great to see them, but its always weird running into people you used to be really close with, but haven't talked to in about 5 years... Especially since so much has changed. Also while in line, Heather and Ashley went over to 7-11 to get some drinks to sneak into the theatre. They came back with 2 bottles of red wine and some beer!! Haha.. Crazy girls, but it was great. As for the movie, well that was great too!!! Although, I have to be honest, it wasn't as good as I expected... But I think it was mainly because of all the excitement going on in the theatre (and all the drinking). It was hard to really take it all in, and I feel like everything was just distracting. Good thing I had a ticket for Saturday night, too!!

Anways, I woke up the next morning way too early, and a little hungover... Time to go to Kick Off. I got on the BART train at about 7:15, and I was on my way to SF. Kick Off went pretty smoothly. I was super tired the whole time, but that was alright. The only thing that wasn't good was that only ONE of my mentees showed up. So that was annoying, since I had worked so hard to make sure I had everything done for them. So, after KO, I went home, watched TV, and took a nap for about an hour. That night, I went to Jenn's house to see SATC once again! This time, i gotta say, it completely won me over!!! The theatre was quiter, and I was able to just watch the movie.. it was fantastic. I think I will go see it again next week with my mom!

So, after all that, I still had one more weekend day to go... Sunday I was able to catch up on some much-needed sleep, and got up at about 12 noon. I then spent the rest of the day cleaning the bathroom, doing dishes, doing laundry, going through mail, put stuff away, etc etc etc... It was nice to get stuff done, though :)

Now it's Monday and back to work!!

XOXO,
Nikki

TGIF, SATC

I'm going to see the Sex and the City movie tonight, and I CAN'T WAIT!!!! I've already got my ticket, and I'm so sure I'm going to love it, I've even got a ticket for tomorrow night too! Haha... Tonight I'm going with Holly, Heather and Ashley, and tomorrow it's Jenn, and hopefully Cyndi, and whoever else Jenn has invited... Anyways, just wanted to share my excitement :)

So this is a pretty big weekend for me... SATC times 2, and Kick Off is tomorrow morning... I managed to get everything done, which was great. I wrote my mentor bio, called all of my mentees, and on Wednesday night, Joanna and Sharon (my fellow walk mentors) came over and we made gift bags for all of our mentees. So, I am officially ready for Kick Off... I'm excited. Pretty soon we'll be getting down to business and training!

Yesterday Jose, my parents, and I went for a tasting at the Berkeley City Club, to decide what we are going to serve at the wedding... The food was soo good! We decided on some really good pasta with pesto basil sauce, and chicken with this amazing lemon herb chicken. I also ordered a bunch of stuff online for the wedding this week, so I should be getting it soon!!! :)

XOXO,
Nikki

Numero Uno!

Wow, my very own blog, boy do I feel special! Hahaha.... Anyways, I'm assuming most of the people reading this already know me, and know about my life, friends, family, etc, so I won't bore you with introductions. No no, instead I will just jump right on into what is going on with me, and what is on my mind:

I cannot believe it is the end of May. I'm excited, because I have so much fun stuff coming up this summer, but soo stressed and nervous, because that means I have a lot of work to do before that fun stuff gets here... and all seems to be approaching rapidly. Lets see... This week, I have to get ready for Team in Training Kick Off, which entails calling my mentees, creating a mentor bio, starting to fundraise, make gift bags for my mentees, get pumped up and excited for the season to start, and getting up at 6:30am on Saturday and actually GO to Kick Off..... Oh, and lets not forget about my wedding...

I think I am finally realizing why people thought I was so crazy for joining Team in Training, and becoming a mentor, the same summer that I'm getting married. I just made a list of all the stuff there is to do between now and August 16th, and it is A LOT. I mean, most of it is just stuff that I need to buy, and I would just buy everything now, like TODAY, but everything is so darn expensive! I mean, why does a cardboard box that your gift cards are going to go in cost $18??? But what can I say, it's cute, and frankly by the time I get the materials to make one myself, I will have spent about that much anyway...

Ugh.. I just have too much on my mind this week. I think my sleepless nights and work-less work days are about to begin. Last night I couldn't fall asleep, and laid in bed for over an hour with thoughts and ideas of everything I need to do racing through my head. Today I'm at work, and it's 4:10, and I've successfully accomplished ONE task today because I just cannot seem to focus. Oh well, only 3 more work days to go this week, and at least I get to see the Sex And The City movie numerous times this weekend (which will probably prompt me to think about the wedding even MORE, but what the hell... ) :)

XOXO,
Nikki