Pre-Holiday Rant

So I was in a pretty good mood this morning. The weather's nice, and it's finally feeling like Novemeber outside, which I'm happy about... But then I get to work and I realize there is just too much going on this week. It's Thanksgiving, so that means we are having a potluck here at the office today. We are also moving (offices) on Wednesday, so everything is a mess and totally un-organized (which the OCD part of me cannot stand). Oh, and we're still at work, right? Right... So there is still actual work to do somewhere in there.

On top of it all, my husband's grandmother passed away on Friday. So that means this week we will be going to Modesto (about an hour east) on Wednesday, San Jose (hour south) on Thursday to have dinner with my family, and then back to Modesto on Friday for the funeral. Perhaps it's just the axiety talking, but does that sound like an awful lot to anyone else? I for one am having a very hard time wrapping my head around everything at the moment.

OK... enough feeling sorry for myself. Time to get back to work before even more sh*t piles up.
Happy Monday!! :P

xoxo,
Nikki

Music Pick of the Week

Since I was lazy last week and didn't post a music pick, I decided this week I would post a SUPER DUPER music pick, featuring four of the greatest musicians ever. John, Paul, George and Ringo. That's right: THE BEATLES! No doubt, most of you are fans (because, I mean, who wouldn't be??), so instead of showcasing their 100's of songs, I thought I'd mention some of the recent projects that incorporate Beatles songs.

Across The Universe

This is a movie that came out about a year ago, and I love it. The director chose her favorite Beatles songs, and wrote the movie around them. Both the movie and soundtrack are amazing. Here is a clip from the movie (my fave)... The song is "Let It Be", and the scene depicts the 1960's (when the movie takes place), and how there was a war going on in Vietnam, as well as a war here on the streets in the US.

LOVE

The Beatles LOVE is the Las Vegas Cirque De Solei show that plays at the Mirage. Sadly, I have been to Vegas twice but haven't gotten a chance to see it. I have the soundtrack, and have listened to it 100 times, been to the Beatles' store in LV, the Revolution Lounge... But alas, I'm still waiting to see the actual show. Hopefully someday... Until then, the soundtrack is GREAT!!

I Am SamOK, last one... This movie isn't actually about The Beatles, but the soundtrack is all Beatles covers. If you are a Beatles fan, and you haven't heard it, go get it! NOW! :P

Well, there you have it... My declaration of love for one of the greatest, most timeless, most influential bands ever. And if anyone wants to get me the perfect gift for xmas, here is a suggestion of something I just found:

Or you could always get me tix to see LOVE :)

xoxo,

Nikki

Silver Fox

Last night as I was straightening my hair, getting ready for my bowling date with the ladies, I discovered an abundance of gray strands. I pulled out about 10 of them before I finally gave up. There were just too many. Not cool.

xoxo,
Nikki

Music Pick of the Week

In light of the recent election (and Obama's historic and AWESOME win), this week's music pick is Will.I.AM. Most of you will recognize him from the Black Eyed Peas, but he is a solo artist as well, and has been very active in showing his support for Barack Obama. The below video is one that he made, that puts music to a very inspirational speech given by Obama at the New Hampshire primaries, in January 2008. The second video is his most recent one, made just after Obama won the election on Tuesday. The song is called "New Day", and reflects the feelings of many, many Americans. Enjoy :)



XOXO,
Nikki

It's a Miracle

I finally got to spend 2 whole days with my husband :) Jose has been working a night shift for the past two months, and a week ago he started his paramedic internship, which is also a night shift. As a result, he works EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. But, this weekend we had a party to go to, which has been planned for a long time, and he got Saturday night off! He spent the morning sleeping (after working Friday night) while I got ready and did a little gift shopping. Then we were off the the party! It was a 1st Birthday celebration/Baptism reception for our good friend's little boy (and Jose's Godson), Jason. There were balloons, a magician, DJ, photographer, and about 150 guests in attendence. Pretty big bash for a 1 year old, but everyone had a GREAT time, and I think Jason had fun, too :) After all the partying, Jose was pretty hung over Sunday morning, so we just relaxed and I got to be an actual wife and take care of him :) And now, back to the daily (and nightly) grind... Off to bed while Jose is somewhere in an ambulance. But he just told me he will probably be off on Dec 13th, so at least that's something to look forward to :P

XOXO,

Nikki

PS. VOTE TOMORROW!!! Yes to Obama... NOOOO to Prop 8! :)

Music Pick of the Week

Greetings! :) This week's music pick is Ray LaMontagne. If you haven't heard of him, or haven't listened to his music, do so now!! Haha... Seriously, his voice is amazing. His music is soulful and heartfelt, and just gives me chills. Jose and I actually had our first dance (at our wedding) to "Hold You In My Arms". It's not even really that appropriate for a wedding, but it was just so beautiful and we both loved it so much, we had to use it :) Check it out for yourself...

XOXO,
Nikki

Catching Up

So I haven't posted in almost a week, and there are a couple of things since then that I've been meaning to blog about, but have been too lazy to do so. So here they are. Enjoy :)

Pumpkin Carving

Last Wednesday Jose had the night off, and we decided it was the perfect opportunity to carve up some pumpkins :) Mine was a pirate ship, and although I cheated a little and used one of those "stencil" things, it was still pretty damn hard! It came out pretty good though, and I was pleased with it. Jose's pumpkin was a sad face. It's "haunted" because it's Halloween. My husband is seriously so cute sometimes I just can't stand it :)

Of course the pumpkins have since become moldy and we had to through them away, but they were a fun activity to say the least... And as always, provided us with some delicious seeds to roast! YUM!!

Bowling Night with the Gals

On Thursday Heather, Holly, Ashley and I took to the Danville Bowl for a night of (almost) good clean fun. We hadn't all hung out in a while so it was great to get together and catch up, while enjoying a few games of bowling and of course some beers. We are thinking of joining a bowling league... Our team name is "Bitches for Balls". You like?? Hahaha... We even made up our own little team "symbol", but I'm not sure how to describe it over blogger :P Perhaps there will be a picture at a later date. At any rate, it was a really fun night as always.

And now I'm off to bed to read some of the 3rd book in the Twilight Saga (which I am loving so far), and then to sleep. Have a great night!! :)

XOXO,

Nikki

New Concept

I've been thinking, and I decided I need to have some level on consistency with my blog. Something that I write about every week, and can share with everyone. Soooo I have decided to do a "Music Pick of the Week" blog. Once a week (not necessarily on the same day every week.. I'm not THAT consistent), I will post a blog about an artist that I love and that I think everyone needs to check out. I'll try to feature new artists to keep it fresh, but occasionally I'll throw in some oldies-but-goodies :) I hope you enjoy!

So without further adue, my pick this week is Adele. I saw her perform on Saturday Night Live this weekend and she was amazing. I love her voice. She reminds me of Amy Whinehouse, only better (not on drugs, well put-together, doesn't seem completely bat-shit crazy)... Definitely check her out, and let me know what you think!


XOXO,
Nikki

Wedding Pictures are Up!

Finally! Two months after my wedding, the professional pictures are available to view... I have to say, I am very please with how they turned out. I will definitely have to get them on CD, get an album, some prints, etc.. The only problem is choosing which ones! GAH!

If you would like to see them, you are more than welcome to... Go to http://www.gr8expressions.com/. Click on "Wedding" and then on "Client Gallery". The event code is mitresanchez. Enjoy, and let me know what you think! :)

XOXO,
Nikki

Third Time's A Charm

Tonight is the third and final Presidential Debate for this 2008 election. I will definitely be watching (Tivo-ing it), and I am hoping it's more interesting than the last one. We shall see!!

Tonight, 6pm, all major news channels... Watch it!

And just for kicks, here is a video of the previous debate's "highlights". Enjoy :)

XOXO,
Nikki

TAG!... I'm it ♥

Today I was tagged in a blog for the first time, which I was very excited about! Maegan @ ...love Maegan is the tagger, which is awesome, because I love her blog. If you haven't checked it out yet, I highly recommend it :) And now, here are my lists (yes I am doing them both):

7 Random Things

1. As I type this, I am wearing a clay facial mask (sorry, no pics!)... For the first time in at least a few years I am totally breaking out and I am NOT happy about it... Oh well, at least it happened AFTER the wedding!!

2. I have 2 brothers. Now that I'm married, I have 4 more brothers and 3 sisters.

3. My cat Tim loves pepperonis and would eat them directly off the pizza if I let him. Also one time he got a piece of steak out of the packaging, dragged it across the kitchen counter and attempted to eat it. He's a beast, and I loooooove him ;)

4. When I was 19 I studied abroad in London for a semester. It was by far (one of ) the best experiences of my life.

5. My husband talks in his sleep and I think it's hilarious. He usually gets made fun of for it later :P

6. Whenever I see the moon during the day time I think of my Papa. I had once asked him why the moon was out, (eventhough it was still daytime) and he explained to me that the moon is always there, you just can't always see it. Now when I see it I believe it is him saying "Hello Girl!" (in his Nova Scotian accent). I miss him.

7. Once I found a purse in the bathroom at Crogans (local bar), and in a drunken state I took it home with me, thinking I was a badass. But then when I sobered up, I felt bad so I mailed it back to its owner with a note that said "I found this on the street outside of Crogans"....So hopefully I saved myself a trip to hell, at least for now.

Link to your tagger and list the rules
List 7 random facts about yourself
Tag 7 people (and make sure you check back and see what they say!)
If you're tagged, play along and pass it on!

Four Things

Top Four wishes:
*Someone would say "SURPRISE! All of your debt is paid off!"
*Jose and I could get pregnant RIGHT NOW (can you tell I'm getting some baby fever??)
*I could see my 4 besties everyday
*I had a self-cleaning house, and everything was spotless, 24/7

Four Places I want to travel to:
*Greece
*Australia
*Chicago
*New York

Four Careers I want to be involved in:
*Writing
*Wedding Planning
*Animal Rescue
*Teaching

Four things I would like God to say at the gates of Heaven:
*Its so nice to finally meet face to face!
*Yes, it's as good as it sounds
*All of your friends and family who are already here have prepared a party for you!
*Pick 3 times in you life that were the BEST EVER... Now go back and repeat them!

Tagging: Ok, so if I tag you, feel free to do either or both of the above lists that I did. Have fun!! :) Ashley, Heather, Holly, Leslie, My Fashion Frenzy, Dolce Chic

XOXO,
Nikki

Monday at HMM

Happy Monday! Today was a pretty good day at work... Started off shakey, as I had some painful "women's troubles" this morning and ended up having to go in late.... BUT when I got there, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my co-worker, Len, had brought me two Blue Moon pilsner glasses! I love em! :)

This week is Boss's Week, so in honor of our wonderful bosses, my co-workers and I had ordered this delightful bouquet of cookies to be delivered. It came today, and it was sooo cute! It says "Happy Bosses Week From The Bunch Of Us" and the cookies are all shaped like bananas, with all of our names on them.

Mine was delish!!

Now I'm off to watch a little GG (Gossip Girl) with a couple of foxy ladies, and then spend some time with my hubby :)

XOXO,

Nikki

Give Me Something To Vote About!

Did anyone watch the Debate last night? I have to say I was pretty disappointed. I feel like I haven't heard anything new from either candidate in a while. All we keep hearing about is the economy, the war, health care, and energy. I mean (duh) those are the big topics right now, and of course they are huge issues, but I feel like last night's debate had nothing new to offer except reiterate everything said in the first one. It's all becoming very predictable. I was thinking this morning of what questions I would ask if I had been at the "Town Hall" debate last night. Here's one: "How do you feel about the fact that for the past 7 years we have been sacrificing our lives and money working towards rebuilding another country, while our own has been falling apart??" I really wish someone would have asked that.

On another note, I'm sick. I have been fighting off a cold for about the past 3 weeks, and I finally got it. Jose is off tonight and I'm very glad he will be home to take care of me. I can't wait to have some hot chicken soup and theraflu. Mmmmm.. Making me feel better already :) XOXO,
Nikki

Game Night, Anyone?

Sunday Jose and I took all of the Target gift cards we got as wedding gifts and bought ourselves a Nintendo Wii!! It's amazing how quickly they are still selling... We called on Saturday and they didn't have any but said they would be in on Sunday. By the time we got there are about 1:15pm, there were only a couple left!!! Crazy... Anyways, we are already looking forward to buying lots of fun games including Guitar Hero, Mario Kart and Wii Fit!!

XOXO,

Nikki