Love Affair

I've begun a new love affair...with my bike! A few weeks back, I met Genevieve and we rode down to Zov's for dinner. It was an easy ride and I realized that I worked my thighs. So I hopped on a couple days later. Last week, I rode two mornings for four miles, and one afternoon for 8. Last night, Missie came over and we rode to Golden Spoon and this morning, I got up a little earlier than usual and rode 8 miles again. I strapped on the iPod, the dorky helmet and my camelback and I was good to go for about 40 minutes. It was a beautiful morning and is starting to feel like fall. I definitely think this will be a good routine for me as I get the work out bug going again. : )

Introducing Jackson Peter Fitzgerald

Seeing one of your best friends with her first child is truly a surreal experience. I just got home from visiting the Fitzgeralds and baby Jackson. He's delicious and soooo tiny! Jennifer was radiant and Seanito is already in total dad mode downloading pics, wrapping the baby into a burrito, and making sure everyone supports JP's little head. : ) Hearing Jennifer's story brought tears to my eyes...she was so strong and so brave and so much in love with her little boy already that she just couldn't wait to meet him. Now that he's here, I've seen my friend give her heart away once again. God is so good!

The new mama and her little guy!
Gramacita and a smiling Jackson. : )

Sean's perfect burrito. Ha!

I got to hold the little doll, too! He's TEENY!

Shortly after this pic was taken, we realized he was hungry again. : )

Another baby!

And in other news... my dear friend from high school and dance, Rachel, had her first baby yesterday, too! Welcome to the world Delaney Rose Hinson!!! Can't wait to be there for your first dance recital!

Labor Pains - UPDATE!

One of my best girlfriends, Jennifer, has been in labor since yesterday and was just taken in for a c-section... They went in to be induced yesterday around 8am, but things didn't really get going until this morning around 5am. I can only imagine that both the moms, Jen's dad, and their families were in a wild anticipation for quite some time, which makes me think that there are other kinds of labor pains...not just those that make you push. I'm sitting here excited that Jackson Peter will be here in just a couple of minutes, but also nervous for my friend...I'm almost teary-eyed, too (good thing I'm in the satellite office today). I know she'll be fine, but I also know that she would have prefered to do this the other way. One thing I know for sure, though, is that this baby is VERY LOVED and has been wanted for a long long time. I can't wait to meet him tonight!

UPDATE -- HE'S HERE, HE'S HERE! Jackson Peter Fitzgerald was born at 2:51 p.m., and weighed in at 7.74 lbs., 19” long with lots of dark hair! According to Jennifer's mother-in-law, she came out of the surgery laughing with the nurses! Praise God!

Texas/Labor Day Weekend

Wow - this is a week behind!!! I'm becoming a blog slacker...so sorry to my loyal readers (aka - mom).

Over Labor Day Weekend, I went to Austin to spend a couple of days with Robin, Jon, Mackenzie, and Travis. It was a blast...besides the 1000 degree weather. : ) I arrived on Saturday afternoon, got to the house, then almost immediately went swimming. Mackenzie was very excited to show me how she can swim under water now. She did a great job, too! And little Travis wanted in on the action, too. He jumped in to Robin a few times and wasn't afraid of going under water in the slightest!!! Robin cooked a yummy meal for dinner, as usual, and we spent some good time hanging out and visiting...a child may have projectile vomited at one point in the evening, too, but we won't mention that here. ; )

On Sunday, I joined the Ayers' family at church, then we went to La Madeline for lunch. La Madeline is an ALL TIME favorite restaurant of mine!!! They have them in DC, too, so whenever I visit either place, I try to make it over there for quiche lorraine and a potato gallette. DELIGHTFUL!

On Sunday evening, Robin and Jon graciously hosted a bbq and Jamie Kay, Michele, Angie came from south Austin and Lindsay and Tom Ballard, came with their son Zach. It's really fun because the Ballards live just down the way from Robin and Jon, too! Jamie Kay, Angie, and I haven't been together since Angie and Emily were pregnant with Greta and Connor. We all flew to Minnesota together and spent a weekend together about five years ago. Though we only spent a few hours together, I realized how much I missed my dear AXO friends. They drove up to FW to spend a little time with Emily, and I was really sad to miss that trip...it's been too long since the band was together!

I might be slightly obsessed with s'mores.

Lindsay and I (GWU friends and AXO sisters, too!)

Robin playing with Zach and showing him a cricket.

Angie, Michele and Jamie Kay, and me

And now I must brag...on Monday, Robin suggested the outlet mall in San Marcos. I thought we'd go and mull around a bit, but I hit that outlet mall HARD and got a huge jump on Christmas shopping!!! Are you jealous, yet? It is so outside my nature to get started so early, but I am so happy to have a few gifts out of the way already!!! I also bought two dresses for myself from BCBG for like 14 bucks. : )

All in all, I had a WONDERFUL time with dear friends. Thanks Robin, for making me feel at home and for continuing to be a great friend even though we're many miles away!!! Love ya, chick!

Massages, Wine, and Danny Boy

At the end of August, I also got to see Danny Boy for about five minutes! Ryan Dan (a family friend from church) got married on August 23, so Dan flew out to go with my parents. I think it was down in the Fallbrook area, so they all stayed at the Pechanga that night. Dan and my dad went and did some sort of race car thing on Sunday morning, and I went and picked up Missie and my mom for massages at the Pala Casino and Resort (they have a GREAT spa). Then we all went to Ponte for a yummy dinner (and so I could pick up a wine club shipment). We had fun being just the five of us again...for a little while, but we also really missed Shannon and Grey-bug!

Donna Summer

This summer, I've been able to see quite a few shows at the Hollywood Bowl through work. It's always a really fun time, filled with good food, great wine, and really fun music! At the end of August, I entertained two girlfriends from my Rotary club and we got to see Donna Summer! It was a blast!!!

Julie, Jen, and Ruthe

Mackenzie's first day of school!

My wonderful little goddaughter, Mackenzie Reece Ayers, had her first day of kindergarten, yesterday! Robin sent around some adorable pictures, but it's so hard to believe that she's growing up so quickly!!! Five years old and in school already - NO WAY! Look how cute these pigtails and gigantic backpack are!

On another note, I'm going to TX for Labor Day weekend to see the Ayers family (and a handful of other TX friends). I can't wait to hit golf balls, play, color, and EVEN watch Hannah Montana!

someecards.com

I really love someecards...mostly because they are so dry and sarcastic! Whenever I get a newsletter from the company I can't WAIT to see the newest cards. Today, I saw this one and boy did it make me laugh! In my job I deal with a lot of crazy environmentalists and I hear about greenhouse gases all day long, so when I saw this one, I was ALMOST tempted to shoot it around...not really, but it still made me laugh!

New Office

Next week, "the developer" moves into our temporary headquarters, as we're going to knock these offices down and rebuild. We're going down the street to one of our buildings that has some vacant office space above a tenant. Everyone has been joking that because it's temporary, we won't have anything fancy...it will be like camping for a year. Well, last night, we went to the Camp for a tour and OH MY GOSH has this company gone bonkers. There is camping gear everywhere, about 150 Christmas trees, tree logs with camp signs and directions, the conference rooms are named after famous camping locations (Yosemite, Jellystone Park, etc), and the "common area" is anything but common. We have a flat screen TV with a WII and Guitar Hero, a 350 sq foot recreation location with corn hole, ping pong, picnic tables, and horseshoes (sand pits and all), and a ton of tents and camp chairs. It's really unbelievable! I love working here and can't wait to have the annual Halloween Party when we can invite guests to come and see it!

Dave Matthews Band

Clare and I went and saw the Dave Matthews concert on Wednesday night at Staples Center. IT WAS INCREDIBLE! This was actually my first DMB show...which is odd, because my friends have all been multiple time - I wonder why I was never invited!!! Ha! Anyway, we had "the developers" seats and they were pretty darn awesome. I must say that I naively thought that because the concert was indoors that there wouldn't be too much pot smoking going on...boy was I wrong! Needless to say, I slept like a baby that night and had weird dreams. Having never tried pot, I have to wonder if that was a contact high or if I was just THAT tired. : ) Regardless, we had a wonderful time, highlighted by the people watching. There was a woman in front of us, decked out in her Ann Taylor glory (seriously, a baby blue dress and cardigan over it) that was shakin her BA-DONK-A-DONK all night. AND some crazy dude in the front broke out some glow sticks at one point. Too funny!

Shout out to 1990

It was 1990, the year I was transitioning from braces and mall bangs with bad perms, to a cool 8th grader. I was dancing competitively with my friend Rachel at Dance Precisions and learning all about makeup. I knew how to work the VCR and caught every last episode of Saved by the Bell, which had just started the year before. I thought I was cool and...I had BRIGHT BLUE mascara.

Flash forward to my night 'o chores last night. I was in a hyper cleaning mode at home, doing all sorts of laundry, vacuuming, etc, before I ran to the grocery store. I picked up a boatload of groceries (all low fat, natch), some more cleaning supplies, and oh yeah, some Great Lash mascara. Now caveat here, I'm fussy about most makeup and spend more than I probably should on everything EXCEPT mascara! How weird is that? Anyway, in my cleaning splendor, I opened up the mascara, tossed away the packaging AND my old one and continued cleaning. This morning, as I was getting ready for a meeting at 6:30am, I pulled out the new pink and green tube and noticed that OH DEAR LORD, I bought yep, you guessed it, bright blue mascara.

What a way to start my day!

AWaWWe II

I've been TOTALLY remiss in posting about the 2nd Annual Waterski and Winetasting Weekend! On August 7, a group of friends and family traveled up to Lake Nacimiento, where we rented a 3,000 sq ft house in a private marina for a few days of serious fun! STJ flew in from Vegas, Justin flew in from OR, and my parents, Missie, Shuler, and I drove up from OC. The "Pagerlunds" drove down from Sacramento, too! We had such a wonderful time and came up with all sorts of ideas for next year, too!

My dad woke a bunch of us up at 6am for early ski runs, and we played and laid out on Friday. Saturday morning, after our ski runs, we went into Paso Robles and winetasted our little hearts out! We hit up Justin, Tablas Creek, Halter Ranch, and Adelaida. DELISH! We also had an Apples to Apples tournament...which I won! ; ) A few of us hit the hot tub on the deck, too...and it wouldn't be a trip with Lisa Page unless there was some sort of a dance party in the living room. Ha!

The only downside of the trip was on Sunday morning, we saw that two of our best wakeboards (and a rope) were stolen off the boat. : ( But, as my dad said..."it's just stuff."

I wish we lived closer to the lake and closer to my friends, but this was a fantastic trip and I already can't wait to do it again next year!

me on the lake first thing in the morning... it was barely 60 degrees outside, but the water was 80!

my dad in his fav place!
STJ showing us all up
how I'd like to drink my grape juice
the whole AWaWWe II group

my ski is a HO
Julie was DOMINATING everyone in the Apples to Apples tournament. : )
Missie jumping on the wakeboard
my girls!

Poop Deck

So, some of you know that not long ago, I had a work day with my dad. We did some small projects and power washed the deck, which was awesome because it was super dirty AND because I finally got my new patio furniture out there. Well, I woke up to this the other day and I'm SUPER pissed about it!

It may not look like much, but just the fact that the area birds are using my deck and furniture as a toilet GROSSES me out!!!

Holy Smokes/Ace of Cakes

I am sitting here watching my very first episode of Ace of Cakes. Damn, this show is AMAZING! Better yet, the talent they have is truly unbelievable!!! Again, I wish I had some sort of artistic ability!!!

Congrats to Rebekah and Brett

My dear friend Rebekah got engaged this weekend while diamond mining in Arkansas! Brett (her FIANCE!), had a business trip in the south and asked her to travel down there from Chicago where they live. He'd been to the mine a couple of times, had enjoyed it, and thought it would make for a fun engagement...and boy did he surprise her! In the 110 degree heat, covered in dirt and grime, Rebekah found her diamond and agreed to become Mrs. Gillilan. Congrats to you both, Rebekah and Brett! Can't wait to celebrate with you at the wedding!!!

What a Weekend!

Friday
I facilitated my LAST Bergeson Series session of the year down in San Diego.
Drove back up to OC, met my old high school dance teacher at Starbucks for a visit -- too fun to go back in time!
Picked up my friend Rachel, then a city councilwoman and her husband for a night at the Hollywood Bowl, featuring Diana Ross! We sat in the box and had a scrumptious dinner delivered and I brought a couple bottles of Conundrum vino - yum!

Saturday
Ran errands, then threw a baby shower for my friend Mindy, who recently adopted a beautiful baby boy named Zach.

Went to see my friend Phil play his first solo gig, in Huntington Beach.
Drove up to Long Beach, met Carlee, then headed to another gig to see Pete's (cousin Sara-Britt's hubby) band play, then watch Bryan's (Carlee's hubby) hip hop debut. What a freaking hoot!!!

Me and Sara-Britt

The Pseudo Rebels in action!!! And below!

Sunday

Went back to dance class and worked my BUTT off! Seriously, I could have been the mother of the other students, but it was so fun and hard. I sweat like I'd been in a spin class...it was gnarly, but even when I was critiqued, I still enjoyed it. Went home, got ready, and drove out to Temecula with Clare and Matt to do a little lunching and wine-tasting! Bought the movie 21 and enjoyed it while I did laundry.

Talk about a jam-packed weekend, but it was fun because I was with the people I love!

A wish I'd like granted...

Every now and again, I pop over to a number of photography websites and find myself really drawn into the beauty of the images. If I could have three wishes, being a talented photographer would be one of them, I think. I love the story that portraits tell and the moment in time they capture... I was given a really nice Canon Rebel several years ago for Christmas and even have some large lenses, but I never got around to taking lessons. If I can find some time in the near future, I may make that one of my new/old goals!!!

Looks like Hollywood Christianity is making a come back

I find this horrifyingly annoying...

Heidi Montag wants to record Christian album
"Hills" star Heidi Montag reveals that she wants to record a Christian album. "I always felt this crazy connection to God," she told USA Today.
By Ree Hines
MSNBC contributor

Sure, she’s better known for her petty squabbles on “The Hills” and her constant quest for media attention, but Heidi Montag insists she’s interested in more than that. In an interview with USA Today, the reality TV star shared her spiritual side.

“I have been the most religious person since I was 2 years old,” Heidi, who calls herself “kind of non-denominational Baptist,” said. “I always felt this crazy connection to God.”

When she was younger, that connection inspired Heidi to dream of one day devoting her life to God and working as a missionary in Africa. Now that the 21-year-old’s on a much different career path, she hopes to set her faith to music by releasing a Christian album.

As for Africa, the “Hills” hottie still plans to pay the continent a visit, but she’s bringing her made-for-TV fiancé, Spencer Pratt, along for the good works. USA Today reports that the pair will go this August to “feed children and help build things.”

Spence even suggested they might adopt a child while they’re there, but Heidi’s not ready. “Not right now,” she assured. “I think we'd be married before we do that.”

Until then, it’s the usual reality TV grind for the couple — scandals, intrigue and not liking Lauren Conrad very much. Speaking of Heidi’s favorite frenemy, she wants to set one thing straight.

"There were rumors about a sex tape (involving Lauren), but I had nothing to do with that,” Heidi insisted. “God knows the truth in all of this, and at the end of the day, that is the only thing that matters. Jesus was persecuted, and I'm going to get persecuted, ya know? But it doesn't matter to me.”

Trip to Maui

The Johnsons just returned from our family trip to Maui and it was sooooooo relaxing! I was so relaxed that I hardly took any pictures and instead laid out by the pool and read a book a day; one day, I actually read two books (yes, the speed reading can be quite expensive!). We had some nice meals, good wine (and beer), jogged (the first day), played golf, snorkled and swam with sea turtles, did the official family portrait, and watched my niece take her first steps! It was really a wonderful week and I was sad to come home!

Grey Buggie sleeping on the plane - what a good girl!

Me and my dad at Leilani's for dinner and HULA PIE! YUUUUM!
All the kids at the Waileia Tennis Club for dinner. A cool location!
The Buggie likes creme brulee just like her mommy and Auntie Awesome!
Playing the "I've got a secret" game with my niece!
Golfing at Kaanapali with Shannon! Look at the incredible view!
Missie had a traditional Hawaiian burger with peanut butter on it!
Me and my mom at Longhi's on our last night. So sad, but look at those killer tans! ; )