I'm Terrible at Blogging: An Update

I've realized that I'm terrible at blogging. I'm worse at blogging than I am at scrapbooking. The problem is that both of them require you to step back from making memories, put them into words and paste some pretty pictures with them. Thats a challenge for me. Most of the time I'd rather blast forth, head first at light speed into life and making more memories than scribble them down... and it makes my blog so sad! Thats why I'm getting a head start on my first New Year's Resolution... improving my blogging skills. Lets get started with an update...

We just wrapped up the Fall semester and it feels so good! It was Jake's last Fall at SJSU, so it was a little bittersweet. I'm sure it will be weird a year from now when he is leaving for work and I'm still going to class, but I'm proud of him. Bonus, graduating from San Jose State in four years flat is a MIRACLE these days... his commemorative plaque is in the mail. We finished our finals yesterday and we're confident we both did pretty well.

Jake carrying me through the Fall semester.

Those cute Fall boots don't always feel so nice!

Another reason I got so far behind on my blogging is that I moved mid-semester! I'm currently living in the studio apartment that Jake and I will share after the wedding. We are really excited that this will be our very own place. It's one of those bedroom/main room, kitchen/living room, bathroom/closet kind of places, but it's cozy. I didn't spring for cable, so we spend a lot of time cooking, talking and watching movies. It's been a fun way to spend the beginning of our winter, which has been icy cold (for California). I really think that the new

apartment deserves more attention, so stay tuned and I'll do a whole post on it... complete with pictures.

I took on a brand new opportunity this semester and became a colony member of the newest sorority on campus, Alpha Xi Delta. Our motto is "Realize Your Potential" and I've always believed that the purpose of a sorority, when carried out correctly, was to enhance the skills, confidence, knowledge, morals and lives of the women who joined. They must have seen potential in me too, because they appointed me Colony President. Its a full time job representing and guiding 45 beautiful and talented ladies, but I love them all and that makes it worth it every single day. Its also great to know that my fiance supports me and understands my desire to build this organization. I think he's proud that I'm following in his footsteps, since he was a founding father of the California Zeta chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon just a couple of years ago and has kept the dream going since. No pressure on our future children or anything... but Mommy and Daddy are both real go-getters (and they better be legacies)! Our colony will officially be installed as a chapter at the end of January and I'm sure it will be an amazing start to our Spring semester.

Some of my Best Friends and Brand New Sisters.

The in-laws finally met over Thanksgiving and, surprisingly, there was a lack of fireworks. Everybody got along and our mothers chatted the entire weekend away. We took my parents to see the wedding location and now I have a sneaking suspicion that my mother is planning a coup. I've been told we ARE having a big cake, lots of flowers and a chocolate fountain.

You'd think we would do some relaxing over break... but the fun never stops with us! We are headed off to Chicago with the Curtis Family in a couple days. We are going to be visiting Jake's Mom's family and staying through Christmas. It's my first time really visiting Chicago and I'm excited for the sightseeing, shopping and to freeze to death in 20 degree weather. As soon as we step off the plane home, we'll pull an all-nighter down to Orange County for some late Christmas celebrations and New Years with my family. We figure we only have to keep up the back and forth until we have our own kids... then the grandparents have to come to us! We promise to upload pictures and news from Chicago and Southern California as soon as we can.

Well, I'm all blogged out now, so I think I'll wrap it up here. Check back soon to hold me accountable for my promises!

Wishing all of you Peace, Warmth and Rest,

Tobi

Yowzahs!

This is my baby working on his baby (a '72 Skylark).

Um, Hello? Can you say... "Most attractive thing EVER"?

3 Reasons Why October is the Best Month

October makes my heart do a fluttery thing. I wait for it. I count down to it. I cherish it. I pray for it to go by slowly. Don't get me wrong, I believe that a lot of the other months have good qualities too, but I think it's safe to say, October is my favorite. Here are some reasons why:

1. October is like the Gateway Arch .

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri is the tallest monument in the the United States and part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. It was finished in October of 1965 (coincidence? I think not.) and is known as the "Gateway to the West". It commemorates an era in which Americans, standing in St. Louis Missouri at the edge of "civilization", looked westward in anticipation of the opportunities and advancements they would find there.

So here we are, standing on the edge of October, and you know what? Looks pretty good going forward. I mean, we have Halloween (see #3) coming up, then a watershed of other great holidays that mean time with your family and friends, time off of work and school and, let's not forget, great food. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year... all the holidays that get us through the cold months... well, thanks to October they get a nice little welcome.

Now, I'm not saying it doesn't take a little sacrifice. Louis and Clark didn't come through to the other side unscathed and you won't either... the holidays will probably suck up your savings and ruin your diet, but guess what? You'll love it the whole time.

Luckily, if you're standing in St. Louis in October, you can probably make Christmas in California. After that, I highly suggest making it a round trip... New Years in Boston is hard to beat.

Last New Years at Boston Common.

2. October means a weather adventure.

Alright, so this one might not apply to anyone reading this from Utah (hey, Morgan!) or Hawaii (Kylie!), but October in Northern California means fun weather. You can usually count on the mild beginnings of Fall. The days are still warm, but there is a crisp, cool breeze, the trees turn gorgeous colors and the night gets a little bite to it. All of that means breaking out the cute scarves and jackets, new fall boots and just enough hot cocoa and cuddling days to make your weeks a little brighter.

If you are lucky, you'll get a couple days of interruption from your surreal Autumn fantasy for a nice big storm! We had one this month and it provided the perfect opportunity for some first rate puddle jumping. So, you might have to start checking the weather report before you get dressed in the morning, but I'm a firm believer that variety is the spice of life.

Megan and I taking advantage

of a motorist's worst nightmare.

3. Halloween!

Modern Halloween is the most unique holiday of the year. It doesn't commemorate some historical event, it's not about religion and it doesn't really involve gifts. The rest of the holidays you spend huddled up with your own friends and family, which is great, but the only interaction you get with strangers is when you're at the store battling for the last can of cranberry sauce (oh, don't act like you wouldn't trip someone to get a Honey-Baked Ham). On Halloween you take your kids to the doors of complete strangers and ask for candy! To make it even better... they give it to you! How wild is that!? Halloween is one night a year that's all about community.

To take my point a little further, look at Halloween from a kid's point of view. For the major holidays we make them dress up in stiff fancy clothes, visit old people, and be extra careful not to get messy at the longest dinner of their young lives. Now, look at Halloween. It starts off with "You can be whatever you want." Fireman? Yes. Indian Princess? Yes. Sea Turtle? Why not? Then we throw in, "You get to stay up way past your bedtime and run around the neighborhood" and, of course, "You get to eat more candy tonight then you will get to cumulatively for the rest of the year." You want to see real holiday joy? Check out the smile on an eight year old with a sheet over his head and candy hands stickier than fly traps running around with his next door neighbor. Beat that Thanksgiving.*

I could go on and on (I haven't even started in on Homecoming), but I think you get the point. Bottom line: there are 10 day left in the best month this of this year. Don't waste 'em.

Counting down 'til the next October,

Tobi

*Disclaimer: You may not share my sentiments about Halloween if you didn't have an awesome and Halloween-obsessed mother, like I did. If your mom didn't make every one of your intricate costumes (from circus performers with ponies to ears of corn) from scratch or bring in gigantic "Freaky Feast" Halloween lunches for your whole class (complete with jello brains and finger sandwiches) then you probably can't understand what I'm talking about.

Engagement Pictures!

Here are the rest of our Engagement Pictures.  We love them!  

We had so much fun on our photo shoot in Sacramento with Ashley!  

Yay for Cain Photography!

Check out http://cainphotography.blogspot.com/

Sneak Peek: Engagement Pictures

We had a blast getting our pictures taken by Jake's cousin Ashley.  

We think she did a beautiful job.

Enjoy!

Love is...

... feeling nice and small next to the person who is the biggest part of your life.

July 3rd

Nothing beats an unexpected three-day weekend!  Jake and I didn't want to waste it, so we planned an impromptu trip down the coast.  We made the pretty three hour drive down hwy 101 early in the morning and got to one of my favorite beaches just in time for lunch.  Spooner's Cove at Montana de Oro State Park is a beach I discovered with Morgan and Leah back in 2006.  The rocky beach has lots of fun tide pools and a big rock plateau in the middle where you can look out over the ocean.  

We climbed up to the overlook (a little bit of a challenge with a heavy cooler) and picnicked on tuna fish sandwiches, potato salad and fruit.  

After lunch, we drove a few minutes up the coast to Morro Bay and did some kayaking around the harbor.  The bay is a natural estuary and a bird sanctuary so we saw some HUGE pelicans and even a couple harbor seals!  Jake did most of the paddling...

We beached on a little island to explore the dunes.

After we docked, we explored the Embarcadero and a little aquarium with a rescued harbor seal, a sea lion and lots of fish and crabs.  I named the seal "Creeper" because he had slimy eyes, little slits for nostrils and looked a lot like a cuter version of Voldemort.

On the way back up, we stopped in Cambria for THE BEST SEAFOOD DINNER EVER at Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill.  The restaurant had an ocean view and delicious halibut.  When we were ready to go, I tried to warn Jake about taking hwy 1, but he was up to the challenge.  The switch backs were a little ridiculous, but the view was beautiful.  Without a doubt, It was the best July 3rd ever.

I'm not so quick at catching on...

So here's the thing...

We've been engaged for more than a month and I've worn the ring every day.  I've poured over AT LEAST a million bridal magazines and I've even gone dress shopping and still...

I know it hasn't sunk it yet.  I just can't fully grasp it...

I was sitting in my cubicle (at my new job) a couple days ago and I just started tearing up.  Suddenly, I was just overwhelmed with how much I love him and how blessed I am and how wonderful a life I'm living.

So I'm thinking, when it really does sink in... when I really realize that we are actually finally getting married FOREVER... well then, I'm afraid my heart might just burst with happiness.

-Tobi

Wondering What We've Been Up To?

Here's the skinny...

We've spent a lot of the last few weeks with the Curtis' in Brentwood. It's the only place we get to eat real home-cooked meals every night and study up on their extensive movie collection. The Curtis' are all in on the wedding planning and even the boys tolerate talk of wedding dress styles and cake frosting options. Lita even got us started on our registry... what a whirlwind! At some point, all toasters look alike and placemats begin to blur together. It was a lot of fun though and we certainly felt accomplished when we finished!

Next, we drove down to Orange County to see the Richards' and got to visit with a lot of extended family and friends during a backyard BBQ. All together, we celebrated four birthdays, two graduations, an anniversary and our engagement!

Back in San Jose, we've become a bit addicted to our tech toys. We seem to be constantly figuring out new features on the iPhones Mike and Lita gave us as an engagement present. We can do everything from surf the web to get the daily surf report and send emails, text messages and digital greeting cards. On top of that, we have been working out every day with the Wii workout games ("Fit" and "Active"). They may seem like video games, but we sure are feeling the burn. What can we say? We're just geeks!

Tay and Tobes

Meet Taylor!
She's Jake's big sister and soon she's gonna be mine too!
She's a teacher, apparently likes grape popsicles and
guess what!?... she's going to be my Maid of Honor!
(that's "MOH" for those in the know...)

Engagement Celebrations

We feel so blessed to have family and friends who love us so much!  Take our engagement celebrations as an example:

We had barely finished calling the whole family when our good friends Ann Grabowski and Sarah Sterling threw us our first Engagement Party!  It was sweet sharing Milano cookies and Champagne at my little apartment.

A Toast to our Engagement!

Re-Staging the Proposal for our Guests.

Then, on Saturday night, Jake's parents (Mike and Lita) took us out to a LOVELY steak dinner at Vic Stewart's in Brentwood.  Jake's sister Taylor and her boyfriend Joe came out to celebrate and his little brother Nick even left the Junior Prom for a couple of hours to be with us.  What a fun night!  The food was great and we had a lot of fun teaching Lita about "that's what she said" jokes.

The happy couple.

Lita, Mike and Nick smile for the camera.

Joe and Taylor.  Wine much?

Showing off the ring.

Thank you and all our love to everyone who celebrated with us!