Well isn't that just fan freakin tastic

Today I have officially been laid off. I felt it was coming for a while. But I am still pissed. Only because I know people were behind it. The same way they laid off Allen. Was supposedly for down sizing and because he was the last one hired. But we all know it was because certain people were spreading rumors and the president of the company just took their word and let him go. There are several incompetent people he could have laid off. People we have been showing him sufficient evidence that they slack off all the time. But no lay off the hard workers who don't stand around and gossip. If I hadn't of worked there for 2 years and needed a good reference on my resume I would have let him have a piece of my mind. Whatever I know it's for the best. One could easily get trapped there. And I really didn't want to spend the rest of my life there. And i don't even care so much that I don't work there. It's just the principal of the thing. I was a hard worker and actually valued my job. And needed it especially sense Allen gets so little on unemployment. But it's fine. I will also get unemployment so at least we can pay bills. Plus the less of us that work there the closer my mom can get to leaving and finding a place that deserves her.

The Honeymoon

The honeymoon was great! We went all up the coast. We almost didnt have one because we didnt know if we could afford one. But between wedding gift money and money dance money we had enough to plan a great week long honeymoon and still put a good chunk in savings. We owe it all to our friends and family and thank you all so much!
We didnt leave right after the wedding night. We actually stayed the day after the wedding and relaxed and opened gifts. Then the next day we booked hotels and figured out what we were going to do. It took most of the day so we didnt leave for the trip until like 9 or 10 PM. After my mom and I added more decorations to the car :D

We stopped at our first stop in Pismo was a Quality Inn (Formerly the Rose Garden Inn) we only stayed one night so Allen wouldnt have to drive so much in one night. The Quality Inn was lacking some quality lets just say that lol Some examples:

Our Delux ShowerThe random light switch that did nothing.
This is real safeNo latch on the lock?! Good thing you also needed a card key.
I felt a little uneasy there but it was one night and we just slept after we got there anyways.
The next morning we headed to Carmel to a really neat hotel we found Called the Carmel Mission Inn.

Everyone kept telling us how great Carmel was and all the neat shops there were. We get there and I think pretty much everyday we stayed there except the day we were leaving was overcast and freezing! And we only saw a few shops near our hotel. We couldn't figure out what the big deal was. But it didn't matter because we were on our Honeymoon and we loved the hotel. Dressed in hotel bath robes we toasted with the glasses provided in the room because we forgot to bring our toasting flutes from the wedding.

But part was because we didn't want anything to happen to them. Neither of us really care for champagne or wine so we toasted with the bottles of Martineli's Apple Cider my parents got for us. The bottles were dressed like a bride and groom it was cute hahaha

We stayed there probably about three days. But we didn't just stay at the hotel. One day we went to Monteray Bay and we walked around checked out shops and the town. Had a little lunch then he took me to the aquarium. I was pretty excited because I had never been there before. And it did not disappoint. It was really neat! We got to see a lot and there were a lot of good photo opportunities. :)

I especially loved the Sea Horse exhibit. So cute!! After the Aquarium we stopped and got ice cream at a Dreyers/Toll house shop. Is this not the greatest poster? ever!? hahahaha

Day 2 in Carmel consisted of us driving all the way to Cupertino to see the Apple Corporate store. There are items there you can only buy at this store. But unfortunately when we got there they had just closed. Uhg. So we left for out next stop, San Francisco! It was a very long drive but I had never been there before either and it was very different from how I always pictured it. If you are afraid of hights I don't recommend this place haha I was terrified most of the drive. I did see a lot of neat shops and places there and I love all the randomly placed sculptures.

And one bright side was we got to see The Academy of Art University. Which is the school I attended online but never got to finish and have been wanting to go back so bad. But its too expensive. :( But it was really cool being able to see it in person. That evening we ate at the Rainforest cafe. It was so cool!!!!

With all the animatronic animals I felt like I was at Disneyland. However I think the price is a little much for just alright food. We must have paid for the experience lol We checked out a few more shops before going back to Carmel. And Allen was determined to see the Goldengate Bridge but I did not want to actually go on it. Especially because by this time it was dark and very overcast and foggy. And we had already driven some pretty steep and terrifying hills. With all the one way streets it was very hard to navigate the city. We actually almost did end up on the bridge but Allen is an excellent driver so he got us out of it. We did for a brief moment end up right underneath it at one point. So that was all we really needed. Just to see Part of those red beams. We were satisfied and left on the terrifying ride back to Carmel. Where I wanted to kiss the ground when we arrived hahah.
Day 3 was one of the best and worst days. We planned to go to Cupertino again and then go Horseback riding on Pebble Beach. I wanted it to be special because Allen had never ridden a horse before. We started off the morning checking out of our lovely hotel. I was sad to see it go. But we were headed to our destinations before going back to Pismo to stay 2 nights at the Edgewater Inn and Suites. We stopped and got lunch from burger king. Then we headed to Cupertino. That day we were on a tight schedule because to go horseback riding we actually had to make reservations and put down a deposit. So we didnt want to miss our time. We also didnt want to get to the Apple Corporate store too late again because this was our last chance on the trip to see it. So we are driving and Allen starts to feel a little funny. He needs to use the restroom. But he decides to hold it. On the way to Cupertino I start to get this feeling of dejavu. I have been to this area before. Then I notice signs for Garlic World. I remember going there once when I was a kid but I never knew where I was when I went. All I remembered was they had Garlic ice cream. Blech. So I beg Allen for us to go. So even though I know he didn't really want to he still did because he is so kind :D

We get to look around a few mins and we buy some candy and I decide i'm feeling brave and get a small container of chocolate garlic ice cream.

We get to the car and I try it first. First nite is like oh yum chocolate ice cre...oh...oh God. And then just an uber strong wave of garlic flavor. Uhg I don't know why I ate as much as I did. Allen tried some and didn't like it. I couldnt stop for some reason. But after my mouth felt like I was making garlic bread in there I threw it away. I couldn't get the taste out for the longest time. Gross. We get to Cupertino and we agree 30 mins to look around and then we have to rush to Pebble Beach. Allen is starting to feel the urgency of needing to go to the restroom off and on but we don't have time to stop. He looks around the store and plays with the ipad.

We debate on what we might want to get as a a momento of being there. But in the end all we leave with is one Apple Logo Hat. It's like they had shirts and mac accessories and pens. But because the corporate stores are rare, the prices for these just ok items weren't worth it. I didn't see anything that would fit me anyways. And I had just bought a Rainforest Cafe sweater the night before. And we had gone to an Abercrombi and Fitch Outlet at a random mall before San Fran. Everything was half the price of the usual prices. But that just meant instead of $180 for a jacket it was $80 lol So Allen was happy with his hat. Anyways 30 mins was up so we rushed out to head to Pebble Beach which was quite a ways away. Allen didn't want to take the same route we took going to Carmel because it lead us through a long mountain/forest road. So we took another highway. Allen really has to go to the bathroom at this point. And he knows its not the normal kind. He is also feeling sick to his stomach with some pretty nasty sulphur burps. Not a good sign when he gets those. Because he usually gets pretty sick after those come around. But he didn't tell me it was that bad. Also we had absolutely no time to stop. But if I knew it had gotten that bad I would have just rescheduled the reservation to the next day. Things start to get stressful on the road. We hit some heavy traffic. We are going at a snails pace and time is running out! We argued a little of what to do. I kept asking should we reschedule?! But we decided to keep trying. He starts telling me about how he really has to go. I said there should be a bathroom there. Maybe he can go before we ride. But we were already running late! Again I didn't know just how bad it was. It was awful but we finally made it. It was scary because we were also on empty gas wise. And we had to drive some curvy mountain road to get there. If the car stopped while on a curve thats it we were finished. But we made it. It turns out you have to pay to get into this little community. But it was cool we got to the toll booth and the guy saw our Just Married decorations and let us in for free! We found a bathroom but he didnt get a chance to use it because they were waiting for us when we got there. They said we almost missed it. So we hurried up and got situated on our horses. It had been a long time sense I had been on one myself. Felt weird. But the ride was fun! And beautiful!

There were deer everywhere. Even on the beach. And we were litterally a few feet away from them but they were so used to people and horses they weren't too afraid. Our guide spent most of the time talking to the other couple in our group but she did ask us a few questions.

And she told us a little bit about some of the sites on pebble beach. It's crazy some of the houses located there on the beach are like 2 bedroom fixer uppers but because of location they are worth thousands to millions. I could tell Allen was having fun and enjoying the new experience the best he could in his condition. I was worried about him. Because the ride was an hour long. I don't think I would have lasted. A bumpy horseback ride having to really need to use the restroom that bad and not feeling well. Not to mention we weren't sitting on the most high quality saddles. So legs and bums were hurting and falling asleep. I kept asking how he was doing and he said he was fine.

We get back and we pass our car all decorated and the guide asks us. Is that your guys car? we said yeah and she got all excited and congratulated us. And she told the rest of the group. There were several times I wanted to mention it on the ride but she was too busy getting chummy with the other couple and I feel odd making a big deal about myself. I prefer people find things out naturally rather than me blurting it out, out of the blue for attention. So we dismount and Allen rushes to the bathroom. He is in there a good while. Several flushes. When he came out he said he felt bad because he had to flush quite a bit and when he was done he saw a sign that said "These pipes are very old please try not to flush too much." We were both just like uhhh hahah whups and left. It was time to find a gas station because we did not want to drive those roads again on empty. We google map and find one in the pebble beach community. Allen is still not feeling well so we need to move quickly. I am pretty worried about him. And I am worried about running out of gas on the road. We make it to the station and they closed?! at 5pm? What gas station closes at 5???? Also the gas prices where hideous! We concluded it was because it was a community of rich country club and golf club goers who could afford it. We panic a little because this means we have to drive the route known as 17 mile drive which is supposed to be a beautiful scenic route to pleasurably dive and enjoy. We were on an empty tank and we dont know where the nearest gas station is. Allen is feeling sick and he is the driver so if anything happens we are toast. So I pray. I pray for safety and for the little gas we have to help us make it to wherever we end up And for Allen to get well and be able to enjoy the rest of the trip. It was scary but at this point I had to put all my trust in God. And we made it. Some how we made it back to Carmel. But this was a different Carmel than what we saw. We finally made it to the Carmel everyone raved about. It was cute and quaint and we finally understood. However we did not really get a chance to stay and enjoy it. Allen wasn't feeling up to it and we needed gas. We finally find a station and I am thanking the Lord for keeping us safe. Its a very small gas station with a very small mart. Were decided to get some powerade for Allen. We got some snacks and powerades. We even found the white one which I hadnt had sense middle school because they stopped making it. It tasted just how we remembered. We reroute and head off to Pismo. This was the worst part of the drive. Allen is very sick at this point. We keep having to make stops so he can use the restroom. We stopped at a CVS in Salinas. This town was gheeeeetooooo hahah I beleive the post I wrote on facebook when we got there was "Went to salinas to find a target. On the way in we noticed a lady in a pink mumu pushing a shopping cart. As we passed her we also noticed her big grey goatee (0_o). Get us outta here!!! Lol" At the CVS Allen was using the restroom. At this point he was also vomiting as well as the situation. So I stocked up on light foods I knew he could eat when he was feeling better. Easy Mac, top raman, Saltine crackers. I figured I could use the stove or microwave in our new hotel room. We did stop by a near by target so Allen could get a CD he had been wanting but we were there for quite some time while his body continued to be angry at him. When he finally finished there he said he was feeling a little better. That drive wasn't too bad. He started acting like himself again. We listened to the entire album. When things got real bad. It was night time. And we ended up on that mountain road again when he tells me. I think I need to throw up. It caught me off guard because he seemed so much better. He was able to keep down some crackers and water for a good hour or so. I asked ok how soon do you need to. He said any minute. So I quickly had him pull over and I dumped one of the many grocery bags we had accumulated on the trip. And He let it all go. It was hard watching him go through this all day. I just sat and prayed for him while he got sick. I couldn't help but cry after that happened. I felt bad for crying but I felt so bad for him. And it sucked knowing all I could do was just be there for him and not be able to make it stop. When he was done we left the bag in some bushes and I told him to let me drive. He said he was good now and he would just drive. I said lets pray then. So we prayed together and I prayed for healing to his body. And we left. It was scary because it hadn't occurred to me. What if there was no where to pull over in a situation like that. And he started vomiting while driving? We could have gotten into a bad accident. As we kept driving he said he had to spit which scared me because I didnt know if he would be sick again. But he said just spit so I gave him a bag and as I watched him hold the bag to his face while driving I though enough is enough. I made him pull over and I drove the rest of the trip that night. We made it to our hotel in Pismo. I have never been so happy to get to a hotel. Allen rushed to the bathroom in the Lobby while I checked in. He had the car keys still so I had to wait outside until he was done. We go into our room where he goes to the restroom again and vomits more and I just keep praying. He finally came to a point in the night where he is done. And actually gets an appetite. I don't want him eating anything heavy at this point so I suggest easy mac. We look around and realize uhhhh there is no stove or microwave. I thought we had a suite. Turns out I didn't book a suite. So we just had a regular room. I remember there is a microwave in the lobby and so we head over there to cook it. One problem we have no eating utensils and no bowls. So we grabbed the coffee mugs provided in the room and tried to make it in those. The first batch was a mess. Later on we perfected the technique. We had to eat it with wood coffee stirrers that was the closest thing to a utensil we could find. He was able to keep that down all night. And I prayed for him one more time before we went to bed. The next morning he was good as new. Back to his old self. Like nothing had happened. He has had bouts like that before in the past. But we really think this time it was food poisoning. Either from Burger King or His weird meal at the Rainforest Cafe. But this morning he was HUNGRY. With good reason his body rejected every bit of food in his body the day before. I had him start with more easy mac and some crackers. And made him wait. If he kept it down we could go get food. And he did good. All day though I kept bugging him. Every few mins how are? Hows your stomach? Keeping everything down ok? Man I was paranoid. But how could I not be? I watched my husband suffer all day and night with very little I could do for him. I wanted to make sure he was ok. But as the day went on I could see he was fine. We ate some really really really good BBQ food

and we took a walk on the beach because it was literally right there. It was like parking lot to our hotel, cross the street, then your on the beach.

We really took it easy that day. Day 2 there was about the same. We took a dip in the pool which was cool because you could see the ocean but your not getting sandy or touching seaweed with your feets. But the pool was freezing!!!

The pool at the nicer hotel we stayed at had a heated pool and two hot tubs. This pool was freezing and had some sand in it from people jumping in from the beach. And there was one tiny hot tub that said max 4 people. Al and I wanted to go in but the oddest thing happened. One after another the largest heavy set people kept trying to squeeze in. I am not twig myself. But it was like watching clowns packing in to a clown car. And there were clearly more than four of them. One guy was even in there eating a bag of chips. Allen and I just laughed and went back to our room. We had a nice evening and that night our photographer sent us a link and we got to see a few teaser photos from the wedding. I loved all of them! I can't wait for the rest! The next morning we checked out. Headed on our last destination before going home.
We debated going to Solvang. We both really just wanted to go home. But last time we went to Pismo area we drove through Solvang at night when nothing was open and we didn't want to miss out on an opportunity. So we decided to go. On the way we stopped at a little place called Ostrich Land.

Allen had told me about this place. It used to be free to go see and feed. But then they fenced it all off and its now a tourist attraction. But it was still worth it. It wasn't too expensive and so we went and fed Ostriches which is scary but funny at the same time. We also got to see Emu's. They were less forceful.

When we were done we left Ostrich land and headed to Solvang which wasn't too far. This time it was much better. We tried fudge, got a giant soft pretzel with home made cheese. We got gifts for the family in the shops.

It was very nice. Kind of expensive. But nice. We did our best to find deals.

Soon it was time to leave and we headed on the long journey home. It was sad knowing the honeymoon was over. And knowing I had to go to work the next day >:o/ I was not enjoying my job one bit anymore so the week vacation was great. But it was nice to see familiar scenery and I was excited to see the sign with my town name saying it was only a few miles away. On the way home we passed through Ventura and off in the distance you could see the ferris wheel from the County Fair.

I felt like everything was finally ok and I could relax. Overall it was a great Honeymoon. I wish Allen didn't get sick and If I knew it was going to get as bad as it did I would have just let him go to the bathroom before we did anything else. May have even rescheduled the Horseback Riding. But things happened the way they did. And we ended up with an interesting story to tell our family and future children. Maybe on our anniversary we will go Horseback Riding So he can fully enjoy it this time.

Big Wedding Time!

After the wedding I was way too pooped to blog. Plus I just didn't feel like it hahahah. But i'll start from a little before the wedding. Well we had a few hiccups. Nothing crazy. The final dress fittings went well and it looked great when it was done. I was really surprised with Men's Wearhouse. When we first went we got excellent service. Even when the guys went in to get measured it was great. Most of the guys had no trouble at their fittings either or picking up their tuxes. The very last fitting and pick up Al went with our buddy Charlie and brother in law Adam. And for some reason they got the worst service. None of the people working their offered any help they were all too busy chatting with each other. And the manager that day was some lady with a thick accent who had no idea what she was doing. Up until now we worked with the store manager which was a younger gentlemen who was really on top of it. Anyways this lady was crazy! So a few weeks before when all the guys were fitted Allen and I let them know the wedding party would be wearing converse. You cant rent those so we bought the guys from the tux shop. But two pairs had to be custom ordered because they didnt have some sizes. So they were supposed to be able to pick them up when they picked up the tuxes. They get their and for some reason they order the completely wrong sizes. We have no idea why. This is like a day or two before the wedding mind you. This lady says well we dont have any of the size you need in the store but we can order them. Allen asks well how long will it take to get them. She says probably not until after the wedding possibly the day of the wedding. Allen says thats too late we will just get them from somewhere else and I want a refund for the ones we paid for but werent the right size. She says wait well give me your address and someone from the tux shop will deliver them the day of the wedding. Allen says no its fine we will get them somewhere else and take the refund. The lady tells him and Charlie and Adam wait I have an idea. and Walks away. They wait 15 mins and the lady is no where to be found. Adam has to leave for work and he is pretty much squared away anyways. So he leaves. After like 20-30 mins the lady returns. And says ok so have a nice day. Charlie asks well what was your idea? She acts like she doesnt know what hes talking about. They remind her of what she did. And she says well you guys left so I didnt know what to do. At this point the guys are confused and getting irritated. They tell her about Adam leaving for work because she took forever but they didn't all leave. In fact they had been waiting there for her this whole time because she said she had an idea. And she says oh yeah well I ordered them and someone can deliver them on the wedding day............what?!.............At this point Allen calls me and he is very frustrated. They already left the shop to get some lunch. I told him we have to get a refund and he said he was so mad he doesn't want to go back. So my mother and I went down there. You don't mess with my mom when she is in the zone hahahah. She went in there told the manager this service is unacceptable. The lady actually tries to say that they all left and that Adam took the pair of shoes we were trying to get refunded for. Which he did not he returned them that day. It really only took a matter of minutes until my mom got the refund and we left. I don't know how that lady got put in charge of anything but she clearly did not know anything.
The wedding rehearsal went well I was excited for the type of ceremony we were having. When we first talked about getting married I had this idea and I wanted to be a traditional non traditional wedding. But it turned out to be more traditional than I thought it would. And it was amazing :) after a couple of conditions were met my grandmother was able to do the ceremony. Rehearsal went pretty smooth and after wards we took care of some last minute details in the reception hall and went out to eat at Mimi's Cafe. Was a good night.
The wedding day was frantic and nerve wrecking before the ceremony. All the guys had to do was put on the tuxes and look sharp hehehe and they did they clean up nice! But the girls had hair appointments all morning. And we were running a little late already. I was so worried my hair wouldnt hold its curl because we had some trouble a few days before. But we all turned out lovely thanks to the girls at Vanity On Main in Santa Paula.

I love that Salon and I love my hair dresser shes awesome! Anyways, after we were all done we packed everyone into the cars and rushed to the Hotel. Lets just say it was a photo finish. I felt bad because the photographer was already there waiting. But she was really cool as well. Ari from Ari Photography was very professional and very understanding. And while my mom was frantically trying to tie me into my dress Ari just took pictures of our shoes and rings and flowers and was very helpful. I think one of the scariest moments was when my mom was tying me in and one of the loops ripped off the dress.

We were already running short on time and this happens. But my mom being the wonderful person she is had already planned ahead and brought a sewing kit. Oh my gosh was it a life saver. she sewed it back on and we were good to go. Until we found out there were two cakes in our reception area and all the flowers that were supposed to be on our cake were on the other one that wasnt ours. I was pissed. Really?! come on people! By the time I got down to the reception area it had already been resolved. The other cake was for the wedding upstairs and the cake guy had put our flowers(Which were beautiful as was all our flowers thanks to Shells Petals. She Rocks!) on our cake. Which turned out so cute!
<----Hahahah
And very very VERY delicious! I have A Gift Of Taste to thank for that. Anyways after that we proceeded to the wedding. The ceremony went beautiful except for my grandma insisted on wearing her mic inside her jacket so there was a lot of static during certain parts. But it still turned out lovely.

I loved every part of that ceremony. Communion and even the unity candle lighting. We had a scare with the Unity candle a week before the wedding. Again thanks for nothing Mens Wearhouse. We had ordered it custom through them and when it got to us it was fine until someone barely touched the lettering and and it rubbed off!!!! Half my name was missing!
<----more came off later
We were freaking out! I sent a very angry e mail to customer services and demanded a replacement ASAP. But I never heard from them. So we had to improvise. I tried using paint pen, sharpie, and nail polish and nothing would write on this candle! While we were getting the gifts for the wedding party we told the guy helping us about our dilemma. And he gave us an idea. While you can't engrave a candle you can engrave a little metal plate with an adhesive you can stick to the candle. So thats what we did. I rubbed off the rest of the names and we got some ribbon and stick on pearls and totally redid the whole thing and it looked 10X better than the original. I was so relieved!!!!'

Two days before the wedding I received a box in the mail. It was a replacement candle from Mens Wearhouse. It was free so I cant complain. But they never contacted me to tell me they were sending one! It would have saved so much time and frustration! But I still liked the one we made. So thats the one we used and kept the other as a spare in case anything happened to the better one. I just couldn't believe it hahahah But anyways ceremony went well. And ended with us leaving to "the eye of the tiger" hahahah While the guests enjoyed cocktail hour we took the rest of our wedding photos. I can't wait to see them when they are ready! DJ Mike Freitas AKA Allens brother was our DJ. And he did a fantastic job. He introduced us into the reception hall with Lets get ready to rumble remix I think it was hahah and our wedding party made us a tunnel to run through. Was pretty fun.

We then went into our first dance where we danced to the song Adam Sandler sings to Drew Barrymore in the wedding singer. "I Wanna Grow Old With You" it was so sweet but Allen kept tripping up on my dress because the train was still down hahaha I guess we should have thought that one through a little more.

After that we went into a combined Mother Son/ Father Daughter Dance.

The reception was great. I have never danced so much. The food was amazing the cake was great. We couldnt have had a better group of guests. The speeches were emotional and humorous even Allen teared up. Our best man did a great speech and gave us a meaningful gift as part of it. He gave us bride and groom Minnie and Mickie Bobble heads that had magnets in their noses so it looked like they kissed when together.

And he told the guests a short version of how we got engaged at Disneyland. He told us later that the only way to get those bobble heads was if you get married at Disneyworld. And that the host family he stays with on his down time from the Airforce Academy happened to get two somehow when they got married, so they gave him one after he told them what it was for. That touched my heart that he planned all that for us. He truly is a good friend. It was a good night. Allen and I totally smashed cake in each others faces

and I think it just wouldn't have been us if we didn't lol It was fun even if I did get a pound of frosting in my nostril. The bouquet toss was fun but the garter toss was even better. Allen did a dance I don't know where he comes up with these moves but it result in him laying on the dance floor and kind of moved like a caterpillar to to the bottom of my dress where he pretended he couldn't find it then did.

And of course as soon as he tossed it all the guys scattered. What is it with men these days come on marriage is something you want remember? But one of them maned up and grabbed. It was pretty amusing. We did a money dance which helped us out a lot. Plus seeing all of Allen's guy friends try to have a romantic dance with him was hilarious.

We counted up all the money from just that dance alone was over $100 that contributed towards our honeymoon. We didn't even know if we were going to be able to afford one. Luckily between money gifts and money dance money we had enough to plan a pretty decent honeymoon as well as put a big chunk in savings. It was a pretty crazy night and by the time we got to our wedding night hotel. We were both so tired all we could do was knocked out. The wedding was amazing. It was in a beautiful location, the wedding party looked sharp! and the staff was friendly and helpful it was just the greatest day of our lives. And we keep getting so many compliments. I know we are very blessed.