One of my favorite holidays has always been Valentine's Day. Even when I was single, I loved the day because it celebrates love, and there is no greater thing in this world than love! This year, our first Valentine's Day as a married couple was a hit! My wonderful, amazingly thoughtful husband woke me up Thursday morning with a rose and a funny card. Unfortunately, that night I had to make a presentation on the Neo-Conservative Political party, and by the time I got home, my Valentine was long gone to bed. We celebrated the following night instead. Ryan bought us tickets to the Magic 92.5 Love Jam concert. What a romantic evening, listening to live old school love music! Now, I'm not typically into old school, but when it comes to romance, this genre has got it down!!

That's MISTER Plumber to you!

Ryan just got the results back from his Journeyman test for the PHCC. He passed with flying colors!! I am so proud! It was 4 long years of school and many weekends spent studying, but HE DID IT!!

Notice he earned 100% on GAS. That's no surprise to anyone who knows him!

Master of Education

I am currently working on my Masters Degree. I am insanely busy researching some of the most boring things one could imagine. One thing I love about teachers is we can always make a boring subject fun. This picture is from a presentation I did on Educational Progressivism. There is an important philosophical analogy to go along with this little guy, with which I won't bore you!

10 Things I Hope You Won't Hate About Me

Tagged by my mama.

1. My alarm clock is the morning news. Fox has commercials for random cities in Mexico, so I wait in bed and listen to the news until I can't stand to hear one more commercial about Mexico.

2. When I travel, I'll eat anything they serve. Here in the States, though, it's a different story. No beans, no mushrooms, no shellfish, no olives, and absolutely, without a doubt, NO TOMATOES!!

3. I dance and sing at inappropriate times. If music is playing, I'm most likely going to dance.

4. I once wanted to marry Wayne Newton.

5. I buy wine based solely on the picture on the label.

6. Sleeping habit: one foot outside the covers, maybe even hanging off the bed. It regulates the body temperature. Otherwise, I'm my husband's "little heater."

7. I overdo myself in order to get things done. If I'm not overwhelmed, I'm not as effective as when I'm stressed.

8. I have double jointed hips.

9. I don't like movies with battle scenes: Braveheart, Lord of the Rings, Narnia, you name it.

10. I understand math really well.

Tag: Jessica and Molli

Carlsbad Half Marathon

I did it!! I finished my Half Marathon! WOW!! What an expierence! I now understand the Marathon bug that is going around. I think I'm ready to start training for a full marathon now. Rock 'n Roll Marathon training groups are all starting in 2 weeks, so that's how long I have to recover. Right now, I feel like this:

San Francisco

To wrap up Christmas vacation, Ryan and I took a trip up to San Francisco last weekend. The biggest storm to hit the bay area in over a decade also spent the weekend there. We did not let a little wind, rain, thunder, and lightning ruin our fun, though. Since the great outdoors wasn't our #1 destination, we went to the gym a couple of times, ate at some unique cafes, and had an obligatory bred bowl of chowder followed by a Ghirardelli hot cocoa!! YUM!! Here are some fun pictures from our trip...

I left my heart in San Francisco!


Ryan's favorite eatery near the hotel (although we never actually ate there!)


Stopping by China Town on our way back from the gym


The Christmas tree in Ghirardelli Square


My favorite place!!


Ryan at the Cable Car station


The MOST delicious edemame at The Citrus Club
(this alone is worth a trip to San Francisco!)


A quick jaunt through Haight Ashbury

Thunderbolts and Lightning in San Diego!!

When the storm hit San Diego this weekend, lightning struck hard at Qualcomm! That's right! The Chargers won their first playoff game!! Whoo Hoo!! Ryan and I had UNBELIEVABLE seats!! We were so close to the field and right in the end zone! Our view was almost as good as the refs'!! Way to go, boys!