I'm back!

made it home safe from Las Vegas - had a GREAT TIME... literally laid by the pool for HOURS and the weather was perfect. I had a blast with the girls I went with and would not have changed a thing about the trip. I am back to work and putting a positive spin on things. Trying not to stress over not being pregnant and putting good vibes out there in hopes some good stuff will come my way.
I have one thing on my mind that is full of negativity and I can not seem to get over it. Gabe and I have been friends with a couple from Gabe's hometown for years ... we even went as far as planning their rehearsal dinner and Gabe's dad even officiated their wedding. I always went out of my way to call Skipper ( for name's sake) and she never would call me back, but trying to be the better person and keep in communication with them I kept going at it. I went to visit her about 6 weeks ago while Gabe and I were visiting their town. We had a WONDERFUL visit - she is pregnant- and she told me all about how she found out and all the fun details. I left feeling like we had semi re-kindled what was missing for so many months. The next morning I got an email from her husband more or less telling me that Gabe and I are bad people who let others tell us what to think and what to do. He stated his email was not to hurt or feelings but honestly he was rude. He has more issues with someone else but dumped them all on ME for no reason what so ever. I have never been spoken to by a man like that - and he is not even someone that should get away with treating me like that - in fact no one should ever treat anyone like he treated me. He has a complex and thinks that his " shit does not stink " when in fact it could clear a room/ house/ town/ city/ state .. you get my drift. I need to let this all go but in the end I am hurt and this man was wrong to do this. I would love to call him up and tell him what I think of him but I am holding back out of respect for myself. The lesson here is: DO  NOT OPEN YOUR MOTH UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO OPEN MINE BACK. The other lesson here is : YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN I AM  - YOU NEVER WILL BE AND YOU NEED A REALITY CHECK!
Fells good to put that out into bloggerville!

Ok - it's a beautiful Sonoma County day and I am going to enjoy it through the windows at work!
I am blessed to have a great job, husband, family, friends, dogs : LIFE !

9 hours until vacation

Oh world... In 9 short hours I will be officially on vacation and I could not be happier! I am looking forward to seeing my family and friends. I have a short trip to Las Vegas planned with some work friends and a stay-cation in Napa with my hubs. Tomorrow is the 4th of July - my favorite holiday so I hope to get the puggles out and get some sun.
I have been feeling good - we are on cycle 2 of clomid and hoping that we get prego this month. IF we do that means we will have a baby due around April 1st - NO JOKE - how cool would that be?
Gabe has been BUSY on the truck and has a huge event today in Benicia for the annual 3rd of July parade.
I will try to write to you (ok myself) while on vacation - I need to get better at this blogging thing~!

Excuse me, what day is it again?

Is it me or has everyone lost track of the day of the week we are currently occupying? Good Lawd - I can not keep my days straight. It seems like life is getting busier and busier and I am not taking any time to stop and smell the roses. Something strange is up with Sierra the puggle. Yesterday while on our walk she just stopped and refused to go walk anymore. WHAT? That is not puggle-like at all... I am going to try to do the same walk tonight and see if something is really up for if she was just being a stinker and was in protest of the warm weather we have been having. Gabe has been so busy on the food truck that I have not seen much of him in the past few days. We DID have our 7 year anniversary on May 31st. He got me a new iPhone and he also got my initials tattooed on his forearm. I have to say the more I think about it the more I love him for it. It really does mean that we will be together forever. I am SO BLESSED to have his as my husband. I know sometimes I get caught up in the negative web that life can spin, but at the end of the day I know that I am one lucky gal. I look around and see all the complaining, bitching and moaning that others do about their husbands and although I would love if Gabe did more laundry it is not a deal breaker for me. I like to be the one who takes care of him, who makes our house a home and who gets to fall asleep next to him every night.
I am so glad to see the month of MAY gone. It was a very hard month for my family with the passing of my cousin Nick. I know that he is looking down on us all watching us and keeping us safe, but I would still like him her on Earth. Gabe went to the Petaluma Race Way last night and they did a memorial lap for Nick. Gabe texted me while they were doing it and it made me smiling knowing Gabe was there to watch it.
As I sit at work (not knowing if it is Saturday or Sunday) I wish I was in bed with Gabe and the dogs but I know that I am lucky to have this job. I can not wait to get off at 4 pm and head home to walk the dogs, water the garden and clean the kitchen.
I hope you all have a good SUNDAY.
Talk to you soon!

Life Changes...

in the blink of an eye. This past week we lost my cousin. At the age of 20 he was taken from us while on a fishing trip with my family. His smile will be in my heart forever. His silly looks and snarky comments will be embedded in my mind. It is never okay for a child to die. It is never okay for a mom and dad to have to lay their child to rest. it is not okay for the world to lose such an amazing person. Sadly, I do not make the rules of this thing we call life. I can not control the sadness, hurt, anger and all the WHY's that are being asked right now. I do believe God has a plan for all of us, but that does not mean I understand what his plan is.

I miss you Nicholas. I will love you forever.

Love, your cousin & friend, Janel

Found some old pictures ~ things that make me smile

Catalina Island, California ~ Our Honeymoon Aug 2010

 

San Diego, California ~ Our Honeymoon Aug 2010

The Queen Mary~ Long Beach, California ~ Our Honeymoon Aug 2010

AT&T Park, San Francisco Giants vs LA Dodgers ~ August 2009

Half Dome, Yosemite California ~ Summer vacation 2011

 

Sea Bright Beach, Santa Cruz, California ~ Summer vacation 2011

Happy CINCO 2012 !

Hello out there ( where ever you might be ) 
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
I am at work today but the sun is out and I am feeling good. 
Gabe is out at Sears Point Raceway with the Awful Falafel Truck working a motorcycle event. Things are going REALLY good with the truck. Gabe is working his beeeehind off, I am so lucky to have him as a husband. The puggles are thriving and out of control - just how I like them! 
I got to spend some of my weekend with my new nephew. He was a doll - he even gave me a smile or 5! 
Tonight my mom and dad are hosting a family Cinco party ... I am looking forward to ALL my nieces and nephews being there ( PHOTO OP )
I am looking forward to getting May underway. I feel like this could be a good month. I am gong to NOT stress over "TTC" and let the powers that may be! I am going to spend as much time as possible out in the sun and doing yard work and getting my house to the way I want it. 
I am going to do the following:

• New master bath toilet
• Closet doors for the 3 guest rooms
• Faux wood blinds for the last 2 guest rooms
• Get the popcorn off the family room ceiling
• Get the yard all done up and pretty 
• Clean the garage
• Call the home warranty place about the dishwasher and kitchen window
• Ask my co worker about fixing the hardwood floor

WELL... Looks like I have a lot to do  :)

Have a great day out there !

MY BEST FRIEND BRIDGET AND ME ON MY WEDDING DAY ~ AUGUST 21, 2010

THE PUGGLES - LOVES OF MY LIFE !

Celebrating Rachel's wedding with some of my best friends ! January 2012

I am an Aunty - AGAIN!

Yesterday marks another amazing day in my life... I am an aunty to a healthy,beautiful and sweet as can be baby boy. My sister is a rock star and gave our family another perfect child. I am over the moon excited to watch the little guy grow up and become someone awesome. Watching my nephews and nieces grow up make my heart smile.
Gabe came to the hospital to see the baby and as soon as he walked into the room I teared up hoping and praying that someday Gabe and I will have a child of our own. I believe miracles happen and we will have a baby. Seeing my new nephew yesterday gave me a renewed hope of that.
Yesterday proves one thing ... I am blessed!

WOW - Hello Mr. Sunshine !

So the past few days have been simply amazing in Sonoma County!  We hit 84 outside yesterday and today they are saying it will be even warmer... YIPPIE. I was off of work yesterday so I was able to go have a fun and relaxing lunch with my mom and sister ( the sister who is about to have her baby ) it was nice to just sit and talk. After I got home I went and pulled some weeds in the backyard - we have a large yard and it is all weeds :(  I really need to win the lottery to get the yard landscaped. I took the dogs for a walk around 8 pm and it was still about 70 degrees so it was perfect. It is days like this that I remember how very blessed I am to live here with my family.


Speaking of family - mine rocks. We unveiled the AWFUL FALAFEL truck this week and my family was there to support us. It feels so good to know that we have them here with us. The opening night went AMAZING - we were so busy and the public seemed to love the food. Gabe is so talented people would be crazy not to like the food.
Tonight for dinner I am thinking of making chicken and rice with artichokes. 
I will let you know what I settled on tomorrow!


Have a great day - ENJOY THE WEATHER !

Blah - a way of life!

I have been down and out with a horrible cold - flu mixer thingy that has thrown me for a LOOP. I am on day 4 and feel like I have lost a good week of my life to a sickness I did not ask for. As I sit at work and deal with the public I can feel my temperature rising again. 103* has been normal for the past 2 days so anything around there is normal. I must be floating around 110* (I KID)

I am however looking forward to booking my trip to Vegas with my girlfriend Adrienne for her 35th birthday. Just her, me, a pool, water and SUN. Her birthday is in July so it is a perfect time to escape to the dessert for some sun. I am hoping the falafel truck will be up and running by then so Gabe will not even miss me while I am gone. I am also super stoked to be booking my flight to go to NC to see my BESTIE Bridget. We are headed to the shores of South Carolina and once again it will be fun in the sun.

Although I am sick as a dog, I am blessed and I thank the LORD for this amazing day.

I'm TIRED

Sometimes I am not sure if I am coming or going. Awake or sleeping, hungry or full, happy or sad. One thing I know for sure is that I need a good nights sleep - a good 12 hours of no dogs, no phones, no light just DARK, COOL and no interruptions.
Today I am working 10 hours of overtime, and while I like the paycheck I am getting exhausted and need a break.
Today after work I am going to run to the mall to get some makeup then head home, take the puggles on a walk and do some praying. With Easter fast approaching I find myself missing my Grandma Ester more and more. It is funny how just a smell can bring her back and I can close my eyes and she will be with me, making me pancakes and mac and cheese, walking to get the mail, sitting in the sun in her blue Buick or doing leg exercises in the morning side by side in her twin beds. My grandmother was (IS) one of the GREATS. She will never know how much I love her but someday I will be able to hug her again and tell her all she means to me.

Early Morning wake up call

Well, I see I have a few friends up in Alaska... WELCOME!

I got called into work at 2 am this morning, I will get off at noon so I will be able to enjoy some of the nice weather that has been sent to us from somewhere above.

I want to report that I made my buffalo chicken dinner the other night ... well kinda - I did not have the buffalo wing sauce so I ended up doing the following:

Whole wheat pizza dough - roll out to rectangle ( use flower or it will stick ) 

Homemade pesto sauce

Chicken ( baked with a bbq sauce on it ) 

Cheese

on the outer crust I put a small amount of EVOO to make it crispy

350 degrees for just about 15 minutes on a pizza stone 

SUPER GOOD! 

We had our California state inspection on our food truck yesterday and we PASSED!
So happy and excited for my husband ( who by the way asked what was going on with me because I have started to cook more and he knows I think I suck at cooking so was confused at to why I was being more domestic ) He has worked so hard on this truck and I am so so so thankful we got the PASS vs the FAIL on the first go round. Most people have to go through the inspection at least 2 - 3 times before passing.

I mentioned in my first blog that we have been trying to have a baby and it has not been as easy as I thought it would be. I have some testing coming up on April 11th and we are hoping to get some answers. I have always known that I wanted to be a mom. That is my dream - pure and simple - a mother. My heart aches for all of us women who have issues getting pregnant and carrying a healthy baby to full term. UNLESS you have been in the shoes of a women with NO children but wanting children you have NO IDEA the pain, suffering, stress and sadness we go through. I often find myself so upset with people that do not think before they speak and make off colored comments about pregnant people or getting pregnant or being pregnant and complaining and being tired and sick and upset all the time. They should keep in mind that some of us would give anything to have all those problems.

On today's agenda:

• Work until noon 
• Meet up with a friend visiting from out of town 
• Meet up with another friend and give her the wedding shower gift that I should have given her last weekend
• Take the puggles on their walk
• Make something wonderful for dinner -not sure what though- any suggestions?
• Relax with my husband (hopefully)
• Get my laundry pile washed/ folded and put away
• Smile ! 

Dinner tonight :

Buffalo Chicken Pizza Dough Roll Up:

2 boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp. olive oil
1 pizza dough (I get pre made from our local supermarket Olivers in the cold section)
8 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese (I used part skim)
3 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of Franks Wing Sauce
1/3 cup of ranch or blue cheese dressing

Directions 

• Pre-heat oven to 425°F. 
• Cut chicken into cubes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat teaspoon of olive oil in skillet and add chicken when hot.  Cook chicken completely and then add 1/4 cup of wing sauce.  Stir to coat chicken and let simmer for a minute or two.Take chicken off heat and let cool.

• Roll out the pizza dough to a rectangle shape (use flour on the bottom or it will stick to the rolling surface)
• Layer on the dough: ranch or blue cheese dressing/ chicken / cheese and the extra wing sauce
• Roll the whole thing up (like a sushi roll - just not as tight)
• Place on a baking sheet (spray with PAM or use a silpat)
• Cook for 20-25 minutes
• ENJOY ~ we sure will ;)

 

I figured why not...

I love to sit at work and read blogs that other women have written so I thought "start your own blog" and well, here I am. I am 31 years old, married to the love of my life (Gabe - and YES he is a chef) We met 7 years ago on a blind date, moved in 2 weeks later and now have been married for 20 months. We just bought a house in Sonoma County and we share our home with our two sweet dogs - puggles - Sierra and Delylah. The puggles are the best doggies ever (yes really the best dogs ever) We are working on having kids, but that is not as easy as it sounds. On top of life we decided to open up a mobile food truck (because trying to get pregnant was not stressful enough) so we tossed a business into the mix.
I have decided to get healthy this year and start cooking more. I can not expect Gabe to get done working on the truck then come home and cook me a meal. I work as a 911 dispatcher for a local police department. My job is an insane amount of stress and unless you do this job you have no idea how answering a phone can change your life. Yes, I have had that phone call that changes your life, that takes the air out of your lungs and stops you dead in your tracks. I also had to learn to get past that and move on. Like falling off a horse, if you don't get right back on you will never ride again. I never know what the next phone call will bring, but I have faith God will get me through whatever he throws my way.
I am the youngest of 5 kids, an aunt to 5 nephews and 3 nieces and my sister is due to have a baby any day now. I grew it in the most amazing family and will never be able to express my gratitude for all my family (specifically my mom and dad) have done for me (and Gabe)
I have some of the BEST friends a girl could ever ask for. I love all things outside, a clean kitchen, fresh and crisp laundry just out of the dryer, sushi,the beach after a storm, walking my dogs, cuddling with my husband, buying new cars, my mom's cooking, the sound of my nieces and nephews playing, Black Friday (a good sale in general), Catalina Island, chap stick, whole fat milk, brand spankin' new socks, tomatoes off the vine,waking up to the sun shining in my room, kisses from the puggles and water. I miss my grandmother's daily. I need to save more money - I spend way to much! I need to not let things bother me as much as they do - for the sake of a good nights sleep! I will love Gabe and my family until I take my last breath on earth (and then some) and I promise to make you giggle while reading my blog.
Welcome to my world - It could get crazy so hold on ;)