Fog is stupid

Greetings from SFO! Fog has reared it's ugly head and we are now delayed for 2 hours, lame. But what's not lame is ipads and Free wifi! Woo hoo, which means I've been able to indulge myself and surf the web for the past hour, so I thought might as well blog while I'm at it. Yup that's right go nearly 7 months without a peep and in 2 short weeks I've now blogged twice! What is this world coming to. Anyways this post was I spired by the many holiday partys that Adam and I have gone to recently where we have been asked the same questions over and over again. Yes I understand with any big life change i.e getting married, comes a lot of curiosity however it gets to a point that I wish I just had a lust of answers that I could give people and say see number 5 jk.

Top questions people ask when you get engaged ( with the cliff note answers)

1) when are you having kids?
A: we don't know, and since the wedding is coming first it's going to be a while, so chill out. Lol of course when close friends ask me personal questions like this I don't mind of course adam and i are going to have a million kids and live in a shoe jk, but if I just met you,not something I want to tackle in our first conversation.

2) how many kids?
A: see answer to number one,

3) where and when will you live together?
A: April, yes yes I know paint a harlot letter on

4) where are you going on your honeymoon?
A: why do you plan on joining us? Probably somewhere tropical....bora bora, Tahiti, hawii

5) how'd he do it?
This question I don't mind so much however a word of warning to any newly engaged couples, brace yourself you are about to tell the same story about a million times ;)

Finally I'll end my rant on my biggest pet peeve, again let me preface that this only applies to people I dont know that well, I.e I just met you because you are a family friend etc. It seems that when people get engaged, pregnant etc, strangers loose the concept of personal space. Case in point, when a stranger grabs my ring finger to examine my ring. I recently had a lady that I just met, grab my hand as she was saying "ohh let me see your ring!" wait a minute the correct approach is "can I see your ring" and let me show it to you, don't grab me or my person so you can examine my ring. Maybe it just weirds me out when strangers touch me, but It definitely does not bother me when friend or family do that, threes just something about a strange person grabbing at you that bugs me. Similarly ive had friends that are pregnant who express the same feeling when strangers touch their bellies, but I can imagine that's even worse. Alright enough of that for now. Going to go will this fog to burn off ;) merry foggy Christmas

M is for Merry Freaking Christmas!

Hello! I know I know it has been way to long. And to be honest after not blogging for 6+ months it can be intimidating coming back. Like where do you start, do I write a quick summary for the past months, pretend no time has passed etc? So I picked the first option, quick summary of this spring, summer and fall and small look into whats to come.

The last time I blogged I was in the final countdown until Italy. Since then as any and all of my blog readers now know, we got engaged! Woo hoo :) Since then we have been busy planning the wedding, this past summer we picked a venue and date. I was told once that planning a wedding is a lot of work but to be honest I never really took that to heart until we started this process. You might call Adam and I diva's but we have already been fired once by a wedding coordinator. Yes you read that right we were fired. Its kind of a blessing in disguise since that process lead us to the coordinator that we have now who is the most amazing person inside and out. Who knew that requesting a break down of the budget and a structured plan were so out of the question? Apparently a lot of people in the wedding industry (our first coordinator included) don't adhere to things like budgets and structured planning, we got the impression she wanted a blank check. Being that both Adam and I are engineers and my dad is a CPA, we speak and work in excel spread sheets, which she was not digging. Anyways, after she walked away from us we found a new coordinator who is not only half the first ones price but has helped us stay well (if not below) our budget and is constantly helping us set up appointments, emailing vendors etc, which helped both of us keep our sanity. Aside from the coordinator fiasco the planning process has been a lot of fun, I'm very excited to become Amanda Sofia Lupinacci.....ok I will admit I can't wait to ditch Amanda Sofia Simens purely because of the initials.....I've been an ASS long enough ;) jk.

Aside from wedding planning we have also been dealing with the return of my Dad's illness. In late October my dad returned for colon surgery. As with any surgery there comes risk and unfortunately just a few days after what appeared to be a successful surgery, he experienced complications that lead to emergency surgery. I'm happy to say that the emergency surgery went well however it has left him very weak and he will need another surgery in January to fix everything from complications. I think that the most difficult part of this whole experience is having to watch someone you love go through so much and not having the ability to take that pain away. We are there for him, we are supportive, but at the end of the day when he just wants to feel normal, I can't give that to him and thats really all I want to do. I do think that in a way this has brought the whole family closer and that has helped give him the strength and encouragement he needs to push through this. I also do really appreciate all the support of love that my friends and family have given me over the past few months. It really does help to be surrounded by people that are there for you no matter what.


As the holidays approach I am very excited to spend my first Christmas with both my family and Adam. Christmas is one of ....ok scracth that it IS my favorite holiday, and merging both families, the Lupinaccis and Simens is very exciting. It does make me wish that both families were not a plane ride away but do I realize how fortunate we are that, that plane ride is only 1 hour and not like 10. More to come.....if anyone has blog topic suggestions please let me know!! Otherwise I might end up rambeling about wedding flowers jk.

Its the Final Countdown......

Anyone that is familiar with Arrested Development will hopefully remember the scene where Job tries to make the family yacht disappear and in the background the song that played was..." It's the final count down...." well if there was a soundtrack to my life right now I would definitely be playing that tune right now. It is officially t-minus 9 days until Adam and I take on Italy!!! Granted it still has not hit me quite yet that I will be leaving so soon but I'm sure by next Friday night I will be in all out pack/panic mode as I try to cram as much as I can into my medium ( note not large) size suitcase. Anyways in the mean time I thought I would share a couple life lessons that I learned in the well lets say a in 2010:

Lessons Learned
1) Similar to how french fries are always a little bit better soggy, ice pops are a tad better a little melty......trust me it will spare you the brain freeze
2) Reading before bed instead of falling asleep to TV somehow always transitions into a) more interesting dreams....and b) more restful sleep, I realize this may not be true for all but if you haven't tried it I recommend it
3) Favorite song to work out/ get in a good mood right now: Feelin' Alright by Joe Cocker and/or What you waiting for by Gwen Stefani, Favorite song to wake up drive to work to: Bittersweet Symphony by the Verve, Favorite song to drive home to: Big Empty STP and/or Audience by Coldwar Kids and finally favorite song for an "eh" day: Mad World (but I like the adam lambert version..Yea I know I'm a dork). These will most likely be updated within the next week, but right now these have been making multiple appearances on my ipod so enjoy!
4) Yoga is awesome! Yes as some of you know I recently started doing yoga a couple times a week but I have to admit I honestly look forward to going to class during the day...not only is it good for you but its very relaxing....did my first handstand last night and even though my arms feel like jellow I can't wait to do it all over again.
5) Weirdest song/music video I've seen lately: Shakira Shewolf , if you havent seen it ugh.... lets just say its weird, but also kind of funny
6)Call me crazy but going on road trips...especially if you are the passenger are more fun then taking a plane
7) Sunscreen! Wear lots of it....my freckled shoulders (thank you Puerto Rico Sun) beg you to save yourself the crispy torture I experienced lol.

Alright thats all I got for now. More to come, if anyone has any recommendations for Italy/traveling etc please let me know, I've never been and need all the help I can get ;) Ciao!

W is for Wicked cool Ice Pops.....

Greetings! Once again I have procrastinated on my blogging but I am happy to report that since so much time has passed, I have lots of pictures and stories to talk about, woot woot. First let me start with telling you how much I love ice pops definitely best underated dessert ever! So I have been going through about on average one box of ice pops a week....last night I went to CVS and went a little overboard.....lets just say I ended up taking home about 150 pops (1 box of 100 otter pops, 1 box of CVS pops and for kicks 1 box of 25 soda pops.....I should be good for say at least 3 weeks ;) If you have not indulged in these delicious treats recently, I highly recommend that you do.....soo good!

So I'll start with the most exciting news and that is Joe and Sheyla are now married! Little back story for those who don't know, I have known Joe for 7 years when I met him and the rest of my Broadhead neighbors sophmore year. We met Sheyla 2 years ago and its been history ever since. Last Tuesday we traveled to beautiful Ponce Puerto Rico where we stayed at the Hilton. Aside from the awesome hotel (which had a built in mini golf course and swing set..ok that was probably meant for the younger crowd but I took advantage of these ammenities), both adam, myself and pretty much everyone who went with us got very sun burned. I think I have not only got a "base coat" now but I think I have already peeled that coat off.....thank god for aloe vera ;) The wedding was beautiful..I do not think I have every danced that much in my life , also the first time I have ever played air guitar on adam's tie...think Guns and Roses and Sweet Child of Mine.....sigh guess you had to be there jk. The one take away from the trip is that 1) I need to travel more 2) need to hang out with close friends more 3) repeat 1 and 2 over and over again. Life is definitely too short to spend it in front of a TV (as much as I love American Idol) or behind a cubicile. Anyways here are some of my favorites from our trip:

M is for Monday...oh and Maple Glazed Salmon

Hello World,
Long time no chat.....trying I am trying lol. Ironically I am currently fighting a cold and have temporarily lost my voice (hoping the hot tea and lack of talking tonight will help for tomorrow) leaving me with the second best way of communicating...blogging! Drum roll please... Anyways it is about time that I share with my followers this awesome recipe that I have been talking up a storm about. Let me know what you think or if you have any recommendations on making it better. I got this recipe from a night cooking class that I took at William Sonoma. Enjoy!

Maple Glazed Salmon:
Serves:6
What to Buy/and how much:
1 cup Maple Syrup
2 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh giner root (I bought the pre cut stuff, worked just fine)
4 tablespooons of fresh lemon juice (~2 lemons)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 1/2 pound center cut salomn fillet with skin (good place to buy is costco)
greens from 1 bunch of scallions

1) In a small heavy saucepan simmer maple syrup, giner root, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, soy sauve garlic, and salt and pepper to taste (sprinkle salt and pepper) reduce over heat until about 1 cup (30 minutes) then let the sauce cool to room temperature. My teached emphasized that it is important that you let this chill after you reduce it. Also the glaze can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered however if you do this bring the glas back to room temerature before proceeding.

2) Preheat over to 350 degrees. Place baking paper (NOT wax paper) along a baking pan large enough to hold salmon, the baking paper will protect pans from the glaze. Arrange scallion greens in one layer on the baking pan to form a bed for the fish.

3) In another small saucepan heat half of the glaze over low heat until heated through to use as a sauce. Stir in remaining lemon juice. Remove pan from heat and keep warm and covered.

4) Put salmon, skin side down, on scallion greens and brush with remaining glaze. Season slamon with salt and peper and roast in middle of the oven until just cooked through, about 20 minutes.

5) Cut salmon crosswise into 6 pieces. On each of the plates arrange salmon and scallion greens on a bed of mashed patatoes. Drizzle salmon with warm sauce. Enjoy!

More to come tomorrow in terms of pictures and updates! :)

Just another Friday night....

Greetings from the comfort of my recliner! Yes I know its a Friday night and I'm watching Forest Gump......my life is really like a box of chocolates. As requested I will post the recipe for the maple glazed salmon in my next post. Aside from keeping busy with work and trying to be true my new years resolutions, there has not been a whole lot to talk about. On Monday I will be traveling back to the great state of Pennsylvania for work. Even though I'm not looking forward to freezing in the predicted cold weather, I am very excited to see old friends and perhaps......even have myself a Pat's cheese steak ! More on that later this week.

Now that we are at the end of Feburary it is now less then two months until Adam and I go to Puerto Rico to celebrate Joe and Sheyla's wedding!! I am very very excited however it is still far enough out that it still feels like forever until we go. Its funny how your whole midn set changes after you start working. When we were in school all the way up throguh college I always had a designated time to look forward to for breaks, xmas break, spring break, summer break. Now all the months seem to blur together. I have now been at my current job for 2 years, which sounds like a decent amount of time however it feels like it the time has really flown by. I'm looking forward to slowing down and taking in the warm weather, just me and a beach........can't wait!!

Enough on vacations that are still far away...aside from my obvious long term projects (see the last couple of blogs) I am also starting to slowly decorate my appartment. Two things that I would like to improve on are 1) a slip cover for my couch and 2) possible rug? The only thing I'm struggeling with is whether or not its going to look weird to put a decorative rug on carpet.....going to spend some time online looking at what other people have done first. If any of you have any recommendations or websites to try please let me know.

Well I'm hoping to update more tomorrow with pictures from the fall and recommended recipes. If you have any recommended topics please leave a comment and I'll do my best ;)

Monday Monday...Can't trust that day

Just a quick update.....

Alright, I already know what my 2 readers are going to say, I've been slacking on the blog. Once again I have gone more then the standard week that my resolution prescribes. Some might say, maybe its time to throw in the towel, admit defeat, shut the blog down, give your tired fingers and carpel tunnel a rest.... but no worries I refuse to let all of my fans down. So here I am on yet again another Tuesday morning, preaching to the masses (I think 2 readers upgrades my audience from a mass (singular) to masses ;). And yes it would be easy to edit my resolution list, cut back on my expectations however I then pose the question where does the compromise stop? I start with letting up on the blog commitments, next thing you know I'm throwing pictures away while eating chocolate bars and watching the Jersey shore. Now that would be a great I mean sad existence. Which brings me to my final point on the subject, even though I may not meet all of my resolutions, they are locked in the way they are and I will continue to meet them as best that I can. So please stay tuned I do want to blog more and I do have ideas for some entries that are entirely non resolution related. I also have a boat load of pictures to post and all I really need is a solid hour to upload and post them in some sort of order that makes sense. Since I just spent the past paragraph justifying my blogging resolution I will only give a brief update on the rest (more expanded version at the end of the month)

Here are the top resolutions that reflect the most success in the first month of 2010~!!
Loose 10 lbs: Down 8....woot! I feel like I still look pretty much the same but the main difference I have noticed is just how good I feel health wise. I've finally realized that being healthy is not just eating right but exercising as well, they truely do go hand in hand. I'm actually considering extending this resolution by an addition 5lb's more on that later.

Actually do something with my pictures: Currently working on putting my favorites into My Publisher which I hope to print in a book.

Do more things in the LA area: Planning to ride bikes with my fellow Long Beacher Diana soon...can't wait, definitely a so cal activity

Cook More: Cooked a new recipe from my cooking class on Saturday night, semi decent reviews, it was a maple glaze salomn, if you would like I can post the recipe but I'm going to wait for requests first so please comment if you want it.

Keyboard: Played the Lupinacci's piano this weekend......LOVED IT, I need a piano like woah!

Run a half marathon: baby steps, signed up for the carlsbad 5k April 11th, any additional takers?? Sign up!!

Ok enough enough on resolutions, I'll close tonight with a recent revelation on some classice Pearl Jam that I was listening to today. One of my all time favorite Pearl Jam songs is Yellow Ledbetter, if you don't recognize the name I suggest you tubing or itunes but most likely you will hear the first chords and instantly recognize it. As I listened to the song I realized that I didn't really know what the lyrics were or the what the song was about. According to wikipedia it is about a brother loosing a brother in the gulf war and he is singing about his grief. I can't say that I necessarily felt the grief in the song but I definitely get why most people like it even though the lyrics are pretty much indescphierable. The vocals combined with the jimi hendrix like guitar rifs just gel so well, you feel the music rather then just listen and wait for it to be finish which is what I get from most pop stuff that comes out today. Yea I get it, but I also get sick of most poppy stuff that gets way overplayed. Anyways just my two cents and if you haven't listened to this song in a while, check it out. Alright folks more to come later :)