clogs

i usually don't spend a lot of money on shoes but i decided that it would be an investment. i just spent $100 on clogs for work. i hope they're good because i never spend that much money on any shoes, let alone clogs. but my big toe is starting to get a blister and it's been a while since i bought work shoes so i guess it's time. and i think it's a tax write off so here goes. gotta go to work now.

white people are funny

thanks for all of the condolensces, guys - it means a lot. the past week has been crazy with all the stuff that's been going on but it's been so eye opening to lots of things - life, love, family. when i got to the house last thursday before the Mass, joey was introducing me to his grandma's oldest friend (literally and figuratively Dana - she's 85 and they've known each other for like 50 years!) anyway, after he introduced me as "his girlfriend and love of his life" she's said "nice to meet you, honey! I heard that he's saving for your ring." I looked at Joey, Joey looked at me and Annie said "oh, was I not supposed to tell?" I said "it's ok, I kinda knew" and we went about our merry way. and then when were giving our condolensces to the family at the Rose Hills Chapel, I was in front of Joey and his Uncle Vince asked "Where's her ring, Joe?" and back at the house the uncles were eating the strawberries straight from the pie, no forks or plates and I was like, yummmmmmmm, looks good, and both Uncle David and Uncle Vince were like, "you're family, you can do it too" then both eyed Joey. they're so funny. talk about no pressure.
it's so weird to me that a lot of white people don't call their aunts and uncles, aunt and uncle, they just address them by their first name. it's weird for me to address them by their first name. joey's sister's boyfriend does it all the time, but i can't. he even calls grandma by her first name and that's just offensive to me. it's too weird. so i just make sure that they're looking at me before i start talking to them and then start talking.
i had to take his cousin paul to the korean market to buy some korean bbq. the guy didn't really respond to him so paul started talking to him in korean and he totally paid attention to him. how sad is that? but i had to cook the white sticky rice for them because they didn't have any.
after we had come back from the grocery store everyone had already finished eating so i made myself a plate and asked if joey wanted me to make him one. he did so i brought out our plates to the pool house where everyone was. Joey was lying on the bench and I brought him his food. Uncle David was like, "Kay, you are not doing that." I said "Doing what?" Uncle David "You're serving him his food on the bench like he's some king." I was like "Do you want me to get you some food too?" His Uncle David then went on to tell me that he and Aunt Rhonda got into a fight about ice cream. I think she was sitting on the couch eating some ice cream and he asked if she could get him some and she said no, that he could get it himself and then it turned into this whole big mess. I said that culturally, if you're eating, you're always supposed to invite others to eat and see if they want to eat with you. i think that surprised him.
They were supposed to play the newlywed game this past weekend but they ran out of time. but the questions were funny because his uncle david told us afterward - here are samples:
Where was the strangest place you've made whoopie?
Which cartoon character best describe's your wife's ex-boyfriend?
A) Mighty Mouse B) Chicken Little C) Goofy
Which Beatles' song best describes the last time that you made whoopie?
A) Help B) It's Been a Hard Day's Night C) Eight Days a Week D) She's Got a Ticket to Ride ................. that's the funniest one!
I think the bonus question for the guys was: What's your wife's shoe size?
Anyway, joey's sister and boyfriend were supposed to play and they said we could wait until next year but they never ended up playing. anyway, it's been a very white week. i think i need to hang out with some asian people soon. yes that means you. haha.

error

ok, joey was misinformed. it was his other grandma's (his dad's mom) siblings that died. within the week, his grandma (lopez) had a sister buried on saturday and then the following day (after the funeral) her brother died. joey's grandma (lopez) died when we were in college. so, trying to get it straight, it was his grandpa (mom's stepdad) and her brother and then his grandma's (dad's side) sister and brother. opposite sides of the family. sorry. but prayers just the same. thanks.

they come in three

this really sucks but please pray for joey's grandma. when we came home from the funeral on friday, his grandma's youngest sister, aunt shirley, got a phone call that their brother, kilroy had died. they didn't tell grandma until yesterday because saturday we still had the birthday party for grandpa that we were supposed to have. so then they told her yesterday. and then they come to find out that their other brother, raul, died yesterday. so within a week her husband and 2 brothers died. how sad is that? so please, thoughts and prayers for joey's familia yet once again.

joey called me last night from work. he said that a piece of metal had hit his head and that his head was bleeding. i asked if he had any pain - he said he had a headache. i asked if he was dizzy or lightheaded and he said no. he said that his head was continuing to bleed. i thought he would be ok because the scalp is pretty vascular so yes it would bleed but it would be ok. he called me back in a little bit and said he had talked to his mom and she said that he should get it checked out. since it fell under workers' comp, he decided it wouldn't hurt. so he decides to go to UCI since it's on the way home. meanwhile, i'm taking my patient down to interventional radiology. so once my patient was stable, i meet joey in the er where he's checked in. he's got a small abrasion on his head - nothing that seems too serious. i'm there when the triage nurse checks him out and his BP is high. they re-take it and it's still high but not as high. he gets a bed and then the doctor checks him out - the cuts superficial, just bled for a while because it's so vascular. they gave him a tetanus shot, filled out his paperwork and sent him on his way. i told him to call me when he got home to make sure he was ok. he did but he also got locked out of the house. no one ever locks his grandma's doors but for some reason, they did. so i think he slept in the pool house, i still haven't talked to him yet. he's had a bad week.

red to pink

so i forgot to mention that my nephew is no longer red anymore. he's a very nice pink or actually, he's again quite pale. i saw him yesterday and he was running around with his brother and he felt a lot better. they're thinking it was just the fever that was making him warm and red. so that's good news. thanks for asking day!

joey's indeed a grandma's boy. we've always known that but yesterday when he got home - he lives at his grandma's house now - his grandma and his uncle david were having martinis. he chatted with them for a little bit and his uncle (who flew in from virginia) decided to go to bed. his grandma asked joey if he would stay with her for a little while. so he sat in her room with her to watch some tv until she was ready to go to bed. i think they watched entertainment tonight. anyway, she likes the boys there. i'm glad she has company.

in remembrance

About my post the other day regarding intentions ... joey called me last night when i was at work and told me that Grandpa past away last night - he was at home with his family and took his last breath - the cancer had just taken over his body. We were supposed to have a big birthday party for him this upcoming weekend because Grandma Spot wanted to plan a big party for Grandpa, she already started buying all of the drinks and decorations and stuff. how sad. but please keep joey's grandpa, grandma and family in your prayers. thanks.

happy father's day

Happy Father's Day to all the papa's out there! Here's me and my pa! Have a good day all daddies!

cheap date and intentions

so yesterday, joey and i took his cousin, paul, out to dinner. paul has been in korea for the past couple of years serving in the air force and has now come back to the u.s. so i had work on wed night to thurs morning. i needed to drop off a check to my godfather's church and also booked him for Saturday Mass for the retreat and then I went over to Joey's to sleep. I didn't get there til almost 11 and then woke up at 1800. So then we got ready to go to dinner - hence I haven't eaten since 2200 the previous day. we go to Johnny Carino's in Downey and we decide to get a drink at the bar. I get their bellini - it's like a frozen peach thing mixed with champagne and rum with a sangria swirl somewhere in there. by the end of dinner, i was totally buzzed! how sad! we think it was because I hadn't eaten anything for almost 24 hours, but still! I can now get buzzed for less than $10! what a steal!

PS. I've got a small list of intentions. Please pray for Joey's grandpa - he's got lung cancer and has had a really bad week this week, having shortness of breath, difficulty getting up, pain and changing his medications. he's using his oxygen tank but it's getting harder to move. and pray for his grandma, too. she's having a hard time because she's taking care of him.
and please pray for my nephew, Lucas. he has some sort of infection and my sis-in-law took him to the doctor today and they don't know what it is. he's getting red blotchy patches all over his neck, back and legs, and he's running a fever and he's getting blisters in his throat. he's not having any pain really and he doesn't have any blisters on his hands and feet (that's good) but they think it's something viral but they're not sure. they gave him some benadryl and tylenol but that's it. so please pray that that's all it is. thanks guys.

happy birthday

danny took this of himself. it's very centered. anyway, happy birthday mr. daniel calmelat! hopefully we'll see you some time this weekend - it's my's 10 year high school reunion. geez. they're old. jk

a graduation

my five-year-old nephew, Lucas, graduated from kindergarten today. kindergarten? how time flies! i guess there was a shortage of michaelas in 2000 because there were 5 michaelas in his class! my sister-in-law told me a short story that was kind of weird. lucas is now going to go to a public school right by their house for first grade. it's brand new, just built. the school that he goes to right now is $4000. a year! that's a lot of money. but anyway, lucas's little girlfriend, ireland was talking to her mom.
ireland: mom, lucas isn't going to a school where they praise God next year
Ireland's mom: neither are you, honey
I guess she's not going to school there next year either.

weird how they learn so early that there's a difference as to when and where they can praise God - they're 5!!! that's amazing work though.

this is Lucas getting getting his diploma ... they get to do the handshake
this is Mrs. Croyt, his teacher
this is my brother and sister-in-law, Grandma Esther and Jayden. Big sister Annie was at school but her graduation is next week!
that's me and my sister and the boys
and there's the graduate: Lucas Anthony Anotado! congratulations my dear!

where a kid can be a kid

so i've been neglected lately. just kidding cristina. anyway, i hadn't seen cristina in a while so i butt my head into her business and called her on saturday night.
me: are you playing at noon Mass tomorrow?
cristina: yeah
me: ok, i'll be there so i can finally see you
cristina: ok, that's cool. we're going to chuck e. cheese afterwards. do you want to come with us?
in my head i was like, hmmmmmmmmmmm ... but then i decided, sure, why the heck not? and this is what i got. i got my ct. this usually refers to cuddle time, but in this instance, i got my cristina time. hehe

this is supposedly the hardest game. it just looks too confining to me. blah.
this is ang as she won her 100 tickets!! woohoo!!! she was so excited. i wonder what she's like in vegas
the look of pure delight
this poor ride got so much action that day. talk about weird body rolling. whoa
talk about feeling old. yes i am. i try to blend in but the bags under my eyes are so heavy.
cristina and janice - thanks for being mom and organizing everything janice!
these two fit on the screen somehow. quite entertaining
the roomies with chuck
they attacked chuck before he got back inside. that poor rachel's birthday must hate us.
out of all the winnings, everyone got a kazoo. i think gp's was broken.
there's the final group pix - go noon Mass!
yay - i'm not a homewrecker! jk. but you know i had to put it in.
thanks for a fun Sunday afternoon guys! i'll be back at chuck e. cheese next weekend with my nephews (who are 3 and 5).

the brown memo

so saturday night joey and i went out to our friend, john's, party ... i had gone shopping the week before when we were in vegas at the br outlet. now, joey's a simple guy. i don't think stripes are in his wardrobe. but, cel and i thought that it would look good on him. so we took a chance and got the brown striped shirt. we originally wanted the rust-colored polo but there was none in XL. anyway, i always pictured it with brown sandals too ... i didn't know he was going to wear it because i didn't think he would wear it so when i got dressed to go meet up with them, i was wearing a brown shirt as well. he smirks at the thought of the brown striped shirt, but deep down, he liked it. ...
this is the scratcher game that we played. joey, vincent and i did each had a crossword one. vincent got 5 words and the bonus and ended up with a $50.00 winning ticket. joey pretends to win with his, but he lost.




this is john's party. this is vincent, rob, john and joey. john was my best friend in the latter years of high school and early years of college. and then we drifted apart. our worlds are very separate now, sometimes he still can't believe that joey and i are together. but joey sees him more often than i do. weird how things happen like that - people can be so close and then kind of separate. not in a bad way but sometimes life really just get busy. but then again it's up to us to invest in the relationships that we really want to work, right? ok. that went on a weird tangent. that was saturday night/sunday morning.

welcome ms. kim!

so i went to visit the kims yesterday at the hospital. i actually went to the wrong hospital. i got the text and it said encino tarzana regional. so i google'd it and went along my merry way. when i was in the parking lot, i called fil and he said to come on in, to go to the women's pavillon. when i got there, there was no women's pavillion so i asked at the gift shop. they said that there were no babies there, i had to go to the tarzana campus. apparently it happens a lot because they had a printout of directions on how to get to the other campus. so anyway, i went to the tarzana location and got to see the kims. here they are ...
look at the happy family ... cute huh?
yes, she's a girl. it's so cool. they keep her at the bedside the whole time.
here are her prints. they look so itty bitty.
here's her lojack system so that she won't get snatched away. i now feel secure.
here's fil changing poopy diapers.
lara doesn't like it so much
there. her eyes are open. ms. lara aline gopez kim.
doesn't she look like an anne geddes picture?
here's the happy cousin, carelle.
mia was very scared to hold her. look how tense her shoulder is.
here's lara's ate denise ready to take care of her.
that's me. lovette has now introduced me to lara as tita paparazzi. so that's my new name. anyway, there were no babies that we saw born that day. everybody seemed to have been induced to have their babies early or held off until today. as long as they didn't name their kids damian i think they would be ok. ok, off to work

birthday wishes

i already know what i want for my birthday. and it's only june. grey's anatomy season 2 comes out on september 12 - 2 days after my birthday. i am soooooooooo there. woohoo!

libo, libo

and so another vegas trip ends. it was a different one of sorts. a few months ago i posted about a bet that i had won - my friend, cel, and i bet a vegas trip that she couldn't talk to her ex-bf for at least six months and within 2 weeks she lost the bet. so we planned for a vegas trip in june. lo, and behold, it's june already. but joey's cousin, vince, and his familia were heading out to state line this weekend so we decided to combo the trip. i had work friday night so when i finished at 7:45 AM saturday morning, i drove straight to cel's place and then we headed out to state line at 8:30. joey and vince left on friday during the day. we made good time and got to state line by 11:30. we called the boys and decided to eat lunch before i went to sleep - mind you i had no sleep on the way there either. so i finally went to bed at 2:30 saturday afternoon (that's literally 24 hours after i woke up the previous day!) and trust me, i was delirious by then. so i napped until 7:30 and then got ready to go out to the strip. here are some highlights ...

this is me and joey after i napped, showered and changed. we actually got lost exiting the parking lot from buffalo bill's and were running parallel to the freeway before we realized there was no freeway access. joey then made a song similar to gilligan's island about how we had gotten lost ... i don't think he could repeat it though


i found this cool huge-antic bench in front of the buffet line at aladdin. i couldn't resist, i had to lie down.

look who we found at mgm! it's my and danny ... hello calmelats! joey was on a mission to find the long drink things so we walked from bally's to mgm to find the drinks. we saw some interesting things along the way including one guy sitting on the sidewalk getting his car searched and the other guy getting searched, with an open beer case in his car and then we saw him getting cuffed on the strip! the crowd watched as the cops cuffed and arrested him. don't worry, cel was our dd!

here are the drinks that we finally found ... my and i shared two of these things - they were red white and blue - strawberry margarita, pina colada and blue something or other. we only had the yardstick - that's why we had 2! and the boys had the mad dog thing (46 oz) of 190 octane with an extra shot! boy, did that make a difference!


here's us after a few sips of our drinks! actually, that's us pretty normal, my jumped in on purpose.
you ask what joey is doing? he started talking to these two filipina women at the wheel of fortune slots. he asked us how to say "thousand" in tagalog. and we told him "libo." so every time they got a spin on the wheel of fortune, he started chanting "libo, libo" the one lady (in the orange) looked at him at first, and then started chanting with him. so for the rest of the night - and weekend - he kept chanting "libo, libo!)


these are our good night pictures to my and danny - i think it's about 3 AM by this point in time.

just switched places with danny and we got a girl picture in ... go scrapbooking!
we found this empty thing at the end of the night and thought that we would frame ourselves so that it looked like a picture! do you think it worked?

anyway, this is how we ended our night. we were too tired to get steak and eggs so we wanted to go to jack in the box, but they were closed because their computers were down. we finally went to bed at 5 AM. tired but good times for all. when we were going to pay on sunday, vince had a voucher for one free night, but they said that someone had already paid cash for the room and that he would be refunded his voucher. so we ended up with a free room! we think his family paid for it before we left - how cool is that? anyway, good times for all.

she's here

look! ms. lara kim is here! welcome little one! you've long been awaited! can't wait to meet you - we're super excited!