The countdown starts......

Yes, the countdown starts that I have TEN weeks until I am officially a homeowner. Wow! Am I a stress case right now. So I have a bought a new townhouse that just need to finish being built. It is about a mile and a half away from my parents, just close enough I must say to go shopping in my mom's food pantry.
So after picking out wall colors, facuets, toilets, molding, appliances, carpets, stone, hardwood floors, I am in the home stretch.
I found the place back in November before they even broke ground, literally the sales office was just being set up, and I fell in love with it. It is in the yuppy part of Camarillo. The park is close by, freeway access is just a minute away but it is perfect.
So if anyone wants to come visit me after I move in you are more tham welcome to.

Red Cross Gala

Ahhhhh aren't we cute. Okay girls sorry about the little dress situation, the boobs just wouldn't stay in. Now that the disclaimer is over. I had a smashing fun time at the 3rd Annual Red Cross Gala. This year it was at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA. There was approximately 200 people that came and we had fun. The band was awesome. I wish I could of danced all night long but that didn't happen, just a few minutes here and there. But I had fun.
So you might notice that there are more than four of us in this picture that is Jessica, my brothers girlfriend, soon to be finance, yes ladies my baby brother is getting married before me. But I'm okay with it he has picked a winner and I love her like a sister.
Love ya all
V

April Showers (well March) bring.....

Okay so you know how the rest of it goes. I'm telling you I think I slept a little too long last night and I was magically moved to Seattle. It just keeps raining here in Sunny Southern California. Rain, rain go away!!!!!
So after looing my voice (some people are calling it a miracle... which I think it is a blessing) I'm home relaxing. I slept in until 10:00 after waking up for the minute in a half to call into work that was a hard one to pull off but they realized who it was by the phone number. So my doggie Harley (ohhh he's such a cute baby he just doesn't like most people) and I we slept for most of the morning. He on on side of the couch and I on the other. It becamse a tug of war for the blanket but he won. The voice is coming back to I am going to go into work over the weekend since I have two new employees starting and one leaving next week and I am so not prepared for them to be there.
So back to the rain, did you know that there are only so many aweaters in one's closet that eventually you run out of them and must wear the same thing twice in a month. Yes, I hit that point this month, but, and I stress a HUGE but here.... I do get awesome compliments on my shinny cool rain boots that are black with right color hued polka dots all over them. They are the bomb.

So I'm off to the land of sweet dreams. Love you all. V

p.s. ohhh yes, the pictures what the heck is this???? This is a picture of the Bible school that my aunt and good family friend run in the Artic. yes, the artic (katie you can appreciate the cold there) My parents are back up there for the 50th anniversary of the school. The eskimos are really funny people. Where exactly is the artic. Find the Hudson Bay on a map and right above it is called the Rankin Inlet. There are no trees, birds or critters that reside there. It is usually 30 below and as my dad put it, the place really is the armpit of the artic, but who is there lots of eskimos that now love Jesus. :))

San Francisco Baby!

Hey All:
SanFrancisco for Chinese New Year was such a blast. I have to say that this was one great experience that I definetely would love to do again. So all of us Dickran cousins, and some of their respective others went on the lonnnnng journey from here, there and everywhere.
So lets say we left Camarillo, CA at 3:30 AM yes AM and the first stop was exactly 30 seconds down the hill at the donut store, after two dozens donughts and there was only 7 os us in the car we left for Davis, CA. With 6 Ipods in the car, full of great music, suger rush off the wall, and lots of caffeine buzzing us, we experienced the 5 freeway all awake for about 30 minutes before people started crashing for not sleeping all night. So off we went to Davis, CA to pick up our cousin up there. So we arrived in Berkely around 11 AM and we hit the town, mind you it is all of maybe 5 by 5 blocks and I walked everyone of them. So we picked up our other cousin and now there is 8 and we head to San Francisco.
Wait? What is that? Where are we staying.Hmmmm, we left those directions at home, but hey there are only so many hotels that start with an "R" so I'm so we can figure it out. After lots of calling around we find our hotel. Yeah!!!
So we made it to San Francisco, and all is good. We change and head out to hail taxi's to go to the shopping district and dinner of Sushi. After lots of Sushi I learned to love this food. Okay so I am still a beginner but I really do love it. Gotta work on one called the volcano that has a clam sauce on top of it since I wasn't to keen on it, but hey there is a whole lifetime for me to figure that one out.
After shopping it is off to a few small bars to visit the nightlife and a sampling of every dessert on one restaurants menu for all of us, that was way fun.
So the next morning is Alcatraz (kristen, jen, debra, remember our lovely picture, I looked it up in my picture album for great memories) and then on to tackle the wharf's endless supply of seafood.
After seafood, we went to Ghiradelli square and then more shopping and then the dreaded tak of finding a taxi when you know that all of them are on the other side of town where 3 million people are getting together for the Chinese New Years Day Parade. I literally had to jump in the middle of the road as a taxi was in the midst of turning a corner and grabbed his door handle and made him stop in the middle of the intersection, and then everyone else came running over and jumped in. The cop who was stopped at the stoplight across the street just shook his head. Poor taxi driver he was a little scared. But it was funny.
Then back to the hotel to change and go to the parade. Word of advice if they say somethiing is close in San Francisco it means 10 blocks in one direction. Yup, all of us girls are in stilettos and we walk 10 blocks up and two blocks inland and we hit the parade. That was sooo stinking awesome. The fireworks, the dragons, everything was sooo way cool. We pushed our way to the front of the crowd and ended up being right in front where everyone started and it was way fun.
After the parade we headed to little italy for someone good italian food and wine. Those italians really know how to cook.
So the next morning we visit Golden Gate Park and Golden Gate Bridge and then we take Highway One for an 11 hour drive home. Yes, I get car sick and 11 hours later you tend to get really cranky. But I would do it all over again, I loved my cousins their boyfriends and my brothers girlfriend (soon to be finance).

BBQ in January

So yesterday was another BBQ day in the Dickran house.

Ode to Snow

Wow!
Today was so completely fun. The girls from my department at the office all four of us (yes we are numbered but we old our own) we went skiing and snowboarding in Big Bear. It was soo fun. So we left really early and make the trek up the mountain. For those of you who know me yes there was one or two u-turns but it really wasn't my fault we were too busy talking, singing, laughing and having a great time in the SUV.
We knew we were going to have a blast especially since three of them had never been to the snow before, so there was lots of questions and the apprehsion was high. Everyone kept watching the temperature gage for outside and hit it a whopping 28 degrees farenehit. Thanks God for thermal underwear, jackets, books, beanies, scarves and everything else we had brought with us.
So off to the slopes, we all took the beginer ski lessons for two hours and that was a trip, it was so icy and then right when we were done with the lessons it started snowing. That was pretty awesome.
So on to the slopes, the bunny hills have our names written all over it. We hit ice several times, had to crash several times due to fallen people in front of us, and we went up and down the slope several times. Thanks goodness for those wonderful cars that take you to the top.
So imagine 28 degrees, snowing and then the wind steps up and it is blowing hard. To sstand still is not an option you would freeze. My poor body thanking me for layering the Roxy outfit.
So after a full day, we headed home.
Thanks girls for a great time. See you next weekend and lets take the snowboarding lessons it looks way cooler than skiing.

Happy New Year!!!!!

Hey Everyone it is an awesome new year. OKay just go with that thought, I figure if I live in denial that the new year high that I am on will eventually stop that it might actually last longer this year than last year. So normally you all would get a great funny picture (or nice one) here but I can't for New Years this year since I was sick.

Yes, sick, I had food poisoning, it was soo sad and I so wanted to do all of the fun things that everyone had planned. But, I know that God has his ways in all things and to be honest it was kinda fun to have a stress free day of not having to get reaedy to go anywhere (okay so I never changed out of my sweats and t-shirt all day) that was awesome!

This gave me a great oppurtunity to reflect on 2005 and all that the year encompassed, I can only pray that 2006 is not like 2005 that was a very hard year for me both emotionally and spiritually, lots of challenges, obstacles and I swear every time I tried to do anything or wanted anything or thought of any hope in any situation the door was not only closed it was sealed with heavy duty clue, duct tape and everything else that my favorite store; Home Depot; might possibly cary, the hings were taken off and the locks were removed so there was no chance of prying that open. Let's just say that there was alot of frustration in 2005. Isn't it kinda funny that when you yell at God, he still answers you; never with what I want, but He still answers and He usually has a sense of humor in His answer. So after alot of frustration, you wanna know what I learned that was a re-occuring theme for the year, Patience and Trust in Him. OKAY so after bawling for like hours and realizing that it is best to give in to Him and just surrender yourself since you are sooo stinkin broken already that there is no way you can go through the rinse cycle again since you are delicate, you just give in your will and trust that He will give you His will.

So for those of you reading this, I will say that He hasn't hit me over the head yeat , but I had a feeling that was coming and I knew that would hurt. So, here is to 2006, a year of learning, a year of seeking and year of giving in to His will not my will. Let's just say that as the counting crows song colorblind states; " I am ready, I am ready, I am waiting, pull me out from the inside, I am folded and unfolded and unfolding I am."

Soooooo if anyone has great advice of how to be patient let me know since those of you who know me best know that patience is just not a word that I know instead I will find a way to organize it, plan it and set an agenda whatever it is in case it might happen. You know (kristin this one is for you) you can never bring too many clothes to something and of course you have to unpack everyhting in the drawers that they have in a hotel room so you can see everything and you have to have options just in case the occasion comes about. So patience people, patience, this one will be hard.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas All!
So today is CHRISTmas day yes CHRIST, the wonderful day we can reflect on the great things God has given us this year. The ability to look forward to the many great things that are yet to come. So today is my fourth Christmas this season, between different sides of the family, immediate family and just Christmas, it has been a busy season. The above picture is all of us (including Jessica, my brothers girlfriend) at my mom's side of the family's Christmas party last Sunday.
So I am off to another Christmas in Santa Barbara, but wanted to share a moment with everyone.

Love ya all