picnicing in style

on saturday night we met a bunch of friends at hollywood forever cemetery for a screening of funny face. neither of us had ever seen it and it is always fun to go to the cemetery and watch the movie projected on the side of a masoleum. we FINALLY got to use our christmas gift frm shane and darci - wine and cup holders that stick in the ground. everyone was suitably impressed - these things are freaking amazing! each cup holder has an individual color so you can tell which is your, plus they fit either cups or real wine glasses! and the holder can fit the BIG bottles of wine or even a two liter of soda. im so happy!

p.s. the last post was #500. that is a lot of blog posts!

camping with the sandbergs

we took a quick overnighter out in the angeles forest with ryan and sarah (and their dog kia), some of our favorite camping buddies. it was so refreshing for all of us to spend some time out under the stars (and actually be able to see the stars) in the cold moutain air. we tried a bunch of new things this trip. jeremy and i made dinner - chicken cooked on a cedar plank. we got the idea from uncle mike wen we were in kansas over memorial day. i marinated the chicken in orange juice and garlic and it was amazing (if i do say so myself). we also had steamed vegetables (aunt tam made them in kansas too) and baked beans. the sandbergs brought desert - an ice cream maker ball. we loaded the ingredient in there and took turns shaking and rolling the ball for a half hour and then - like magic - delicious chocolate chip ice cream. as an after dessert specialty they brought a jiffy pop and we made ice cream. it was great! we played catchphrase in our tent - it was getting a little chilly outside, even by the fire.

on saturday we woke up, had our eggs in a bag and then played a few rounds of ladderball while smoking cigars.

the girls team put up a good fight but were defeated best out of three games. we moved on to the rope swing and kia had a great time chasing us around. sarah brought all kinds of goodies for lunch (including rhubarb cake which i didnt think i was going to like but was DELICIOUS) and we made snack packs for the car. they had rehearsal at noon so we left earlier in the morning than usual. even though we were gone for less than 24 hours, we came back happier and semi-well rested. sleeping on the ground in 40 degree weather just doesnt make for the best sleeping conditions. thankfully we had a free afternoon and after showering had a delicious nap in a real bed in a (sort-of) climate controlled space. cricket was happy to have us home!

cupcake sale

when all was said and done, the four of us baked and frosted enough cupcakes to make over $200 for graduation decorations and ironically enough, a graduation cake. we had all sorts of different cupcakes throughout the week. i did my first experiments with filling, making yellow cake with bavarian cream filling and white with strawberry. gaby made cream cheese icing for the first time. i also tried a new cake mix with no preservatives called naturally nora. it contains ingredients that are recognizable and pronouncable, so even though it has sugar (a makers diet no-no) it is a little easier to justify eating. although i only had one cupcake all week - working with them somehow makes me immune. now i know why all bakers arent massively overweight. :D

Our newest nephew

I am waiting ever so patiently for amy to send me some pictures... All I can give you guys is this one forwarded from jessie's phone. Sorry if the quality isn't great. But there he is!
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holding heaven in my arms tonight

ok well im not but ryan and amy are!

i dont have any pictures or any details really but here is what i do know.

caden ivan koci was born around 7:45pm central time today, june 9, weighing 8 lbs 5 oz and measuring 21 in long. (i think its weird that babies are measured long ways. why dont we say he is 21 inches tall?)

everyone is happy and healthy and tired.

thats all i know. jeremy took the call while i was at a women in leadership group so he didnt ask any of the right questions. he did do a great job of getting the time and weight down though.

all i can say is finally! amy was huge when we were there over memorial day so i can only imagine how she was feeling now, weeks later! now the trick is figuring out when we can hold our newest nephew...

baking lately

this year instead of ordering a cake for the prom, karla, cara, gaby and i each made one. the theme was music of the night and i made one shaped like a record. i also have pictures of the other girls' cakes on facebook. it was fun and everyone liked haing choices of different flavors and fillings of cakes.this week we are doing a bake sale to raise money for graduation. we each made a couple dozen little and big sized cupcakes. i used this opportunity to play around with some new deisgns, some i found in a magazine and others out of my head. not all of them turned out great but i had fun anyway.

the littler ones were more fun but also harded because the designs had to be shrunken down.

i hope they taste even better than they look and lots of people are hungry for cupcakes this week!

arc review: strange angels by lili st. crow

from the back:

dru anderson

night hunter. knife wielder. heart breaker.

dru: sixteen-year-old dru has what her grandmother called the touch - a sixth sense that drives her from town to town to hunt ghosts, suckers, wulfen, andthe occasional reanimated corpse. but when evil comes knocking, can this loner tough girl stand the heat? or is it just a matter of time before her blood turns cold?

graves: goth boy graves has a big crush on new girl, dru. and with his lopsided grin and shaggy hair, she's noticed him right back. then a wulf bite threatens to change him for good, and dru will have to keep her distance... or else.

christophe: christophe's ice cold baby blues and wicked smile are the special kind of looks that kill. he's got a hunch that dru is way more special than she knows. trouble is, he's not the only one who has caught her scent. and it will take more than his razor-sharp fangs to ake out whatever - or whoever - is hunting her.

can dru stay alive long enough to fall for one - or both - of the guys hungry for her affection? find out in the thrilling new paranormal series from razorbill, strange angels.

dru anderson's not afraid of the dark. but she should be.

ages 12 and up; on sale 6/11/09

from the author's website:

Dru Anderson has been “strange” for as long as she can remember. She travels from town to town with her father, hunting the things that go bump in the night and eat the unwary. It’s a weird life, but a good one–until it all explodes and a zombie busts into her new house.
Alone, terrified, and trapped in an icy town, Dru’s going to need every inch of her wit and training to stay alive. Can she trust the boy who is just a little too adult–and just happens to get bit by a werwulf? Or the strange blue-eyed boy who tells her she’s heir to a long-forgotten power? Can she even trust her own instincts?
Because Dru is not the first in her family to be killed by the darkness of the Real World. The monsters have decided to hunt back–and now Dru has to figure out who to trust, who to fight, and when to run. And not incidentally, she has to figure out how she’s going to get out of this alive.
And she has to do it by sundown, or it’s all over…

my take:
i have been reading a lot of young adult books recently, and lots of fantasy in general. this book was a fresh take on the whole vampire vs. werewolve theme, as well as combining all the best parts of the uncertainty and general angst that comes with being a teenager and different in some way from everyone else at school. dru also has to deal with the loss of a parent, make some really hard decisions, and deal with some scary monsters.

this book was a little more gritty and realistic as far as content and language than some YA lit, but nothing in it was too objectionable for high school age students.

i really enjoyed the story and anxiously await more books in the series. i have also put several of lili st crow's adult lit books on hold at the library and am excited about that. she writes under the name lilith saint crow for adult and the shortened version for young adults. i also follow her on twitter @lilithsaintcrow or find out more about this book and the upcoming ones in the series at strangeangels.com. you can also watch the book trailer here.

final days in topeka

after we headed home on memeorial day from the campout and had showered (some of us RAN home and others drove...) we ate lunch and then jeremy and i drove back over to grandma and grandpas house so that grandpa could take us out to see the shane 80. aunt gertrude was otu with grandma helping her pick strawberries when we pulled up. those women sure harvested a TON of strawberries!

jeremy always talks about the land his grandparents own but i had never been out there. we got to see the old barn and some of them cows. i thought the cows were all really adorable and wanted to pet them but jeremy said no. i settled for taking a couple of fun pictures.






these are all the mama cows due in the fall. they didnt look too pregnant (and i certainly have NO authority on what a pregnant cow looks like) but they were pleasant company. i couldnt get too close but grandpa drove the truck right into their area and no one ran away. and they had cool hair. on our way back home we saw the marples out fixing a fence. it was great to run into family everywhere we went. :)

monday night we cooked out at shane and darci's. jeremy's best friend from high school and his wife emily and their two kids came over along with barb and jeff and jessie. we shot clay pigeons with shotguns and then a target with rifles and handguns. i didnt do too much shooting because it was hurting my poor baby ears (that still have random shooting pains in the inner ear from whatever problems i was having months ago that never completely resolved) but i did try the shotgun and one of the handguns. it was really fun. the burgers etc were really good too and it was fun to see casey and emily again.

tuesday morning grandma and grandpa drove us to kansas city. we stopped at ryan and amy's hosue to see them and we all went out to lunch before we had to head to the airport and back to california. it was a wonderful trip but i was SO ready to be back home sleeping in my own bed with my baby cat... :D

memorial day camping

the koci family camps out by grandma and grandpa koci's pond every memorial day. i had come once with jeremy when we were dating, and then the next year we were on our honeymoon and the next years since we have been in los angeles. it was wonderful that we were able to time out trip this year to coincide with not only max's graduation but also the campout. it was SO much fun! we got out there sunday afternoon and set up our tent. we just shared jeff's old tent with shane and darci and the kids. the boys immediate went to get the boat and stuff for fishing. jeremy set me up with a pole and i caught three fish, one of which was the first bass of the night. like i've said before, i'll catch 'em but i'm not touching them or any live bait. thankfully shane was a good brother and helped me out.

jeremy and shane rowed out into the pond and jeremy came out with a total of eight or so little fishies to eat.

then all of them boys all went up to the house and cleaned the fish while the girls got dinner ready. trekker ride!

the fish were great. uncle mike cooked them on cedar planks with some yummy lemon something or other seasoning. we went to the sporting goods store when we got back to LA to buy cedar planks for our next camping trip, which is next weekend. yay! the girls took turns out in the paddleboat and we did a lot of sitting around the campfire. aunt tam and grandma made some apple pies for dessert, along with the obligatory smores. around 10pm or so i was exhausted and the kids were ready for bed, so everyone settled in for the night. everyone except jessie and paige, who talked until about 3am. or so i'm told, as i fell right asleep and didnt wake up until 6 something when my bladder said it was time to make a trip up to the house.

monday morning involved more fishing (i was quite unlucky on monday), some horseshoes, some horsing around, and funnel cake for breakfast. if i had known funnel cake was involved in koci camping i think we would have structured our past visits to kansas a little differently.

im just saying.

weekend in topeka

we spent memorial day weekend in auburn with shane, darci, the kids, and the rest of the family. my mom dropped us off in the afternoon. jeremy and i got the tour of his parents' old house where he grew up which shane and darci now own they have redone every room and it looks amazing! i love the red kitchen especially. grandma brinkman, dennis and vera, and jessie came over for dinner on saturday night. we ate koci steaks and pasta salad and bread from darci's bread machine with grandma koci's strawberry jam. oh it was good eatin', let me tell you! it was nice to see the brinkmans and hang out for a while after dinner. when they left we played with the kids (jeremy got soundly trounced in hi ho cherry o) and after their bedtime went downstairs to play cards and x-box. shane, jeremy and i stayed up defeating the universe until about 2 am when we decided we couldnt make it any longer.

sunday morning when we woke up, the kids were delighted to tell us that the momma cat had kittens right on the back porch. when we got up she had had four during the night, and during that day she had four more (only one didnt make it). they were possibly the littlest cutest things ever. i didnt think that cricket would want a baby brother or sister, but i asked jeremy just to make sure. he said no. i had promised andrew that we would play wii, so we went downstairs and raced some cows and played a few innings of baseball. that thing really wears me out when i'm not used to it. swinging the bat and bowling the ball use really strange muscles. i had also promised brooklyn that we would go swimming, so the three of us changed into our swimming suits and headed out to the driveway where the pool was sitting, warming up in the sunshine. well, the water wasnt quite warm enough for me, but it was wonderful to sit with my feet in the pool while the kids played. they were really fun to watch and didnt splash me TOO much. after pool time we went over to jeff and barb's house to see it and hang out with them for a little while before the big family campout. it was nice to see jeff's new house and spend a little more time with barb, since we barely had a chance to meet her last trip. we also met barb's daughter kelli, so now i know who jessie is always talking about. :)

final days in wichita

on friday of our trip to kansas, we spent the entire day just hanging out with the fam. my dad and jeremy took my mom's car to get it fixed while i went for a run with murray. the five of us went out to lunch at hu hot mongolian bbq. it was yummy. a great cheap place to eat if you live in wichita (21st and rock in the best buy strip mall).

my mom and i didi a little shopping and we headed home to cook out on the grill. after a delicious dinner of steaks and all the trimmings, jeremy, me and my mom met ed and beka at oeno's for drinkies and fun. it was great to see beka again (once every other year really sucks) and to meet ed, my new hero. starting tomorrow he is riding a bike all the way across the state of kansas. im pretty impressed. 15 miles on the bike and i cant sit for a week. laura and joe came too and we had a great time. jeremy snuck me into the men's bathroom to show me an ad flashing on the mirror in there. the girl in the ad was wearing a dress he thought i would look good in. he's so sweet. i felt awfully naughty sneaking into the bathroom - the last men's room i have been in was in high school when we were absolutely obsessed with taking photos in the bathroom (just to clarify NOT of anyone actually using the bathroom ever).

we made plans to run together on saturday morning but i set my alarm wrong and didnt wake up in time. :( it was all good. after sleeping in we packed and loaded up the car so my mom could take us to topeka. we saw the same dead cow on the way to topeka that we had seen on the way to wichita from kansas city. my mom was very concerned that the farmer didnt check on his cows often enough. it was really really gross.

you just dont see stuff like that in california.

Good Little Helper

She likes helping us with all sorts of stuff, especially helping me with my crocheting projects. Jeremy is restoring a violin that belonged to his great grandma shane and she wanted in on some of the action.
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Bike win

Jeremy fixed it while I was in the shower, with assistance from the lovely princess cricket. She doesn't really like to get her baby paws dirty.
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bike fail

on monday when i left work i got on my bike and realized something was wrong. the chain had derailed and pedaling wasnt doing anything to help get me home. i called jeremy to tell him while i walked my bike back to our apartment. there is nothing so sad as seeing some loser walk down the sidewalk, pushing a bike. monday night was gym night, so jeremy and i were at the gym forever (ok it was closer to 3 hours than forever). completely forgot about my bike.

yesterday jeremy planned on driving me because i had to bring a cake and my cake box for prom cake decorating. so this morning, at 6:55 when i was leaving the house, i had no memory of my bike being broken. i carried it down the stairs, strapped on my bike helmet, and tried to go. oops. then i realized i had locked myself out of the apartment and had to get jeremy out of bed to let me in, then beg him to drive me to work so i wouldnt be late for turning off the alarms. he, being the amazing husband that he is, agred and got some shoes and brought me to work.

now i sit here, trying to keep my eyeballs propped open, aching all over, but most specifically my abs and thighs (thank you to joelle for your kick ass step sculpt class), wondering if i will remember to remind jeremy to fix my bike when we get home tonight. i do not know how to fix anything on my bike and bike chains kinda scare me. ive gotten pinched one too many times. i am very thankful i married such a handy guy.

having to drag him out of bed in the morning if we both forget about the bike again would be sad.

Fickle, Fickle Thing

One morning she snuggles me; the next, jeremy. Is she sharing the love or did she forget that I love her more and jeremy "barely tolerates" her?
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