Toast

My beautiful baby sister got married this past weekend.... details and photos to follow. For now, I want to share the toast I gave at the reception - you know, just because I wasn't POSTING this weekend doesn't mean I wasn't letting my creative juices flow.

This photo, snapped by Kyle as Caitlin walked down the aisle, captures my emotion pretty well... so you can imagine what a tough time I had reading the toast. But I actually managed to hold it together pretty well through the whole thing. Although when they had their first dance (to dixieland delight) I totally lost it.



Anyway, enjoy.


"Hello and Good Evening! For those of you who don't know me, I’m Courtney, the very proud big sister of our glamorous Bride. I want to start out tonight by congratulating Caitlin and Drew on their amazing wedding. The perfect day and the perfect venue for an absolutely perfect couple, it is truly an honor to be part of such a special occasion.

I’d also like to thank all of you, Caitlin and Drew’s friends and family, for coming here today, to celebrate with us. I know it means the world to our bride and groom to have each and every one of you here.

Caitlin – I just have say – you look STUNNING today. Absolutely drop dead gorgeous. Drew is a lucky man. It seems like just yesterday that we’re were running a line of duct tape down the middle of our shared room to separate “My” side from “Yours”. It seems like yesterday that I’d be tickling you till you cried, and of course then you tell on me to mom and I’d get in trouble, because I’m older and apparently I should KNOW BETTER than to tickle a person to point of tears. When we were little and we’d fight our mom used say, “Oh you two, how can you fight??? It breaks my heart. Don’t you know how lucky your are to have a SISTER???” And while our mom does have a flair for the dramatic, she was right. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have Caitlin as a sister. For 26 years, she has been my sidekick, my sounding board, my shopping buddy, my favorite dance partner, my confidant, and my very best friend.

Now, I never knew Drew before he dated Caitlin, so I can't tell you a whole bunch of stories about him, but I can tell you that I think he is perfect for my sister. I remember, four years ago, Caitlin telling me about this boy she met at party, how cute he was, and how they instantly connected and chatted the night away as if they were the only two people in the room. I remember thinking that this boy was toast – he never stood a chance. He was “The One” for my little sister. Drew – you are such a great guy. Funny, smart, charming, an excellent beer pong player. I have never questioned for one moment your love for Caitlin. She is truly blessed to have found you. And I can honestly say that I feel blessed to now call you family.

Caitlin, Drew, you guys are soul mates. I wish you all the best that life has to offer.

Everyone, please raise your glasses while I toast my little sister and her new husband:

Here’s to soul mates. Here’s to the crazy roller coaster called life, and to finding that special someone to share the ride with. Here’s to love, laughter, and happily ever after.

Cheers!"

:)

Loving

Loving...

... that I get to share this Valentine's Day, and every Valentine's Day for the rest of my life with the most wonderful man I have ever met. (Gag, I know, but he's just so very cute!)

... how cuddly my three cats are when it's chilly outside.

... the glorious snow in Tahoe this winter, not only for the awesome skiing/snowboarding it provides, but also for the streams and rivers and reservoirs it will fill in the Spring, providing some much needed water to our parched state.

... my kelly green, kate spade rain boots. A Christmas present from my sister. I wear them anytime I see a cloud in the sky, you know, just in case.

... that I am exactly 4 homework assignments and 1 final exam away from having a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. (Eeeeee!)

... the excitement of this primary election and how many young people I see getting involved.

... that my wedding is only 226 days away!

... the (now canceled) TV show Arrested Development. I don't really watch TV, but Kyle and I have been cuddling up to watch an episode or two here and there (they're all on DVD now) and we mostly just laugh ourselves silly.

... the google homepage today.

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone!

Curly Willow

5 years ago, on the day I graduated from Berkeley, my then boyfriend’s lovely parents had a lovely graduation party for me at their lovely house. It was lovely, by the way. On that day, my dad, being…well… him, found himself out in their garden investigating all of their lovely plants. My dad was quite the plant the enthusiast… and not especially keen on mingling with… well… anyone. (He was interesting like that.) The garden was good spot for him.

Anyway, while out in the garden, my dad discovered my boyfriend’s parents’ curly willow tree. He was instantly a big fan. And so he asked if he could take a cutting home with him - all the way back to Los Angeles. Who does this? My dad.

Somehow the tiny little cutting survived the 6 hour drive back to Los Angeles… wrapped only in a wet paper towel. When he got home, my dad planted the cutting in his own garden and, to be honest, I never really thought much about it again… that is, until we had to clean out his/our/that house.

Tucked way in the back, behind the tomatoes, and overgrown kale plants, and random shrubs and succulents (my dad loved succulents), I found my little curly willow tree. All grown up – strong, thriving, beautiful. I stopped short when I saw it… it took a moment to recognize what it was… and then I cried. And then I decided that I had to have it. We put it in a pot and dragged it out of the garden. And I put my sister in charge of caring for it through the summer until I could come back for it.

It was hot in LA last summer. And watering can be such a trying chore. And my sister can be a lazy good for nothing forgetful. And so, when I went back for my plant over Christmas, it was little more than some long tangled sticks with a few leaves here and there. Enter not-so-pleased Courtney.

Anyway, we watered my thirsty plant, and cut it WAY back, and decided that, with my gentle nurturing, it would be fine. And then we loaded it into my rented pick-up and it made the long journey back to the Bay Area.

And then we had that whole frost thing in California. You know, the thing that killed all the oranges and avocados (grrrrr). The thing that my darling curly willow plant was not so much a fan of.

I woke up the first morning and found it surrounded by ice. The next morning all the leaves fell off. I probably should have dragged it indoors, but it’s not a small (or lightweight) pot, and I’m not exactly smart when it comes to not killing plants. And so it’s been sitting, a dead bunch of brown sticks, since just after the new year. I’ve been so sad. Too sad to even throw it away. I figured I would eventually plant some flowers in the pot and keep it as a nice memento. In the mean time, I just left it. Every morning I would walk by it, and I would feel like such a failure.

:(

And then a few weeks ago, mostly out of sheer desperation, I watered it. Silly to water a dead plant, I know… but some lovely clover had taken up residence in the pot around my dead curly willow, and I thought the least I could do was try to keep the clover alive.

Three days ago, I found this:

!!!!!

My curly willow! It’s alive. Tenacious little plant. :)

Happy Spring, Everyone.

Holy Freakin Crap

I just won tickets, on the radio, to Not So Silent Night!!!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

In SF with The Killers, Modest Mouse, The Raconteurs, The Shins, Silversun Pickups, and a local band yet to be named.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Radio: Text the word “fuse” to Live 105 right now!! If you’re the 1053 texter, you win tickets to the sold out show!!

Me: Crap, where’s my phone? Must win tickets… must win tickets…ah ha! Found it. Gah! The battery fell out. Hurry hurry! Put it back in, put it back in aaaaaand power on... POWER ON! Damn you! Warming up… “Welcome to Verizon” yeah yeah yeah… Hurry!! Huuuuuuurrrry! F… U… S… E. Send!!

Reply Text: Sorry, you are the 131 texter. Keep texting!

Me: Really??? In ALL that time only 131 people texted in? Wow. Way to drop the ball people. Ok, take two. F… U… S… E. Send!!

Reply Text: Sorry, you are the 257 texter. Keep texting!

Me: Wow! Where is everyone tonight!? Ok, take three. F… U… S… E. Send!!

Reply Text: Sorry, you are the 726 texter. Keep texting!

Me: This is officially getting old. They need a lower number. Last time. F… U… S… E. Send!!

Rely Text: SWEET!! You are the 1053 texter!!

…
wait, what!?
…

Me: Shock… Awe… *Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal* (in Target… yes I made quite the scene.)

And then the radio guy called me on my cell phone (I felt so special) and got all my info and said my tickets were in the mail!!! I could not be more stoked!

The only problem is now I can never say, “I’ve never won anything!!” ever again.

What Can I Say, I'm A Sucker For Flowers

I am sick. Maybe the flu. With the headache, and the body aches, and the freezing/sweltering body temperature swings. Ugh. And work is stressful. And it’s almost 7 pm and I’m still here. All that is currently keeping me going is the striking smell of star gazer lilies - blossoming in my cubicle as I type this.

I close my eyes and I’m transported to my own personal meadow.

Best one year anniversary flowers EVER!


Note the oh-so-classy plastic pitcher I put them in. Nice.

So This Is Bliss

Here's to our first year together. And to many many more. Thank you for holding my hand and making me smile.

Happy Anniversary, Kyle!


Yes, even with a mohawk he makes me this happy. Definitely a keeper.

For You, Grandma

When I was little, my grandmother made me a joke book. An elephant joke book, no less. Filled with elephant jokes that she had painstakingly cut out of some newspaper, likely over several months. I never understood why she cut out, saved, and then glued all these little elephant jokes into an old photo album, but I remember LOVING it. Hmmm, maybe that's why she did it. Grandmas are good like that. Anyway, so now I have this ridiculous fetish for cheesy elephant jokes. It's one of my quirks, and it's endearing, darn it.

Today, while reading my daily comics and jokes (from Acramax) I stumbled across as terrible an elephant joke as I had ever seen. I was instantly in love and knew that I MUST share it with the world.

Enjoy!

How To Catch a White Elephant:
Go to an place where there are white elephants. Bring with you a muffin (with raisins).
Climb a tree. When the white elephant is close, drop the muffin (with raisins) in front of it.
The white elephant will be happy, and eat the muffin (with raisins). White elephants like muffins (with raisins).
Repeat this procedure for five days in a row. After the fifth day, the white elephant will be used to its daily muffin (with raisins).
The sixth day you climb the tree, bringing with you a muffin (without raisins). Drop the muffin (without raisins) as usual.
When the white elephant finds out that the muffin (without raisins) lacks raisins, it will darken in anger.
And then you catch it the same way you catch an ordinary grey elephant.

:D

Letter Of Recognition

Dear Courtney’s Mom,

We are pleased to inform you that your daughter has excellent manners. She makes good impressions on boyfriends’ families AND she sends thoughtful thank you notes and encloses pictures – which they apparently LOVE! She mostly rocks. We’ve attributed said rocking to fantastic parenting. Nice work!

Sincerely,
The How To Impress Your Boyfriend’s Family Police

Make It All Better

Tossing and turning.
Can’t sleep.
Mind racing.
So much to do.
Must sleep.
1 2 3… Sleep!
Sleeeeeeep.
Stressing.
Stressing.
Stressing.
Open my eyes.
Pitch black room.
Reach out my hand.
Kitty.
He starts to purr.
Steady and comforting.
My own little diesel engine.
The bed hums as I snuggle my face into his fur.
I drift off...

I Hate The Weekend

Well, I guess I don't hate "the" weekend... I just hate "this" weekend. In a heartbeat, I would gladly trade this Friday for last Monday. I do not want this weekend to be here.

I'm driving down to LA tonight to start sorting things out at my Dad's house.

My Dad bought that house in the sixties. As far as I know, it's the only house he ever owned. Six kids were raised in that house (my dad's first two step kids, and then my brothers, and then me and my sister.) Forty plus years.

My dad didn't have a will, and so, after probate, that house will belong to me, my sister, and my bothers.

What the hell are we gonna do with that house?

I wish I could begin to explain all that that house is to me.

That house is ALWAYS a work in progress. Always.

That house is where I was born and raised.

That house is cold in the winter and hot in the summer, and the roof leaks, and it's dirty, and it's never very well lit, and growing up you were never sure if the water was going to function properly. It has bugs. It is old, and messy, and falling apart, and I grew up embarrassed because of it.

That house is huge, and sometimes scary, and it creaks at night.

That house is a money pit.

That house is where I learned to ride a bike... and a horse.

That house is where I learned to swim and to play piano.

I played tag in the huge yard in front of that house.

I walked down the long, strange, leads-to-nowhere hallway in that house, and I pretended that I was a fashion model on a runway.

I scrambled my first egg while standing on a stool in the kitchen in that house.

I woke up to 26 Christmas mornings in that house.

My sticker collection is safely hidden on the inside of a cupboard door in that house.

That house touched every part of my childhood.

That house tore my parents' marriage apart. My dad chose that house over my mom and it broke her heart.

That house is at the top of long private driveway that no one would ever drive up... so I always had to walk up. But the driveway made that house feel like a sanctuary away from the outside world.

That house was less than 300 yards away from the gruesome car accident I was in senior year of high school.

That house has my last name scrawled in pencil on the mailbox - I wrote it there when I was in junior high.

That house floods EVERY winter.

My friends and I used to sneak out of that house. It wasn't hard, that house has FIVE doors leading to outside and is long and winding and easy to lose people in.

I was grounded SO MANY times in that house.

Every penny my family had when I was growing up went into that house.

My sister almost drowned in the pool at that house.

My dad built me a tree house in the back yard of that house - with a slide and everything.

That house was home to horses, and chickens, and cats, and dogs, and turtles, and peacocks, and fish, and bunnies... and maybe even sheep.

That house was “that house” on our street – I’m fairly certain that our neighbors prayed everyday that we’d move and that someone would come along and tear that eyesore down.

I've been told that that house builds character.

My name is carved in the cement at that house - and it's spelled without the u.

My mom was depressed for years in that house.

That house threatens to be overcome entirely by plants and trees and other greenery on a regular basis. It is a full time job to keep everything watered and trimmed and sort of at bay.

My dad died in that house.

We had my father’s funeral at that house. My siblings and I, our friends, and our extended family worked for 3 days straight to get that house and the grounds in order. It was so beautiful.

I love/hate that house.

And now it is my house. And I have to go through it and through all forty years of stuff inside it. I have to throw stuff away. I have to throw away my father’s stuff. We can’t possibly save everything.

What the hell are we gonna do with that house?

Sell it? The place I grew up in? The bain of my existence for 26 years? The strange, inexplicable, enigma house with hallways that go nowhere? Can we really sell it? Can we really afford not to?

I do not want this weekend to get here. I do not want to deal with this.

Take That, Mall

After spending *another* long and fruitless evening at the mall, I decided to give up on my quest to find the perfect birthday girl party dress.

At 9:45pm, I went to Target (I love target... Love love LOVE Target... so much so that my roommates are convinced that I should call my credit card company and tell them to no longer authorize charges from there because almost every time I go I spend $200... but that's another story.) Anyway... at 9:45 pm I went to Target and in about 10 minutes found an adorable tank top for $15. Fifteen Bucks!!! Weary from my 4 hour shopping adventure but reinvigorated by my awesome find, I drove home to put an outfit together.

Turns out I already owned jewelry that matched PERFECTLY (Yes!) and my fave pair of shoes - so cute and Oh So Comfortable - were just right. AND this purse I bought AGES ago but haven't used yet TOTALLY works with the shoes. (Who knew!?) AND (the best part) I'm wearing the same jeans that I wore on my birthday last year... so 1. Yes! I still fit in my birthday jeans from last year and 2. I found $15 in the back pocket! So net $$ spent on fab birthday ensemble... ZERO Dollars. Score!!!

Everything worked out so perfectly. And to think I almost shelled out $148 for this puffy little number from BCBG! Eeek!

Victory Is Mine

Welcome! to my new and improved URL address.

This is the URL that I wanted in the first place... but when I created my account, sigh, it was taken. And so that was that. I settled on "ShortButSweetForCertain" because it at least had *something* to do with the title of my blog. (It's a line from a Dave Matthews song for those not in the know.)

Anyway, the always fabulous Jes mentioned to me that the lucky bastard who did have the "CelebrateWeWill" URL hadn't posted in OVER A YEAR! The nerve! So I sent the guy an email and said "Please please please can I have your URL!!!???"

*holding breath, crossing fingers*

And he said, "Sure!"

*oh joy!! oh happiness!! oh twinkly stars and rainbows and birthday cake*

:)

And so, here it is: My new URL! If I could hug it, I would.

(I'm hugging my monitor right now, does that count?)

Favorite Germany Moment

On my last day in Bremen, as I was saying goodbye to my family, my uncle Harold - my dad's younger brother - puts his hands on my cheeks, tilts my face up, and says, "Schön!" (which means "beautiful!" in German) and then gives me a big hug and kiss.

:)

Family is, hands down, the coolest thing ever. An absolute gift... in any language.

Lost In Translation

Reason #4852 to teach your kids a foreign language... so this doesn't happen to them.

So there I am, in Bremen, Germany, enjoying a lovely evening with my German family. It should be noted that my German family does not speak a whole heck of a lot of English... and I do not speak ONE WORD of German (gee thanks, Dad.)

Well, my cousin, Andrea, put together the most amazing BBQ for everyone - really, everything was delicious... and I wanted to tell her - in German of course, so she could actually understand me. So I flip through my handy dandy German phrase book looking for the perfect phrase to express just how happy and satisfied I am with the entire meal.

I find the phrase... I get my entire family's attention (I want them to witness just how fabulously my German is coming along)... and I throw on my most convincing German accent.

And then, in PERFECT German, in front of my entire family, I say:

"Andrea, this food was inedible!"

Oh the look of horror and shock on Andrea's face! My aunt gasped. My cousin Sven was caught so off guard that he spit coca cola everywhere. And my uncle Harold, who had been absolutely SILENT up until this point, burst out laughing.

What'd I say, What'd I say!!!??? I thought to myself as I flipped madly through the phrase book.

Oh no!!!

See inedible and incredible are right next to each other in that stupid little book. An honest mistake, really, but I could not have been more embarrassed.

My family teased me about it for the rest of the trip... in fact, I'm sure I'll never live it down.

Ugh.

Swoon

Uncoached and totally unprovoked, Kyle walks up to me and says "Your butt is tiny!"

!!!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love this boy!

:)

And On This Farm He Had A Poodle?

Hmmm... So I started making my sheep costume last night for B2B... I'm hot gluing 500 cotton balls to a white tank top and a white skirt (I hope 500 is enough). Anyway... so mid way through the process I tried the tank top on to see how it was coming along.

Well... it's coming. I suppose.

But I sorta look like a poodle.

Hmmm.

Getting Cultured, Getting Old, And Getting To Bed On Time

On getting cultured...

This past weekend I absorbed some much needed culture. Friday night, Kyle took me out for a night on the town for my Christmas present. We left work early, got ourselves dolled up, and went out to a fabulous little Peruvian restaurant in his neighborhood in SF. Dinner was delish! We started with ceviche and sangria, then Kyle got payea (spelling?) for his main course and I had an amazing piece of halibut served on top of cilantro infused risotto. Yum Yum Yum! After dinner, we caught a cab and went downtown to see the new musical, Lestat, (as in the Vampire Lestat from Interview with a Vampire) at the Curran Theater. The show was fantastic! I love musicals!! When that ended, around 10:30, we caught another cab and headed to the Mission District of SF to meet up with Kyle's brother for drinks. We laughed, we drank, we were assaulted by a VERY intoxicated young lady (she grabbed Kyle!)... it was (mostly) fun. Leisurely stroll back to Kyle's apartment (well, I was freezing so it was only sorta leisurely)... NO middle of the night pizza (thank goodness!)... and we were off to bed. A great night!
And if that wasn't enough we did it AGAIN on Saturday night!
Six couples (!!!) met at my friends' (Lucia and Alina - the twins) apartment in San Jose. Everyone brought appetizers and wine and beer and we all sat around the twins' living room feeling VERY grown-up and impressed with how fabulous we all were. At 7:30 *ON THE DOT* (because in addition to be grown-up and fabulous, Lucia is anal as hell) we left for downtown San Jose to see Cirque Du Soliel's latest - Corteo. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! It was phenomenal! I've seen a few Cirque Du Soliel shows... and they are all amazing... but this one was extra fantastic. I think it was the music. Un-freakin-believable. It put me in the BEST mood. And the acrobatics were AWESOME. I was literally on the edge of my seat for most of show. Just all around a GREAT performance. I would highly recommend it to anyone. After the show, the whole posse headed to Santana Row for some drinks and dancing. Another perfect evening!
So two whole evenings dripping with good food, good friends, good wine, and good times. Love it!

On getting old...

So I mentioned that after Cirque we went out on (the very posh) Santana Row... Well, we ended up at a place called Rosie McCanns there. It was PACKED with people dressed to the nines. The music was bumping. And alcohol was flowing like water... Just 18 short months ago I spent my 24th birthday there and thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. My, how things change. This time I found it way too loud and quite obnoxious and really couldn't wait to go home and crawl into bed with Kyle. There was a line to get in, the bouncers ignored us, the people inside were pushy, alcohol was expensive, and I couldn't hear anything that anyone was saying. Ugh. The first thing Kyle and I did, after we fought our way to and from the bar, was find a nice quite table WAY in the back where we could just sit and talk and enjoy each other's company. *Sigh* Getting "old" really sneaks up on you. But it's kind of a nice place to be... especially when you're there with the right person... at table in the back. :) Eventually, we got our old fogey butts out on the dance floor... and had a great time, by the way... but the best part was still going home and going to bed with my sweetheart.

On getting to bed on time...

Speaking of going to bed... unfortunately all this culture absorbing and good time having doesn't lend itself to going to bed early. Both nights Kyle and I tried to be in bed by at least 1 but ended up awake till 3... It was fun, don't get me wrong, but, when coupled with the 5-6 hours a night we've been getting lately because of school and work, it can really wear a person out. I am SOOO tired today. And tonight my mom and step dad are in town so I'll likely be up fairly late (again!) hanging out with them.
Why aren't there more hours in the day!?

Selfish Me Says Hooray!

One of my bestest friends in the whole world, the girl I shared a room and a million secrets with for FOUR years in college, ISN'T MOVING TO ISRAEL. YAY!!!

Ok, so I wanted to be the good supportive friend who was totally behind her best friend going to a super kick-ass medical school in Israel. It's a great opportunity, an excellent program, and, oh my, what an adventure!! Unselfish me was totally there for her, 100%.

But then there's selfish me. Selfish me is small, and usually quiet, and isn't allowed to play outside without adult supervision. Don't get me wrong, she sneaks out from time to time - very mischievous that selfish me is - but I do try to keep a tight leash on her. Anyway, selfish me was VERY sad that her best friend was moving away to the other side of the planet - but she said nothing. (See the control I have over her!)

Well, as it turns out, said best friend was recently accepted into a fantastic medical school in VIRGINIA! Yep, right here in our very own contiguous United States!!! After much soul searching, Sara (the bff in question) decided to take the opportunity in Virginia.
Unselfish me - "I'm so proud of her! Wherever she goes, she'll be fantastic. And I will totally visit her."

Selfish me - "Hooray!!!!! My best friend will only be three time zones away! And now I might ACTUALLY visit her."

Is that wrong? I hate being selfish. At the end of the day I really do want what's best for Sara. But if two choices are equally good and one choice keeps her closer to me, I'm allowed to like that choice better, right?