Our first purchase

Well, besides the Mustang we bought together last year (pre-marriage), we have made our first semi-big purchase as a married couple. We are the new owners of a dining table! I know it sounds boring, but we don't have kids, and this was definitely something for us to get excited about. We have been shopping for a few weeks, maybe even a couple months now for the perfect dining table. Needless to say, we're kinda picky. We had a vision of what we wanted, but had the hardest time finding it. So now we feel like grown-ups furnishing our home, and eventually will have furniture that matches. That day is still too far to see, but we have faith it will come. Besides, have you seen the price of furniture these days? It's not cheap! So here is the table we very excitedly purchased from Cost Plus World Market.

It's a pub table, as if that's not apparent from the pic. I still don't have a digital camera (hint hint), so I stole this from the website. We got the table and 4 chairs to go with it. It seems to be quite a bit darker than how it looks in this picture, but it is a very beautiful color. It's 40" squared, and 42" high. When I stand next to it, it comes up a couple inches above my belly button, and I'm 5'7", so that's pretty sick!! It's so comfy to sit in, and there's plenty of room for 4 people to eat on it. I also found some placemats at Pier 1 to decorate it, and help protect it. They're dark brown bamboo with blue stripes on them, and they're kinda woven together I guess. I also got some royal blue napkins with some pretty bronzie-type napkin rings. Considering I'm not the decorating type, I was proud of myself when I came home & put it all together. It looks very cute, with a bit of an Asian theme. We have a little bamboo stick that we got from a bridal expo here in town that we saved, and Mario put that as a centerpiece for the table. It looks cute with the blue. It helps to complete my green & blue kitchen, thanks to those who got me my kitchen stuff for my shower. Lastly, lets discuss the financial end of it, which just may be the best part of this excursion. The table & chairs cost $600 total. A little pricey, but we were tired of eating standing up (I sold our old table at a yard sale. I couldn't stand to look at it anymore, it was older than me. I normally love '80s things, but this just had to go, it may have well been neon yellow with leg warmers). Then, right before we were going to pick it up, Mario noticed the Entertainment Book we got for free had a $50 off coupon in it. Imagine that...now $550. Then, we have $250 worth of Visa giftcards (1 a wedding gift, and the other 2 rebates from our phones). This brings us to $300. Then, World Market is offering 10% off if you open an account. Mario & I got this table for $273 (plus tax), and we have 3 months to pay it off with no interest. I'm so proud. The extra $3 was for the licorice I bought Richie for letting us borrow the truck. Thanks for sharing :) Lets not leave out that I had another giftcard for Pier 1, and only had to spend $16 and some change buying 8 placemats, 6 napkins, and 4 napkin rings. I'm not sure I've ever felt so good about spending $300 before!!

Cuteness

I just had to post this way cute pic of Addy. This is her sitting on the cat tower. I'm not quite sure how she managed to find a time to sit here when her brothers Nibblet & Buckey weren't occupying it. But seriously, look at that pose, someone knows she's cute.

Interesting tidbits

Since life has been a bit boring lately, and I haven't had much to blog about, here's some semi-useless info I that I know you've been dying to know about me.
01. WHAT TIME DID YOU GET UP THIS MORNING? If you don't count the numerous times Mario woke me up in the 5 o'clock hour, I got up at 7am
02. DIAMONDS or PEARLS? Dimaonds are my best friend
03.WHAT IS THE LAST FILM THAT YOU SAW AT THE THEATER? WallE. Wasn't my fave Pixar, but it was cool.
04. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? I love Hell's Kitchen (obviously), Greys Anatomy, and Kitchen Nightmares
05. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? Usually a piece of loaf bread or a muffin, depending on what I've made, and crystal light to wash it down. I like the Lo-Carb monster, but at $2+ a pop, I don't have the luxery often.
06. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME? Lee
07. WHAT FOOD DO YOU DISLIKE? Canned spinach, ewww!!!!
08. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CD? I don't have a fave cd. I get bored easily. I currently like my Lil Wayne album
09 WHAT KIND OF CAR DO YOU DRIVE? '07 Mustang baby!!!
10. FAVORITE SANDWICH? I make this bangin chicken with turkey bacon and guac sandwhich, mmm
11. WHAT CHARACTERISTIC DO YOU DESPISE? I don't like liars, ie, my clients
12. FAVORITE ITEM OF CLOTHING? My Juicy sweats, worth all 40,000 pennies
13. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD ON VACATION, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? The Black Forrest, Germany
14. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHROOM? It's currently dark green, tan, and choc brown
19. FURTHEST PLACE YOU ARE SENDING THIS? Someone may read this from the east coast
20. WHO DO YOU LEAST EXPECT TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? I'm not "sending" it
21. PERSON YOU EXPECT TO SEND IT BACK FIRST? see #20
22. FAVORITE SAYING? What the french, toast (from the Orbitz gum commercial)
23. WHEN IS YOUR BIRTHDAY? 10/22/1982, I want shoes
24. ARE YOU A MORNING OR NIGHT PERSON? It's pretty much whatever time I'm not grumpy
25. WHAT IS YOUR SHOE SIZE? 9 1/2, I know, they're monsters
26. PETS? Mystie, she lives with Mom & Dad, cause Dad couldn't stand to see her go :)
27. ANY NEW AND EXCITING NEWS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US? I'm practicing to get pregnant ;)
28. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE? A veterinarian
29. HOW OLD ARE YOU TODAY? Do the math, 25
30.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CANDY? Peanut butter M&Ms
31.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER? gerb daisies
32. WHAT IS A DAY ON THE CALENDAR YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO? Whatever day Mario is going to tell me to be his stay at home wife, until then, who cares!
33. WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME? Kristi Lee Silva, I wasn't allowed to hyphenate :(
34 . WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? A po-po siren, I hear them ALL day
35. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A Jolly Rancher
36. DO YOU WISH ON STARS? No, I'm not sure you can even see stars from the valley
37. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Pretty in Pink
38. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? Not bad actually, it's noon, probably 85ish, high today of 94 I think
39. FAVORITE SOFT DRINK? I have way too many, maybe Diet Coke, I get that from my Aunt Peggie
40. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Sendai for my sushi addiction
41. SIBLINGS? Richie & Meg, and Vanessa
42. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? I'm hoping it's going to be April 25, we'll have to see how that plays out
43. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD? I dunno, maybe Barbie
44. SUMMER OR WINTER? Spring
46 COFFEE OR TEA? I love coffee, but I love green tea also
47. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate for sure
48. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO EMAIL YOU BACK? Y-E-S!!
49. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? I don't remember
50. WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED? Nothing on my side, Mar has a mag light so he can blind someone if they break in
51. WHAT FRIEND HAVE YOU HAD THE LONGEST? Probably Sarah, since about 7th grade
52. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT? I made a cod & brocolli caserole type thing, and some rice & we watched College Road Trip, it was pretty hillarious being it's rated G, it wasn't corny
53. FAVORITE SMELLS? I like the smell of freshness, homemade cookies, and some furniture stores
54. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? Things that pose a threat to me
56. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR RING? 8, but I need to give one back
57. HOW MANY YEARS AT YOUR CURRENT JOB? It will be 2 in Sep
58. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK? Saturday, I love to sleep in
59. HOW MANY TOWNS HAVE YOU LIVED IN? Just this one, hopefully we'll move though
60. DO YOU MAKE FRIENDS EASILY? I'm shy, people often mistake that for bitchyness
61. HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL YOU SEND THIS TO? Not sure
62. HOW MANY WILL RESPOND? ? Everyone better

I'm hot, and my Fave show has ended

Back when I was a kid summer was awesome, and I never really noticed how hot it actually was. But now, when I have to hear Doug Collins every morning talk about "record heat" or "extreme heat" it just puts a damper on my day. As if work wern't bad enough right? I'm trying to convince Mario that Alaska would be a great place to live, but he's just not quite buying it yet. Even Washington maybe, does anyone know if Uncle Ben has a spare bedroom? I just wanna go back to the days when I could lounge around, and summer was actually a break. There's no such thing as a break anymore. I gotta work a week just to buy a tank of gas for my gas guzzling beast of a car. But anyways, another crappy part about the summer is there's nothing to watch on tv. We don't have cable, so we're stuck with the basics for now. Last night I went for a walk (I don't know why either) and made it home in time to watch the season finale of Hell's Kitchen. Gordon Ramsey may just well be my mentor (well, almost). Mario & I were lucky to see him on our honeymoon in New York. He was a guest on the Conan O'Brien show that I got us tickets to attend. Back to the point...last night was the finale, it was between Christina & Petrozza. I absolutely love Christina. She's such a doll, and she's 25, just like me. I've been rooting for her this whole time, she's kind of like the underdog. Although, Petrozza was cool too. I felt that for his age & experience he very much deserved something like this in his life. It was a great show, both did very well, but in the end, it was Christina who one it all. I was so happy for her, I'm sure if we knew each other we'd get along so well. As I've been watching this show for a year or two now, it's really been making me think...I wanna be a chef. I wanna make Risoto, and fancy shmancy deserts, and be able to name all the ingredients in whatever it is that i'm eating. I like to cook, and I'm good at what I do, but I'm not versatile. I stick with the basics, and my palet is so over it. I always judge the quality of my creations on whether Chef Ramsey would love it, or spit it out and tell me i suck. So for my birthday/Christmas/whatever occassion present, I want cooking lessons. Would someone mind passing this on to Mario, thanks!

The winner!!!

The infamous "green paper"

A little over a year ago I applied for a job with the CA Dept of Corrections to be a Youth Correctional Counselor (YCC). For some insane reason I like working with these people. Anyways, early last week I got a call from the Sergeant down in So Cal who's handling my file. Everytime I see the call coming in, or that letter in the mailbox I get antsy in my pantsy. It's been 14 months already!!! Let's recap the last 14 months of my life, shall we? April 2007-I applied for a job as a YCC. I laid out my life story in a packet of papers for complete strangers to read and analyze. The skeletons are out of the closet & my dignity, well, that is no longer. May 2007- Spent many precious hours taking second grade reading & vocab tests, eye exams, doctors appts to correct my vision, physical tests, even getting grief from the department employee because of something I did when I was 18, cut me some slack would ya!! June 2007-waiting, July 2007-Got engaged :) (still waiting), August 2007-March 2008- Planning my fantastical wedding & still WAITING!! & wondering, do I really have that much of a "background" to research? Also, going to other random doctors appointments, and paying way too much money for one of the nurses to check a box that says "applicants left ankle is cleared to run on, and asthma should not interfere with job description. If I thought it would have, I wouldn't have applied for the position, duh!! April 2008-Getting married :) (still waiting), May 2008- I'll give you a hint, it begins with a "W", and also writing up & sending in more information about my recent nuptuals, name change, and affiliation with people in the prison system. Early June 2008- Sergeant calls me & tells me she's having trouble with my employment (past & present), are you kidding me?! Mid June 2008- Seargeant calls and says "I'm getting ready to close you're file, I know you've been waiting for awhile. You should be receiveing your green paper from us any day now." At this point in time, I'm calling Mario speaking a mile a minute about what could very well be one of the greatest days of my life, ready to pack up my belongings and move to Galt (location of the training facility), and say goodbye to Fresno. Third week of June 2008, checking the mail religiously waiting for that "green letter". It sounded so good when the Sergeant said it too. June 23, 2008, I open up my mailbox & am practically blinded by the light reflecting from this white envelope with a green letter showing through the window part, CDCR on the top left corner. This is it, this is officially my lucky day!!! I run inside, and tell Mario "my green letter, it's here!" You can only imagine the feeling I'm experiencing here. I've got a million things going through my mind, and almost as excited as I was in July of '07 when I saw Mario start to get down on one knee, girls, you know what I'm refering to here! So I open the envelope & begin to read the unfolding of the rest of my life (or atleast the next few years). "Dear Ms. Buchanan, this is to inform you that you have successfully been cleared to work for the Dept of Corrections as a peace officer. However, this letter does not guarantee employment. Please be advised that until you will be considered for the position, you are responsible to act in a responsible manner, abide by all laws, and conduct your life in a way of that of a peace officer." Are you kidding me, SERIOUSLY?! What the heck. At this point, if I had a cat I probably would have kicked it. Okay, I'm kidding, but come on?! What a let down. It's like watching the season finale of Grey's Anatomy and realizing Meredith & Derek just may make it this time, but you gotta wait how many months for the next season to start. It was almost throw myself on the ground and have a tantrum worthy, but I held back. So, I'm back to playing the waiting game. My advice to any of you applying with any federal agency is, don't get your hopes up, and be prepared to wait. Let this blog be a prime example of what you're getting yourself into. Here are some pictures of what I not only could be doing, but what I SHOULD be doing. Hope you enjoy them :) The funny part is that it looks like such a happy place to be.

I just need a moment...

Why on Earth does anyone (I don't care who you are) think that they need to drive by my house at 10:15pm and make so much freaking noise. Okay fine, you got a cruiser bike, you're cool, whatever, but lets face it, some people have to work in the morning, myself being included in those "some people." It's like clockwork with this dude, and I don't think he realizes (or maybe he does & he's a rebel) that Sierra's speed limit is not 50mph. He's probably so excited to get off work that he thinks he's exciting everyone else too. Guess what guy, you're not getting me excited, you're really pissin me off!!! I shouldn't blame this whole blog on him, because there's others. There's those people in their muscle cars who think that the intersection of Fresno/Sierra is a race track. I'm not Rich Christensen, and you're not on an episode of Pinks, so knock it off already. There's also those people who have some insane need to listen to their stereo at 1,000 decipels. Their bass is so high if I had pictures on my walls they'd probably break. I know, it's really fun to listen to your music loudly, especially when you've got a sweet system, I'm guilty of it too. But lets face it, I live on this corner, and I don't always want to hear that crap. Turning it down a little isn't gonna hurt anything, especially your image, so for the sake of my sanity, please just stop!!! It's actually quite funny how living in our condo has completely changed our attitude about house hunting. We don't care how cute the house is, if it's on a corner, forget it!! You can't pay me enough to live there. So there is my rant, and thank goodness for blogs. I feel so much better now getting this off my chest. If you "just need a moment" too, feel free to have one in the comments section. Everyone reading this, have a wonderful day!!

Very Proud Aunt

Since I have no children (thank the Lord!), and do not plan on having any anytime soon (do NOT repeat that to Mar), I have decided to make a proud Aunt blog. I became a first time Auntie on November 28, 2007. Donnie and Meg have a little girl named Addyson. She's totally precious. For those who don't know, they're my neighbors. We live in the same complex, and if I had to guestimate, I'd say we're about 30 steps from each others door. It's cool to have someone you know so close that when you're on your honeymoon you can trust them to keep an eye on your place. Even better when you get back and find out the cops have searched through your home because one day the garage was found open. Something good happens in the neighborhood, and we're not even there to see it!!! Or when someone steals your license plate right off your car & your neighbors saw nothing, hmm. Where were you on that one Richie!! Other than that, they're really good neighbors :) Point of the story, is that Addy is way cute and she gets to visit with Tio Mario and Auntie quite often. Daddy brings her over when she gets fussy at their house. We usually subject her to Guitar Hero, but she loves it. She's gonna be a little punk rocker someday. So here's just a few pics of her. Since my camera has moved from MIA status to never coming home :( I dont have any of my own pics, but Meg sent me these, just for this special occassion (what occassion you ask? I'm blogging, isn't that occassion enough?).

This pic of us was taken right after baby Adds came home from the hospital. If our attire looks familiar than good, you're paying attention!

Here's a 5 generation pic that was taken last month. Addyson, Donnie, Mom, Grandma Pattie & Great Grandma. Crazy!

Here's a pic from Easter, in her pretty dress next to her Easter basket

This is one of my fave pics of her, lookin all cute on the couch.

Last but not least, here's a cute family pic from Addy's first time at the beach (I think), they took her to Pismo. She's all bundled up in pink like daddy. Good job Rich, you look cute too.

Okay, that's my proud moment/blog. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm not sure if mom emails out pics to any of you, so if not, here ya go! Our family is finally growing :)