The Land of Toz

The Back Yard

2008-06-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

This is for all of those friends who have talked to us over the last month or two and we have told you like every week that we are working on the yard - well, I thought that I would FINALLY share some pictures! It probably doesn't look that impressive, but it was a lot of work. It's still a work in process, but we will keep working on it slowly and just keep planting.

The Pool Area - It was key to find plants that did not shed...

Chris built two raised planter beds for me - this is one of them

One of our trees

The rest of the yard

Bella loves her yard

Thanks for putting up with all of my requests, Husband! You are the best! Love you!

Up, Up So High....So High In The Sky

2008-06-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

Recently my team at work did an audit in downtown LA, and we were on the 44th Floor!!! It was a little bit scary, but the views were totally spectacular! I just thought that I would share a few pictures from my trip down there!

My Hotel Room at the Hilton Checkers

The views from our Audit Conference Room

Even though my trip was fun, I was so glad to come back home!

Swimming...

2008-06-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

Well, we decided to see whether our baby, Bella (our dog), knew how to swim. Turns out, she did....but she really didn't appreciate her experience. Now she won't get near us whenever we get in the swimming pool. Poor Bella! Just thought I would share her experience.

We Heart Willow & Nees

2008-06-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Chris and I have developed a favorite intersection in Fresno...this may sound odd, but seriously, this is the BEST intersection in all of Fresno. There are three main shopping centers on the northwest, northeast and southeast corners.

Northwest Corner:

The main attraction in this corner is a store called Yodigity Yogurt. It is a self-serve yogurt shop. Patrons can choose from 10 flavors and up to 80 toppings - everything is "do it yourself." You also will pay by the ounce, so I can get a super small size, and Chris can get as much as he wants - brilliant!

Some favorites of ours are
- cheesecake yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and hot fudge
- peanut butter and chocolate yogurt with reese's peanut butter cups and hot fudge
- coffee yogurt with heath bar and hot fudge

If you ever come visit us, then we will be sure to take you here.

Northeast Corner:

In this corner there are a few faves - Sonic, Braun's Ice Cream, Grogg's Pub, and this awesome New York Style Deli that serves great sandwiches...I won't elaborate on these, but let's just say that they are all worthwhile.

Southeast Corner:

1. Time for Thai - in my opinion this is the best Thai food I have ever eaten. The best part about Time for Thai is that it is SO inexpensive! Chris and I can go in and each order and entree with rice and we escape for right around $20 including tax and tip. They have the BEST yellow chicken curry I have ever eaten!

2. Trader Joe's - how can you go wrong - enough said.

3. Save Mart - you may be saying, what's so special about a Save Mart??? That's what I thought too. However, this particular Save Mart has this policy that the will NOT allow their female patrons to unload the groceries themselves. Forget the usual "Can I help you with your basket?" comment. These guys go the distance. If I ever escape the check-out without one of them already grabbing my basket, I inevitably wind up with one of them chasing me down and taking over. At first, this seemed a bit obnoxious, but once I swallowed my pride and realized the chivalry involved with this (particularly when it's raining, and they tell you to just get in the car) I began to REALLY enjoy this one.

4. Hungry Bear Cookies - this place is awesome - the BEST is the chocolate vanilla swirl cookie. I really try to avoid this place - it's that good.

Cold

2008-06-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

In an age of energy conservation, what I want to know is what are offices doing to help conserve energy. In every office I have ever worked in, and many offices that I have visited (which is a lot as I am an auditor), the temperature in the dead of summer is darn near 65 degrees inside many of these buildings.

I am currently sitting in my own office with my space heater running, and it is nearly 100 degrees outside right now. I am definitely not a self proclaimed environmentalist by any means, but I do work with many of them. I want to ask them WHY oh WHY do they think it is ok to set the a/c at 68 degrees (a temperature well below the state recommended 78 degrees) in the middle of summer in Fresno!!! I just want to know.

New Barstools!!

2008-01-22T22:19:00.000-08:00

Our barstools finally arrived! Here is a picture of our new and much improved kitchen. :)

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

2008-01-22T15:36:00.000-08:00

Soooo, I'm totally over winter at this point. I know that my friends who live in far colder and wetter places than I do are probably laughing at me. But really - I'm a California girl, and I need sunshine. Anyway, I got totally sad today when I checked the weather forecast and saw that it is going to rain 9 out of the next 10 days. Thought I would share my frustration.

Bella

2008-01-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

In October Chris and I became parents to a wonderful little dog. We had known that we wanted to become doggy parents, but we hadn't really started looking. So, along came the Fresno Fair, and Chris and I joined his parents for an evening of looking around at the animals, wandering through other exhibits, and gorging ourselves on fried fair food. Anyway, after wandering around all evening, we came across the SPCA booth and there was Bella. The SPCA people told us a heartbreak story about her, which stuck in our heads as we walked away. Two weeks later, I was still "stuck" on Bella, so after discussing with Chris I called the SPCA and we found out that no one had adopted her. So, the next evening, we went back to the fair and came out with Bella.

She is the most wonderful dog and has truly brightened our lives. I've shared a few pictures of our little stinker so that you can all see her too.

House Pictures

2008-01-17T09:36:00.000-08:00

The pool.

The master bath (my sink)

Guest room #2 (the red room)

Guest room #1 (the travel room)

Guest bathroom.

The kitchen.

The powder room.

The great room.

Our entry way table and newest picture acquisition.

The hutch.

And the dining room table.

New Beginnings

2007-11-12T16:53:00.000-08:00

After living in beautiful northern California (aka The Bay Area) for almost exactly 4 years, my husband Chris and I decided that it was time to get back to our roots and move back to the Valley. Basically, we wanted to live the American Dream and buy a house. Well, buy a house we did. I don't think that we exactly knew what we were getting into, but we sure are in it now. :)

Much to everyone's great anticipation, I have FINALLY posted some pictures of the "completed" house. It isn't quite done yet as we are still missing some media centers and some shelving in the office, but that is finally on its way.