HOUSE FOR RENT!! $2,150 a month!!!

Ok, so creating a post might be a silly way of advertising it, but we are trying to rent out our house! I still have a lot of friends out in Vegas (hi Kim, hi Nicole, hi Theresa, hi Bunco and church girls:) and figured they might be pretty good at spreading the word. Our place will be available for move in next week and we want to find an awesome family that will appreciate and love our house as much as we did while we were in Las Vegas! Just some details about the house so you know how to sell it folks!

It's a really pretty house! Located in Traccia (215 and Sahara) this is a Toll Brother's home and was built in 2007. All the upgrades of granite counter tops, 2 toned paint, stainless steel appliances (included in the rent) and custom blinds and professionally decorated! As you can see it has a 2 car garage and is located in a sweet cul-de-sac with WONDERFUL neighbors.

This is the upstairs loft area with the stone veneer that we just put in before we moved (gotta see it!) It's a big enough area to make it a hang out, or a library.

This picture actually stinks at showing you how big the master bedroom is, but trust me, it's big! And the master bath is super nice with 2 sinks, large tub, shower and a HUGE walk-in closet (I don't know a girl that could fill it up!)

Our association has 24 hour security with a guard gated entrance. Some of the amenities include these fun tennis courts, a fitness center, a large pool AND a lap pool, a park and a clubhouse! The people in this area are so rad and I miss them!

This is one of the bedrooms that has a connecting "jack-n-jill" bathroom. All of the 3 bedrooms are good sized and have windows with views. Oh, and btw, there are 2 1/2 bathrooms too.

Here is a "Great Room" or family room, whatever you would like to call it. Again, good sized and an entertainer's dream! I picked out our fireplace surround myself and LOVE it! It's rad, as well as the rest of the house:)

The kitchen with all the accessories and appliances you could ever need. Ample storage and closet space, upgraded ceramic tile and granite counters. Square footage on this place is just under 1,900 sq. ft.

This is the other bedroom and I didn't spend much time decorating it, but you get the picture:)

The laundry room with front loading washer and dryer. We will include these also in the rent! Isn't it awesome?!!

Ok, so now you have it, all this is available after May 5th! You can tell whoever may be interested that we will pay all the association fees and for trash and sewage. All they have to pay for is the other utilities and the rent. We are looking to get $2,150 a month, so start spreading the news!! Thanks guys!

Courtney's Getting Married!!!

Here is the soon to be BRIDE!! The big day isn't until September, but seeing how Courtney is moving to the east coast (to be close to Gary- the groom to be) we got to do her bridal shower early. Talk about fun!! Hats, hats, hats, hats, hats! The theme was "Southern Belle" and so all of the ladies donned large (and some highly creative) tea party hats! The bridesmaids did a great job putting the party together with flowers, decorations and the yummiest southern food ever! You might not be able to tell in the pictures, but it was seriously over 90 degrees today! It was ridiculously hot and the whole shower was outside!
Court and I have been buddies since the olden days when we wore training bras and weren't allowed to hang out with boys- she is smart, fun and super sweet! We are all so excited for you!

The 3 generations of the Carpenter girls: Magda, Debbie and Court

And here are the girls: Liz, Shannon, Brooke, Dawn, Lindsey, Courtney, me and Jenni. Best part is, we've all been friends since high school and we still have a ton of fun whenever we get together. We have all become so busy and are quite different now in so many ways, but I can count on these girls to provide endless laughs and awesome story telling of the good ol' days!

Had to take a picture of Brooke because she looked so awesome in her enormous hat and purple ensemble. Purple happens to be one of my most favorite colors so I was a big fan!

Shannon was in a black dress with a white hat, and I was in a white dress with a black hat. I dunno, thought that was cool enough to take a picture of:)

Some of the original "RB" girls looking their finest! Thank goodness for the large hats today or else all of us would've been burnt to a crisp!

These Red Velvet cupcakes were AMAZING! Aside from the cajun shrimp, grits, crab cakes and biscuits, these cupcakes were yummy AND beautiful!

I provided one of the games for the shower where I put 12 different white powdered ingredients into cupcake tins and then everyone had to try to figure out what they all were. How many of you think you could tell the difference between cornstarch, baking powder and baking soda? It's a fun idea for a shower game and you guys should try it!
All in all, a super fun day!

Happy Birthday Dawnski!!

Happy Birthday Dawn!! (Or Dawnski, Dawner, Shmee, Chicken, Cabbage or Chou!) She doesn't even have a blog, but she is definitely deserving of a birthday shout out from my end! What a great friend this girl has been since the beginning days of high school til now. We have been neighbors, roommates in different states, and best friends along the way too. No one I know is capable of doing better impersonations, cooking more amazing food, or making me laugh my head off! I love you Dawnski and hope you have a terrific 28!
We're like a yogurt swirl.. chocolate and vanilla meant to always go together:)

The posse at the Kelly Clarkson concert a couple of summers ago- don't be jealous although it was a fantastic concert!

So, this was a couple of birthdays ago when I was in charge of getting the candles and blew it big time by buying a 9 instead of a 6- guess Dawn won't have to worry about celebrating that year anymore!

And then there was ANOTHER notable birthday we celebrated yesterday, and that was Kloe!! She's been apart of our family for 11 years now and she doesn't look a day over 2:) Kloe is short for Kolohe which in Hawaiian means "Rascal" As a puppy her favorite chew toys included expensive sunglasses, retainers, and bottles of pills (it's tough being a girl growing up the in OC). Now I am happy to say that she's off the pills and all other manner of expensive belongings and she is doing a great job being Moo's auntie and best friend. Kloe might not be the smartest dog in the world, but she has the kindest and most loving heart and we all love her!

Where the FUN never ends!!

I just want to make the disclaimer for the records: The kids are on spring break so I couldn't teach even if I wanted to! I have been starting to feel kinda bad having all this fun this week when most people are working full time still... uh, sorry. But the weather has been beautiful, the sun has been out, and I just passed my first real estate final (with a 93%) so that is deserving of some fun, right?
Kelly and I met up the other day for a day of bike riding in and all around the Newport area. We seriously rode for almost 3 hours around Corona del Mar, Newport and Balboa island. It felt like we were kids again and I have to give a shout out to Kelly who is always down for a fun day of doing just about anything.

Some action shots from the day. Did I mention we got to take the ferry across the island with our bikes? Yeah, never have done that before and let me tell ya, it was fantastic!

The sweet old ladies that took our picture asked us if we were on spring break. We looked at each other and without technically lying said that we were! Ha, now that I am an old 27, any comment that lowers my age rather than raising it is gladly appreciated!

The whole yard of this house was a complete village of an old mining town. There were stores, houses, people, moving parts- couldn't quite make sense of it all and just felt like taking a picture. You may have needed to be there to admire it.
____________________________________________________________________

Another fun night of Albertacos and Cherry on Top. At first glance you would never think to stop at this hole-in-the-wall establishment, but once you dig into their amazing carne asada burritos or rolled tacos you realize that fine dining doesn't need to come with an expensive price tag! Thank you Tim and Niccole for helping us discover this place! We kept the birthday celebration going with the Hansens, Johnsons and Julie and Sophia. Thank you so much to all of you!

The ladies: Chrissy, Naomi, Chels, Nic, and Julie

Niccole is mid bite with some yummy yogurt (they were both like that Niccole!) and Kirk and I look like we have acquired a daughter! Little Sophia is Julie's girl, but I'd like to put in an order for one as cute as her!

Kirk is making a Sophie face and I just had to put in this picture because I found it so endearing how much Sophia warmed up to Kirk! She had never met him before this night yet was reaching with arms extended for him to pick her up. Apparently her dad has similar features to Kirk and might have been a little confused, but I just thought it was the cutest thing in the world! When I went to hold her she looked at me for a second or so, then reached back for Kirk! What a doll!

Then there's little Naomi. Sweetest thing in the world. Happy as can be even if it was way past her bedtime. I'm looking forward to celebrating her 1st birthday party this weekend! Gosh, what good times! It's like the fun never ends!

Birthday Dinner with the Girls... and some boys:)

I have been studying all morning and am taking a break from the real estate world! I can only handle so much at a time! Just wanted to post a few pics of the fun night we had Monday at Javier's. None of my high school girls have blogs, but I wanted to let them know that they are truly awesome and such great friends! Not only did we get to have a fun (and long) night of chatting, eating and laughing, but they got me the nicest gifts ever! Bathing suits and shirts, jewelry and gift cards- I mean, what awesome friends! It's crazy how long we have all been friends and how we can get together and still have fun with each other like we did over ten years ago! We are all so different, but I think that is why we get along so well:) I love them all so much and want to say thank you to them for sharing my birthday with me!

Kirk and Chels. What good sports the boys were for accompanying their girls to a dinner where all we did was talk and talk and talk and talk...

The girls: Liz, Dawn, chels, Shannon, Natalie (where did Jamie go??)

Bestest buds Dawn and Shannon!

Old roomies and such awesome girls!

And what's a birthday dinner without the embarrassing song singing and free dessert?! Can't say I'm a fan of flan, but Dawn was convinced I was going to have some. And as for the hat- looked kinda like deer horns, not sure about that Mexican tradition..
Let fun rule! And let the birthday week continue tonight with Albertacos and Cherry on Top!

Birthday weekend with the Schillings!

This weekend Kirk and I were able to find some cheap tickets up to visit his family in Morgan Hill, and had a blast! I can honestly say I have the raddest and funnest in laws ever! Sami, David and the lil Peanut came to pick us up and we enjoyed an evening in Santana Row eating and shopping. In fact, there was a pattern of eating and shopping a lot this weekend! Saturday we went to the outlet shops (Kirk was actually the one who suggested this and I nearly passed out) and then went out to dinner with the whole crew. Conference Sunday was fun too because we did a grand breakfast together and went out on the lake in paddle boats and canoes. If only we could live closer to everyone so that we could do that all the time, we would love it! It was fun seeing all the brother and sister in laws, Kirk's parents, and all of our awesome and cute nieces and nephews. I love them all! While at Chevy's for dinner Saturday, they surprised me with an awesomely huge hat and a birthday dessert and sang to me which is something that hasn't been done in years!

The birthday hat with Kirk, Sami and David. A big thanks to Sami and Dave who let us stay with them and play with Bentley- We love you guys so much!

Aiden and Kyle with the hat- it's big enough for two!

The gorgeous Kennedie! Love this girl, she even made me beautiful earrings this weekend for me! And what a fun shopping buddy she is too:)

Lovebirds 4 life!

The boys gettin' busy with the birthday dessert! I just got back from a long workout because I seriously think I gained 5 pounds this weekend.
Having a great family is something that I am forever grateful for. I love the Schillings and the Webers and always enjoy spending time with them. Thank you to everyone for being so thoughtful and sweet!

Teaching Overload!

I really can't say I mind it, because for me teaching and being around all those sweet kids is a treat, but it looks like we won't just be subbing for Joe and Brittany's primary class anymore. Kirk and I have taken on the calling to teach the 11 yr olds in primary. I must say it's quite the change from being in the nursery like we were in Las Vegas. But all in all, we are going to love the calling and get oodles of blessings for it, right?
As for every other day of the week I get to teach also! It's like teaching overload! Substituting has been going great. Today I had the chance to teach (babysit?) preschool and totally got my baby fill with the hugs, crying, made up language and a fair share of diapers! (YES, poopie diapers I tell ya, thought they were done with that before they went to school!) I think I am good to go on the whole baby department for a while now;)
While getting a full time teaching position would be ideal, thanks to the awesome budget cuts, looks like that won't be happening for me, like ever. In Orange County they've pink slipped every teacher that was hired after the year 2000. Do you realize that is one in every 3 teachers?? It's a sad day when you realize society is willing to cut out teaching and supplying great education for our future. It's not like quality education should be optional. Don't kids have it hard enough as it is? I worry about how things will be when we start our family!
Well, didn't really even want to get on that topic, but I've just had it on my mind forever now. I'm studying real estate to be a broker anyways so that when this housing market hits rock bottom and people want to buy a house, I'll be your "go to girl!"
This was a really random post! Better one next time:)