it's good to be loved.

selfish as it may seem...knowing you're loved is SO essential. so i thought i'd take this ego boost a little further and share this:

Robert: good for you you my little full time student
part time worker
house wife
!
Robert: i don't know how you do it all i so happy about you in my life

i cannot get enough of this guy.

confession.

I have a confession(s) to make:

i have been tired ever since we got back from Maui, at first i thought it was the lack of afternoon naps...then i thought it was the persistent cold i had...but now i think i know. I haven't been exercising like i normally do. so that is my confession, I'm tired because I'm lazy and therefore gaining weight. but you watch out Newport Back Bay Loop I'm comin to get ya!

also, i hate elevators. mostly i hate when I'm in the elevator in my work building and it stops just before that precious 'L' button is no longer lit up (ooh beautiful) because I've made it all 4 floors without stopping. just today, it stopped on the dreaded 3rd floor. i say dreaded because the sudden going and immediate stop makes my stomach qweezy. the door opened and there stood two people who had just immediately stopped their conversation as they saw me standing there waiting for them to walk into the elevator. and no, their conversation didn't continue until the woman had thoroughly looked me up and down for a good 10 seconds...all the while my eyes were wide open with a "serrriousslllyy??" look on my face. thank goodness for new-TVs now being put in elevators all over orange county...that way i could read about the failing economy and act like i was alone in that elevator. or is cricking your neck to stare at a screen placed way to high up due to low-budget management more awkward? the jury is still out.

also, i have a really hard time working more than 4 hours.

lastly, i haven't done ANY Christmas shopping and it is going to be here soon peoples..."Santa's comin to town!....SANTA!!!!!!!!!! I know him." can you tell robert and i watched 'Elf' last night.

Nsync.

So it's weird but this morning i was listening to the NSYNC Christmas album and they talk alot about The King and they sing a really pretty "O Holy Night" it might just be nostalgia to back when my life was simpler and I remembered things better but it really helped me remember the true meaning of Christmas. Thanks Justin, JC, Lance, Joey and Chris.

p.s.

we're married!!!
and it IS wonderful everyone wasn't just saying that!! more to come, but now that it's legal start checking http://www.kariyroberto.blogspot.com more often as i might post more on there! :)

oh, its real.

me: hari?!?!
i am SO not hari.
Robert: i meant fancy curly hair that i am in love with.

i get to marry him in 3 days...booya.

one of those nights.

tonight is def one of those nights when i am just too stinkin lazy to go to bed. an oxy-moron i know but my face washing regiment is seeming way too daunting right now so instead i will give an update:

Robert and i were doing pretty good on our once a week disney outings...until i started panicking about the wedding...they are currently on hold until further notice.

We through my roommate jess a birthday dessert party...as you can see she is thouroughly enjoying herself with her nate.
Rob and I helped decorate:

Had a wonderful bridal shower back home thanks to mel her wonderful mother and the ever talented niven's and bennetts...
And another in HB thanks to my wonderful sisters and mother...here's nadia and i enjoying not having to help clean up.
She was pretty pooped anyways...
We went to the punkin patch with the Riessens and Mr. Smits (taking the photo)...don't worry she's the pregnant one not me...contrary to what it may appear as. i just love holding pumpkins...its kinda strange.
We bought a really comfy mattress from Sam's club that i can't wait to sleep on... and a couple weeks ago we went to the Getty Villa because i had to do some research...
here's robert eating lunch by himself....
all in all it was a perfect distraction from life and a great way to enjoy a really perfect autumn day.
there's more to come....but i'm getting married in 7 days so good luck.

ologies.

*FOODOLOGY*
What is your salad dressing of choice? caesar.
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? all of them.
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Peanut butter.
What are your pizza toppings of choice? veggie.
What do you like to put on your toast? spray butter and raspberry jam.

*TECHNOLOGY*
What is your wallpaper on your computer? a picture of my niece Nadia.
How many televisions are in your house? uno.
What color cell phone do you have? black...and its the devil.

*BIOLOGY*
Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right.
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? just teef.
What is the last heavy item you lifted? Weights this morning.
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? nope.

*BULLCRAPOLOGY*
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? no thanks.
If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Kari Joan, instead of Lynn.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1,000? I do that without being paid all the time.

*DUMBOLOGY*
How many pairs of flip flops do you own? like 6?
Last time you had a run-in with the cops? nevah.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I am growed up. boo.
Last person you talked to? person at work asking me if i wanted to go eat lunch with them.
Last person you hugged? roberto...this was before he tried to fart in my car. nice.

FAVORITOLOGY*
Season? fally!
Holiday? christmas.
Day of the week? sunday!
Month? march and now november :)

*CURRENTOLOGY*
Missing someone? sure.
Mood? anxious.
Listening to? silent boring office.
Watching? my computer screen
Worrying about? which one i'm going to buy...

*RANDOMOLOGY*
First place you went this morning? Mother's market to get a Kambucha drink
What can you not wait to do? friday date night with Robert!
What's the last movie you saw? "the Duchess" it was depressing and sad...your typical really good 18th century movie.
Do you smile often? not as often as i should probably.

Quirky Turky.

I got tagged by Mrs. Natalie so here it goes, my quirkys:

1. I always leave cabinet doors open and it is laziness but it's laziness in a weird way. I hate slamming cabinet doors (too loud) so in order to close them I'd have to sit there and close it slowly by hand, which takes to long, so I just leave them open. This has annoyed everyone I've ever lived with.

2. Alot of the time I go running in the morning because my body is simply addicted to it. If I don't work out in the morning and get that burst of cold air on my face, I feel groggy and nauseated all day until I do.

3. I am so jumpy. Some days are worse than others but even if I know you're there or hear you coming if you say or do something just right, I'll jump and then get sad that you scared me. Oh, and most of the time I hate watching fireworks because I'm just scared the whole time from the bangs.

4. I always make lists for things. Whether it's packing or shopping (not only just groceries, I often make lists for things I want like a white collared shirt, etc.) and to-do lists, they're so helpful since my memory has been gone lately.

5. I am obsessed with thrift stores. Whenever I go I just buy things that I think are cute without even thinking if I really need them. It's like I think I'm getting everything for free, but I'm definitley not.

6. I have to fall asleep with a little bit of my blanket tuffed up to cover my ears. This started as a noise blocker from loud roommates, then turned into a cold blocker and now I just can't fall asleep without it.

7. After I do my hair in the morning and have gel/hairspray on my hands I have to scrub my hands for like 5 minutes with a rough scrub brush to make sure I get it all off so that I don't feel it anymore and my hands are completely clean. I love clean hands.

8. I set 5 alarms in the morning. This is for two good reasons, one: often times I like to wake up slowly and don't jump out of bed very well (i literally can't walk) and two: I often have strange dreams so when my alarm goes off it's just incorporated into my dream and I don't comprehend it as my alarm. (just the other night I had a dream about a buzzing leaf-shaped tool that I was using to cook something...it was not a buzzing leaf-shaped tool at all.)

9. I bite my nails when I'm stressed and/or angry. Its become well known to me that when school is out my nails will get long. Therefore you can see my struggle as I try to be stressed in planning the wedding, and having long nails on my wedding. Nearly impossible.

10. I count syllables. And in order for me to be satisfied with a sentence, the syllables have to divisible by four. In order to get more syllables I count commas and periods and dots over 'i's. For example the sentence "Robert is engaged to me." has 12 syllables-not 7 like most people think. (i.e.: Robert (2 syllables) is (2 syllables incl. "dot" for the 'i') engaged (2 syllables) to (1 syllable) me (1 syllable) period (4 syllables, inlc."dot" for the 'i') And I do this alot, I'm not incredibly fast or anything. But I'd say I do it at least 15-20 times a day. That is by far my quirkiest quirk.



hmm...I'm a strange girl.

a fear.

I find myself counting down the days until the wedding for very specific reasons: (in no particular order)

• i get to wear nice make up and look beautiful all day.
• i get to recieve my endowments before the wedding and starts wearing g's, something i've really been looking forward too.
• i get to go into the temple and be sealed to Robert for all time and eternity
• i get to eat carne asada tacos at my reception (hopefully)
• i get to go to HAWAII for a week with my new husband and forget about everything in my life

...but this all leads to one fear. that is when i return i will just want to re-live that week over and over and over again...kinda the same way i want to live our engagement day over and over and over again. This is the fear. but at least i'll be living with my best friend, that'll make up for it.

Bridal showers this week. this is seriously unreal.

disney weekdays.

Robert and I's first year of dating can generally be gathered as him working on his company, me getting home from school super stressed about midterms and/or papers and/or finals and his solution was always to go to Disneyland instead. It was always the perfect remedy. Going to Disneyland on week nights became a tradition fast...until recently. This summer was SO busy we went from dreaming about our wedding and ring shopping to actually planning it, and thus spending lots of time with family, and leaving no time for weekday date nights.

So now that I am beyond stressed-so much even that i snapped at my aerobics instructor today over marking me absent, mind you i HATE confrontation-that I have so much on my plate thursday night is disney night.

i haven't done homework in a week, i haven't started writing a single paper and when i say i'm going to the new apt. to do homework in the quiet, i'm lieing, i'm going to watch food network.

i'd like to finish this blog but i just don't have time because Tyler's ultimate is on and Robert's almost home and we have mickey ears to wear and gibson girl to eat.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas.

I love these gringo enchiladas I made last night, enjoy!

6 flour soft taco size tortillas
one chicken breast (grilled and cubed or shredded)
4 oz. cream cheese
1 jar mild or hot salsa (any one you like)
1 small tub of sour cream
mexican cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350
Cube cream cheese in bowl and add just grilled chicken. Blend until cheese become melted. Add half of the salsa. set aside.
Combine sour cream with other half of salsa, you can also add cayenne pepper for extra seasoning.
spread a layer of sour cream mixture on the bottom of a 4x6 baking dish.
heat tortillas.
Spread a handful size of cream cheese mixture in tortilla, roll and place in dish, seam side down.
Repeat for all tortillas.
drizzle the top with left over sour cream mixture. Add a layer of the mexican cheese blend.
Cook in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and you can see bubbling. Serves 2-3 people.

YUM! I also like to dip mine in hot sauce!

i like it alot.

I was pondering how I often go through phases with things, mostly food products, etc. well these are my currents:

Cholula Hot Sauce
I never thought I was much of a hot sauce fan until I tasted this stuff it has aperfect hint of lime...

Diet Mountain Dew
The best diet soda on the planet

ICE.

I LOVE to chew ice after my meals, it's so perfectly refreshing.

Green Bell Peppers
I often crave the crisp first bite into one of these, I can eat them like apples and I'm always at the store when they're on sale.

Carne Asada Tacos

I'm ALWAYS wanting mexican food, more specifically these.

Huntington Beach Cottages

Particularly this one on Crest Ave. next to a park, and 6 blocks from the beach. It's $1.6 million, I really don't understand why Robert hasn't bought it for me yet.

Our new apartment in Newport!

i.e. my new kitchen! this isn't ours, but its the same plan, i've yet to decorate ours!

My Roberto.

I honestly cannot wait.

first things first.

So i started school this week, and so far so OK. Usually I'm all pumped up the first week of school, loving my major and stoked to get smarter...but this year, it's not that I'm unmotivated, I'm just like "meh." My classes are good, and as Karen Kleinfelder put it (my 20th c. art proffessor) "Alot of you are really smart, like really, but nothing has ever been asked of you that's out of your comfort zone." and it's so true, I've always just skated by in school. Part of me says this semester can be different, considering it's my last, and part of me says yea right, it'll be just like the rest. we'll see...I'd like to graduate with at least a 3.8. All in all it should be good I just have to keep my priorities in check telling myself, "NO kari you don't need to go to Target and get a cute shelf to put in your bathroom, you do need to write your term paper though!" argh! so excited to live a normal married life!

In other news we got our apartment! It's in Newport Beach almost to Costa Mesa. Just a little 650 square footer with stainless steel appliances, granite counters and a 42" flat screen TV! I know right?! Needless to say after school yesterday I hurried over there and "read" as I watched Food Network, aaahhh cable I've missed you so...

Also, we're in the process of taking our engagements with Dre! We took some on Monday but ran out of light so we're going back on Saturday! I like them all so far, but here's one from the top of my list

ok ok this one too

bride-to-be. busy bee. that's me.

maybe baby.

DISCLAIMER: we are not going to have kids right away.

but i just couldn't resist showing the world this tender moment between robert and our friends' baby Avery, they lived in Huntington Beach all summer, and Robert and her got pretty close, needless to say, we were pretty sad to see them go...

in other news, i was running on the beach this morning and i saw this bum sleeping on the same bench as he is every morning that i go running, sometimes i see him reading or sitting up, he seems pretty normal. but today as i ran past him a second time on my way home i saw him praying, his head was down, his arms were crossed, there's no doubt in my mind he was saying good morning to his Heavenly Father. and that was a comfort to me.

curious cats.

Here's a better picture of my ring. i had to use the copy machine to get all the details, hence it attached to a rolled up piece of paper...

I'm still afraid to wear it to bed, i have no idea why but i have this nightmare of losing it in my sheets, even though losing it in your bed is probably one of the safest places to lose it, as compared to the first time my mom saw it in a dumpy gas station in the garment district of downtown LA. let's just say i wore it upside down for the rest of the day after all the creepy looks i got.

details: the band is only 1mm wide with diamonds have the way down, the center stone is 1.1 carats, and it is 14k yellow gold!

now i just can't wait to have my solid yellow gold band to go with it, because that means i'll be married! (and almost done with college :))

spoony.

Robert's word of the day a few days back was spoony:

spoony \SPOO-nee\, adjective:

1. Foolish; silly; excessively sentimental.
2. Foolishly or sentimentally in love.

that's us in a nutshell. well i'm sure you all already know but WE'RE ENGAGED! that's right, on Friday August 1st, 2008 Robert finally popped the question! eek!

what started out as simply our first road trip together, turned into the trip i will never ever forget! i love him and he loves me, and now its forever, gosh i love that man!

so as you can imagine these past two weeks i have been scrambling to get things done before i go back to school, and might i say i'm pretty proud of our progress...we have a temple date, my dress is being made, we have a reception location, we almost have a caterer, we have a cupcake lady, we have our honeymoon booked and after debating over invitations for a week, i've decided i don't care anymore so we're just using the ones that i originally liked long before marriage was actually in the picture. only 91 more days! woohooo!!

on another note, today is the first day since the engagement that i find myself bored at work, but i'm sure it won't last long. this being the case i found myself thinking this...

on my way to work i stopped by Pavillions to get cream cheese for bagels and i saw tree trimmers climbing up trees with the spike boots and everything and i was reminded of a story my good friend Zach once told me about a man who actually died from suffocation of being inside an old palm tree and choking on the dust and i thought...hmm that's kinda an ideal way to go. it was a pure accident, not saying it wasn't tragic and sad. but i think at my funeral i would like people to be saying "what a dork, she went and died on us." i want a good life, and i want it to be my time to go, but i would like people to be happy for me and laugh at my idiocy in accidental death. strange but it would be ideal for me.

this is the day after the engagement when we met up with practically his whole family at the Sacramento Temple for his nephew's wedding...I half felt bad for stealing the thunder of the wedding that day and half loved the fact that ours will be the next one!

We deserve each other.

So friday night Robert and I had been planning on doing a double date in Hollywood with our summer friends Mike and Carly. So we head down there for what i think will be dinner, seeing the stars and taking lots of dorky pictures. i was even kinda looking forward to the chance to see a star homes tour...so we get there and eat at this cool place called UWink, it was established by the same guy that did Chuck 'e' Cheese and Atari. it was fun because we played trivia and pictionary-esque games the whole time we ate

So we're sitting there for forever enjoying our games, and i start to get ancy to go see the sites. so we leave and start walking down Hollywood blvd away from grauman's and the el capitan and most importantly the Disney Soda Fountain! so i'm just goin' with the flow and occasionally mention to Rob, "where are we going? we're walking reallly far." but he just makes up some excuse and i was having fun reading all the stars with him so i kinda shrugg it off. so then, we get right in front of the Pantages theatre and Carly says, "Rob i have to use the restroom." and then there's talk of wondering if the Pantages will let us use theirs even though we don't have tickets and i'm just like "yea right don't be silly guys." and then rob says "Well, you wanna go in there?" and my heart starts to race, and honestly from there on it was kinda a blur. all i remember is walking into this beautiful room with people trying to sell me programs and rob handing me a ticket. and i wanted to take pictures i was just in so much shock! i had been bugging him about wanting to see it since we started dating, and here he had bought the tickets forever ago and was able to keep it a surprise! what a great man i've grabbed...

The play was really good! it was Rob's first real Broadway play and it was like no other i've ever seen! the story was so good that intermission was long because i wanted to know what happens next! Now i just need to buy the soundtrack! This night i will never forget!

this is outside after the play, i think i was smiling that big all night.

on our way down the Blvd. everyone knew but me!

p.s. you all should make a point to go, it's ending this year!

hippo-crates.

i remember the first time i read the word "hippocrates" in 8th grade i pronounced it "hippo-crates" and giggled for about an hour during SURE reading...

so i'm a hypcrite. i have not said a thing lately, but yet as i sit incredibly bored at work counting down the minutes until 2pm...i feel angsty when someone has not updated their blog. and most of them have children, so really, i'm just not nice.

anyways, the 4th was great! Instead of paying the $40 some bucks to run in the HB 4th of July 5k, i ran my own 5k, and the best part was PCH was closed so i got to run in the street on a beautiful cloudy Independence day morning. Then it was off to the parade/breakfast extravaganza

let's just say i ran for the table when the maple bars came out.

And we saw Ruby!

That night the fireworks were so good!

only in HB.

Since then it feels like the summer is flying by so fast! every week Rob and i have something planned! and during the week i feel like i live for the weekend! so i'm trying to make the best of my free time, what i have left of it that is.

Did you know today is Disneylands 53rd birthday?? yes, it is true, maybe i should make it a cake.

the other day my coworker/roommate asked a bunch of us "if you could be anything, do any profession and skills were not a matter you would just automatically have the skills and means to do it, what would it be?" at first i answered photographer, because i would love to be the person to make memories like this:

and don't get me wrong, that really is a serious dream of mine. but the more i considered the "means" being included, i decided i'd run a bakery. Not too posh like sprinkles, but not too ho-dunky hippy either, just right with shabby chic furniture and big multi-pane windows...i'd give out free mini-cupcakes every friday morning and i'd make maple everything and lots of sprinkles. and eventually it'd turn into a catering business and we'd do all those infamous mormon weddings where they don't serve dinner, just lots and lots of pastries. and when i have kids, they'd grow up there and help me decorate cup cakes, and those ones would be cheaper so more people would buy them and my kids would feel so needed. and we'd be successful and happy and everyone would love our shop. that's what i'd do.

Bob Marley is slowly becoming my anthem this summer, maybe its from all the fun times by the pool with him playing...either way, this is a summer for the record books.

nostalgic.

ok so i wasn't tagged...but i kinda miss myspace for my bored times at work, so enjoy!

Attached or Single? Attached.
Best Friend? Roberto. and mofo.
Cake or Pie? rainbow chip.
Day of Choice? March 8th.
Essential Items? chap stick, gum, phone, Robert.
Favorite Color? yellow.
Gummy Bears or Worms? sour gummy worms.
Home Town? Oxnard/Newbury Park
Indulgences? eating out, rite aid ice cream, thrift stores.
January or July? July.
Kids? for sure.
Like or Love? love <3
Marriage Date? I'll keep you posted...
Number of Siblings? five. Julie, mike, Erica and Trev.
Phobias/fears? the dark, and losing someone close to me.
Quotes? "let the beauty of what you love, be what you do."
Reason to Smile? summer time and silly robertito...
Season? Summer.
Tag Four: Mel, Natalie/David, josh/Kim, and Bethany
Unknown fact about me? i really like the smell of air conditioning.
Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals? i often order carne asada at Mexican restaurants these days.
X-Rays or Ultrasounds? ultrasounds because that means I'm married and pregnant.
Your Favorite Food? peanut butter, ice creams, oreos, breads.
Zodiac? Pisces.

mickey hats.

well let me start my introducing the newest member to the 23 club, Ms. Melanie Bean, ATC.

yes, that is cheese toast and yes we did have her birthday dinner at Sizzler, and YES i am going to try to convince Rob to let me go back there tonight.

They also have really good steak-sicles there.

it was really hot that weekend...Happy Birthday Mofo, hope you had as much fun as i did.

Robert and i also went to hike with my momma, i love those mountains, it's home.

on that trip to momma's i found my mickey hat, i was so excited to wear it last night

a bug family.

hope you enjoyed this, i sure did.

precious.

This is a photo from one of the first times rob and i ever went to disneyland as a real "couple" about 1 week into dating....

and here's one from the last time we went, about a year and a half of silliness later...

it's good to know some things haven't changed much.

running and graduating.

last week was a pretty crazy week. it started the friday before with carbo-loading to the extreme, well on whole wheat pasta and toast and raisins. boringggg.

then monday was race day, i couldn't sleep! i woke up at 4:45am! when we got down to the race it was raining! i was so scared!

of course i had to use the restroom...

then i got all stretched out

momma came too, here's me and her as i drink up my electrolytes

and here's proof that i finished...as if you were doubting me

then just a few days later it was fake-graduation time! yep, i "graduated" because i still have about 18 units left that will all be done as of this summer and fall, but they only have one ceremony a year, so the fam made it down for one eventful and super fun morning...

and now for the cutest baby palazuelos ever....

after nap-time, and i mean for me, rob, trev, and daniaelle not for nadia, it was down to laguna! the tide was high but it was beautiful as always...

i love that handsome beast.