Last Day of October in SB

Saturday morning started out with a trip to the Farmer's Market. I was excited about taking my Mom here because I knew all the pretty flowers that were there...not to mention the amazing fruit. I only wish I had enough smarts to think ahead and plan meals to know what to buy there. All of the veggies there just are so fresh and colorful. My Mom took a lot of fun pictures!

We went up the Riveria to get Brett and then took the long way back down towards town to show my Mom some of the great views from the side of the mountain. We stopped in at Franceschi Park to check out the view. Our favorite part about this stop was the neat tree that all of us took our turns to climb! I think that my Mom got up there faster than I did!

At the bottom of APS we stopped to take a quick trip to see the inside of the Santa Barbara Mission. We saw a picture composed like the one below inside and had to recreate it.

We made a quick stop back at my house to change. The sun had come out and we weren't prepared for the heat that came with it!! Short sleeves on and we were on our way to the next stop - the Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch. Yumm!! Got some burritos and other snacks and went out to find the Butterfly Preserve for a picnic lunch.

We walked out towards the water and found a nice spot in the shade. Our burritos were so good, and they filled us up for the rest of the day. Well, that, and our ice cream too!:)

It was still pretty early in the afternoon after lunch, so Brett thought it'd be nice to take the drive along the coast of the 101 and we headed out to Solvang. We walked through the Scandinavian town, window shopping. There was a really yummy looking donut-y, pancake thing that I really wanted to eat...BUT...we were all still too stuffed from lunch. Oh well, guess we'll have to go back again soon!

Tonight was Halloween so we got home in time for the trick or treaters.....BUT.....can you believe it.....not one single one!! Boo!! :( That's ok....we got out the Scrabble board and played one more game. Mom really whipped up on us this time....but we all had a good time with it! :)

TGIF in SB!!

woke up nice and early as usual and got myself to work for the last day of this month. I left my Mom at home but knew that she'd have plenty to do with herself while I was wrapping up my day.

Turns out that she went on a few walks, and really enjoyed all the pretty flowers and houses around my neighborhood. One of the pics that she took on her walks was of this friendly little hummingbird!!



After I was finished I picked Mom up and we went on a drive. I had a few errands to run, and then afterwards, we ended up at Alice Keck Park. I knew that she would love this place...it's FILLED with a different kinds of flowers. We had a great time walking the park and scoping out all the varieties of buds.


We got back in the car and just drove around the neat streets of downtown SB. My Mom kept commenting on how many pretty roses there were everywhere....so I had a treat in mind. I pulled up to the Mission and told her to close her eyes. I walked her across the street and told her to open them as we were gazing at the Rose Garden! Talk about pretty roses....they were everywhere.

The yellow ones have always been my favorite. I love the way they smell....just like apple juice. :)

The sun was starting to set, and since we were already downtown, Brett just came to meet us down there. We had great intentions of getting to the top of the City building to watch the sun go down, but we missed it right after it closed for the night. So, instead, we walked around, took some fun pics around downtown.

Another short stroll and we chose Carlito's for dinner. They had some of the best guacamole I've had yet in CA and the bean/corn salsa was delicious too!!

Luckily my Mom and I shared a plate because I think we got too stuffed on the chips and guac!

We retired to the casa and decided to go for another round of Scrabble....but this time, Super Scrabble. The board is bigger, complete with quadruple letter and word scores, and about twice as many tiles.

The game took almost 3 hours and Mom beat us both...not a surprise. The scores were all above 400...I was about 30 points behind in the end. Not too shabby for BINGOing twice in one game. Mom is just THAT much better than us!!

Was another great day in SB!! The weather couldn't be acting any better for my Mom's visit!!

Mom in SB!

Yeah!! My 2nd visitor to come see me in SB....my Mom!! My Dad was supposed to come too, but had to handle some work things at the last minute. :(

So, I picked up my mom at the SB airport this afternoon right around noon. We were both starved, so the first stop in SB was at In N Out for a little California burger. We came back to my office and I put her into my boss' office that he doesn't ever use. She ate and read while I finished up some work stuff before I could leave for the day. I don't think she minded being at the office for a bit....especially since one of the guys I worked with said to her "Oh, you must be Annemarie's sister". Yeah, she liked that very much. :)

Once I was finished up at work, the next stop was for a tasty treat down on State. We saw this license plate in the parking lot, and I think that it's rather truthful. Who can't love SB?


We stopped in to say hello to Emily and Amy at the coffee shop, and then headed over to my favorite place....Blenders. As hard as I try, I can't NOT get the Mocha when I'm there. Oh well....at least I know what I like! :)


We made a quick trip to Trader Joe's to be sure we had some essentials for the weekend, and then headed back to my house for dinner. I whipped up some Italian concoction, and Brett came to meet us.


After dinner we turned to the Scrabble board. It was a close game but I actually ended up pulling out the win by 7 points.

It'll be a fun filled, and picture filled, couple of days here in SB with my Mom so check back for more!!

More October Birthdays!

We met up at Arnoldi's for some yummy grub (it was really, really, good), some catching up, celebrating Miss Janey's birthday....and.....CAKE!! What a wonderful night with wonderful people. What a neat restaurant too. On the way out, Brett and I were talking about how there are SO many great places in SB that we still have yet to enjoy. Maybe that will have to be a New Year's Resolution or something....but we all know how those go. We'll be back at Chipotle in no time. Ha!!


It got a little windy and chilly today in SB...so it was great to sit around the firepit after dinner with friends too!! Good times!!!

It's better the 2nd time around...

I think that this is the first event that I've now been in Santa Barbara for two years in a row. Whoa, that's weird.

Brett and I had the laziest day. Doing a little bit of nothing, which included making a quick trip to the outlet malls in Camarillo for some new jeans. Woohoo!! It was great though after a long week!!

Tonight was Kyle's birthday celebration. We had pizzas and fun at one of the fun houses that he housesits in Montecito. Fun times!!


Here's to another year, Kyle!

Proud!

This week in Orlando has been really great. After a great Tuesday....it just got better!!

Chris and I setup the booth....aren't we cute? :)

The conference started on Wednesday late afternoon....and then the Trade Show was open! We were busy the entire time. I think that I talked for 3 hours straight that first night. I was also smiling the whole night too. Seriously....a great work show!

Thursday was more of the same, and then we had our Appo-Tini event that night. It was a gathering of customers and prospects who wanted to learn more about AppFolio. We were expecting about 50 people to show up. We had more than 3 times that...and everyone loved it.

It was such a great testament to what we are doing....and we were all so proud!

The last afternoon was also so wonderful. The best part of it though, was when NARPM awarded us 2009 Affiliate of the Year. How cool is that?? We went up to accept the award, and I almost started to tear up while we were up there. What IS wrong with me? :) It was the proudest moment I've ever had with any company I've ever worked with. So incredibly awesome.

The whole way home I was just beaming. After I got home I couldn't stop raving about the trip and how awesome work is!! It was a wonderful week in Orlando...but I'm SO glad to be home!! :)

PS. Check out the Press Release that we were in too!! http://www.prweb.com/releases/appfolio-property-manager/narpm-affiliate-award/prweb3114304.htm

Waffle House, Cantina Laredo and Colbie!

Albert and I were up and at em this morning...but not without some breakfast first. I spotted a Waffle House on our way in last night and thought that it'd be great way to start off our day! I had the All Star Breakfast.....waffle, eggs, sausage and grits. Yum yum!!

We went to visit a customer, had a great meeting with a prospect at Barnes & Nobles, and then had dinner with our friends, Francisco and Lauren. We met with them last time we were here, and they are both really great people. Albert and I met up with them at Cantina Laredo and dined on some super tasty food!!


But...this is where the story gets interesting. Sometime in the middle of the afternoon, I had missed a call from Josh (one of my friends from Santa Barbara). I thought he might have dialed the wrong number since he didn't leave a message. But then, a little while later, I got a text from him.

Okkkkkay so if you want to read something funny, check out my Twitter :) you should come!!

Well, I couldn't get on Twitter, so I called him a little bit later...only to learn that he was on his way to Orlando for the Colbie Caillat show at House of Blues. I didn't have evening plans...and I'm always up for an adventure...so I said YES! How fun is that? I don't get to hang out with Josh too much in SB because it seems that we are both traveling....and it took us being in Orlando to do that. So funny.

He met me outside right before the show started and introduced me to his new friends....Allison and Sara. Sara proceeded to take me to where her 2 friends, Kyra and Kristen, were standing....right at the front of the stage....and set me up with them for the concert. Josh and Sara were there to take photos....and I KNOW they got some really great shots!!

The show was great. Colbie put on a wonderful show, and had a lot of fun with the crowd. Such a different show than when I'd seen her almost 2 years ago. Funny thing was that she talked about how she used to have stage fright, but has now learned how to have fun with it all...and it shows.

I'll leave you with some fun pictures. Thanks SO much to Josh for thinking of me while he was here, and for taking care of a friend over 2000 miles from home!!





Not sure I'm going to be able to top tonight's fun during the rest of the week....but I'm going to try real hard! :)

Off to MCO

Had a demo call at 6am this morning from my house. She had to cut me short at around 640am because her kids missed the bus and she had to go. No biggie. I worked on a few other things while I waited for my CFO to pick me up for work. Crazy morning.

10am we left the office to get to SB airport for our 11am flight. This is the first time in about 5 years that I can remember even checking my bag. I knew that Albert was going to, so I went ahead and took my big tube of toothpaste, my face soap, and big bottle of hairspray.

$20 and the most thorough, 15 minute unpack and repacking exploration by TSA of my suitcase, later...my bag was on the carosel to by loaded to the plane.

We were supposed to leave at 1105am but was delayed. At first until 1210pm. Then until 115pm. We got on the plane....pulled back from the gate...and then proceeded to go back to the gate...get off the plane...and wait another hour or so. At this point, we were going to miss our connection if it was on time.

Well, we left SB at around 240, landed SFO at 340 and made it to our delayed 335pm flight by running from gate to gate. There is nothing worse really than running to catch a flight. Was glad I didn't have my bag with me then. :)

So....we got on our flight and proceeded to make it through the 5 hour journey. Albert and I had some great work talk...usually not my thing when I'm on planes....but I'm at the point now where I'm super excited about my job. I've hit my stride, I know what I'm doing, and I really like it....so we did work. Then we chatted a bit just about life....and then I decided to read.

It's been ages since I've read a book period, and even longer since I've chosen to READ, instead of sleep, on a plane. LB gave me this book before I left....I started it....and got hooked.

I would recommend this book for ANY woman that has ANY relationship with a man in their life. Be it, boyfriend, husband or son. It was a very clear understading of how men are truly different than we are....and a look into their inner lives. Very good info, and super easy to read. Do yourself a favor and go get it.


The 2nd half of this pic is my dinner on the plane. I went with the turkey bacon cobb salad....and it was delightful. I ate the entire thing, AND all the fruit. Nice!

We made it to Orlando after midnight. Got the rental. Made it to the hotel. Waited almost an hour to get checked in, and finally got to our "upgraded" rooms around 2am.

A SUPER long day, but glad that we're here!! Will be doing a lot of work stuff over the next few days! It's going to be a great trip, but I'm already looking forward to Friday to get home. I just don't like to be away anymore . :)

Apple Pie Muffins!!!

This week went by both slow and a little bit fast too. Brett has been a little bit under the weather so I've been enjoying taking care of him, bringing or cooking him dinner so he eats after work every night this week.

I worked some really long days this week in prep for our trip to Orlando on Monday. I'm looking forward to a great and productive trip with great people!!

I bought (way too many) apples last time I went to Costco. I am not sure how I thought I was going to personally get through all of them before they went bad. So, on Thursday, I asked Laura what I would need to get to make the delicious apple muffins that she did earlier last month. I only shared one with Danielle at that time, but I haven't gotten them out of my head since then.

So, I got the few things that we needed, and this morning....after I did some cleaning, got the motivation to make them. I read Laura's blog...and she's always saying...."you can do this" after she shows what she whipped up and shares the recipes. I decided to put that logic to the test.

I got started, realized that I needed some more brown sugar, so made a quick trip to the store, and then came back to mash together all the yummy ingredients to make the Apple Pie Muffins.

It wasn't that bad. None of the steps were too hard, it just took a lot of bowls, and I made a big mess of the kitchen. I doubled the recipe because I knew I wanted a big batch. I made 6 extra large muffins and 23 smaller ones....then I proceeded to invite anyone who wanted one to come over and enjoy.




I had a few takers. Bethany came by to visit for a while and loved them. Camille, Amy and Emily came by for a bit too and took a few others off my hands. LB had one of course, and I was pleased to get her stamp of approval on my kitchen escapade.

There are still several leftover....so, if you're in SB....come and get yourself one. That is, if you get here before Danielle and Erik come back and devour the ones that are left. :)

Saturday in Vegas :: Part II :: Fatburger & Cosmic Bowling

After a long day with the hiking, we were all a little pooped. We loaded everyone's pics on the computer and saw them all on the TV and then Brett and I took a quick trip to surprise Gigi.

We were able to meet and hang out with her during her dinner and then spend some time with her before getting ready for our own dinner.

Fatburger it was.....simple, fast and yummy. I hadn't ever eaten at one before, and I wasn't disappointed. I went with the medium, which was the right choice for me. Brett went for the XL. :)

We were all filled up with food in our bellies and headed over to the bowling alley where it was full swing into the Cosmic Bowling for the night. The black lights were on and everything white glowed. It's my favorite time to bowl. I found my 11 pound ball, got my awesome shoes on, and went up to my side. I was the first to go.

First bowl......and it's a STRIKE!! Awesome!!! Yeah, well, you can check the scores below to see that I didn't get more than 9 pins down for the rest of that game. Oh well, I really could care less if I win or lose. I was just there to have fun. Plus, it was more entertaining to watch Loralyn.

It was her first time to bowl....ever. We had the bumpers up on her turn, and that was going well. But then Bruce found a contracption that was designed for the little ones to help them bowl. I'd never seen one of these before, but it worked brilliantly! Loralyn walked right up to the thing with the 6 pound ball and was having the best time!

Well, ok, I got all of them down in frame 6...but I kind of have the curse of the 9s when I bowl.

We all had a great time...and everyone humored me with a fun group pic at the end of the night!!

Saturday in Vegas :: Part I :: Red Rock Canyon

Barb, Alex and Jessica showed up at the Bollman house on Saturday morning and we were all ready for our Saturday adventure in Vegas. When I had gotten Autumn's email earlier in the week saying that we were going to have a picnic and go for a hike at Red Rock Canyon, I was super excited. I'm also glad that she had told me this in advance so I packed the right things. :)

We piled into two cars, and made a quick stop at the grocery store to get our sandwiches. We drove about 15 minutes outside of the city and came upon a really beautiful part of Las Vegas.

The boys got the cooler and we headed up the bridges to find a place to eat. Turns out that the only place that benches were was at the bottom, so we found ourselves a nice table and setup shop.

We enjoyed our sammies, chips, cookies and more. We were loaded up on food so we would have some energy before heading out towards the rocks.

I loved the way these yellow flowers looked against the blue sky. It was a perfectly clear day, and only in the 70s. Of course I had everyone stop for a group shot!

I had so much fun getting shots of everyone at the team event earlier this week that I decided to keep it up on our hike. Here are the brave few that made it off the bridge path to the rocky area. Loralyn was with us for a while too....she would have gone all the way to the top with us had we let her I'm sure!

There were just too many fun photo opportunities. Here are a few. :)

Such a beautiful day!!! The clouds were so crazy cool that day. The breeze was just enough so that we weren't burning up.

We found a few spots to jump in to (literally) in the rocks.

This was the smallest cave we saw.....BUT it was big enough for two of us....kind of. :)

Some of the fun that was happening down below as the 5 of us made our way to the top.

Check out the view from the middle. You can see the parking lot on the middle left of this shot. There wasn't a beaten path to the top, it was all just working our way through the rocks.

We were about 75% of the way up to the top....and I was happy with THAT spot being MY top. Brett and Jessica went on, while Alex, Autumn and I caught our breath for a little bit.

It only took the two of them just a few minutes to make it all the way, and not too long after, they were up there....looking down at us. They had made it. Alex quickly claimed that he wasn't going to let his sister show him up, so he took off after them.

Brett convinced Autumn and me to also join them, so after a breather, we made our way up. Up, up, up, and we were there.

And ok, it was worth it. The view from the top was pretty amazing.

We defaced the red rocks a little bit to show our love. (Not really....just used other rocks to write on the red rock. It's not permanent....just for fun!).

Accomplishing something like this is a lot of fun. Like in the past, I wouldn't have made it to the top if I hadn't had Brett pushing me to get there. :)

It was a fantastic afternoon with everyone!! I really love doing things like this and it's even more fun to do it people who you love!!