San Diego Family Fun

Matt and I recently had the privilege of opening up our home to the Allen family, for their mini vaca getaway to San Diego. Though their time here was short, it couldn't have been more memorable. Justin, Wendy, and little Lily are phenomenal house guests!
While they were here, we spent time at the beach on Coronado Island, we paid a visit to Sea World, and they treated us to a great lunch at The Cheesecake Factory. But best of all, we had time for some great conversation and late-night laughs... (right, Wendy)? Here are a few pictures of all of us enjoying the water, the weather, the whales, and the wonderful thing that is family:
(upload malfuntion... will try again later).


Justin and Lily walk on water


Coronado Bay Bridge in the background

New SOTD

I just discovered a new song by a DJ out of Washington DC by the name, Ross Lara. It's called, LOVES IT. Wow. It gives me absolute chills. I replay. I replay. I replay. It kills! What a gem. It's on his new cd called "Beats and Cookies"... I assume it's on shelves now.

The sound in the vid is LOOOW quality, but check him out on my myspace page or his.

LADYHAWKE

SOTD = Song Of The Day: "Dusk Till Dawn" by New Zealander, Ladyhawke. I discovered this 80's-infused artist through a friend's blog, and clicked on his link to watch her new music video on youtube. She has a fresh sound, and great beats. Takes me back to the 80's in this 21st century. I also really like "Paris Is Burning" and "Back Of The Van".
Check her out on itunes, myspace music and youtube! Her new album featuring "Dusk Till Dawn" will be out Sept. 22.

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Rhythm of Life- SOTD

I just watched Uncle Buck for the first time, and I loved it! I had to watch it again the next day... It's laugh out loud funny, it's moving, the cast is phenomenal, and the bangin' soundtrack is the icing on the cake! (Unfortunately I've searched from here to Timbuktoo to find it, and then finally realized it was never made).
Here's a tribute song to Uncle Buck, my song of the day, by Hugh Harris. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do...

Jump the Barrel To See This One!

Matt and I finally signed up with Netflix, after deliberating for, well... years, really. So far, so good. The movies arrive very quickly, and it prevents us from scratching our heads in front of the walls of DVDs at those movie stores. We've just been two kids in a candy store on the Netflix website, where we search all the movies we love or will come to love. We've rented some old-school movies that takes us on a stroll down memory lane, and we have been very impressed with a few flicks that we never caught in the theater, (or weren't willing to pay $20 bucks for)! Here's just a few we've received by mail, that are worth a noting...
1. Hero (2004) We had seen this before, and I was still in awe at the film's beauty and depth. Those COLORS!!!
2. Persepolis (2008) A foreign animated film that was an Oscar nominee. I would own this one. It was eye-opening.
3. Never Cry Wolf (1983) A classic "outdoors experience" from the 80's. Has a documentary style, and I love the narration and that it's based on a true story.
4. Mac n' Me (1988) Ok, I moved this up on the list, cuz I was dying to see that adorable little big-eyed, puffy cheek alien. It was completely cheesy and completely perfect to poke fun at. :)
5. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) I literally just finished watching this one. This movie is FANTASTIC! It's moving. It's funny. It's true detail to the lives of gamers. Another one I would definitely add to the collection.

I would highly recommend all but #4... unless you come from the Roe family and want to laugh at the movie we used to adore as kids!

Vinyl POWER!

A few of you may know about my avid toy collecting hobby. (Not for kids)! However, most of you may not. It's a fairly new hobby I picked up less than 2 years ago while living in Tucson. It all started with my first intro to the Uglydoll by designers David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim. Since then, I have started on my growing collection of vinyl and plush. I have such toys in my collection as:
Rolitoboy, Malfi by Friends With You, Brobee by Kidrobot, Munny by Kidrobot, Franky and The Bride by Monster Theater, Pig Dog by Tim Biskup, Bradley and Gordon by Monster Factory, Sailor Babo by Uglydoll, Guella by Evil Skaters, Nyanpan by Hanpanda, Lollipop Colored Goth Girl by Toy Mizna, a Troglodyte, Prudence and Pear by Christina Gordon, Can-Can Cat Blythe... among others. I surfed the web to see what kinds of toys are on the market these days, and I was overwhelmed with the inventory. Literally thousands of different versions and designs, by thousands of designers from all over the globe. I am now quite familiar with most of the sites that sell collector's toys. Here are just a few: yoyashop.com, fugitivetoys.com, toytokyo.com, kidrobot.com, earthx.com, but, really, the list goes on. And on. And on. I had no idea there was such a craze for Asian vinyl, Western vinyl, plush, etc.
I recently ordered Stolle's Tricycle Terror, Pip and Norton, Princess Molly by KennysWork, and Mugs Bunny (sad face version) by Luke Chueh. And I am about to order the Original version of the 10" Molly the Painter. She is A-DOR-A-BLE! I know I have a lot of life left to live, so it doesn't make my wish list seem so overwhelming... :)
One day, I will be passingmy collection down to my children and grandchildren. It pleases me to think how they will surely get a kick out of them.

Gypsy and Bug Boy

This is an older picture of my little bug lover, Robert and me. He was totally T-O'd with me after a cicada flew into my hair and I frantically waved it away as I screamed, "EEEEEWWW! I HATE those things!" Robert had witnessed the whole thing and was so offended that I could say such a thing. (Hence the scowl). He adores every kind of bug, great or small. I tried to reason with him, but he diligently explained how it's not nice to hate a bug, even a gigantic, buzzing beetle with wings.

Can you believe I'm related to this guy?

This is my cousin, Doug Peterson. He's on his mission now in Orlando, Florida for the Mormon church... and you know what? He's probably doing the exact same thing!
Peanut Butter Jelly Time....

Three Years Ago...

I was standing beside the man of my dreams. We were dressed up for a very significant and unforgettable experience. It was special, simple, and beautiful. We laughed. We cried. We embraced. We entwined our fingers together, never wanting to separate. We stood side by side, exchanging our vows and completely and utterly in love.
I have come to love Matt more with each passing year, as much as I would have thought my love for him then could not possibly grow any more...
I am so blessed to have a patient, understanding man to stand by my often impatient, misunderstanding side. I am blessed beyond words. He has become my hero, and my strongest friend.
I am happy to know that Matt loves me for who I was then, and for who I am changing into with every new day. We can both look to a bright future together with faith and hope, and we know we can live our best life as long as we do it together.
I respect this man that comes home to me every evening. He is so committed to me, more so than I think I really deserve. I admire his reason behind most everything he does; It seems he never leaves me out of the reason why he does anything. I often give him the strength he needs to accomplish anything. He tells me I'm his everything.
Matt is often quiet when it comes to expressing his feelings about me, but I'm learning how to read the love and his kind thoughts that lies behind his beautiful eyes. He no longer has to struggle to explain- all I have to do is read his face. It's wonderful to have been able to know this man long enough to read him without words.
Matt is my world. He is my joy and my laughter, my hope and my prayer.
Being with Matt is very freeing for me, and I am thankful for his trust in me to never fly too far.
Happy 3 Years of marriage, Matt. I love you more than words.

Music Monsters

BT's This Binary Universe

What an incredible work BT has created! He has put his heart and soul into everything he does, but I think this one will take the cake. It's going to be beautiful and astounding.
If you want to see something so tender, watch the full video entitled, Good Morning Kaia. Kaia is Brian's daughter, in case you're wondering. When I watch it I am nearly moved to tears.
I cannot wait to watch and listen to, This Binary Universe, on 5.0 digital surround sound... August 29th!
This Binary Universe

If I had a robot for a friend...

he would be an exact replica of this little heart stealer!

SAVE ME

Song of the day-
"Save Me" by Olivia Broadfield (THE REAL WORLD version which you can listen to on her www.myspace.com/oliviabroadfield ) Ah, where can I find this one to download...?
I've been testing out the tracks on itunes from her first, (hopefully not her last) album, titled, Eyes Wide Open.
She reminds me of a mix between Dido and Imogen Heap, both forever loved artists of mine.
Olivia is a mellow artist, not normally my taste, but she incorporates some great beats, which I can always appreciate. She carries her voice in a very soothing, whispery technique.... Open and honest lyrics, always appreciated! Emotionally driven, too.
Other ear-candy song from Olivia Broadfield: Don't Cry
Hope you enjoy.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

So Matt and I have noticed since we've moved to our condo, a peculiar BOOMING! that sounds in the distance, every night around 10PM. At first I thought, oh, probably the impatient local people who can't wait until July 4... But who has that many spare fireworks? I mean c'mon, people! They're cool, but not enough to watch every night for a week! We've heard it EVERY night, at precisely 10 minutes to 10:00 PM. No one can be that OCD. So we nipped that likelihood right in the bud.
My inquisitive husband suggested that Sea World could be the culprit... (not that the booming has been an annoyance, but rather a reminder that it's about time for bed)! It seemed plausible. So I mapquested it, and the proposal looks accurate! 4.99 miles from our abode, to be exact.
Golly! Sea World, in our very own backyard! It looks like we have no choice. Shamu and all your flippery pals, here we come!

So FIERCE.

Shiny, Happy People

We have spent 3 nights and 4 days in our home now. Night one, we discovered we have, shhhhh, free internet. But that's our little secret. We also discovered that sleeping on the carpet in the master bedroom leaves something to be desired. Talk about a sleepless night and a sore rump! We even used our 2 beach towels as blankets. Wa-wa-waaaa. No good. To top it off? We shared a pancake-flat pillow and Matt used a neck pillow we had on hand to place between his knees. Some of you might think that's funny, but we were not happy the next morning. Somehow Matt managed to squeeze a good 6 tossing hours out of the night. I maybe got 2. I was up by 3:30 AM from the amount of discomfort and frustration. I don't know, maybe I thought I could sleep in my walk? By the time the sun came up, we were feeling all the hurts to be felt from our un-clever innovations. Mind you, this wasn't exactly by choice, but it was a pre-conceived idea. Our real beddery, (that's my own word), is being moved from New Mexico by the Navy in a short time from now, so we decided not to invest for the sake of our own "spoiled" comforts.
By night 2 we had upgraded to a magnificent Coleman air mattress. We slept like kings and queens. Or one king, one queen.
On day three we were so thrilled to wake up with our own roof over our heads and without so much soreness, that we decided to celebrate our love and our blessings by goofing around on the practically only thing we have in our possession, which is our trusty imac. And since we're lucky enough to have free internet, you all will be lucky enough to see what we did. I hope you enjoy...

The Eley's condo!

Matt and I have really gone through some tension-bound times recently, in search for a decent place to live. LOTS of searching on craigslist, AHRN, and LOTS of driving around San Diego in the rental car we had for a week... looking for RENT signs stuck in lawns and viewing places that looked promising from a couple small pics online... We weren't finding anything. We weren't getting calls back, people were beating us to the punch, or the real deal was hardly up to our standards. We're not picky people, but since I had tested positive on a pregnancy test a few days earlier, we really needed a place to suit a newborn. We needed a good neighborhood and enough room to be comfortable, and it couldn't be too far from the Naval Base where Matt works.

Well, because we are the proud owners of 2 wonderful dogs, we had to be put on a 8-12 month waiting list to move into military housing, which irritably would have eliminated the headaches and the searching for days on end. In addition, these places have a fenced yard and plenty of room to spare. But San Diego isn't at all dog friendly as Tucson, AZ had been for us, so it came as no surprise that we would not be accommodated so easily. Needless to say, we needed to find a place with a one year lease, at-lease. haha

Long story short, we found this good looking condo online, 2 bed, 2 bath and in a GREAT little area called Mission Hills. We immediately called the property manager and within the hour he called us back. We made an appointment to get the "tour" and we immediately fell in love with it. Yada yada yada, a few days later we filled out the paperwork, he handed us the keys, and we moved in!!!
So we are now two very happy campers. No longer do we have to worry about being kicked out of our motel room or being told that we can't extend our stay. No more eating meals cooked by a microwave and no more near accidents because one of us hogged the toilet... Ahem... And no more loud, obnoxious parties at 1 AM to complain to the front desk about... the list could go on, by why complain now when we've got what we need?

Let me break it down for ya

The Roe fellas really can dance!

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Informal Cow Chips

We all have moments where we face indecision. At times our thoughts begin to run together like watercolors and before long, we're thinking, "hey, my head is feeling cluttered. I can't make up my mind to make up my mind!" My remedy to get my brain and my conscience to follow through with any particular task or a plan, is to seek out a second opinion. I've named my second opinion, Matt, aka S.L.O. (Second Loving Opinion). Whenever my brain's operator hits a cement block, I seek my S.L.O. We then find ourselves in another roundabout conversation together, which goes something like this:

 I may begin with, "Honey, should I...?"

 His reply: "I don't know. What should YOU do?" 

Later that week... "Love, what do you think about...?" 

His reply: "I don't know. What do YOU think?"

And once more, "Hmmm. Mmmm, Matt? Would it be good to do... or better to do... OR best to do...?" 

His reply: "I don't know. YOU do what YOU think. Do what YOU want. Do what YOU need. Just do what you gotta do."

When my ability to decide gets choked, I find myself needing my S.L.O. to remind me to loosen that grip I have on myself just a little more. It takes just one jam, and all of a sudden I'm making the decision to pass my decision-making onto someone that shouldn't have anything to do with my next plan of action, unless it involves others, of course. However, Matt's stoic and consistent replies always leaves me no choice but to make every last decision for myself... Which is ultimately helping to grow my independence... Which is consequently building my purposefulness... Which is increasing my self-awareness... Which is what I'm aspiring to be most in touch with!

So, my question: Is it just me, or are there a slew of dithering females out there who also have a diabolical obsession to get their patriarch's to make up their mind for them? Who just HAVE to have that S.L.O.? 

I'm just grateful that in the end, I'm faced with no other choice but to make up my own darn mind. If I'm going to experience my life to it's full potential, why not do it while making up my own mind? Thanks, Matt. I think I am cured of ambiguity... but what do YOU think?

Love this Lissie

Music happens to be the one component that just works for me. Anytime I'm on the hunt for a specific mood, anywhere I find my self being, with anyone I find myself with, the right music can make the environment just explode in color like your own music video in 3-D. I love music and music loves me back. It's the one thing I have complete control over; I decide what goes in, and if it's not what I want, I simply find what works. Music can be compared to your trusty old dog, or to a promise signed with your own blood. It won't fail your expectations. It follows through. It gives all it's got, cap'n! And then some. It's always ready to please, always ready to lift you up and stick by you through any hard times that come. 

Today I discovered a young new artist by the name, Lissie. Her song entitled, "On My Chest", has become a favorite in an instant. The mood of this song compliments nicely with the general mood I have been in today. Her lyrics compliment my general thoughts of the day rather appropriately. Just as I thought my high couldn't be overshadowed, I happened to find a rare gem, which is the remix of this song, composed by Morgan Page. He threw in a nice beat to satisfy my need for speed! Thank you, Lissie, and Morgan Page, for your incredible work. Lissie, for your sultry voice and honest lyrics. Mr. Page, for your trance inspired remix. I am committed all over again to always give thanks to this universe for the music I adore.