Ana-Banana-Blog

Minako's BabyShower

2009-02-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

Today we attended Minako’s baby shower after work. It was so much fun! We played games, had yummy appetizers and watched our coworkers play “guess the candy bar in the diaper.” LOL!

Sweet Sisters

2009-01-29T22:22:00.000-08:00

Ever since the kids arrived the kitties have not been getting our full attention like they used to. So now we find that they have gotten closer to each other. They are so sweet sometimes!

El Dorado Park

2009-01-25T19:42:00.000-08:00

We have been living in the area for over a year and had no idea this park was nearby! Today we discovered El Dorado Park and loved it. They have lakes, a nature center, and plenty of picnic areas. It costs $7 for parking but is definitely worth the price.

Yummy Meeting

2009-01-23T21:51:00.000-08:00

Work meetings are awesome when they’re held at a yummy restaurant! Today we had our meeting at BJ’s and had a yummy pizookie at the end. My kind of meeting!

Surprise Pocket Coffee!

2009-01-18T19:33:00.000-08:00

I love finding things after forgetting you have it! Today while talking to Manda, I remembered I had a package of Pocket Coffee from Italy…yay! We only had a few and put the rest away for another time.

Bridges XL

2009-01-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

Now that our family is bigger I had to say goodbye to my sweet Bridges and invest in a larger car. So I upgraded from a Mazda 3 to a Mazda 5. I call her Bridges XL.

X-Mas Party 2008

2008-12-06T23:44:00.000-08:00

This year DRI surprised everyone by holding the X-mas party in someone’s private garage filled with classic and very expensive cars. It was pretty sweet! The highlight of the evening, besides the yummy food, was the very classic Delorean. Oh yeah!

Sleepy Friday

2008-11-28T22:54:00.000-08:00

This Black Friday came and went and we hardly noticed it. We usually look forward to this day all year long but with two new babies, we were too tired to stand in line in the middle of the night just to get something that was a few bucks cheaper. I think this year we are going to focus on Cyber Monday which doesn’t require leave your house at all.

We were all so tired in the middle of the day from staying up with the boys, I managed to capture everyone in the household passed out! Including the pets LOL. I haven’t heard the house this quiet in a long time.

2008-11-27T20:50:00.000-08:00

Rose and Ernesto came over to have Thanksgiving dinner with us like we do most years. This year we went with Mimi’s pre-made traditional Thanksgiving dinner and it turned out to be very yummy! Last year we tried Marie Calendar’s pre-made dinner and it was just so-so. With Mimi’s, you get a full turkey, tons of sides, carrot cake, and a pumpkin pie! Sweet! A special thanks to Rose for picking up the dinner, preparing things and cleaning up…Rose, you’re a life saver!

Early X-Mas Tree

2008-11-15T18:58:00.000-08:00

Marco couldn’t wait any longer. He went out, bought a Christmas tree and now it’s up and decorated! This Christmas is going to be so different in many ways. For one, we have added two new members to the family to celebrate with and second, we normally spend Christmas overseas. It will be nice to spend Christmas at home, as a family for once.

Spanglish?

2008-11-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, I finally got a chance to take a picture of this sign. I remember the first time I saw the name of this place I couldn’t stop laughing. Why? Well if you speak Spanish you’ll get it right away. LOL!

Made it to Phoenix AZ

2008-10-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Now that they are in Arizona, my folks with be staying with my uncle for a couple of nights since they haven’t seen him in years. On Wednesday they plan to leave Phoenix and head toward Los Angeles. It’s not too far so they should be in the area early Wednesday. They still want to visit a few people they haven’t seen since they moved (over a year ago) including their old neighbor, my grandmother, my brother, and a few other family members.

On their way...

2008-10-25T21:18:00.000-07:00

Today my parents left Dallas and are now on their way to California! They will be staying with us for about a month to help us out with the boys when they arrive. They won’t be here until later next week but it’s nice to know they are on their way. Today they traveled several hundred miles and made it to Las Cruses, New Mexico. Their next stop is going to be Arizona where they will be visiting an uncle of mine, and after a few days there they will be on their way into California. I can’t wait to see them!

Austin's First Visit

2008-10-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today little Austin and mommy visited us at work! It was sooo cool to see little Austin again. He’s getting bigger and looking more like his daddy every day.

Our Work Baby Shower

2008-10-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

Today Marco and I attended a work baby shower that Amanda and Karen organized for us. How super sweet of them!!! We got some awesome gifts, played three fun games (name the baby animal, name the nursery rhyme, and guess Ana’s ratio), and had a relaxing afternoon hanging with friends at Pat & Oscar’s. We had such a wonderful time! Thank you Amanda and Karen!!!!

Halloween @ Wahoo's

2008-10-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

LOL, and I thought I was a big Halloween fan! The Wahoo’s in Torrance went all out this year plus they have cool “Halloween” music playing at night that makes it extra creepy.

Brad's 30th B-day @ By Brazil!

2008-10-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Brad’s 30^th Birthday by taking him to By Brazil for lunch. We had the yummy buffet with endless grilled meat. Yum! Happy 30^th Birthday Brad!!!

Lemon's 25th B-day @ Sea World!

2008-10-11T23:27:00.000-07:00

A bunch of us went down to Sea World to celebrate Lemon’s 25^th B-day! We watched Shamu and the other whales perform, watched them feed the arctic penguins, had a lovely time hanging out as a group, and watched Lemon pet the white whales. I wasn’t sure if it was smart of me to go since I am so close to my due date but I sure am glad I did. Happy Sea World Birthday Lemon!!!

Ethan's 2nd Birthday!

2008-10-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

Marco and I attended Ethan’s 2^nd Birthday today! Wow, time flies! It seems like just the other day we were having a baby shower for Janice! It was so great to see everyone again. Ethan is a big boy now, and his little brother is growing quickly too. They’re such a sweet family! Happy Birthday Ethan!!

Welcome Austin!

2008-10-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

After 36+ hours of heavy labor, my buddy Angela gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Austin. He’s soooo beautiful! Both mom and baby are doing great. I’m amazed at how wonderful mom looks after such a difficult labor. What a trooper! I’m super excited ‘cause I finally got a chance to hold a 1 day old baby, and I loved it! Congrats to Angela and Brian!!

Cleaning Time

2008-09-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

It finally happened! Amanda decided to clean out the area near her desk. Things were starting to get really crammed around her desk but she did an awesome job of clearing it out! Next stop….her desk LOL…..one day.

Dinner @ Chart House

2008-09-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

We had another client visit for the project I will be working on until I go on maternity leave. This time we took the client to Chart House in Redondo Beach. Yum, this place is one of my favorites! The view is amazing since it’s right on the beach and the food ….. mmmmm….makes my mouth water when I think of it LOL. This time I had the salad bar for starters and created this yummy salad, and then I had the prime rib and shrimp with a baked potato. Yup, I ate everything and still wanted more LOL.

Welcome Isabella!

2008-09-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my buddy Tiffany who gave birth to a healthy little girl named Isabella on the 21st!! Congratulations Tiff and Scott!!!

Awesome Discount

2008-09-19T22:07:00.000-07:00

Angela’s hubby hooked us up with awesome discounts at the Mattel store in El Segundo. I got a bunch of fabulous stuff that I needed for just a little over 50 bucks. Woohoo! Thank you Brian & Angela!!

September Birthdays

2008-09-18T21:02:00.000-07:00

We celebrated September birthdays with yummy Marie Callender’s pies. Although they looked delicious, I had to stay away…gestational diabetes and all….but man they were tempting! Happy Birthday Rand, Joan, and Karen!!

Surprise Pics

2008-09-10T22:17:00.000-07:00

I love finding random pictures on my camera! Today while I was uploading new pictures I found a few gifts from Manda on my memory card. LOL! These are awesome, thanks Manda!!!

Grilling like an American

2008-09-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrated Marco’s becoming an American by buying him a brand new grill. You can’t get more American than that! This is his first grill so he’s very excited. We have already made some yummy steaks, grilled chicken, and freshly grilled corn on the cob. Yum!

August Birthdays

2008-08-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

We celebrated August birthdays by making our own ice cream sandwiches and they were a hit! Happy Birthday to Manda, Regi, Dean, Jordan, and James!

Marco the American

2008-08-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today Marco became an American!! That’s right; he is now officially an American Citizen! We drove out to the Los Angeles Convention Center where he attended his citizenship ceremony with 6,000 other new citizens. After being sworn in, and given their citizenship certificates, the were later bombarded with people who wanted them all to register to vote LOL. After his ceremony, we celebrated by having a nice lunch at Chili’s.

Manda is Back

2008-08-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

Manda is back from her honeymoon cruise to Italy, Monaco, and Greece. She was kind enough to take Pablo along so I will be posting those pictures soon. She also brought me back this super cool kitty and some yummy chocolate. Thanks Manda!!!

John's 26th Birthday!

2008-08-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight we celebrated Farmer John’s 26th Birthday at Pockets Sports Bar in Manhattan Beach. We had a great time hanging out, some played pool, others played air hockey and toward the end of the night we had yummy cake. Thanks for inviting us guys, we had a nice time! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!!!!

Funny Book Titles

2008-08-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ha! I love coming across stuff that makes me laugh. Today Marco and I stopped by the bookstore and I couldn’t stop laughing at some of the titles we came across! Here are just a few.

Congrats to...

2008-08-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the following people:

Javier (my cousin), who became the proud father of a new baby girl named Luna Sofia!! Congratulations to him, his wife Cora, and their little boy Javi Jr.

Carlo, who is expecting a little girl named Caitlyn on Oct. 27th of this year!! Congratulations to him and his wife Clarice.

"OK" signs

2008-08-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

I love mysteries! So when I came across this sign on my way into work I just had to find out where it led to.
What does “ok” mean?
It is ok to follow this sign. ?
Ok, go this way.?
Who is supposed to follow this?
I just had to find out! So I followed the big yellow “OK” signs. I didn’t have to go too far before finding the next, and the next…a few minutes later I was in front of a school and cars were lined up to enter the parking area. I didn’t stick around to find out what they were all up to, since it was getting late, but I felt better knowing where those signs led to. LOL!

Dinner @ The Outback

2008-08-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

Today we had our last dinner with Skip before he heads back to Holland tomorrow. He chose to go to an Outback Steakhouse nearby. He was raised in Australia when he was younger so he tends to miss his Aussie food. Ok Outback isn’t very authentic but it was still good. We each got different dishes but everything turned out wonderfully! And the dessert…yum!

Citadel Shopping

2008-08-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

After stopping by a yard sale I decided to do a little shopping and drove out to the Citadel outlets. I got a few things but mostly wanted to go walk around a little. While I did some shopping Marco and Skip spent most of the day fishing in San Clamente. This is Skip’s last weekend with us so Marco wanted to make sure to get some more fishing in.

Almost Done!....Yay???...

2008-08-14T19:20:00.001-07:00

This morning the crew and I celebrated the completion of a very difficult project at work. Unfortunately, we celebrated a little too soon since we still had two more tasks to finish up before calling the project “Complete.” And of course something broke which ‘caused us to delay today’s task for another day. Aw-man!

Note to self: Celebrate the completion of a project only after it is fully completed!

OMG How Ghetto!

2008-08-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

So I went to El Pollo Loco to get a friend a gift card for his birthday. After scanning in the correct amount for the card, I asked the manager if the gift card came with an envelope or something. She quickly said yes and went to the back room to get one. When she came back I had to fight myself from laughing in her face…she handed me the gift card and this cashier envelope. I thought maybe she did it by mistake but when I opened the envelope she put the gift card inside for me. I stood there with my mouth open in shock and slowly walked away….besides wanting to laugh, all I could think was: “Uhhhh…OMG Ghe-ttoooo!”

Pablo in Indonesia & Bali

2008-08-12T21:34:00.000-07:00

Pablo spent an entire month of July in the lovely country of Indonesia with my buddy Amelia and as a bonus they also spent some time in Bali. It looks like they had a wonderful time meeting up with Amelia’s family and exploring museums, monuments, and animal parks. A special thanks to Amelia for taking Pablo along on this wonderful trip! Click here to see more pictures of Pablo’s trip.

Amanda and Dave Get Married

2008-08-09T23:21:00.000-07:00

Today Manda and Dave tied the knot at Founders Park in Rancho Palos Verdes. It was a beautiful wedding!! The ceremony had a lovely view of the ocean and the reception was a blast. Everyone had a wonderful time! Props to Manda for putting together such a lovely wedding in a short time, I know how hard she worked. Congrats to the new couple and their families!!
Thanks for inviting us Manda!! I hope you enjoy your cruise through Italy and Greece. Let me know if Pablo misbehaves.
To see more pictures of the wedding, click here.

Pablo in Norway

2008-08-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Two months ago Pablo joined Terry and Eugenia on a trip to Norway but I just recently got the pictures. It looks like they had a wonderful time visiting all kinds of places, including the Bygdoy museums, the Nobel Peace center, the Viking museum, Balestrand and a few other places. A special thanks to Terry and Eugenia for taking Pablo on another awesome adventure. Click here to see more pictures of Pablo’s trip to Norway.

Angela's Baby Shower

2008-08-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Manda and I attended Angela’s baby shower today. We had such a nice time playing games, having yummy snacks, and watching Angela open all of her awesome gifts. Little Austin got some pretty neat stuff. Yay, I can’t wait to meet him! Happy baby showers Angel-A!

To see more pictures from the Baby shower click here.

Summer Fest

2008-07-31T20:47:00.001-07:00

During the summer, the city of Bellflower brings in live music, vendors, and a farmer’s market on Thursday nights. Marco and I decided to check it out, along with the rest of the city. It was packed with people enjoying live music on their lawn chairs, teens hanging out by the vendors, and others buying things from the farmer’s market. We had a nice time and had some yummy roasted corn while we were there.

Jack In The Box Billboard

2008-07-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

I was on my way into work this morning, stuck in traffic as usual, when I spotted a new billboard on the way. LOL! I think I laughed for five minutes straight! I love billboards that make me laugh.

Rose's 26th Birthday!

2008-07-26T20:48:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time celebrating Rose’s 26th Birthday at the Rainforest Café near Disneyland. We had a nice dinner topped off with a mega volcano chocolate dessert. Yum! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROSE!!

Old Tony's in Redondo Beach

2008-07-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Marco and Skip spent most of the day fishing in Redondo Beach but didn’t have much luck catching anything. After work I decided to join them for dinner at Old Tony’s on the Pier. Yum! I had the fried shrimp while Marco and Skip tried the Fish N’ Chips. Everything was delicious!

Skip is Here

2008-07-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Our buddy Skip flew in from Holland today, woohoo! It took us a while to get home since we had to pick up his rental car and then battle Thursday traffic. But once we got home he got a chance to rest and have a nice home cooked meal. Skip was kind enough to bring us all kinds of gifts: Marco’s favorite cookies, some paella mix, and lots of Dutch baby books for the boys. Sweet!

Small Canon BBQ

2008-07-19T20:35:00.000-07:00

Marco and I attended a Canon group BBQ this weekend at one of his buddy’s house. It was so much fun! We hung out by the pool, watched a good game of water volleyball, eat some really great food, and enjoyed the company for some of Marco’s buddies from work. We had a real nice time!

Returning for a Study

2008-07-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

Man, we haven’t seen our buddy Caitlyn in ages but today she stopped by to be a subject in one of our studies. It’s so good to see her again!

Zuurkool Met Worst

2008-07-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

Marco has been missing his food from back home so he bought a few key ingredients and made one of his favorite Dutch dishes: sauerkraut mixed in potatoes and sausage. Simple, but good.

Back to Chick-D

2008-07-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

So today I did feel like having Chicken Dijon again but wanted to be adventurous and try something new. I ended up getting the Chinese Chicken Salad and it was delicious.

No Chick-D Today

2008-07-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

Everyone in the office knows by now that I love eating Chicken Dijon for lunch but today I wasn’t really in the mood. Instead, Manda and I decided to try a new fish place a couple of miles away. It turned out to be soo yummy! We both got grilled shrimp wraps and shared a side of seasoned fries. Yay, we found another yummy lunch spot.

Being Lazy

2008-07-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

Smuckers has found a new favorite place to sleep during the day, right where Marco likes to sit. She spent the entire day lounging around in the same spot and only got up to use her cat box and get food and water. OMG how lazy!

July 4th Block Party

2008-07-04T22:48:00.000-07:00

Marco, Rose, and I were invited to Amanda’s family block party this year. It was so much fun!! Her family gathered at her Aunt Sheila’s house, where everything brought a dish they prepared. At 6 pm everyone paraded out with their dishes along with their neighbors. By 7pm the entire block was out there eating and having fun. The food was so delicious! In short, we had a fabulous time! A special thanks to Amanda and her family for inviting us to their block party and for being so sweet and welcoming!!
To see more pictures from the block party, click here.

July 3rd Fireworks

2008-07-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

Marco and I walked to Starbucks a couple of blocks away and watched the Bellflower fireworks show from the little shopping center. We first tried driving there and got stuck in traffic since everyone and their mama had decided to come see the show. So, after circling the area we drove back and ended up walking over. The show turned out to be pretty long and we met a couple with two kids who had been coming to see it for the past 10 years. It was a nice evening, and I like that the city has their fireworks show on the 3rd instead of the 4th.

Manda's Bridal Shower

2008-06-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

I had a fabulous time at Amanda’s Bridal Shower this weekend. We had super delicious food, played fun games, and had a great time watching Amanda open all of her gifts. My favorite game was “How well do you know Amanda” since I won a prize LOL. But I also had a great time playing “Unscramble the words” and “Design a wedding dress out of toilet paper.” In short, I had a wonderful time…thanks for inviting me Manda!

To see more pictures click here.

It's Hot Outside!

2008-06-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so hot lately; we decided to open all windows and doors so the girls get some fresh air. They love sitting next to the screen door and watching the birds fly by.

Passion Flower Vine

2008-06-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Paul brought in this crazy looking Passion Flower he got from a neighbor’s yard. It is so crazy looking! The first day he brought it in the first flower from the vine bloomed, then it closed, and now the second flower bloomed. Awesome!

Ikea Bookcase

2008-06-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today we built the Ikea bookcase we bought this weekend for the new baby room. This is how it turned out. Not bad huh? I love Ikea’s low priced furniture!

Panera Fruit Salad

2008-06-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

After a long day of shopping, Marco and I had a nice and healthy lunch at Panera. This was my first time trying their fruit salad and yum, it was good! I highly recommend it.

Lunch at the Depot

2008-06-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

After a full day of meetings we decided to take the clients out to have a yummy lunch at the Depot. And although the portions were much larger than what they are accustomed to, they still loved it.

More Sweets from Japan

2008-06-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

Our next set of clients arrived from Japan today and yup, they brought us 2 boxes of yummy Japanese sweets. YUM! They’re not Tokyo Bananas but they’re still yummy.

The Habit

2008-06-18T18:42:00.000-07:00

Amanda's customers are heading back to Japan tomorrow and before their departure, they requested to have burgers for lunch. Here they are enjoying their burgers at The Habit.

Tokyo Banana

2008-06-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

Today I tasted one of the yummiest sweet snacks EVER! While visiting, our customers were gracious enough to bring us these yummy Tokyo Bananas (Twinkie-like pastries that taste like mini banana cream pie) from Japan. I loved them so much, I tried hunting down a place where I could buy some….alas, it does not look like it is possible to buy these in the U.S.

Mini Burgers

2008-06-14T22:37:00.000-07:00

After the guys (Marco and James) spent most of the day maintaining our vehicles, we decided to go out to dinner as a treat. The guys ended up getting these mini hamburgers …they looked much better than I thought they would.

Movies Under the Stars

2008-06-13T21:48:00.000-07:00

Last Friday the department of Parks and Recreation started their summer “Movies under the Stars” program at the Center Plaza. This week the movie playing was “Bee Movie” so we decided to check it out. Too bad I forgot that I can’t go twenty minutes without using the restroom. After a short look around, we headed back home where I could use our clean bathroom instead of some nasty port-a-potty. I think next time I’ll have to invest in a box of Depends.

Funny Face

2008-06-08T19:36:00.001-07:00

While playing around with the new camera settings Marco captured this very attractive picture of Smuckers. LOL!

A New Camera for Ana!

2008-06-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

A few days ago my camera stopped working properly which you can image made me very sad. Although it started working again, it just isn’t very reliable anymore and we can’t afford to not have a perfectly working camera, especially with kids on their way. After going through several reviews Marco helped me pick out the perfect camera for my needs, the Canon Rebel XSI. Fancy! I’m still going through the user manual but from the practice shots we took, I can already see this camera is going to work out dandy!

Lekkerbekje Time

2008-06-07T17:01:00.000-07:00

Marco and I visited the local Dutch grocery store where they were having Holland’s famous fried fish (Lekkerbekje). While we were there we bought a few things we were running out of and sat down to have lekkerbekjes and kroketten. YUM!! Seen above: Marco sporting the free Dutch hat he got while we were there. CUTE!!

Pablo Update (On the Way to Norway)

2008-06-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

Pablo is joining Terry and his wife Eugenia on their trip to Norway this coming week, woohoo! I’m sure they’re going to come back with some pretty amazing pictures.

Lounging Around the House

2008-05-31T17:36:00.000-07:00

After a quick trip to the local library, we came home and spent the rest of the day lounging around the house. I love relaxing weekends!

Goodbyes

2008-05-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today we said goodbye to our buddy Jim who will be leaving us and starting a new career. Well, he will still be working part time for a little while but it won’t be the same. We had a nice goodbye lunch at El Pollo Inka which turned out to be super yummy.
We also said goodbye to May. I was especially sad to see May go since it marked the end of my birthday celebrations. We had cookies and milk at work to celebrate the May babies who turned a year older this month. Happy Birthday to us!

WTF Gas

2008-05-28T21:41:00.000-07:00

Enough said.

A to the N to the A

2008-05-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

I love randomly finding stuff with my name on it!

The Natural History Museum

2008-05-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

We have 3 days to relax, Yay! This may not seem like a big deal to those lucky folks in Europe who get weeks at a time off, but for U.S. standards, this is a HUGE deal. I was able to talk Marco into taking me to the L.A. Museum of Natural History since I haven’t been there since I was 10 and he’s never seen it. It was fun! I think next time I’ll have to convince him to take me to the L.A. Science Center…but that may be pushing my luck. LOL!

Memorial Day Gas Prices

2008-05-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

Yikes! Can you say Happy Memorial Day weekend?! Looks like we won’t be going far this weekend. We’ve almost caught up to European gas prices! Booo!

Warning Signs

2008-05-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

Yikes! I think we got the message.

Allan's 25th Birthday!

2008-05-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Allan’s 25th Birthday at Yankee Doodles on 3rd Street Promenade today. Although we had to wait a while for our table to be ready, once we were seated, we had a great time hanging out with Allan’s buddies. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLAN!!

Another Fry's Electronics

2008-05-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

Marco and I visited a new Fry’s (Marco's favorite electronic store) today. I didn’t know what to expect after checking out the Fry’s at Manhattan Beach….Yikes! This new Fry’s turned out to be awesome! It was clean, organized, and looked pretty new.

Mother's Day Announcement!

2008-05-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother’s Day to all mommies out there!
Today I am taking the opportunity to make a huge announcement….….Here goes…
Marco and I are expecting! And to make things even more exciting, last week I found out that I am carrying Identical twins! Yup, two little Bakkers are on their way.
Although we are extremely excited about the news, we also have a few concerns. It turns out that having Identical twins is risky and will require close monitoring between weeks 16 and 27. Ideally, I didn’t want to spread the news of my pregnancy until after the 27th week but in a week or two it will become very clear that Ana isn’t just getting fat…she’s getting super pregnant. So as you can see, it is impossible to keep the pregnancy a secret for much longer. We are keeping our fingers crossed and hope that everything goes smoothly with the twins.
To check out our baby blog and get updated on all that has been happening these past few months follow this link. Happy reading!

Birthday Celebration Part II

2008-05-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

Today turned out to be awesome!! 14 of my buddies and I got together and celebrated my 30th birthday at the Hard Rock Café in Hollywood and we had such a nice time! It was awesome seeing my buddies since it had been a while since I last saw most of them. After a lovely dinner and embarrassing birthday announcement to the entire restaurant a couple of us hung out at City Walk to watch the new Iron Man movie. Yeah, it turned out to be an awesome day!! Thank you everyone for joining me today!!

Revlon Walk/Run 2008

2008-05-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

Rose, Manda, and I got up super early today and participated in the Revlon Run/Walk to support a cure for breast cancer. Rose and I did this walk last year and enjoyed it so much we decided to make it an annual thing. Perhaps next year we can recruit enough women to form our own team.
After a very long 4 miles, we crossed the finish line, got our medals and sat down for a few snacks. Man our feet were sore! LOL! We sat a little while and enjoyed listening to the GoGo’s play live and later got enough energy to walk to the nearest Chipotle for a yummy lunch.

Cool Cars

2008-05-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

I love when we get to test drive cool cars for work! Sure, the BMW 650 was a bit impressive, but it was WAY overpriced. Yikes!

My 30th Birthday!!!

2008-05-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

Today I turned 30!!!!!!!! This was a HUGE accomplishment for me considering I never thought I would make it this far. The day was just perfect! Marco got me some beautiful flowers the night before, and in the morning, I was showered with phone calls and messages from friends and family. For lunch, I cashed in on my La Capilla free lunch with free flan dessert and for dinner, I cashed in my Black Angus free dinner with free fudge brownie and ice cream. Score! I also got some pretty awesome gifts!! Yay!!! A special thanks to everyone who made this birthday even more special than I thought it could ever be!!!

Popsicle Bugs

2008-04-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

We often hear the ice cream man go down our street but we are never quick enough to get him to stop. Today was different. Marco was able to dash out the door and stop the ice cream man before he took off. I ended up getting a yummy Bugs Bunny Popsicle with bubble gum eyes, yay

Farmer's Market, Torrance

2008-04-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

Manda and I went to the Farmer’s Market for lunch today. We had some delicious homemade tamales and strawberry-rhubarb cobbler. Yum! After a quick lunch we walked around and bought ourselves a couple of plants and a delicious cherimoya.

UCLA Book Fair 2008

2008-04-27T22:18:00.001-07:00

Rose and I had an awesome time at the UCLA Book Fair today We got a couple of books signed by Julie Andrews, Mo Willems, and Cheech Marin. Later, on our way out, we ran into Kareem Abdul Jabbar at the bookstore. Sweet!

Lunch & Sewing

2008-04-26T21:27:00.000-07:00

I spent a real nice time with Amanda today. We first met up with Miki and John for lunch at the local Pollo Inka and then spent the afternoon on a sewing project.

Japanese Visitors

2008-04-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

Two awesome things about having customers visit from Japan:

1. You sometimes get yummy Japanese candies as gifts.

2. You get to eat at some yummy restaurants on the company’s dime, yum.

Tick Trap

2008-04-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

Marco and I found ticks in the house which really freaked me out so we decided to make our own tick trap using dry ice. It turns out the carbon dioxide given off by the dry ice attracts ticks to the location. We’ll see if it actually works.

Bass Pro Shops & Fuddruckers

2008-04-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

We took a little fieldtrip to Bass Pro Shops today. It was James’ first time there and I think he really liked it. After a nice day of shopping we went by Fuddruckers and had a nice juicy chicken sandwich. Yum!

Cafe Night Poster

2008-04-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

I love finding random stuff like this. LOL!

Let There Be Video!

2008-04-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

So Flickr finally did it, they introduced Video on Flickr! Yay! There are a few limits tho. If you’re a pro member (which most of you should be) there’s no limit as to the number of videos you can upload but there is a limit on how long your videos can be. For details check out their FAQ page. I can’t wait to start using it!

Marco's 35th B-day!!

2008-04-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

James and I took Marco to Black Angus to celebrate his 35th Birthday! This year his B-day was a little low key but he still enjoyed himself. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARCO!!!

Poker Night @ Scott's

2008-04-04T23:27:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time at Scott’s house for Poker Night. We had yummy pizza and snacks before the big game. After a quick dinner the poker group assembled in the dining room area while the rest of us got together in the family room for a great game of Wii and Catch Phrase. A special thanks to Scott and Laura for having us over!

Pupusas! Yum!

2008-04-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

I finally got a chance to try the little pupuseria that’s down the street from where we live. I didn’t know what to expect since I’ve tried so many bad pupusa places. Wow, was I surprised when I tasted them! They were so yummy!! I’ll be going back there again.
I <3 Pupusas!

Dodgers vs. Giants

2008-04-02T10:28:00.000-07:00

Yesss! Manda and I scored another pair of free tickets to a sporting event. This time we went to see the Dodgers play the Giants. Too bad we didn’t get to see the entire game. It started to rain, which delayed the game 74 minutes. We still had a great time though!

Birthday Cupcakes

2008-03-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated March birthdays with yummy cupcakes from the local bakery, Yum.

Looking Out The Window

2008-03-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

The girls used to have a kitty condo next to the window but after it toppled over and cracked a window it had to go. Poor kitties, they sure do miss looking out that window all day. LoL!

Clippers vs. Grizzlies

2008-03-29T23:09:00.001-07:00

Manda and I scored free Clippers tickets from Marco and got to enjoy the game from a VIP box, woohoo! The Clippers beat the Grizzlies and scored us 4 free Metrolink rides, double woohoo!