I was trying to be really productive today but it didn't end up working out as well as I thought.  We overslept this morning and then by the time I was ready to get started it was around 10am.  I ironed the backing on Gwen's quilt and loaded everything on the machine.  Just when I was getting ready to start quilting (literally I just turned on the sewing machine) Ryan wanted to go get lunch.  We went to run a few errands and get lunch and then I was finally ready to get started.  I start sewing the first row of quilting...and I run out of bobbin thread.  So I reload all the bobbins with thread and start sewing again.  Then I can't get my machine to turn back on.  I spend about an hour unplugging everything and plugging it back in and finally got it to turn on.  I get about one row quilted and the top thread bunches up and breaks...Grrr...So I clean it up, rethread the machine and start sewing again.  Kept breaking threads at the beginning - so annoying!  Why is it that when I only have time to do a little bit the machines work perfect and when I plan on a whole day of sewing we fight with each other?  Anyways, eventually I got everything figured out and successfully finished the quilting.  I went downstairs to get my camera and I found that Ryan and KC were being really productive, haha.

So, if you read my earlier posts, I mentioned that I got an inquiry on my Etsy site for three shirt/clothing quilts.  Well Danielle placed an order for the three quilts!  I have done lots of quilts for friends, family, friends of friends, etc but this is my first Etsy order that is from someone who does not know me or anyone I know.  I am so excited for the opportunity to work on these quilts and happy that Danielle is trusting me with her precious children's clothing to make her three great quilts!  But I do not approve of unfinished projects so before I can start on that order, I need to finish Gwen's high school tshirt quilt.  Tonight, I sewed on the borders so now the quilt top is completed and ready for me to layer it with the backing and batting and then quilt it on the machine, yay!!

Run
After I got home from work today I took Willow (my doggy) for a 2mi run and she did pretty good.  We saw a gopher tortoise and she got so excited!  Then on the way back she started really picking up the pace and i couldn't figure out why...she was racing back to where we saw the tortoise to see if it was still there, haha!  I am doing a challenge this week where you have to do 1000 squats in 7 days so I did my 150 squats for today and then we had dinner.

Since Ryan says I am too slow for him to run with me...he stayed home and worked on his bus some more.  He is making significant progress removing surface rust and he ordered some parts to start replacing damaged/rusted panels that have more than just surface rust.  Check out the picture on the right - he's wearing safety goggles AND hearing protection, yay for safe work practices! Now if I could just convince him to wear real shoes while doing metalwork...

Friday was supposed to be my off Friday so I was looking forward to getting a lot of sewing and work around the house done.  Unfortunately our manager made us come in to work even though we are ahead of schedule – he said we should try to get “further ahead”.  I tried to argue that this was not a valid reason to make my group come in on their day off but he overruled me.  So I went in and worked a half day and then headed out at lunch.  On the way home, I ate at Osceola Bistro to see if this restaurant would work out for our rehearsal dinner and I think it’s going to be perfect!  The food was fresh and light, and the atmosphere was neat too. They have a big patio that looks like it could easily hold 50-60 people which is more than enough for us.  The patio is covered and has lights and fans and the whole area is surrounded by greenery.  There’s even a fountain out there!  They don’t require a deposit or anything so now they are holding the date with them and we just have to send in our menu choices.  I also checked out a couple of breakfast places to see if there was somewhere our family could all eat breakfast at together after the wedding but I haven’t found anything I like yet so I’ll have to keep searching.

Ok, time for a brief update on the wedding...

Date: Friday 12/7/12
Venue: Vero Beach Hotel & Spa (menu tasting next month)
Officiant: Rev Joel Lusz w/ Sensational Ceremonies
DJ: Rhythm of the night (need to work on song list)
Photographer: Thirteenth Moon Photography ( we just took our engagement photos, can't wait to see them)
Florist: Pink Pelican Florist (need to send them an invitation)
Cake: Creative Cakes and Candies (need to send them an invitation)

I'm slowly but surely getting caught up on my blog, lol.  It's been a little crazy around here!  

After we left San Francisco at the end of our secret vacation (Friday 5/25) we flew to Colorado to spend the weekend with my family.  My parents were there, plus my brother and sister, my Aunt Katie, my mom's friend Cindy and my grandmother too.  After we got there we all went to lunch together and hung out for the afternoon while we waited for everyone to get into town.  We didn't do a whole lot of planned activities over the weekend but it was nice to just hang out together and have some fun.  But there were two pretty cool things that happened:

After we got to San Francisco, we went down to Pier 39 and got some dinner.  We were going to to go Fisherman's wharf but we were having trouble finding parking and when we finally found some, it was closer to Pier 39.  The restaurant was about average but it was pretty entertaining because we could watch the sea lions fight over the docks at the pier.  

After dinner, I called up one of my best friends who lives in San Francisco to see what they were up to and then we went and met them.  Ashley and Matt were getting ready to do some skydiving practice at the windtunnel and it was pretty fun to watch!  We all went back to their house afterwards and chatted for a while.

On Thursday, Ashley took us for a tour of the city.  First we went to the Google office, which was pretty awesome! They had lounge chairs outside for people to work in and one guy was even chilling in a hot tub.  Next we went to downtown San Francisco.  We rode the cable cars, ate ice cream at Ghirardelli  square, walked up and down Lombard street and just checked everything out.

Tuesday night in California, I found a charming little motel called The Ravenwood Motel.  From the outside, it looks like an average little motel in the middle of nowhere.  But on the inside, all the rooms had been redone beautifully - new carpets and tile, fancy furniture and lighting, nicely painted and decorated.  The place was also immaculately clean - I doubt a white glove could have found a spec of dust or dirt.  The owner was very friendly and had a common room where there were books, games, a piano and breakfast in the morning.  The best part was that this was still one of the cheapest places we stayed on the whole trip!

In the morning, we started our Redwood forest trek with an obligatory touristy event: driving through a redwood tree.  They blew out the bottom of this giant tree but it's still alive and growing hundreds of feet above the base and you can drive your car through it.