blasphemous

i know ME suggesting buying children's furniture at ikea is a bit blasphemous. however, ashley wants to get taylor a table and chairs for christmas. my recommendation is that we take a hint from this ohdeedoh post and makeover this ikea table and chairs for only $24.99.

before.

after.


the only thing that would make it better is a little chalk board paint on the top. {dad...you better get your painting supplies back out - i'll be there soon!}

thank you.

brad. for pulling through after some last minute cancellations and making this...


brad cooked his very first turkey plus all the fixins'. it was perfect.


p.s. i'm not afraid to admit that the 'mall rat' in me loves nothing more than black friday!!! brad even braved it though this sight at union square yesterday just so i could get my fix (and help the economy, and make sure people like me have jobs). again, thank you.

In the spirit of thanksgiving

i'm missing my family like crazy this year and am so thankful that we will all be together soon! i'm especially thankful to brad for also making san francisco feel like home. my apartment is already decorated for christmas, holiday songs are playing and he has promised to deliver a full on thanksgiving feast. (pictures to come)

happy thanksgiving!

amazing!!!

good thing for my good friend brent (aka brad's brother) who keeps me in touch with all things cool!!! he sent me this video last week and i can't stop thinking about it. so amazing - this is one kid doing all the vocals. i love, love, love this. the same kid is responsible for the glee theme song - also amazing. enjoy!

what i've been up to

amongst other things brad and i have been very busy checking off this list...

100 things to try before you die. one by one we are pickin' them off.
A couple weeks ago we headed to the mission to have breakfast at Tartine.


we checked off the morning bun (and because we are pigs we also had several other things)

we've also been busy seeing RENT

Rent is my favorite musical of all time. I'm only kind of embarrassed to admit that this was my 10th time seeing the show. it was only fitting that i finally saw it with 2 members of the original cast (mark & rodger) the only thing that would have made it better is if caitlin were with me.

and seeing this....

basically...we both loved it!!!!

this month i promise to stop being married to my job and get my blogging back together. now that ashley ditched me for the pickled bean i need a new blogging buddy. who know maybe i can recruit brad!

ala DAD

this weekend it was cold and foggy in sf. brad and i rented movies and made this for dinner...


it reminded me of my dad...he is the best toasted cheese sandwich maker on the planet. i did it them in the broiler just like you taught us. it made me happy!

moved

so i moved to another apartment in san francisco about 3 weeks ago. {in case you were wondering ashley and i always seem to move at the exact same time - and this time was no exception!}

anyway, i've bought a lot of things for the new place but i officially could not live without these...

simple human dishrack

williams-somona pop up sponges

yup - 29 years old and this is the first time in my life i have lived without a dishwasher. I debated long and hard about spending the extra money on a fancy dish rack - it has been worth every cent!!! also - for all you "hand" dishwashers out there please go buy these pop up sponges from williams-sonoma - they are the BEST!!! {i'm not just saying that because they write my payhecks}

So Scared!!!

i love bradley - i really do...until he makes me stay up past 10 o'clock to watch this...

really??? had I known he was such a david hasselhoff lover early on in our relationship I would have ran away. seriously - i didn't even know david hasselhoff was a singer!!!! {really - a singer?}

p.s. i'm alive and should be back to blogging soon :)

Click Here

www.thepickledbean.com

I think it's safe to say that this blog is on hold for a while. Visit The Pickled Bean for Dunaway updates.

Random Picures

A side note for ya'll. As you have noticed I will not be posting much on this blog, however you will start seeing more Taylor pictures and updates on the Pickled Bean. I need to put my focus in that direction. I'm sure you understand!

A morning at the Tree House!
Taylor and her boyfriend.
Story time with Grammie on the 4th. The babies loved her
Flag cake! I love to bake these days
In the pool with the boys on the 4th. She loves the water


Padres game! Thanks for the tickets Grammie. It was Peanuts first baseball game.

Happy America!

brad and I spent the weekend celebrating america camping with some friends along the sonoma coast. we went on some fun hikes, made lots of yummy food and spent the 4th canoing down the russian river. horray for america!!!!! {thank you for being founded so we could have an extra day off work}

K-A-U-A-I

Ok...our trip was so amazing!!! I'm still trying to recover from having to go back to work. Here are some highlights! {All I can say is our trip started out with being bumped up to first class and only got better from there!}

we spent most of our days discovering secret beaches and snorkeling. here we are at tunnels beach

we took an awesome zodiac tour of the na pali coast

brad was a trooper and tried to get some footage of the dolphins swimming beside us.

an afternoon at kipu falls {zach and I jumping off the waterfall}

of course brad had to show off with fancy moves on the rope swing!

snorkeling off our boat at na pali - we saw a TON of sea turtles here

one of my favorite places was queens bath - a beautiful secret pond just steps from our condo

here we are at the end of the awa'awapuhi trail

on our last day brad and I went the first 2 miles with brent and zach on the famous kalalau trail. this is the most famous trail in hawaii. brad and his brothers did this very hike 10 years ago. brent and zack stayed and extra week and spent 4 days on this awesome trail!

brad & i on the trail. it rained like crazy that day {so we are soaked} this was by far the coolest hike i have ever been on.

thanks babe for the making this fantastic trip possible! i love you!

Where does the time go?

Taylor is 16 Months old today!

New little accomplishments for our peanut....She can open all of the doors in the house, reach for things on the kitchen counter, sweep the kitchen floor and wipe it down with a rag ( her new favorite past time). Put on her shoes and sunglasses, read her paper paged books with enough self control not to tear them, snap the top part of her car seat harness. Use a fork and spoon. Sleeping 13 hours at night ( mom's favorite!) She understands almost everything we say, if I ask her to throw something in the trash she will talk it over, take off the lid, throw it away and put the lid back on, pick up and bring us anything we ask for etc.

Words... Daddy, Mommy, Lu ( for Lucy) Baby, Kitty, WOW, Ah - oh, Ball, No, Up

Favorite things... Daddy, Kitties, cheese, rice, broccoli, lamb, walking Lucy, pushing the stroller, playing with friends, swimming, going to the beach and playing in the waves, her blanket, dancing.

our bags are packed...we're ready to go!

*4 swimsuits
*2 books (Eat, Pray, Love & She's Come Undone)
*snorkel gear
*treking shoes
*2 flip flops
*scuba lessons
*boat tour tips
*lots of r&r

In about 6 hours - Brad & I will be here - (Kauai)
see you in a week!

Dunaway Slumber Party

As long as dusty and I have been dating we have had slumber parties. We rent movies pull out the hideaway bed and pop popcorn. ( The night I went into labor we were having a slumber party) We love this tradition and Taylor LOVES it too. I think she likes Disney... what do you think? Ohhh this video will make Caitlin soooooo happy.

What we have been up to...

Taylor and I found the most amazing botanical garden. They have a charming children's garden where you can pick strawberry's, plant your own succulents and dig in the dirt. It really is the most wonderful place I have found in San Diego. We love it... and it is only 75 dollars for the entire year. On Tuesdays they have story time and a little sing along it also fits perfectly into our new one nap schedule.

I have taken my flip camera everywhere this week! So you will see a lot of fun new videos. Like.... the beach, the pool, dinner, reading, disney ( taylors new love, you will die! so funny) etc.

Dancing and other stuff...

15 Months

Last week we had out 15 Month Check Up. Here are Peanuts stats.
97% for Height
56% for Weight
91% for Head Circumference

* This picture is a great representation of her melon. Don't they say that most famous good looking movie stars and models have big heads in proportion to there bodies?

Weekend Happenings!

Auntie Caitlin sent Taylor a DVD of the Disney movie The Aristocats. Taylor is obsessed! I have never seen her so captured by anything on tv. I will put it on in 30 minute sets and she will sit with undivided attention. She holds her little white cat, points to the TV and says kitty, kitty

On Saturday we took Taylor to the Wild Animal Park. We had a great time. The animals are so close. I can't believe we have lived here for 3 years and have never been. They give you nectar to feed the birds. This was Taylor's favorite part.

After the bird nipped at her finger.

Feeding the ducks

Of course Daddy took Peanut to pick out a little toy. This process takes forever since he lets her pick up and play with as many as she wants.She picked an Elephant. we named in Kobe after Kobe B from the Lakers. She loves him. This is her she is giving him a hug.On Sunday we went to a BBQ with some friends at Kate Sessions Park. Our friend Kyna took this picture. She is a great photographer! How cute is this little Peanut? At look at those teeth. Her molars are almost in too.
Memorial Day 2008
Memorial Day 2009

Playing with Lucy

We went to another BBQ on Monday. This is her cute festive little outfit.

First Skinned Knees :(