This is what's dominating my thoughts these days...

This is not just any random selection of social work books. No siree. This is what $350 in grad school books looks like. Four books, two of which are used and in fairly crappy condition. And I'm looking at spending another $200 more for books this semester that I will be ordering online. Don't even get me started on the the decrease in class offerings in combination with the increased tuition. Because those two things together equal a poorer quality of education for California college undergraduate and graduate students statewide. Today is one of those days when I'm wondering whether or not grad school was a good life choice. Feel free to attempt to convince me otherwise...

Entertainment in its Many Forms

This last post is a mishmash of random pictures. Once again, bear with me. If you've made it through the previous four consecutive posts, you can surely grit your teeth through one more. :)

The first pics I have to post are of our new entertainment setup. After venturing down to the campus bookstore this weekend to get my books for Spring semester (which starts in exactly one week, eeek), it became apparent that our poor little bookshelf that we purchased at IKEA a couple years ago, was just not cutting the mustard anymore. When a bookcase becomes so packed with books that books have to be moved to get to the books I really need, it's time for a change. We've been tossing around the idea of buying a new entertainment stand for a long time (remember this post??). Since so many entertainment centers now incorporate full bookshelves, and because our only bookshelf is packed to the brim, we decided that the time was right. Before you say it, I am fully aware of the fact that what we ended up with looks nothing like what I originally wanted. But Pat's not so big on white furniture. And I'm not so big on black, bachelor pad looking furniture. Plus, we purchased a computer desk for me in white over the summer. Marriage is all about compromise, and I think we did a pretty good job of compromising on something we both liked.

I couldn't get a full view picture of the entire setup because the room just isn't big enough for me to zoom that far out.

There are tall bookshelves on each side. (Sorry for the blurriness. Again, I blame the camera, although I do suspect that lighting was an issue in this picture too, due to the glare of the tv and the candle on the coffee table.)

The last few pictures I have to post are of a beautiful sunrise that I woke up to last week. Pictures like this need no introduction. What a beautiful image to wake up to.

Montana spoiled us with beautiful sunrises and sunsets whereas where we live now, these are few and far between. I'm thinking this is because of the fact that there simply aren't clouds around very often (I know, boo hoo, it's a rough life in sunny California, right?). But I caught a glimpse of this the other morning and was able to snap a few quick pics before work. I can't wait until I have a new camera to take these beautiful sunrise and sunset pictures (hint, hint to my hubbs, if you're reading this [I know he is because I always have him read posts right after I clock the 'publish' button. Tricky, tricky.])

Ok, if you have made it through all of these posts in one sitting, I commend you. As of now, you all are caught up in everything new and exciting in our lives. As always, thanks for reading. :-)

A Post that Needs no Introduction

This, folks, is what 14 hours in Disneyland and California Adventure looks like. As I relive the experience through these photos, my feet ache with the pain that can only come from 14 hours of walking.

First thing in the morning, when we were excited and ready to go.

Yes, these are real-life green army men. Kinda creepy, I'm not gonna lie.

Classic Cody, wearing 3-D glasses for the Toy Story ride.

Standing in line for the Indiana Jones ride.

The Paradise Pier roller coaster. Best ride in the park.

Don't let Mickey fool you. This ride will jack you up (Especially if you have motion sickness. Then again, if you have motion sickness, what would you be doing in an amusement park? Logic FAIL).

I took quite a few pictures, but many of them turned out blurry. Pat blames user error. I blame the camera. I'm holding out hope that one of these days Patrick will agree to let me buy this beauty. I've been swooning over this camera for months.

After 14 hours in the park, including 3 meals of overpriced amusement park food, we were completely tuckered out by the end of the day. Even the 2 block walk to our motel seemed too exhausting to handle. Somehow we managed to make it back just in time to pop open a bottle of wine and watch the fireworks. We slept for close to 12 hours that night, before venturing into LA one last time on Sunday to hit the farmer's market and eat the best fish tacos I've ever had. Hollywood Boulevard and Rodeo Drive are overrated. The Los Angeles Farmer's Market is a much better tourist stop if you're really interested in getting a taste of the diversity that exists in this city. Very highly recommended.

My final commentary on Disneyland. If it's really the happiest place on Earth, why do all the parents leaving the park look so miserable? Riddle me that.

Ok, that's it for this post. I'll be writing one final post this evening to bring y'all up to date about the 2010 happs in the Groff household. Thanks for bearing with me through all the rambling.

Beaches and Sun and Handbags, Oh My!

I know I promised a plethora of posts between yesterday and today. My best intentions for this blog have not always come to fruition. But this time, folks, is when I deliver.

As a little disclaimer, I must admit that I learned a major lesson on putting my foot in my mouth during our trip to Southern California last weekend. To give you a little background, Pat had suggested moving to Southern California instead of Northern California when we first started discussing moving away from Montana. I swiftly shot down the suggestion, because of a particularly strong opinion I had about LA (the word I used in reference to the City of Angels is reserved only for mature audiences only). Besides, I thought, Pat has only ever spent time in Huntington Beach and Hollywood. What does he know about Southern California? Truth be told, it would have been a lot harder to make a start in an area with such a drastically higher cost-of-living than we were accustomed to in Montana. However, after having spent the weekend in Santa Monica, Malibu, and Anaheim, my opinion has changed. Drastically. You'll understand when you view the pictures below just how beautiful this area is. Especially Santa Monica and Malibu. It's easy to see why so many celebrities and musicians call this place home. 75*, surfing, Frisbee on the beach, all in the month of January. What's not to like? $1700/month for a studio apartment with no refrigerator. (Yes, I looked on craiglist.) ::gulp:: Oh yeah, that's right. But seeing the smile that crossed my husband's face as we approached the Santa Monica boardwalk was awesome. And you really can't buy that kind of happiness, right? That feeling of freedom and serenity that engulfs you when you're dipping your feet in the water, feeling the cold, wet sand squish between your toes. That, my friends, is priceless. So I fully intend to spend the next 16 months attempting to convince the hubbs to move to Southern California when I'm finished with my masters. I'll let you know how that one works out... In the meantime, here are our pics of Santa Monica and Malibu:

Ahh, refreshing. I never said the water was warm. ;)

Santa Monica Pier

A lovely couple from Texas (who were surprisingly chipper considering their team had just lost the BCS game the day before) offered to take our picture on the beach.

Patrick on the beach.

Happy as a clam after a few beers and a buffalo chicken sandwich at Sonny McLean's, a New England-themed sports bar in Santa Monica. This may be, by far, my best bargaining tool.

The sunset crept up on us as we were driving up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu, so I was forced to take a few pics from the car.

We finally stopped to take a picture at a public beach in Malibu. Incredible. I'm a sucker for a pretty sunset.

There were so many highlights to this trip. However, the best part came during our stroll on Wilshire in Santa Monica after our delicious lunch at Sonny McLeans. There was a designer handbag outlet on the corner that we had driven by a few times that I was dying to go into, if for no other reason than just to do some window shopping. My amazing husband, knowing that I was dying to go check it out, was not only a great sport in offering to venture into the store, but also surprised me by offering to buy me one!!! I have bought many a purse and handbag throughout my 24 years on this Earth, but this one rivals all. I always used to mock people that spent ridiculous amounts of money on a purse. Well now that I own one, I can understand the importance of owning a quality handbag. Without further aideu, allow me to introduce my new purse!

In the days since I've owned this bag, my love for it grows with each new compliment I receive. Perfect size. Perfect color. Perfect bag. Simple as that.

Stay tuned, another post will follow with pics of our main reason for venturing down to SoCal in the first place: DISNEYLAND!!!

And now, some lyrics.

To go along with my recent 90's grunge kick, here are some lyrics from one of my all-time favorite bands. The words of this song seem to fit well with the theme of new renewals and moving past heartbreak. Just when we think we've overcome a really difficult challenge, there's always something else waiting in the wings to test our faith.

If you've never heard this song, click here to hear it.

Wheels by Foo Fighters

I know what you're thinkin'
We were goin' down
I can feel the sinkin'
But then I came around

And everyone I've loved before
Flashed before my eyes
And nothin' mattered anymore
I looked into the sky

Well I wanted something better, man
I wished for something new
Yeah, I wanted something beautiful
I wished for something true
Been lookin' for a reason, man
Something to lose

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)
When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground)
And you feel like it's all over
There's another round for you
When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)

Know your head is spinnin'
Broken hearts will mend
This is our beginning
Comin' to an end

Well, you wanted something better, man
You wished for something new
Well, you wanted something beautiful
You wished for something true
Been lookin for a reason, man
Something to lose

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)
When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground)
And you feel like it's all over
There's another round for you
When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)

To New Beginnings...

Attention all. I have a very important announcement. I have finally overcome my writer's block. I plan to celebrate with a plethora of blog posts within the next 24 hours. So hang onto your pants, this is going to be fun!

What's is the fuel to my creative fire, you ask? 90's grunge music. Laugh if you must. I'm not kidding. What spurred all of this? A book I received as a Christmas present (Scar Tissue by Anthony Kieidis, who is one of the many musical geniuses of my generation. I've been raving about this book for weeks, I could go on and on about the insight I gained from reading this book, so much so that I read it twice in a little over a week. But that's another post for another time). The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and Foo Fighters have been on constant rotation in both my I-Pod and my car. In fact, at the very second I write this, the song "Everlong" is blaring through my speakers, via my 90's grunge Pandora station. :)

Speaking of newfound motivation, I feel as if I have to discuss how much I love this time of year. I'm not huge on New Year's Resolutions (or any other situation in which there is all this societal pressure to set unrealistic goals that ultimately set people up for failure). However, I do love the sense of renewal that happens when one year ends and another begins.

2009 packed a punch. Y'all are fully aware of the health issues we were faced with in 2009. For this reason, 2009 tested our marriage. 2009 was full of life-changing events that were tough on our families, leaving many feeling hurt and angry (to put it mildly). Although I do believe that positive outcomes can come from just about any situation, some relationships suffered permanent damage in 2009, which may or may not be repairable. And that is hard. So I find myself looking to 2010 with great optimism for what the future holds for our little family. 2009 was the very beginning of great things, and I have unwavering faith in the fact that 2010 will be the continuation of these great things, for both us and our families and friends.

In honor of the new year, here are some pics of our New Year's Eve. We spent the evening at a rather low-key party with some close friends. This was the first year since we've been in California that we rang in the new year somewhere other than home (and actually stayed up until midnight, for that matter).

This is my best CA girlfriend, Danielle. Love her! ;)

Happy 2010!

Ahhhh, feels good to be back. :)