WINNING!

Soon I'll be living like a winner too. 

Charlie Sheen's catch phrase isn't something usually associated with me. I can lose your money in a casino so fast, you might as well just hand it all over to the bouncer before stepping inside. The only time I've won anything was was when I was eight, and I got a $25 gift card for winning a Safeway coloring contest. I was so ecstatic, that my dad has me on film running around the house screaming, "I won 25 smackers!"

Well lady luck was certainly on my side last week. It all started when I emailed a blogger at Seattle Metropolitan for a chance to win tickets to the Voila Wedding Show. I was ecstatic to find out that I was indeed the winner of these two free tickets (even if the total value was only $18), that I even told the blogger, "That's awesome! I never win anything!"

I attended the show with my future mother-in-law. She must be my lucky charm, because she helped me enter all the raffles and insisted there was a technique to folding the entry just right.

I entered all the contests my little heart desired and didn't think anything else of it. I already won the tickets there, wasn't that all the luck that was in store for me?

Well to my surprise, I got an email yesterday saying (drum roll please) that I had one the grand prize drawing, which was a free night's stay at the swanky hotel the show was held in! I was ecstatic! Free wedding night hotel - oh yeah! It's beautiful and the rooms look over Lake Washington.

But wait- there's more!

At the show, I was at a jeweler's booth, eyeing this beautiful wedding band that I didn't know I wanted until it entered my line of sight (oh and a ring for Fiance, I guess). Well, guess who just got a call with the news that they won a $50 gift certificate to the shop? Oh yeah! This guy! Free bling bling!!

My best friend was just telling me how luck happens in three's. Well, she was right!

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but take your mother-in-law with you anytime you have a chance at winning anything. Debbie, it's time to go play some Mega Millions!

Bowser and Chika's Cupcake Royale Adventure

What do you mean I'm a handful?

My favorite bakery hosts cupcake happy hour, where they sell a six-pack of cupcakes for the price of three. This joyous occasion only lasts for two hours, and is never on a consistent day, so you gotta go when they  announce it on their facebook page.

The magical words appeared online earlier this week, and because I swear they sprinkle crack into their baked goods, I've developed an insatiable addiction and had to go immediately. I had 30 minutes left before the deal ended. I didn't have time to force Chika into her crate, so I quickly threw the pups in the back of the car and sped off to the closest location 15 minutes away. Oh I wish I would have ignored the ad just this one time.

Chika and Bowser whined the entire ride there. Neither of them is too thrilled about the car. In fact, a car ride for them is as enjoyable as going to the lady doctor for me.

Once we got there, with only minutes to spare, they were out of the one flavor I had my heart set on. Strike one.

I got the rest of my weekly fix in a box, and got back in the car. I didn't get a mile down the road when I heard the dreaded sound of a puppy puking. I was driving our nicer vehicle so I immediately pulled over, knowing how meticulous my fiance likes to keep it.

I stopped to find what I feared the most: both puppies eating Chika's barf. It was all over their leashes, their harnesses and the door. I was trying not to freak out but I wasn't really doing a good job at it.

I had pulled into some decrepit apartment complex, and scooped the barf into the parking lot with the only plastic bag I seemed to have. The barf didn't really seem out of place there; it seemed expected in a complex of that caliber.

Luckily we had a seat cover in the back, so I cleaned it off as best as I could. With only one plastic bag, it got gross pretty quickly. I covered the rest of the backseat with the Mexican blanket.

Neither dog wanted to get back in the car, so their nasty, pukey leashes were getting all over me and my hands as I tried to wrangle them.

Once I finally got them in the car and got back on the road, Bowser decided to jump in the front seat with his pukey leash like a bad boy. I'm driving and screaming at him to get in the back, and of course, he is deciding to pull typical Shiba behavior and ignore me.

And then my damn foot cramped up. The worst it has ever cramped. It killed to push the clutch in, and then I hit rush hour. Strike fifteen. Murphy's Law just exploded in a matter of 30 minutes. All that for a box of $10 cupcakes.

Once I got home, I immediately devoured a cupcake out of stress. Oh well. At least Chika's so cute that she made The Daily Puppy today! She's internet famous!

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but no amount of cupcakes will negate car sick pups.

Cliffs Notes on Being Sleep Deprived and Drinking Wine

This bottle of cab quite literally had my initials on it. And it was worth the $10 extra I normally wouldn't spend on a wine (This $12 bottle is quite the deviation from my two-buck-chuck-filled rack. And dammit, I deserve it!). 

As you can tell, due to my lack of updating, life has been extremely busy. Since creativity has run dry and time is lacking, you will be graced with a cliff notes version of why I am running on E and using vino to refuel.

I went to Puerto Rico for a work trip last week! My photos are going to make it look like I was out vacationing, but these are the few I shots I can share that aren't work-related. While I was waking up at the equivalent of 2 a.m. PST everyday to start interviewing (I barely got to relax -- a true bummer), I got to see some amazing places, like El Castillo de San Cristobal. A "garito" is shown above, one of the sentry boxes that troops would use to spot enemy ships in the Atlantic. I also met some truly inspiring people, and got a chance to see a lot of the island in the short time I had. It was seriously one of the most beautiful and serene places I've ever been. Which is why I'm going back to explore the rest (one day)!

I also got to hike in El Yunque, the rain forest, which has a deep spiritual significance to Puerto Ricans. I guess not relaxing wasn't all that bad.

I had to celebrate the five minutes I did get on the beach by commemorating it with this photo. I got really self-conscious reading this book since I was traveling solo for part of my trip. Passersby probably thought I was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Or that I was crazy because I couldn't stop laughing while reading it. I think Mindy Kaling is the Indian version of me. I was blown away by how much her life story resembled mine, all the way down to the Sound of Music re-enactments she did as a child. I recommend reading it while drinking a pina colada!

I also recommend getting a makeover to look like a true Boricua (the term for a native Puerto Rican)! Minus the stupid face. It was fun, but way more makeup than I'm used to wearing. 

  

In puppy news, Chika is on day three of being accident-free. Woohoo! Training the pups has been very time-consuming and my body is actually getting used to running on 5 hours of sleep and no more. 

 
Wedding planning is taking somewhat of a back seat only because it has to. My attention is split in so many directions, including planning events for my sister's wedding, that the last thing I really care to think about are headcounts and food. Although I do keep bringing home amazing cupcakes from Cupcake Royale (like the above Whiskey Maple Bacon...oh yeah. These are turning me into a frostitute). This bakery has been keeping me sane (but not skinny). 

 
Speaking of cupcakes, Weight Watchers has also been on the back burner too. Oops. Sorry Jennifer Hudson.  

Can you believe that's Bowser as a puppy? He looks like Chika. He's gotten so huge!

In more puppy noticias, I came home yesterday to find poop and diarrhea all over our house. My poor Bowsie got the equivalent of doggy food poisoning again. We're not quite sure what did it, but we did give him a pig ear for the first time the night before. It may have been that. I'm just glad it didn't take 4 hours to clean up and that the couch was spared (unlike last time). All I can say is, God bless the Bissel Spot Bot. 

Work has been super hectic, and staying on top of assignments is becoming quite the challenge, so I feel like I never escape the "go, go, go" mentality whether I'm at home or at work. Life just got a tiny bit insane. But hopefully it'll all calm down soon.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but I'm going to quit writing so I can enjoy my glass of wine. Less blog, more wine!