Milo! MooShu Moppet MoppyHead Milo

Corbin and Lana are (relatively) new parents. World, meet Milo:

Happy Heart Day

Lovebugs are very diverse. Some like to sneak in kisses, some hugs... some like soft rubs and some sing poetry of the top of their heads.
This lovebug wants to wish all you other lovebugs out there a Happy Valentines Day. I hope you all find some way of sharing your lovely loviness today because I LOVE YOU!

We're off to Palm Springs for the holiday weekend, so here's a sneak peak at the love that was showered on me in honor of this day...please note, this is a very special bottle of champagne because Mr. Shanahan had it engraved just for moi. Holler! :)

(*Side note: I'm actually not that big on VDay, but since it's Friday the 13th, my luckiest day of the year, I felt inspired to get in the spirit. Wahoo!)

Hanis (pronounced Hay-nus, yes you read that right)

Ok, not fair. The Pronoun Police argue that it's actually Ha (ha ha)-nus.

Regardless, I bring up this spectacular name because Hanis is the executive chef at Kensington Grill and the maker of all culinary dreams come true. Last weekend we had the pleasure of sitting down to a special "Chef's Dinner", six courses prepared just for us with unique selections not on the regular menu. Granted, this restaurant already scores five stars as far as I'm concerned... but this was just... freaking delicious. Corbin and Lana joined us for this big evening because the guys actually finagled the whole thing back in October when they introduced themselves to Hanis at some food and wine event. The best part: they only charged us $25 a person, which is the best recession-friendly deal EVAH considering this is the cost of one typical dish. Just extra niceness on Hanis' behalf. (I even hugged his big sweaty German torso out of extreme gratitude.)

Hello, My Name is Stay at Home Brittany

Soo... I thought I was going to have loads of time to share all over this blog, and alas I do not. Being Duncan's professional dog walker extraordinaire, AND a student of both life and teaching, I find I'm actually very occupied.
I still get up pretty early in the morning (read Confession: I sleep in until 8 am), head out with the Nood for some serious nose-yanking training and lots of treats and then I'm all about business for the rest of the afternoon. Sure, I throw on Gossip Girl in the background, and I make a mean spaghetti lunch almost daily... but I'm all for the school grind. It's so fulfilling. Here's a look at our fancy new lifestyle:

It tastes like blood, you say?

Uhh... I decided to take a note from Top Chef's shenanigans and attempted to cut my thumb off while chopping an onion. I proudly swaddled it in paper towels and finished preparing my marinara sauce like a real trooper. Ok, maybe this is after I warned Mike I was feeling woozy and near fainting status from loss/sight of blood. I am a wuss. A wuss who now has trouble typing. Gah!

Hiatus No More!!

I can't believe how behind I am with posts sans ICW, but I have to say- I am much busier with school than I anticipated.

My last day was very bittersweet, as we all know I was happy to leave the Skink but devastated to say au revoir to some of my favorite people around the office. It's a little bizarre to wake up and hit my dining room table- err, "desk"- at home, instead of sitting in my cubicle.

I'm still getting used to the online format for my classes... I find that it's actually better than sitting in a phycisal classroom in some ways because it's such a collaborative experience. You end up working on discussion boards all day so you really have to stay on top of commentary from the professor and classmates, and you are forced to think out of the box when you respond so you don't repeat what has already been said. Next week, I'll sit in on Kaity's 4th grade class for my first observation- I can't wait!!

Next up on the to-do list: Sign up to take the CBEST test (so I can substitute teach or find a position as a teacher's aide in a Special Ed class), get certified in CPR/First Aid, register my fingerprints for clearance and meet with one million and two advisors over at National.

And here we thought I'd actually have time to pick up my piles around the house ;)

My Famous Dog

Lil D is so popular with all the ladies... because his handsome mug is being featured as the Pet of the Month in San Diego's Downtown News!!

We are practically drowning in marriage proposals from pups like Dolly, down the hall, and girls we don't even know on the street. Paws off, he's a mama's boy!