I couldn't help it.

sometimes, against all my efforts not to, i compare myself/my life/etc. to others. mostly, i think, it's because i like the reassurance that i'm up to par. but sometimes, i get really down on myself when i assume, from the looks of things, that someone else has gotten a better hand dealt to them. "better" meaning easier, more stable, more relaxed, more successful, more healthy, more fun, more meaningful, more productive, more social, more private, more fruitful, just overall luckier than me. the past few months have been especially packed with these comparisons and i've even moved on from only comparing myself to others to comparing others with each other and getting really sad for the one that doesn't seem to have the better situation. that's a lot of feeling sorry..... it's making me eat a lot of chocolate which is just as good as it is bad :)

today i realized something about someone who i'd always assumed had the "better" situation than most and the reality is that she doesn't. far from it actually and i got so angry with myself for 1. not realizing this sooner so that i could maybe help 2. holding this assumption against her for years.

the truth is that what i may consider "better" is subjective and i really shouldn't be so hard on myself! so i'm making a new year's resolution now (along with exercising more, losing weight, yada yada yada) that i will curb the comparisons and make lemonade with the lemons instead of feeling sorry that they're not pomegranates. lemonade has its own benefits and pomegranates have their own season and i'll eat many a pomegranate along the way as they come my way and i've enjoyed plenty already to be thankful for!

i'm not sure if this post will make sense next time i read it but oh well...

Giving Thanks

i couldn't find the cord to my camera for the longest time and my poor photos were held hostage. i found it today!!!

we went to Gridley for thanksgiving with the Dolans. it was fantastic. we had such a great time! the dinner was delish, and the whole time was a much needed relaxing time with the family. here are some pictures of our time there....

Mom and Dad's Golden Anniversary

My Mom and Dad celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last saturday. We went to a persian restaurant that had live music and belly dancers. the boys had a fantastic time :)

50 years!!! they've been the the king and queen of their castle for most of their lives, making their own rules and setting their own standards for how to raise their 4 kids and live their lives. they're each other's favorite person. they have inside jokes and the same sense of humor. they've always put their children's wellbeing before their own and have had each other's backs against anything that the world has thrown at them. not a single one of us kids (and plenty of other friends and family) would be where we are today if it weren't for my parents's sacrifices and support. they've collected 50 years of stories and memories that we get to enjoy, some more often than others. here's to another 50 years full of adventure :)

Marriage Q & A

i saw this on someone else's blog and thought it'd be cute to write all this down.... it's extremely corny but whatever.

1. when is your "marriage" anniversary? "engagement" anniversary?

we were engaged on 3/11/2006 and got married on 7/15/2007

2. where/how did you meet your spouse for the first time?

we met at Starbux where i was a barista and he came in with his friend to get a frappuccino :) i asked for his name to put on the cup as i did with all customers and when he came in for a second round (an hour later so he could talk to me) i remembered his name and he was flattered :) then he started coming in every day, sometimes not even buying a drink and then i was flattered...... :)

3. how long have you known your spouse:

this is our 7th christmas together.

4. how long did you date/court before you were engaged?

a year and half. way too fast but you gotta do what you gotta do.

5. do you have any children:

nope.

6. do you have any house pets:

we have a fish. that's as far as i'll ever go. pets belong outside, not on our couches. and we both hate the smell of dogs/cats indoors. when we were house hunting, he wouldn't step foot in a place where the previous owners had pets.

7. what are some of your favorite activities together:

going to starbucks count? we do this anytime we can't think of what to do... and watching late late night shows together....

8. do you have a favorite vacation spot:

we've been on some awesome vacays together but the one that we always want to do again is Hawaii. it was just so perfect. we hiked the diamond head, snorkeled in Hanauma Bay. spent a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. went to fancy dinners. we both want a re-do.

9. where was your first date?

First official date was dinner at Firestones in SLO and a movie (dodgeball).

10. when did you first kiss?

at a gazebo over the ocean in Pismo Beach. later that was the place he proposed :)

11. who said i love you first?

HE DID!!! by accident of course. i asked one of those loaded questions like "what would you do if i lost all my teeth" and he said "i'd love you anyway.. i mean, um, you'd still be cute."

12. did you get married in a church?

nope. we had a traditional persian ceremony, in english....

13. do you get flowers often?

i used to get them ALL THE TIME! just randomly. i still get them once in a while. he's a romantic...... sometimes.

14. where did you go on your honeymoon:

HAWAII!!!

15. how long did you know each other before you started dating?

2 weeks. dated 3 years before getting married tho.

16. what do you call each other most of the time?

babe.

17.when did you each meet the other's family?

i met his family when he took me to Gridley to attend a friend's wedding about 3 month after we had started dating. he met my family around the same time. he met my brothers and sister first then my parents a while after.

18. which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?

we NEVER have a day off together. EVER! i have wendesday/sat/sun off and he has thurs/fri's off. and we work opposite shifts too so we see each other every night from midnight till 8:30 am.

19. did you go to the same school?

nope.

20. are you from the same home town?

nope.

21. who is smarter?

we're equally genius :)

22. who is more sensitive?

me probably.

23.where do you eat out most as a couple?

either sushi at this place by our house or pizza my heart :)

24. what attracted you about him/her first?

he's REALLY polite and a gentleman. still opens the door for me and walks on the street side of the sidewalk.

25. who is more social?

me. i can make friends anywhere. he's pretty social too but mostly with people he knows well.

26. who is more clean???

i'm more clean, he's more tidy. there's a huge difference.

28. who hogs the bed?

he does.

29. who wakes up earlier?

he does. even on his days off.

30. what are his favorite things and her favorite things?

Scott: music. jimmy fallon. burgers/pizza/fettuccine alfredo/sushi. his guitars/amps/recording stuff. ANDY!!!

Tabi: tabloids. boots. persian food. award shows. old home videos. art history. awesome fonts.

Giants and the elections....

i'm watching the parade in SF right now and it's so amazing!!! i'm jumping on the fan wagon and am so excited! i learned a little about baseball this year and even got a little teary eyed when Wilson got that last strike. he's so the man :) i kinda wish i was in SF right now..... cuz, man, we beat the WHOLE WORLD, right!!! ??

so the elections.... um, please don't be offended by this, it's just my opinion. no one has to agree.

yesterday was election day. California did good. the rest of the country, not so much. but here's hoping this will restore the balance in Washington and allow the president to get some work done. maybe the Republicans having the House will mean that they'll be more cooperative and not out to just disagree for the sake of disagreeing. and maybe more decisions will be made instead of bickering. maybe if they know that they're part of the solution, everyone will stop and listen to the other side and make decisions per issue, not per party affiliation. i think the politicians are forgetting why and for whom they're in office.

i'm just happy that in the last year and half, we've been able to re-finance our home that's lost so much value. i'm happy that 2 out of 3 good friends that i know in the military are now home with their families. i'm happy that we will qualify for health insurance regardless of our pre-existing conditions. these were some of the promises that got obama into office, right? he's done good for me so far.

i think it's so great that the country has become so politically aware. so many people care now. we don't all agree but we're free to express our concerns directly to the people that represent us. that's what happened yesterday. i just hope that we all find a way to put aside our party affiliation inclinations and look at each issue independent of who's proposing it. Let's not be so suspicious of the other side's "agenda" just because it's coming from the "other side". let's have a little faith in our constitution. it's really well written! let's be positive and find some common ground :)

go GIANTS!!!

pumpkin...

we carved a pumpkin for the first time ever since we met in 2004. like i said, i'm not too into halloween but this year we thought, we'll carve a pumpkin, what's the big deal?

it turned out nice. we left it outside overnight and the next day it was completely demolished. i didn't know squirrels liked pumpkin so much....

no pictures of the disaster. it was just too sad...

Rainy night at home :)

finally!!!! it's been raining all day and tonight i've had a completed to-do list, which never ever happens and i'm chilling in my pj's under a blanket watching my favorite disney movies back to back! in true tabi nature, i feel like i'm wasting time and that i should be DOING something but i'm forcing myself to relax and not worry about how i could have spent my free evening more productively. i just finished watching Cinderella and i'm about to start Pocahontas.

my all time favorites (Aladdin and the Little Mermaid) weren't available but i'm still happy. i've been wanting to do this since our disneyland trip :)

also, taji comes back tomorrow!!! i hear she's got 6 dvd's full of her adventures in the motherland :) can't wait!

summer ended?

oh man, where the heck did it go? i'm not ready for fall yet. everyone's so excited about the fall and halloween and i still wanna hang out by the pool. halloween is definitely not one of my favorite holidays. i don't know, maybe because i don't get or give presents. or maybe because i can't commit to a costume idea in time to actually pull it off. or probably because all i want to do in this weather is to sit at home in my pj's and fluffy slippers.... for some reason, however, i'm so in the mood to start my christmas shopping!!!

summer of '10 was fabulously packed! my parents went back to iran for a few months and then my sister took off for iran for a few weeks. scott and i work opposite shifts (me 9 - 7:30, him 3-11) so we barely see each other, so i've been a little lonely without my family around cuz when my parents and my sister are here, i see them almost every day. but that's ok cuz taji's having a blast in iran and will be back in 10 days. i've talked to her a few times and every time she gets into a juicy story and stops herself and says "omg, there are so many details i don't wanna miss... i'll tell you the whole story when i come back!" she's faithfully documenting every step she takes. she's filmed every stroll down the street, every yummy dinner/dance party and every family gathering that lasts till the sun comes up. i'm missing out on a ton :( i got the first batch of pictures from her today and it's so weird seeing her in them with family and relatives we haven't seen in 15 years!

our summer included lots of family time like our awesome Disneyland vacation with scott's family. we had SUCH a good time. we spent about 14 hours at California Adventure and a good 16 hours at Disneyland the next day! we for sure got our money's worth :) we stayed at the Fairfield Inn Disneyland Resort and even squeezed in some pool time in between our long park days. Sandy had us over for dinner the first night we were there and we surprised scott's mom with a birthday cake. overall it was one fantastic vacation.

also spent lots of time at the pool and with friends. lots of little get togethers and dinner parties. scott's friend, smith and his family came to visit us and we had a blast with them and their baby! she's one social butterfly! she sang to us all the way to SF and back :) so now the possibility of one day having children isn't that scary thanks to the smith family! please come visit again or just send us your baby :)

here are just some random pix of our summer....