Come Fly With Me!

So, we have some pretty exciting news in our little corner of the world! MeLissa has been offered an exciting opportunity to audition with the USS Hornet Big Band as its lead female vocalist. Now wouldn't that be something if she had a successful audition?!

This opportunity flowed out of a recent contact MeLissa made with Mr. Elias Pereda, a talented vocal artist, whom she and Mark met at one of Mark's eye appointments. Mr. Pereda also performs in this band and put in a good word for MeLissa with the conductor. She's really excited about this new opportunity as well as the opportunity to work with Mr. Pereda in the future as she plans her clients' weddings and events.

We promise to keep you updated so that you can come see her perform if everything works out!

Want A Free Website?

We thought some of you might like this little tip! If you sign up now at www.officelive.com, you can put up a business or personal website with a "normal" domain name for free. MeLissa took advantage of this offer yesterday and so we'll soon have another site where we're thinking we'll post additional pictures from our adventures and maybe tell a few silly stories or something. We're still thinking about it.

At any rate, we thought we'd pass along the tip and should you want to take a quick peak at our "vacation home" on the web, www.mark-n-melissa.com is the direct entryway to Roccoland. Come one, come all...but don't expect much - yet! :)

A Taxing Day in San Francisco....

Well, sort of. MeLissa had a class there yesterday on how to use a program that her company will be using to e-file their tax return. All corporations are required to e-file this year and it's causing quite a stir...it doens't help that the IRS can't seem to make up it's mind on how it wants things in many cases.

Mark was also in the city yesterday (and Thursday and even today and tomorrow!) for a class. He's learning the Active Release Technique - a wonderfully effective tissue torture method that has been great for MeLissa. :)

After our classes were let out, we met up at the Gap on Powell and Market streets. MeLissa brought a new friend, Sara, along with her. Sara was in MeLissa's class and was visiting from Minnesota. She was going to be staying in the city that evening so MeLissa asked if she'd like to join in on the latest MeLissa and Mark adventure. She accepted and her presence was an added joy to the evening.

While waiting for Mark, MeLissa and Sara took a short walk down to Union Square. They located the large Williams-Sonoma store there and, against better judgement went inside! Naturally, MeLissa found something she couldn't live without - some adorable spring cookie cutters - there's a butterfly, a frog, a lady bug, a snail and a dragon fly in the set...all adorable!

Once Mark joined us, we ventured across the street to the San Francisco Shopping Center to show Sara the fun escalators. Yeah, this seems rather boring, but it's kind of a cool experience when you first see them (and after a seminar on taxation everything seems so much more amusing!). We rode the escalators up to the very top floor so Sara could enjoy looking down on the "ant people."

After this, we walked over to the Metreon where we introduced Sara to Virtual Bowling. We love virtual bowling! She did, too...and got the hang of it pretty quick. The only "bummer" about the experience was that Mark couldn't really see well enough to play (kind of sad because it shows his vision isn't what it once was), but we "made lemonade" and found a thrilling solution! He and MeLissa played his turns together. He'd use one hand and she used one hand and together they knocked down some pins - what a fun bonding experience! :)

After burning some calories, we were finally ready for dinner. We decided to try one of the restaurants in the Metreon - LJ's Martini Bar. We made an excellent choice! Besides having very tasty food (and lots of martinis which we decided to abstain from since they tend to make MeLissa ill), there was a live jazz band! What a treat to eat an excellent meal with good company, great ambiance and great music. We'll probably treat ourselves to that experience again!

After dinner, we walked Sara to her room and then headed home!

One Year Anniversary....

No, not our wedding anniversary! You mean you've forgotten already that it is on July 31? ;) If so, we'll give you a little hint - there is a count down timer at the bottom of our webpage! Feel free to cheat as much as needed (of course, to do so, you probably need to do some math or have a calendar nearby)!

Today is the one year anniversary of Mark's first retinal eye surgery. On this day in 2005, MeLissa was a bit of a basket case. She wasn't used to this eye surgery "thing" like Mark sort of is. She was scared that the doctors wouldn't be able to help, but she was praying non-stop that they would. She was reminded in the hospital waiting room that day as she conversed with a mother and daughter who were patiently waiting to hear about their husband/father who was having a cancerous tumor removed, that no matter how bleak it seems, there is always someone with worse problems/concerns to deal with.

She forgets this sometimes...not because she doesn't care about anybody except herself, but because she's human. Humans sometimes get caught up in their own drama and forget that there is a whole world out there dealing with drama, too. :) In MeLissa's case, there were some other factors that contributed to this inward view. She's so proud to say that this year, she's made great strides in focusing on others' issues. She's still not perfect, but at least she's grown. :)

Based upon some news we had the other day at Mark's eye doctor appointment, our year-long battle with detached retinas may not yet be over. It appears that a portion of Mark's retina in his right eye (the one that just had the oil removed and that we were hoping would be out of the woods) is slightly detached. The doctor is hopeful that it will not detach further, but if so, it will be back to the operating room for Mark. We are thankful that we have excellent health insurance coverage...we'll make sure to maintain it if MeLissa decides to pursue her wedding and event business full-time.

Speaking of the business, MeLissa received her temporary business cards yesterday. They're quite attractive - pink with a green border and should make an excellent first impression on her guests! She's also been speaking to many graphic and web design folks and hopes to have her print and web plans squared away very soon!

We hope you'll continue to keep Mark in your prayers. He's really been through enough at this point (we both have!) and could use a little respite from surgeries, doctor visits and the added challenges these bring to his educational pursuits (which are going very well!). MeLissa is so very proud of him for being so strong-willed and not letting any of this get him down. And, we're both thankful for the opportunities these struggles have given us to strengthen our bond and craft a marriage and relationship that is sure to stand the test of time. Thank you all for being there for us during this time! :)

Pucker Up, Sweetie!!!

Well, nothing too terribly exciting has been going on with us over the past couple of days. We were heathens for Easter since we're still just not ready to try another church out here....we may never be. That aside, we have been busy.

MeLissa put together her Ikea purchase this past weekend and stocked it full of craft, quilting and other goodies. The guest room looks so much more organized. She also completed the first of a series of courses to attain the status of Professional Bridal Consultant through the Association of Bridal Consultants. Finally, she finished her "mock" website for Winsome Events. It's listed on Google if you're curious, but it's nothing too exciting since MeLissa basically just wanted to have a place to see where the text she'd written would best fit. It's pretty good stuff, we've heard. She's getting close to finding the right web and logo designer and should have an official site soon!

Mark has been busy with classes and shadowing current clinic interns at his chiropractic college. MeLissa loves that he's shaving almost every day and dressing up in professional clothes (business casual suits Mark to a T).

And that brings us to our amusing story of the day which involves Mark and Kumquats -those little baby orange lookin' things. At the grocery store, this past weekend, dear Mark discovered them and was intrigued. MeLissa, who was familiar with the Kumquat, cautioned that she didn't really care for them...and didn't think he'd like them much either, but he just *had* to try them. So, we brought the little cuties (for they are cute even if they taste awful) home and this morning, Mark gave them a sample. If we had only taped his reaction...we don't think he'll be purchasing kumquats again. He was puckering and looking as he would say in pigeon all "fa faced." It was pretty amusing. The moral of this story is...cute fruits and vegetables don't necessarily taste good.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

P.S. Today is Uncle Max's birthday so here's a Happy Day wish to him. Is it a coincidence that his birthday falls on the anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake? We don't think so. He's a sweetie! Please keep us all in your prayers regarding those earth shakes. They scare MeLissa silly and she'd like to get out of California before the next big one hits!

Happy Easter!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter! We ran across a site where you can see baby Bald Eagles hatch and then be cared for by their parents. Pretty neat stuff - right up there with the PG&E Falcon camera. Click the link above for a peek!

Hands-On Training Here She Comes!

Today's post will be primarily about MeLissa, but hang on until the end because we have a fun message for you!

MeLissa had some wonderful news today. There was a misunderstanding recently with her wedding and event planning educational institution regarding whether or not she could actually do her hands-on training. Today,though, the misunderstanding was rectified and so, MeLissa will be receiving her first assignment within the next month! She is very excited!

She is also excited because her wonderful mentor, Helen, generously offered to provide additional training if MeLissa was willing to come to Richmond, Virginia, through her consulting firm. MeLissa is excited to take advantage of this opportunity as well where she will shadow Helen on the day of an event and make sure that a lucky couple has the day of their dreams!

MeLissa has been busy lately with interviewing graphic and website designers to determine which of them will be able to help her create a logo, stationary and website for Winsome Events. She's received a few quotes and is just waiting for a few more to come in before she decides who she'll ultimately go with. At this point, there is a clear winner (a company in the Bay Area), but as she receives more information, this may change!

We don't have a lot planned for this weekend. We're going to put the Ikea storage shelves we purchased last weekend together and then we'll see if we can arrange everything and make the guest room look pleasant.

We'll also be looking for little bunnies like this one who is here to wish you all a Very Happy Easter! Perhaps we'll have to see if we can find some bunny ears for Miss Pixie.


















This picture was taken from here

Minimal but High Quality Excitement.

Other than things related to MeLissa's new business venture, Winsome Events, which we'll touch on toward the end of this post, there isn't a lot of excitement to speak of in the Rocco household.

Mark is on track to finish up his previous quarter - just one more test on Wednesday. He was able to get one grade that was below passing changed to passing once discussing it with his instructor. Apparently, most of the test questions he missed on the final were things that he wouldn't have known since he isn't required to take the x-ray lab class. So that was definitely a highlight of our week. Mark is currently enjoying tagging along some of the school's current interns in preparation for his shot at entering the clinic next quarter - can you believe he's already so close to treating patients? Wow!

We also made our follow up trip to Ikea with our buddies Lisa and Rob. We enjoyed lunch at Red Robin first where MeLissa attempted to reintroduce onions into her diet. They failed with flying colors which wasn't a huge surprise... We picked up the storage solution we'd picked out at Ikea previously as well as some very nice tealight holders MeLissa thinks will make excellent table decorations for either our parties or one of her clients' when the business is up and running.

So, speaking of the business, MeLissa has created another blog where she plans to keep people updated (once she's up and running) about the weddings and events she's planned as well as provide answers to questions regarding weddings and events. She also plans to give information about weddings, consulting services and products that she comes across that she believes would make a real statement at your events (or to help you preserve your memories after in the case of her first recommendation). She's currently writing short articles regarding the myths surrounding wedding and event consultants which you might find interesting. She'd love it if you'd stop by and ask her a question at the Winsome Events Blog.

In other news, she's been actively searching for just the right company/person to create her logo, stationary and website and so far, she has some good prospects. One in particular is right in line with her budget and offers all these services for a reasonable investment. She's been busily writing the text for her site and is really pleased with how it is going so far. We'll let you know once it is up and running.

Mendocino Madness...

We just returned from our latest adventure to Mendocino on the Northern Coast of California. Technically, we stayed in Elk, California...a mighty metropolis of 250 people! There's not a whole lot going on in Elk, folks, but that is exactly what we needed. Here's the detail of our adventure:

We started out on Thursday morning *after* doing something which MeLissa is terribly excited about! She is now, officially, the proud owner of a business! Yes, she obtained her business license for her wedding and event coordination business that morning! Since she also reserved the website address last night, we're pleased to announce that Winsome Events will soon be open for business! MeLissa was pretty giddy on the drive to our destination because it just felt so cool to say she now owns her own business. :)

At any rate, on our way up to Elk, we fell victim to sometimes confusing road signage and exited when we shouldn't have. We decided to ask directions (which is a big thing - MeLissa *hates* asking for directions! And, yes, you read that right - MeLissa not Mark has an "issue" with asking for directions - you've always known we were a unique couple!) We discovered that we had exited to soon, but that there was a lovely scenic drive if we just kept going on the road we were travelling on. Since our kind direction guy indicated that the drive wasn't too much longer than heading back to the 101, we decided to be rebels and take the backroads so that we could experience the breath-taking views it was supposed to provide. Um, not so much as you can see from the pictures here, but we did get to see a vulture eating what appeared to be a dead cow (we didn't get close enough to verify this). Sorry for the blurriness of the photo, but you get the idea (or you will if you click on it - it's a wee bit small).

At any rate, we finally made it out of the foresty area (after what seemed like 3 or 4 hours - way longer than the 101 route!) and found "civilization." Well, sort of, there were a lot of teensy weensy albeit charming towns. In one, Point Arena, we stopped to see the lighthouse and snap a couple of pictures.

We continued on down the road to Elk where our first night's room was waiting at the Griffin House. We stayed in the Gunderson room. It had a charming wood fireplace that we enjoyed very much. This was our "reasonable" room for the weekend, and for the price, it was a nice room. It was nice, too, that it didn't have a TV and our cell phones could not get a signal. It was a great way to force us to relax! This is definitley a benefit of Elk, in general!

We should mention that we truly appreciated the innkeepers' efforts to ensure that MeLissa could actually eat something for breakfast (which they deliver to the room each morning!). That evening, for dinner, we ventured to the Little River Inn where we enjoyed a lovely dining experience. Our server and the manager of the restaurant, took great care to ensure that MeLissa's food was allergy-free as well - we noted that they really are customer-service oriented in this region of California. It was a great meal - MeLissa still thinks of the brussels sprouts she had - they were the tastiest she's had in her lifetime (yes, she actually likes brussels sprouts) and they had the most mellow balsamic vinegar she's ever had also.

The next morning, we had our breakfast and then packed up the car and headed to Mendocino where we hoped to see a whale. We didn't have much luck, but we did catch a glimpse of this adorable seagull (yes, it's the requisite bird picture, folks...you will get used to them!). We also saw (in our rearview mirror) a couple of lovebirds! We even saw an elk (the only elk we saw during our entire trip, in fact!) that looked very much like our dear Mark. This elk came with us to lunch in Ft. Bragg!

We headed back that evening to Elk to check into our posh second room at The Elk Cove Inn & Spa. We madea quick stop at Navarro Point to catch a picture of the sun shining on the water and Mark doing his best J Crew (per Mark) pose.

We were in the lap of luxury in our second room, the Lumbar Baron's room where we slept in the bed that the lumbar company executives would stay in when they came to Elk. Outside of our room was this gorgeous calla lily which MeLissa just had to take a snap shot of.

We took a stroll to the beach to catch some sunset views before returning to the inn for a fabulous dinner which we're still dreaming about at night! Here are a few of the views we

captured:

And here is a view of MeLissa demonstrating the Karate Kid Crane at Mark's request (we couldn't let him have all the silly pictures after all!):

We even have another picture of those lovebirds (and in this one you can kinda sorta see Mark's pupil in his right eye (which is on your left!):

Our dinner was absolutely fabulous! We so highly recommend this inn's restaurant. Not only did they work around MeLissa's allergies, but they did it with flair. We enjoyed an appetizer of shrimp wrapped in prosciutto followed by dinner salads in the best seat in the house. Then, Mark enjoyed sea bass with a cajun creole sauce and these absolutely wonderful polenta frites (which MeLissa has determined to replicate in an allergy free way at home) and MeLissa enjoyed a tender filet mignon with freshly sauteed spinach, these to-die-for mushrooms and smoky baby artichokes. We didn't leave anything on our plates! We finished up with pineapple sorbet for MeLissa and Bailey's Irish Cream ice cream for Mark - both were yummy! Back in our room, we enjoyed a taste of port with chocolates - it was good, but Mark thinks he'll stick with just the chocolate by itself. :) MeLissa also snapped a shot of the shell pendants she'd found in Ft. Bragg at a shell shop for $2 each - what a steal!

The next morning, we enjoyed breakfast with the birdies (sorry! no pictures - the camera was in our room!) in the inn's restaurant. We enjoyed a lot of things, but the oatmeal with chocolate chips was MeLissa's favorite...until her gamble with not asking about the chocolate backfired. It apparently had soy in it. Oops. At least it was worth the slightly "out of it" feeling that ensued. :) We packed up and started for home. On our way, we visited a rock shop where we found many treasures (MeLissa purchased her jewelry quota for the year) and a redwood forest where we snapped some shots of the wildlife that was around and some pretty lovely clover patches - just the thing to make an Irish girl feel welcome! After this adventure, we headed home, but we made sure to stop at the snoopy store in Santa Rosa (across from the Charles Schulz Museum) where we picked up some more "loot."
We returned home to a very needy kitty who has been whining and acting neurotic pretty much non-stop. We figure Pixie will calm down in a couple of days when she figures out we're not going anywhere for too long for a while. Until then, we're not guessing we'll be getting too much sleep around here. So much for the lasting effects of our vacation!