Wednesday List Wish – St. Patty’s Stache

Wednesday List Wednesday – St. Patty’s Stache

As you can imagine, I am WAY behind on WLW products.  With Christmas, Birthdays, Easter and St. Patrick’s Day come and gone, the mustache goodness overfloweth.

So, for the sake of theses staches, let’s pretend it’s March… March 17th to be exact.   Allow your mind to fill with images of leprechauns, pots o’ gold and a Guinness or two…

But, alas!  Something is missing… Something fuzzy, green and undeniably useful…

A mustache on a stick!

Steve’s sweet mom found this beauty and was kind enough to send it our way.  As the card says, the possibilities are endless!

And now to see it in action:

Lookin’ good there, Steve-O!

A BIG thank you to Steve’s mom for making our St. Patty’s Day ‘stached special.

It’s never too early to prepare for next year.  Get your own here!

Can’t remember why we’re doing Wishlist Wednesdays?  Click here.

Ryan Gosling, please don’t read this post.

We all do it.

We fear know our online pictures are going to be viewed by hundreds of people (including long lost friends, exes, co-workers, frenemies, casting directors, Ryan Gosling and/or the Obama’s) . As such, we carefully choose our photos, hoping they reflect the fun, sexy beast we really are (without making it look like we have carefully chosen these photos to reflect the fun, sexy beast we may or may not be). I am guilty of this. You are guilty of this. And it’s OK.

Today, however, I am going to buck that tradition. Today, I am going to post the most awkward picture I think Steve and I have ever taken* for the sake of showing you a mustache magnet on a brew-making device.

On Saturday morning Steve and I woke up, drove the Bustache to work-out and then asked ourselves, “What can we do to sabotage all of that working out we just did?”

The answer came to us in resounding clarity – “Drink beer from 1:30p until 8:30p.”

OK. It’s not quite as bad as it sounds.

First – only one of us drank beer from 1:30p – 8:30p. As the DD, I did my part by drinking 3 bottles of Dr. Pepper and eating (absolutely DELICIOUS) Korean-taco truck food. And to be fair… We are getting kinda of old now, so there was a lot of breaks in the beer drinking and cups of water consumed in between.

Second – there was an occasion. It was the 2nd Anniversary of a local micro-brewery… no, actually, even smaller than that… a NANO-Brewery, Cismontane Brewing Company. And since it is OC founded and itty-bitty, we were really just doing our part to support the local economy and the growth of small business. You’re welcome, America.

Third – we didn’t go by ourselves. We were joined by a friend couple who, among other things, constantly reminded us that all male/female relationships are pretty much the same (another post on this coming soon). And, more importantly, validated our decision to drink beer for 7 hours straight (see above about the current definition of “straight”…).

See? Not so bad.

Near the end of the day, we found a mustache attached to some sort of brew-making device. And we decided we must document it.

This is what happens when you try to take a picture after drinking beers from 1:30p – 8:30p.

• Using an iPhone camera proves to be too much of a challenge, and you get photos like this:

• When you find someone to work the camera for you, you proceed to take an awkward picture:

Please, just look at the mustache. Please don't notice my crossed-eyes, lopsided boobs and Steve. Seriously, stop looking at my boobs.

Don’t believe me? You obviously need the close-up version:

With that, I have done my public service for today and have proven my love for mustaches has no bounds. Happy Monday!

P.S. This post only further solidifies The Bustache Blog as the leading search result for “VW Bus Boobies.” Hooray!

*Truth be told, this is NOT the most awkward picture of Steve and me. I have others… My vanity does have some limits.

**I just sent this to Steve to see if it was OK to post (“Too much beer and boobies?” I asked), and he thinks this picture is actually cute. I still don’t want Ryan Gosling to see it.

When Imaginary Friends Become Real

Did you know my first imaginary friend was a snail named Seemi?  Unless you are a member of my immediate family, I bet you didn’t.

Geez, I was a weird kid. (But apparently incredibly clever – an imaginary friend named “Seemi” (pronounced “See me”!?!) HA!  I am a genius and didn’t even know it!).

Anyway, Seemi hung around for awhile, but as the case with most imaginary friends, was eventually replaced by real friends… friends with legs and arms generally much less slime.

But when I grew older, something really awesome happened – imaginary friends came back!  These friends, however, didn’t live in my imagination as much as they lived in my computer.  They made comments on my blog.  “Liked” me on Facebook.  Followed me on Twitter.  They connected with me via The VW Camper Family.  We learned about each others lives and bonded over our common interests – all through the magic of social media.

And then one day… these friends went from living in my computer, to living in REAL LIFE (and driving buses to boot)! It happened on a sunny SoCal Sunday in January…

Here’s proof (note – all photos are courtesy of VW Bus Club California.  Go like it on Facebook!):

Me with my imaginary friends! See, I told you so! :-(D

Red Bus - This bus owner (Steve) got Red Bus when he was a teenager as his first car ever. He has now had it for 17 years! So cool!

Green Go

The Orange Crush Bus (a real beauty!)

Lucy, the Pink Bus!

I love this picture of the Bustache! Lookin' rather majestic, isn't he?

And one more photo for good measure… cuz there’s nothing cuter than VW buses and kids with ‘staches, no? (Plus, check out the photo over Bustache’s left shoulder… pretty awesome coincidence, huh!)

The Bustache is a hit with the kiddos!

We are very much looking forward to hanging out with our new real-life friends again soon.  Camp-outs?  Shows? Cruisin’?  The possibility are endless.

Want to join in the fun and become real too?  Click here and become a member of the SoCal Campers!

Can we be friends? Again?

Ummm….

Hello.  My name is The Bustache Blog, and I have been neglected for much too long.  I do believe it is time to change this sad fact of life.

Yesterday evening, I was sitting on the couch, getting ready to catch-up on yet another neglected area of my life – Mad Men (Don’t worry Don, you are never far from my thoughts!), when Steve walked in and asked, “Do you know what today is?”

“April 25th?  Hump Day? Mad Men watching day?  Don Draper Appreciation Day?”  I answered.

“WISH LIST WEDNESDAY!” Steve replied.

“…Oh.”  Way to ruin Don Draper Appreciation Day,  Babe.

You see, I am an avoider.  It’s a HORRIBLE trait.  I really hate it about myself and am always actively trying to work on it.  But my first inclination is always to “wish it away” before I try to address it.

This happens in a lot of areas in my life – When the battery on my laptop died, I just hoped it would magically recharge itself so I wouldn’t have to figure out how to order a new one.  That was almost 3 years ago.  My laptop is really just a sleek looking desktop now.

Or when I had a strange looking freckle on my forehead (and, not to mention, a history of skin cancer in my family) it took me 6 months to finally make an appointment with the doctor.  (It turned out to be benign, but still – unacceptable).

And this blog – I’m afraid it too fell victim to this weakness.  I just hoped one day I would log-on and posts would start writing themselves… that all of the things going on in our lives would appear witty word by witty word with flattering, artsy, Instagram photos to match.

Obviously that didn’t happen.  And I would bemoan to my wonderful and supportive partner, Steve, “I really really need to start writing again.”

And Steve would say, “Yes. Yes you do.”

And I would say, “STOP PRESSURING ME!  WHY DO YOU ALWAYS PRESSURE ME?  FIRST YOU MAKE ME BUY A NEW LAPTOP BATTERY.  THEN YOU FORCE ME TO MAKE A DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENT.  AND NOW YOU’RE BLACKMAILING ME INTO WRITING A BLOG!”

And then Steve would shake his head, and quietly remind me, “You love writing.  You love the Bustache and Westi and VWs and me.  This fact is not going to go away.”

Steve?  An avoider? Obviously, not so much.  He’s a “let’s figure this out and get it done” kind of guy.  This is why he is really really good for me.  But this is also why comments like the one above really really annoy me.  Because I know he is right.  And I am wrong.  I really really hate it when I am wrong.

At the same time, I am trying to be an adult these days.  It’s hard, but admitting when you are wrong is part of this whole growing up thing.  So here I go…

Stephen, my love, although your remarks last night put a bit of a damper on the shenanigans happening at Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Price, I concede to your wisdom.  You are right.  I love writing this blog.  I love writing it when no one reads it.  I love writing it when only my mom reads it.  And I love writing it when lots of people read it.

Since I’m on a roll … To you, gentle reader (AKA Mom & Dad) – I know I’ve been MIA lately, but can we be friends… again?  I promise not to avoid you anymore.  I might not write out of laziness, but I can promise that I won’t not write out of avoidance.  (And if you can decipher/understand that last sentence, extra mustaches for you!) :-(D

If you care to come back, upcoming posts include:

• Online VW Friends become real life friends.
• Something happens to me that I NEVER thought would happen.
• NEW PILLOWS!
• How in the heck is it possible for men to run the CIA?
• Life with an Engineer… as glamorous as it can get.
• More Mustache Merchandise than you can handle!
• Washington, camping, tutus and more!

See you tomorrow, Amigo?

If Only I was More Like a Dog

Steve is out of town on a business trip.

In Paris.

PARIS.  Insert sad/jealous/bitterbuttryingtobehappyforhim face.  :-$

(Note – in case  you are a stalker, may I remind you that my cross-fitting, 6’2″, MALE roommate is still in the house.  And I have a scary 85 lbs dog who will, at the very least, get slobber all over you with incessant licking.  And I have Carole from YesWeCanCampervan visiting (another post about that coming soon).  I’m certain, among her many talents, is the proficient knowledge of Karate.  SO, in case you were thinking about taking this opportunity to kidnap me, think again.  I am in good company and well protected.)

When Steve’s gone more than a night, Westi seems to sense my loneliness (I doubt this has anything to do with me walking aimlessly around the house whining, “I’m soooo looonelyyyyy.”).

She becomes very attached, following me EVERYWHERE.  Kitchen – check.  Laundry Room – check.  Bathroom – check.  She rarely leaves my side.

It is nice.  It is comforting.  It is very cute.

One of the only perks about Steve’s absence is that I get to sleep with Westi, in our bed, all night long.  Normally, this is impossible due to the fact that our bed is not the size of the moon.  A queen does not come close to accommodating 2 adults and a beast.

Take this scene as proof of point:

Were does Sierra go?

But they are cute, aren't they?

When Steve isn’t taking up his side of the bed, Westi and I can*just* fit.  She curls up in “little” ball, snuggles up against me, and we drift-off into a nice sleep. Well, at least I do.  Because it seems that after I enter dreamland, Westi exits the bed in preference for her mat on the floor.  I, mean, it’s a nice mat and all, but compared to my Temperpedic-ed, down-comforted, pillow-infested bed?  I can’t help but feel a little rejected.

I have no idea why she jumps off.  Maybe it’s because she gets too hot?  Or maybe she wanted more space?  Or she doesn’t like the way I smell (it’s not my fault her favorite place to nuzzle is my armpit)?  Regardless, this is what happens when I awake to find her missing.

I loudly whisper, “Westi!  You come here right now.”  And then, within 5 seconds, Westi hops back onto the bed, licks my armpit and snuggles right back up against me.

We repeat this 2-3 times a night.  And, not once, does Westi ignore me or refuse to join me on the bed.  And not once does she act like this is an inconvenience or that she is anything but happy to make me happy.  Dogs are the best.  Way better than me.

This is especially apparent when I compare her reaction and devotion to mine just 3 short days ago.

The night before Steve left for PARIS,  we crawled into bed, and I began reflecting out loud about how much I was going to miss him.  And, would he miss me?  And what kind of presents was he going to bring back?  And then I snuggled up next to him and held his hand while he read his Kindle, and I proceeded to drift off to sleep trying to enjoy our last night together.  That was until 1.5 hours later when I suddenly realized I hadn’t really ever been able to get to sleep because Steve was still awake, reading his Kindle with the light on.

I am a very light sleeper.  It doesn’t take much to disturb my slumber.  And when I awoke from my restless attempt to snooze, I was no Westi.

“Are you going to bed soon?” I snapped.

“Why are you still awake?” Steve asked.

“You know I can’t sleep with the light on.  Are you going to bed soon?” I grumped.

“Yes.”  Steve said.

And then I laid there for probably only 2 minutes (but it felt like 20), waiting for him to turn off the light, progressively getting angrier and more annoyed.

Finally, I sat up and growled, “Just go down-stairs if you are going to keep reading.”

“OK.” Steve sighed.  “Sorry.”  And downstairs he went.

Awesome example of me being a devoted and loving girlfriend, if I do say so myself.  Way to enjoy the final hours of us being together, huh?  I am sure Steve was REAL sad to leave for another continent the next morning.  I rock.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Try to be more ‘Godlike.’”  Well, after this week, I am going to try to be more “doglike.”  Hopefully, I can take a few cues from my canine companion, and learn how to be a little sweeter, less grumpy and a A LOT more happy to just be with the ones I love.

I will not, however, nuzzle Steve’s armpit.  Line has got to be drawn somewhere.

What do you think?  Any other traits of your animals you wish you could genuinely embody?  Have you ever been to Paris?

(P.S.  Note to stalkers – More bad news.  I actually wrote this post on Monday, but didn’t get it up until today.  Steve just got back into town, so just another reason your kidnapping efforts should be rethought.)

Happiness is Valeting the Bustache

This Valentine’s Day I found love, happiness and salvation.

This is what happened.

Last week, I wrote this post.

Two days later, I called my mom, and she said the post made her sad. After all the years she spent making me (and her other children) feel special on February 14 and instilling the importance of expressing our love… She hoped Steve and I would do SOMETHING for Valentine’s Day. Oh, and my Valentine’s Day Box was in the mail.

Five minutes later, I felt guilty (there is no more effective guilt than mom induced guilt).

One hour later, Steve and I made reservations at a fancy restaurant for February 15th. Love expressed.

Last night, we dressed-up all snazzy and climbed into Bustache. We drove down the PCH (in the rain!) and ended up at one of Orange County’s most famous restaurants, Mastro’s. Because we were driving a VW Bus in the rain, we were 10 minutes late. Because we were driving a VW Bus in the rain and were 10 minutes late, we splurged for valet. Happiness is watching Bustache be valeted. Trust me.

(Mental image – Bustache pulling up to the Valet. The Valet politely trying to open my door. Me shaking me head through the window at him. Opening the door for myself explaining, “You can’t open the passenger door from the outside.” Then Steve chiming in, “And you can’t open the drivers side door from the outside if it’s locked.” And then me offering, “Yes. The only door you can unlock and open from the outside is the sliding one.” 17-year-old valet guy looks worried. Off we go.)

We went inside and proceeded to eat the best steak we’ve ever had. Ever. (Even though it probably cost more than it would have to buy our own cattle ranch, birth some calves, raise them, feed them, slaughter them, prepare them, and cook them.)

We also ate lobster garlic mashed potatoes. (Yes, you read that right. They take a WHOLE lobster, and carefully mix it in with the garlic mashed-potatoes.)

And then, we ordered the BUTTER CAKE. Folks, this happened in California. Southern California. Where we (call each other “Folks”) and eat desserts like “Flax-seed crisps served with Elderflower gelato and a wheat-grass garnish” while trying to convince ourselves that doesn’t taste like dirt. “How earthy,” we say. “The flavors are just so clean!”

I am sorry Californians, but we have been lying to ourselves. BUTTER & SUGAR ARE THE ONLY WAY TO PRODUCE A TRUE DESSERT. I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT, AND I’LL NEVER BE ABLE TO GO BACK. I SOLD MY SOUL TO THE BUTTER CAKE. BUTTER CAKE = HEAVEN. BUTTER CAKE = SALVATION.

Thank goodness for Mom guilt.

Fun with Search Engines

One of the fun perks of having a blog is that, among your daily statistic reports, you get to see the kind of terms people searched the internet for before they landed on your little piece of the web.

Usually, this is helpful information provided to the blogger demonstrating how people come upon your website and what popular terms might lead them there.  It encourages us to use proper tagging for premium SEO (search engine optimization) results.  I usually get a lot of ”mustache (insert noun here)” or “vw camping” or, surprisingly, “emperor tamerin monkey” (from this post).

Occasionally, however, instead of being informational, this feature just makes me worried.  Take today’s “Search Engine Terms” list for example:

Notice anything strange?

In case the subtlety was too much for you:

Oh no.

I mean, really!?!  How did this happen!?!  How did searching ”VW Bus” and “boobies” result with my blog being listed?  And what was this person trying to find, anways?

And then, I remembered.  When I wrote this piece I used both of the terms listed above… in the SAME post.  Now, my blog will forever be linked with “VW Bus Boobies” enthusiasts!  Oh, the horror!!!

Actually, now that I think about it, there are much worst things to be associated with.  Besides, imagine how pleasantly surprised these unsuspecting “VW Bus Boobies” searchers will be when they are greeted with a picture of this:

Well hello there!

I guess this is just Bustache, doin’ his part, to make this world a better place.  :-(D

 

Update to Kiddos Quandary

After yesterday’s post, you might be worried that Steve and I will never have children because they are really needy and get in the way of my frozen-yoghurt eating.

But I have good news!  We can now be cool with having kids!

Why? 

Because I found this (Thanks, Gus the VW Bus!):

How awesome, right!?!

And, since it doesn’t come in a queen-bed size and Westi can’t climb ladders, I guess we’ll have to have babies in order to get one.

And the coolest part?  It’s DIY!  Click here for all the steps and instructions.

My only criticism is it needs more pillows.   (OMG! I never thought of that!  The more kids we have, the more beds we’ll need, the MORE PILLOWS I CAN BUY!!!  Bring on the babies!!!)

Love is Like a VW Bus

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and that got me thinking…

Steve and I don’t celebrate an anniversary.  We’ve been together 7ish years (see, I don’t even know how long… no anniversary to help me keep track!), and we’ve never really acknowledged when 1 year turned to 2 or when 5 turned to 6.

And we’re really awful at celebrating Valentines Day.  One year Steve did get me this:

Best. Gift. Ever.

And, I think, the year after I got us tickets to see these guys:

Take my hand, and we'll make it swear!

But we’ve been far from consistent – each year thinking we’ll celebrate the week before or after to avoid crowds and high prices.  And then forgetting about it all together.

Yet, I have never cared.  Not even a little bit.  And I’m not just saying this to sound like the cool, laid-back girlfriend we see in all the movies these days.  I’ve never regretted not having an anniversary.  I’ve never missed the V-day cards, flowers and candies.

I was reflecting on this recently, after my coworkers seemed flabbergasted when I couldn’t come up with an anniversary date.  I wondered where my indifference came from.  You could argue, “Caring about things like anniversaries and Valentines days is petty.”  But I care about plenty of petty things (i.e. my birthday, when the dishes are done, that every meal I cook must be declared as “The Best Meal Ever.”)  Obviously, pettiness isn’t a factor.

You could guess, “Anniversary’s and Valentines Day weren’t important to your family growing up.”  But this, too, is FALSE.  My mom is the queen of holidays!  Any holiday.   Especially ones that incorporate gift giving.  As for anniversaries, my parents have two – first date and wedding!  I was indoctrinated at a young age.

After thinking about it for a couple of days, we hopped in the Bustache for weekend drive, and that’s when it hit me – Our relationship is a lot like driving a VW bus. 

There’s the obvious comparison – Our relationship is… well… slooooow.  We’ve been taking our time, noting the scenery and truly trying to care more about the journey than the destination.  In the meantime, people are passing us right and left.  Some happily wave as they zip by to engagement, marriage and babies.  Others honk and encourage us to move a little faster.  ;-(D  This is not always the easiest way to get where we’re going (and not necessarily even advisable!), but, so far, we’ve reached some pretty significant milestones that we’ve had the time to fully appreciate and celebrate. 

And then, there’s this – just like climbing into the cab of Bustache, our relationship feels special on even the most mundane of days. 

We’ll see a play on a Wednesday night; bbq on the beach at sunset; take spur-of-the-moment camping trip; go out to a nice dinner on a random weekday; and make nightly walks to frozen-yoghurt.  I don’t think I’ve had to care about the more traditional lovey-dovey days because I feel like we celebrate “us” all year long.

I don’t want to sound trite here.  Of course this bus analogy works both ways… sometimes our relationship sputters (cue vacuum meltdown of 2011).  Other times it takes some coaxing and finesse to start.  Very occasionally, everything just breaks down. 

But, for the most part, I feel like every day holds the possibility of another adventure for Steve and me.  And for now, that seems to beat the need for chocolates and roses.

P.S.  Now, let’s be realistic.  Our relationship has got it pretty easy right now.  We’ve both got great jobs, no kids (this is a big one) and good health.  We have the time and energy to make daily (or at least, weekly) “adventures.”   (And when we don’t, we know we’re just being lazy because we really have no excuse!)  As I am typing this, I’m having a flashback to a conversation I had with my mom once… I think I was like 12 or 13.  She said, “Before children, when your dad and I first got married we had so much fun.  We used to go see movies on Tuesday nights and get ice-cream at 11pm.  We could do anything we wanted, whenever we wanted.”  I didn’t get why this was a big deal and never understood what she was saying until now… kids ruin everything!  :-(D  Just kidding.  I think she was saying, “Each stage in life has its perks. Enjoy what you have when you have it (AND, we gave up a whole lot for you kids… you better take care of us in our old age!).” 

P.P.S.  Now I’m all worried about having babies…  I might have to consider them as just one BIG-HUMUNGO-GIGANTIC VW adventure… yeah… that might work… 

P.P.P.S.  Note to Steve – I’ll probably feel differently about the anniversary thing when we get married (Enjoy what you have when you have it! ;-(D).

Now onto you – What kind of car is your relationship?  Would you consider having kids like VW adventure?  What is the best Valentine’s Day gift you’ve ever gotten (sorry, it won’t hold a candle to my commemorative Obama plate!)?

Wednesday Wish List – Mustache Wine (Part Duex)

Wednesday Wish List – Mustache Wine (Part Duex)

Last night Steve and I had a very fancy dinner … by accident.  Our plan was to grab a bite to eat, and then head to a bar to toast the good news surrounding Prop 8.  After turning to our trusty friend, Yelp, we settled on a place called The Old Vine Cafe.  “New American Food” at the $$ range?  Perfect. 

But after settling into our table and perusing our menus, it became very apparent that this establishment more appropriately belong in the $$$$ price category.  It has 6-8 prefix (translation – mucho dinero!) dinner options – 4 seasonal-courses with wine pairings for each.   This definitely wasn’t the Chili’s/Bucca di Beppo’s experience we were aiming for, but, we decided, if you can’t splurge for love equality, what can you splurge for? 

So we stayed.

And I think we can both say, we are glad we did!  We ended up splitting the vegan tasting menu and adding two small a la carte plates (with meat and cheese.  Whoa!  Can you handle the contradiction!?!) to supplement.  Every single course was delicious!  If you’re in Orange County and looking for a nice night out, we highly recommend The Old Vine Cafe!

Now what does this unexpected adventure have to do with Wish List Wednesday?  Well, from my seat, I looked directly into the wine cellar.  And from the darkness, I could just make out the white labels below.  They were like beacons of light, calling me to investigate further. 

Could it be?

While Steve got up to use the restroom, I snuck a closer look – camera in hand, of course.

It is!

I know I’ve posted plenty about spirits of the ‘stached species.  If you stumbled upon this blog, you might think I have a problem.  But I promise, I’m really not that obsessed with alcohol… who knew fermentation and furry faces ran in the same social circle?  Anyways, the last Mustache Wine I posted about was Romanian, and I get 30 or so hits a week on this blog from people searching “Mustache Wine.”  I feel I owe everyone a choice from a more reputable grape-growing region.

Without further ado, I present you with “Dexter Lake – A NorCal Red Wine:”

A Californian Native

While we didn’t get a chance to taste it, I’ve read some favorable reviews.  I’m sure you’d be safe to serve it at your next soirée.  If you get a chance, you can check out their blog.  They seem to be kindred (‘stached) spirits… :-(D   Or, buy your own bottle here!

On our way out of the restaurant,  I made Steve take a picture of me with the wine.  He was embarressed, but he did it anyways.  That is love.

 

Can’t remember why we’re doing Wish List Wednesdays?  Click here.