The World of Joel Szerlip

When you work as much as Jenn and I do we don’t always get a lot of opportunities to go out and just relax and enjoy living out in Orange County. So this past weekend we took full advantage of having some time to just R&R and went out and saw two movies and a play. On Friday night along with my brother Jake we went and saw The Other Guys staring Will Ferrell. Saturday morning we went out and saw The Expendables staring every action hero you can imagine, and that evening we went out and saw In The Heights at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

The Other Guys

Both my brother Jake and I are huge Will Ferrell fans. I still can’t stop laughing when I watch Anchorman and Talladega Nights and I have probably watched those each at least two dozen times. So my expectations going into this movie were pretty high and I have to say I was a little let down. One of my main complaints is that a lot of the funnier moments in this movie were seen already in the movies previews. My biggest problem however with The Other Guys was I just never got into it. To me there was just not the right pacing in this comedy that has worked so well in past Will Ferrell movies. Don’t get me wrong its a funny movie but not on the top of the list of Will Ferrell movies in my opinion.

The Expendables

If you have frequented my blog at all you know I am a big Rocky fan. In fact that is my favorite movie/series of all time. I am also a big action movie fan so when I first saw the trailer for what looks to be the reunion of some of the biggest action stars of the last twenty or thirty years who wouldn’t want to see it. And to my surprise and delight I came out of The Expendables pumped up and ready for more. The movie was pretty much a guys dream action movie. It had a little bit of plot, a ton of explosions, and non-stop action from start to finish.What could be bad? Heck even Jenn enjoyed it!

In the Heights (@ Orange County Performing Arts Center)

Jenn and I trying to get out of our comfort zone more and one thing we don’t do enough and we want to do more is going out and see plays/musicals. So our first stop on this quest was at the Orange County Performing Arts Center to see the very popular musical In The Heights. Neither Jenn or I would be considered real “musical” fans, but are always open to something new. First off we had great seats, near the middle of the stage and in the second row. But secondly and more importantly the musical was fantastic. It was upbeat, the music was catchy, and the story was really good. Honestly it was one of those perfect date nights that you just hope for.

I have to admit this past weekend is a bit of a blur. In many ways I am glad it went so fast I have never really “moved” before. When Jenn and I got our first place we had little to nothing to bring with us, and a year later we had a jam packed one bedroom apartment and it took us quite a bit of time to box it up. Speaking of boxing it up, Jenn just so happened to come down with a cold on the week we were moving which left me to pack up 95% of the place. I say it was a bit convenient but hey that’s just me. Before I get into the moving process here is the video of Jenn and I when we got our keys to our town home. You can take a tour of the place before we moved anything in, which honestly now that I look back seems like years ago.

So onto the moving experience. As I have never moved before I hadn’t had any experience with “movers” before so I just went off google reviews and Jenn and I picked Excalibur Moving. They had given us a window of 12pm-6pm for our moving so Jenn and I moved all day Saturday morning (March 27th). So after spending all of Friday night and Saturday morning moving we headed to Islands at around noon to get some lunch. No later then about 5 minutes after we sat down and had already ordered the movers called and said they would be there in a half hour. So we got our food to go, and ran back to the apartment where the movers came right on time.

When we reserved the movers we got a 2 man crew, well wouldn’t you know it four guys showed up. We ended up working out a deal to pay the same amount we would have for 2 with the 4 which did end up getting us moved out of the apartment much quicker. They got the apartment packed up in an hour and unpacked at our townhome in less then an hour. We spent the rest of the weekend unpacking and are continuing to do so throughout the week to get ready for our mini goldendoodle puppy this weekend. What a crazy couple of weeks.

Well Jenn and I are out of here again, this time we are off to Barcelona, Spain for a nice week getaway from the hussle and bussle of Southern California to the cool air of Barcelona, Spain. This is by far the quickest lead up to a trip either Jenn or I have ever experienced, since we only booked the flights and hotels a few weeks back getting some killer deals on British Airways and using some of our credit card points for some of our stay. Now a few weeks later we now see why BA might have been giving such great deals with this pending impending crew strike that thus far has not altered or affected our flight plans.

So what are we planning on doing in Barcelona you may be wondering, well to be quite frank we have no idea. This was one of those “spur of the moment” kind of trips that Jenn loves to do and we plan on winging the trip the same way we have done in the past. The weather looks like it might be a bit hit and miss but we weren’t going for the beach more to take in all of the sights. So off we go again, our flight is at 8:30pm out of LAX on Wednesday and we head back home on March 10th. Expect daily recaps of the trip along with photos and possibly videos will be coming daily after we get back.

The next couple of months is going to be crazy for Jenn and I. We are planning on moving in late March when we are going to rent a town home, we are going on a trip to Barcelona in early March, and hoping to get a puppy soon as well. So to say that the next couple of months are going to be fun is probably an understatement. How did we decide on a trip to Barcelona? Well actually Jenn was doing a search for cheap trips during the summer she saw that British Airways was doing a huge Europe sale and we ended up getting plane tickets to Barcelona for under 1K roundtrip for the two of us. Not to mention that we have enough points on our American Express card to get almost all of our nights free for our trip, so we are pretty excited about the upcoming trip.

Since we have so many things going on in the next couple of moths I wanted to get a new video camera to capture the moments. I have been going back and forth on whether I wanted to get a Flip camera, they are small, compact, and get pretty solid HD video. Currently Jenn and I are using a 3-4 year old Canon Video Camera that works but the video quality is just not all that spectacular. So Friday I broke down and ordered a Flip UltraHD (120 mins) and am hoping to get it in the next week or two. I am hoping that this video camera is around for some great upcoming moments in the next couple of months. Should be an exciting time for both Jenn and I and I am sure I will have a ton of updates coming on World of Joel as this all transpires.

“Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed.” Corita Kent

If there was ever a year where I was going to have difficult time writing a post recapping a year, it would be now. The year of 2009 was one of so many great highs and at the same time some lows. The year didn’t start out all that exciting. I was just getting my feet wet at my new job at Southern California Edison and Jenn was enjoying her last few weeks of freedom before she too started work at SCE on February 1st.

The beginning portions of the year felt like the beginning of yet another transition period for both Jenn and I from students to full time employees, from a dating couple to eventually becoming husband and wife. We started taking our pre-marital classes in early 2009 at The Grove in Riverside. It was a six week class that at times was helpful but for the most part seemed like just yet another hurdle to go over before the big day in September.

Jenn and I spent the majority of the first few months of 2009 really ramping up for what was to become a very up and down 2009. Some of my favorite times in the beginning of 2009 were when I would go pick up Jenn from work on Friday nights in Rosemead so she wouldn’t have to take the train home and we would go on date nights. Often times we would go to furniture stores (my favorite IKEA) and just start to think about getting our own place, furnishing it, and just what life would be like with just the two of us. I remember the drives home talking with her about our future not caring about traffic, or the long drive, but just enjoying the prospect of what was to come.

We ended up taking a mini vacation in March of 2009 to Indian Wells, CA where Jenn scored us a great deal on a 2 bedroom casita. A video we posted on YouTube for that stay actually scored us two more free nights at the hotel that we are going to use in 2010. This was the first mini-vacation that Jenn and I had taken alone, and although we couldn’t make it to the tennis tournament it was a wonderful quick trip.

In late March, Jenn and I decided it was time for us to get a place of our own. We knew the day would come where we would know it was time. Of course then came the decision of where to live. Originally our plan was to move to Orange County but our work locations at SCE really didn’t call for us to move to Orange County. So we decided to look in Chino, kind of in the middle of where Jenn and I were working at the time.

I remember the drive to Chino, Jenn and I were on the edge of our seats, excited for the prospect of our own place. We looked at some really nice communities in Chino and felt like it might have made a good starting spot for us. After we left the community we decided to drive around Chino to see what was around the apartments. We drove around and I remember stopping in a parking lot and looking at Jenn and knowing we both were thinking the same thing. Without really saying anything we drove straight from Chino down to Orange County and the rest is really history. We ended up signing a lease a week or two later at our current place in Newport Beach and haven’t looked back since.

April 2009 was the month where everything seemed to go from calm to crazy. On April 4th we went down to Newport Beach to sign our year lease on our apartment, which was one of the most thrilling and scary things we had ever done. Jenn and I were on top of the world, we spent our weekends moving our stuff from Riverside to our apartment in Newport Beach, and we had started shopping for everything from a paper towel holder to furniture and art work. At the same time we had Jenn’s Mom that only a few weeks after getting the keys to our apartment was diagnosed with cancer.

In May of 2009 I ended up buckling down and got LASIK done at TLC Laser Eye Center in Newport Beach. I have been kind of hot and cold on the idea for the past few years but with SCE paying a good amount of the cost I couldn’t help but go get it done. The procedure was as easy as they come, less then three minutes from start to finish and I never really had any major irritation from it. To this day I am seeing perfect without glasses and loving it.

There was a time during the summer of 2009 that Jenn and I seriously thought about pushing up our wedding to a small ceremony to ensure her Mom concentrated on getting better. But in the end those thoughts passed and we pushed forward with our September 19th wedding date while Jenn’s mom went every few weeks for her chemo treatments.

As summer moved along it seemed like every weekend had something to do with the wedding. Whether it was picking out the flowers, Jenn’s wedding shower, meetings with our Pastor, picking out tuxes, buying the rings or whatever else comes with planning a wedding it seemed like every weekend was something. As September grew closer and closer I think Jenn and I finally had the chance to sit back just for a few moments and finally grow in anticipation for our big day.

When September 19th finally rolled around it so far exceeded my expectations of the day I cannot even begin to describe it. Jenn looked absolutely phenomenal, she was just stunning. The day could not have been any more beautiful. My groomsmen were great and Jenn’s bridesmaids did a great job as well. It truly was the best day of my life. What is funny however is that I had gotten so much wedding advice from everyone leading up to the day and one thing that everyone said was that it goes to fast, and boy does it! From the moment I rushed my “I Do” to the next day sitting at LAX waiting for our plane to London it felt like everything was moving at 1,000 MPH. The wedding and reception were amazing and I wouldn’t have changed a moment of it. Our Honeymoon was spectacular, the weather cooperated from start to finish and the trip itself was both relaxing and enjoyable.

When we got back from our Honeymoon everything seemed to fall into place. Jenn’s latest rotation at SCE put her only 10 miles away from our apartment which let us spend a lot more time together. Jenn and I started to really work out a nice routine and to be honest had an amazing start to our married life. Jenn’s Mom got great news that the cancer that they had found earlier in the year was all but gone. We spent a lot of great weekends with my brother Jake who got us
into Jenn and my latest addiction the TV show “Lost” which we are now on Season 5.

Jenn and I took a great mini-vacation in November up to San Francisco, our first as a married couple. It was the type of mini-vacation that we had talked about wanting to do for years and it finally came to fruition. It was such a surreal experience to just wake up one morning book a hotel and head out. We had a great time up in the bay area and look forward to all of the quick trips we can do in the future.

The final few weeks of the year were fantastic. Jenn and I got to decorate our apartment for the first time, bake cookies that turned out to be some of the worst Christmas cookies on record, and celebrate our first Christmas together. Jenn did an amazing job getting our place ready for the holidays and that mood was set throughout all of December. We had a great Christmas, to some it might even seem a bit crazy, but all in all it was a fantastic first Christmas as a married couple.

The year didn’t end without any slowdown as Jenn’s car a Toytota Celica started to have some mechanical issues. We ended up buying Jenn a White Certified Pre-Owned 2007 BMW 328i and sold her Celica to CarMax. It was actually a great car buying experience and we finally got Jenn a new car, something she has needed for a while. All in all 2009 was an amazingly crazy and exciting year. I got to marry the woman of my dreams and now look forward to spending the rest of my life with her.

Goodbye 2009 what a year you have been, and Hello 2010 I cannot wait to see what you have in store for me!

Jenn and I have been talking about purchasing an iMac for a long time. We have been wanting to get a desktop computer to be our one stop shop to do all of our video editing from all of our trips, host all of our music on iTunes, and all sorts of different things. When Apple announced that they were putting out a 27″ iMac for $1699, Jenn and I jumped on it. Living close to Fashion Island in Newport Beach we decided that we would walk to the Apple Store to purchase our iMac. The idea sounded great at the time, walk around with our iMac, how hard could that be? Well let’s just say I am glad we had my brother Jake around with us because the 27″ iMac isn’t the easiest box to carry around with you. All in all it was hilarious watching us try to walk back with our iMac, but needless to say that we made it back to the apartment with everything intact.

So how do we like the iMac? We love it. Currently I have kind of put my Macbook to the side and have been using this computer for almost everything. It is actually kind of refreshing to have such a large monitor, a lot more real estate to work with. One feature that I don’t think gets enough attention is the new mouse which is actually pretty great. I have become a huge fan of being able to use the gesture controls to go backwards and forwards while surfing the internet. All in all though we love the iMac and are really stoked we waited for the 27″.

Sitting in Front of the New iMac

Watching Jack Johnson DVD on New iMac

Jenn and I have been planning our wedding for over 5 years now. I mean we knew early on in our relationship that we were going to get married once we got done with college. Well after a year of planning the day is finally coming and I am honestly at the edge of my seat with excitement. I thought by this point I would not be able to sleep and would be full of nerves but to be honest there has been nothing better then looking forward to September 19th.

So with that being said tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner which takes place at 5:30pm and then we go for dinner. Friday I am hanging with most of my groomsman and going to play a round of golf and then Saturday is the big day. I truly am so excited and so ready for the day I cannot even put it into words.

On Sunday the day after the wedding we leave for Scotland where we are staying for 5 days and then going to London for 2. It is a short week trip but I think it will be an amazing honeymoon, nice and cold, and beautiful. I will not be doing daily updates from Scotland this trip as I am not bringing any electronics with me. I however will be writing down some notes from each day and posting them when I get back with a bunch of pictures and videos!

Anyways I am off to get married here in a few days and I will be back after my Honeymoon!!!! See you all then!

One of the things on my to do list for 2009 was to go out and by a DSLR. Jenn and I have both been wanting one for our Honeymoon in Scotland. We loved our pictures in Europe last year and thought we better get a nicer camera to even better capture the big upcoming events in our lives. We originally were going to go with the Nikon D60 but after checking out so many different reviews we sided with the Canon Rebel XS. We got a great deal on Amazon and got it a day and a half after we purchased it which was great.

To inaugurate the camera Jenn and I went a few miles from our apartment to the beach and took some shots. Here they are below.

The camera really does great color.

Me trying to act all serious. Jenn having a blast taking pictures!

A great shot of the waves crashing.

Beautiful shot taken of the coast.

A beautiful shot of Jenn on our way back to the car.

So today marks a big day for Jenn and I, the day we go pick up our keys for our new apartment. As I mentioned in the last post, this is going to be our first place for Jenn and I not only as a couple but also as individuals. We both have never lived on our own, getting through school, and getting ourself into the workforce before taking the next step. Last week we went down to Newport Beach and found the apartment that we both loved, and today we are going to go get the keys. We don’t really have any furniture to move in, or really much of anything, so after we take our initial tour of our new place we will be off to go shopping, starting with some groceries.

Our other stops today will most likely include Ikea, Crate and Barrel, and a few other furniture stores. Because we have the next two months free we are not in a huge rush to officially move in but are planning to stay down there for about half the week Friday-Sunday/Monday. Some of the big items we are looking to purchase is a bed, a couch bed (so I have somewhere to sleep until we get married), a dining room table, and an entertainment center. I will be taking both video/pictures today and should have a good walk through of our place following todays eventful happenings.

I don’t know about you but I am not a big fan of budgets. Its not that I don’t see the usefulness, I do, its that it means I have to watch every penny I spend. Jenn and I are working really hard both at work and on our budget. We are looking at getting our first apartment this summer and our main goal is to have plenty of money to furnish the place really nice. So we have scheduled a budget for the coming months that we are going to try and stick to to the best of our ability.

Without going to the specifics, we are not necessarily tightening down to the point to where all we can have is Ramen from breakfast, lunch, and dinner but we are going to have to be smarter about what we spend money on. I have to say we have done a tracking of our money spent since the 1st of March and it is crazy how fast things add up. Whether its a starbucks, red bull, or even a quick gallon of milk things start adding up like no other.

So we have conjured up our plan, and now are going to do our best to stick with it. The thing is the later we wait this summer the more $ we have for the apartment. We would love to get a really nice TV and one of the new iMac’s and that will all really depend on our savings from now until then. The budget started a few days ago and already I am ready to be done with it. The good news is both Jenn and I are pretty good about our money so this plan should be one that really works out.