Joie de Vivre

Brian Bear - The Book

2011-10-18T13:27:00.000-07:00

Who knew there was a book out there call Brian Bear? Isn't it amazing?!?! Our friend Danielle happened upon it at a garage sale in Hawaii, but it was pretty beat up and kinda nasty. She somehow found a nice, clean copy for little baby Baer.

Here is the amazing story:

There's a sleepover tonight at Brian Bear's cave.
There'll be a midnight feast if they all behave.

The bears brush their teeth and say goodnight,
They jump in the bed and are tucked up tight.

The three little bears lie still in a row
But Brian Bear wriggles and over they go.

With a wiggle and wave they fall out and then
They all climb back in the bed again.

The Bump: 38 Weeks

2011-10-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

Week 38: Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

The photo above was taken by my dear, sweet friend Ashley who is a wonderful photographer. Click on her name to browse her blog...you'll be swept away by her dreamy photos :-) Ash and her family moved to Sacramento in January, and I've been telling her ever since then that I would come up and stay with them....hang out, see where they live, etc., etc. At 38 weeks pregnant I just couldn't put it off any more. If I didn't do it then I would never be able to do it. I am SO glad we were able to have the time to hang out. Jason (her husband) pampered us to no end. We had home made lentil soup (with ham hocks, which add such amazing flavor) and crusty bread for dinner, played some Candyland with Kyla (their daughter), watched the original Footloose since neither of us had seen it, and had peach infused caramel apple cider. How's all that for a rainy night? Jason even slept on the couch so that I could sleep in the bed with all of my pillows :-) The next morning Ash and I awoke to Starbucks beverages and breakfast treats; seriously, I could get used to living at the Maxwell's.

The rain lifted by mid-day, so we were able to spend a few hours on a fun prego shoot for me and baby Baer. And since my wardrobe mainly consists of jeans and t-shirts (boring, I know) I let Ashley take the reigns on styling me...so glad one of us has some fashion sense!

I am so grateful we were able to get some girl time in before the arrival of baby Baer. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing friend...Ash, you are beautiful inside and out...selfless, spontaneous, caring, creative, energetic, and loving. You love people like no one else I know, and you inspire me to love with all my heart. Thank you for being you!

The Bump: 36 & 37 Weeks

2011-09-30T22:56:00.000-07:00

Week 36: Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath.

Week 37: Your baby is now considered full term, even though your due date is still three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. She weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.

I am definitely started to get a bit more uncomfortable as due date approaches, but i'm not complaining...I would take this stage of pregnancy any day over the "morning sickness" stage. My back hurts, my sciatic nerve hurts, I pee far too many times, and I don't really sleep. Everyone keeps telling me, "take advantage of this time and sleep, sleep, sleep....". Ya right, not happening. Oh well, I guess it's preparing me for having a newborn, right :-)

We are definitely excited about the soon-to-be arrival of this little one, but it almost doesn't feel real yet. I feel like she could stay in there and cook for a few more months. I have to keep reminding myself that she could literally show up ANYTIME!

The Bump: 34 & 35 Weeks

2011-09-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

Week 34: Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers – which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born – are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.

Week 35: Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete – she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

I don't like to do pregnancy like most people...I like to help my husband build fences at 35 weeks pregnant :-) I guess that's what happens when you are do-it-yourselfers!

The Bump: 32 & 33 Weeks

2011-09-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

Week 32: Baby by weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Week 33: This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal (ouch!). These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

We had an ultrasound last week so they could make sure she was gaining the weight that she was supposed to, and sure enough she was just fine! He even said she was measuring ahead of where she is "supposed" to be. All in all, things are looking good :-)

Lauren and I at my baby shower...33 weeks

Isaac is the sweetest little guy...he was talking to his new cousin.

My Favorite Summer Dessert

2011-09-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

Summer is my favorite time of year, which is kinda unfortunate because we haven't had much of a summer in Santa Cruz the past few years. Luckily, Santa Cruz is one of the most beautiful places to be when the sun decides to grace us with its presence for the entire day, so I guess I can't complain :-)

I came across this dessert in Martha's "Everyday Food" magazine a few years ago and it has become my summer staple...it is SO easy and SO delish! You can even customize it to whatever fruit you have a hankering for.

Strawberry & Blueberry Fruit Tart

The original recipe is made with fresh cherries and it is out of this world! Click here for the link. I have also made a mixed fruit version with strawberries, kiwis, mandarins, and grapes which is so colorful and pretty....really, the options are endless. But I must warn you, this dessert is sneaky. Though it is made with cream cheese (I use low fat) and whipping cream it seems so light and fluffy...I could probably eat half the tart in one sitting; it's dangerous! Oh, and another tip, if you happen to have any left over, it is so good for breakfast with a cup of coffee :-)

Now do yourself a treat and make this on a beautiful summer day...enjoy!

Ecuador: Curia Town - The Coast

2011-08-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I never finished blogging about our trip to South America that we took back in December/January. Now that eight months have gone by maybe I'll finish :-) From the mountains of Banos we headed to the coast...it was time for Brian to surf and for me to relax!

We knew some folks who had lived in Ecuador for a while, so they gave us the recommendation to stay with a friend of theirs who rented out rooms from his house on the water. It was a great spot where we ended up spending a week and made friends with a group of Argentenians who were staying there as well.

And here are some more friends we made...Helmet and his twin daughters are from Germany. The girls had just finished a few months of studying in Quito, so he flew out to do some traveling with them...they were a great family!

This was the view from our room...

One of the great things about staying at Dicky and Susie's was that they had boards...yay! If we didn't go anywhere for the day Brian was still able to surf out front; even though the waves weren't the best there, they were still surfable. I was even able to try short boarding for the first time....and I got up! It was heaps of fun until the fin decided to come crashing down on the back of my arm, which gave me the biggest bruise I have ever had....

Here is a day that we went searching for waves....and we played, "how many people can you fit in one truck?" I think there were 12 of us...it was pretty impressive.

Aaaaaaaand we got stuck on the way out.

Besides surfing, our other activities included:

Crab Catching

Relaxing

And LOTS of Eating!

Pan fried fish with fried plantains

Fish and shrimp ceviche with fried plantains...AMAZING!

Breaded fish...these plates were about $2.50 and they were SO good!

Corviche. Some sort of dough that had peanut butter in it then stuffed with squid and fried...it was yummy!

Fried shrimp

Yes, that is the "restaurant" right behind me :-)

Mora (blackberry) popsicles. These things were out of control! They also had chocolate and coconut ones that came in a close second place. We eat lots of ice cream (whatever form it comes in) when we travel, it's just what we do!

There were a few nights that we all ate together and the Argentinians bar-b-que'd for us in traditional Argentenian style. They even treated us to a delicacy....any guesses??? Cow salivary glands! Yes, we ate them, and yes, they were strange. They were kinda sticky and chewy but with somewhat of a meaty texture. I don't think I'll eat one ever again....

One of the craziest nights we had in Ecuador was New Year's Eve in Montanita (a 10 minute drive from Curia). Unfortunately I don't have any photos from the night, but to give you a picture of what it was like: thousands and thousands of people (mainly young people) flock to Montanita for the New Year's celebration where, at midnight, they burn massive "puppets" on the beach, then a bunch of drunk idiots run through the fires. We saw a guy rolling in the waves because he caught on fire...don't worry, he was fine. There were tons of people night surfing, lots of music, and dancing in the streets. By far the craziest New Year's celebration we have ever been a part of!

The trip is almost over...I'll fill you in on our next destination soon....

Bermuda

2011-08-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true, we were just in Bermuda for 5 days. I know, so random....who goes to Bermuda??? It was a mixture of a work trip (though there was technically no work involved) and a vacation. I am so proud of Brian and his accomplishments at work last year. He is the hardest worker I know, and it was great to see him being recognized for all of that work.

Bermuda is not a place we would have ever chosen to go, but it ended up being just what we needed! I got to watch Brian relax for the first time in I don't know how long...we were so lucky that this trip fell at the time that it did. Being 7 1/2 months pregnant I was still feeling good and had a decent amount of energy.

We were put up at the Fairmont South Hampton, and this was the view from our room...not too shabby....

And the pool facilities...

The first two days of the trip there was quite a bit of rain, but we didn't let that dampen our spirits! Tropical rain is so different then the rain we get here, so it is more of a novelty. The dark clouds actually made for a cool photo...

Luckily our massages were scheduled on one of the rainy days, so it worked out perfectly. I can't tell you how great it felt to lay on my belly (they had a pregnancy massage table) and how fabulous my masseuse was! Brian experienced his first massage ever and he is now a HUGE fan...he looked like he was going to fall over from being so relaxed :-)

The water in Bermuda was the perfect temperature! Cool enough to feel refreshed when you get in, but warm enough that you could literally stay in it all day. Sorry in advance for the loooooong columns of photos...if I knew how to use Photoshop I would place some of them side by side, or make small collages, but I have no idea how to do it...anyone up for giving me a simple Photoshop tutorial?!?! Anyway, the water photos...

And now for a close-up of the belly....

Bermuda is expensive! We decided it is probably all east coast billionaires who own homes there. This is what most of the houses look like...

We spent most of our evenings attending company events where we actually had a blast...there were some great people to hang out with, and I even hit the dance floor two of the nights. I think maybe that is what wore me out the most! Here is Brian accepting his Falcon Award on the night of the big awards ceremony....Yay Brian!!!!!

And this was our last night at the goodbye beach party...

Well, that's the quick recap...we so enjoyed our time of relaxation, perfect water, and pink sand beaches!

The Bump: 28 - 31 Weeks

2011-08-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

Week 28: By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Week 29: Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain.

Week 30: Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.

Week 31: This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin.

Cravings

2011-08-12T12:47:00.001-07:00

I haven't really had many pregnancy cravings...unless you count my diet of pizza, bagels and cream cheese, and coca-cola during my morning sick period "cravings," but I more so consider those the only items that sounded somewhat appetizing. But, within the past few weeks I guess you could say I've been getting cravings. I have been dying for baked goods! Seriously, every time I am out and about I have to keep myself from stopping by Gayle's or The Buttery to purchase myself some sort of delicious, flaky pastry, fresh cookie, or moist cake slice with butter cream and ganache...it's a good thing I'm not traveling through Europe right now!

Last night it was Thai food...all i wanted was curry and Pad Thai. Luckily, I had two cans of coconut milk and green curry paste on hand, score! I whipped up some delicious thai green curry if I do say so myself, and it only took about 30 minutes start to finish...it would have taken longer for me pick up the take-out. The only problem is that I ate far too much and ended the night with that horrible pregnancy heartburn, but it was worth it :-) And I have enough leftovers for dinner tonight! As for the Pad Thai, I didn't have the ingredients on hand and I had never made it before...does anyone out there have a good pad thai recipe?

I just used the veggies that I had on hand: onions, bell peppers, green beans (from the father-in-law's garden), and basil (from our "garden). DELISH!

The Bump: 27 Weeks

2011-07-25T13:17:00.001-07:00

Week 27: Baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, baby's brain is very active now.

This coming Friday marks the beginning of my third trimester....WHAT?!?! How did that happen? I'm still feeling great, which is SO nice! Except I think that my hands are starting to get swollen cause my ring is fairly tight....is there anything you can do to not swell? Also, I think my feet have grown. Some people have said that they could just be swollen too, but I honestly think they have gotten longer, haha, I guess I'll know after the baby comes if my new bigger feet are here to stay :-) And the newest thing is my sore bellybutton, yes, you heard me correctly, I said sore bellybutton. Who knew a bellybutton could be sore? So if I see you and you touch my belly just be sure to steer clear of the bellybutton...thanks!

I Want to Throw a Party

2011-07-20T13:44:00.001-07:00

If I had the time, and an awesome Ivy overhang (see photo below to see what I mean), I would steal these ideas and throw a party....whether it be a baby shower, a birthday party, or a "just because" party. How cute are the cupcakes on the tree stumps in the below photo?!?! I couldn't make the photos any smaller, so you'll have to excuse the extra large size....

Photos courtesy of Jami Nato...to see the rest of the decor, visit the link below.

http://thenatos.blogspot.com/2011/07/emilys-30th-birthdaypool-party-she.html

The decor has a simple, anthropologie-esqe feel to it...very pretty, but not too overdone. I love it!

The Bump: 25 - 26 Weeks

2011-07-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

Week 25: Head to heels baby now measures 13 1/2 inches and weighs about 1.5 pounds, about the weight of an average rutabaga.

Week 26: The little girl measures 14 inches long, the size of an English hothouse cucumber, and weighs about a pound and two-thirds.

This time is flying by...amidst all of the craziness we have going on I'm trying to remember to enjoy this time too!

The Bump: 24 Weeks

2011-07-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

Week 24: The little one has gained 4 ounces since last week, which puts her weight at well over 1 pound. She is now almost a foot long, about the size of an ear of corn! She moves around at ton and her kicks are getting harder and harder, and are easily seen from the outside.

We took her on her first plane ride this past week....we went to Colorado for the Reno family reunion. We had a great time! Brian was finally able to meet lots of the family, and he got to try fly fishing for the first time, which he enjoyed. Everyone is looking forward to hearing about the arrival of this little girl come October.

The Bump: 20 - 23 Weeks

2011-06-29T09:53:00.001-07:00

Week 20: This is the day that we found out the little one is a GIRL! Our ultrasound tech said she weighed 12 oz. and she was about 10 inches from head to feet...about the size of a banana. She is still quite the mover....It took the doctor a bit longer then normal to get all of the necessary photos because our baby doesn't like to hold still :-) This is also the first week that Brian was able to feel her move!

Week 21: The little girl is about the size of a carrot....10 1/2 inches from head to feet.

Week 22: Weighing in at almost 1 pound and about 11 inches, baby is about the size (length-wise) of a spaghetti squash. We haven't been very good at taking photos every week, but here is one from week 22....

Week 23: She now weighs over a pound...about the weight of a large mango....and is more then 11 inches long. When she gives a good kick or punch I can see my belly move, and sometimes she likes to nestle into one side and make me lopsided...it looks and feels pretty funny!

Nephews & Birthdays

2011-06-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

I have some pretty cool nephews, and I have the pleasure of having a dual birthday celebration with one of them every year. Isaiah and I are 20 years apart and both of our birthdays are in June, so this year I turned 28 and he turned 8. We celebrated with family by having home made "In & Out style" burgers, which were amazing by the way, and insane cheesecake with strawberries for dessert. I can't believe this little dude is 8 years old...he is so sweet!

It wasn't Benny's birthday, but I think he likes all of the hub-bub (is that a word? is that even how you spell it?), so he snuck in on this photo. I think it's a cute one!

And I think this little dude likes his uncle Brian just a tiny bit....

The Bump: 19 Weeks

2011-06-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

This week our little baby Baer weighs about 8 1/2 ounces (crazy that it weighs so little) and is about 6 inches, head to bottom. One site said it was the size of an heirloom tomato and another said it was the size of a mango...I like mangos better, so I'll go with that :-)

I'll be 20 weeks this Friday and we have our ultrasound appointment that same day....if we get a good view we may know if baby is a boy or a girl, woot-woot!!!

The Telling of the News

2011-05-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

Brian and I had told no one that we were entertaining the idea of starting a family. Anytime people would ask us, "So, when's your turn..." We would respond with some answer consisting of work, school, house remodel, etc. and say maybe sometime in the next few years. So, it was quite the surprise to most people when we came out with the news, and we had SO much fun telling people. It would have been fun to get photos of everyone's reactions like our friends the Garaways did, but we were only able to snap a few here and there.

The first people we told were Brian's parents, who were in Kauai at the time. We tricked them into getting on skype because we told Brendon that Brian had broken a pipe while working on the house and we needed him to look at it for us. Brian told me to bring the pipe over, but instead I showed up with a positive pregnancy test....I think they were a bit shocked and excited, and Brendon was relieved that there was no broken pipe :-) This is their first grand baby, and I am so excited for the amazing grandparents I know they are going to be...they couldn't be happier about the news!

My parents had invited the two of us over for dinner, so the timing was perfect. We wanted to get a photo of their reaction, so Brian took the camera and asked to get a photo of the three of us.... "1, 2, 3, Emily's pregnant..." *click*

Ummm, why am I the only one who looks surprised in this photo? They didn't believe us; they just thought Brian was trying to get them to smile....so he tried it again...."I don't think you guys got it, let's try this again....1, 2, 3, Emily's pregnant!" *click*

Nope, they still didn't get it. I guess this is what you get when you try to surprise people. "Let's take one more....are you ready for your 8th grandchild?" *click*

And finally we have a winner....the look of shock and surprise!

Though my brother may look shocked and horrified he really was excited...I think he was just processing whether the news was real or not, haha :-)

Lauren and I had a morning outing to our favorite donut stop, Stans (seriously, unlike any donut you've ever tasted...their maple bars are out of this world). I'm taking a wild guess here, but I think she's been wanting me to have a baby for quite a while now, so she was quite thrilled to hear the news!

This is Stan's maple bar....A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

We had a lot of fun telling the McLelans. Their baby boy, Magnus, is due in just a few weeks. When we told them we thought it would be fun to pretend that we were giving Magnus a present. Brian and I made a can telephone, you know, the ones with two cans attached by a string in the middle....and wrapped it up. They looked a bit confused when they opened it, so we told them that it was so they could talk to Magnus in the womb. We had Luke try it out and then I took over....AnnHelen held one of the cans to her belly and I talked to Magnus through the other can....I said, "hey Magnus, want to talk to your newest friend?" and then I held the can on my belly. I SO wish we had photos of their reactions...it was priceless! Here we are giving the little ones some time to talk to each other....

We decided to use the same trick on the Wysuph's, so we wrapped the present back up and headed to their house to give Benjamin his gift. He just so happened to be asleep, so we had Dan and Sara open it.

We told them they could use it for Benjamin and Magnus to get to know one another before Magnus was born, then Ann Helen and I showed them how it was done....

I used the same line, "hey Magnus, want to talk to your newest friend..."

We wish we could have gotten photos of everyone else we told, but that didn't work out....we're glad we got the few we did!

The Bump

2011-05-20T10:45:00.001-07:00

It's a strange thing having your body change in ways it never has before, but it's exciting knowing that there is a little life in there who is making all of the changes worth it. For some reason I didn't start taking belly photos until week 11, and even since then we missed weeks 14 and 16. But hey, at least we have documentation of the progress.

Week 11: don't mind me, this was during my sick period...the last thing I wanted to do was take a photo. At this stage baby is the size of a fig (just over 1 1/2 in. long).

Week 12: again, still sick...at this point baby is the size of a lime (just over 2 in. long).

Week 13: you guessed it, still sick....here, baby is the size of a medium shrimp, totally random, what happened to the fruit and veggie theme here (almost 3 in. long)?

Week 14: no photo, but baby is the size of a lemon (just over 3 1/2 in. long).

Week 15: At the end of this week I started feeling better...YAY!!!!! Hooray for no more nausea! Baby is about the size of an apple (4 in. long).

Week 16: no photo, but baby is about the size of an avocado (4 1/2 in. long).

Week 17: baby is about 5 inches long from head to bottom and weighs as much as a turnip.

Week 18: today marks week 18, so I don't have a photo yet. It's crazy to think that we're almost half way there! Today, baby is the size of a bell pepper (5 1/2 in. long).

In just two week from today we get to find out if baby Baer is a boy or a girl! Most people suspect a girl, and we kinda do too, but who knows. It will be nice to call it something other then the strange nicknames we've been calling it...everything from Herbert the Sesame Seed to Carl with a "C."

First Look at Baby B

2011-04-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

And the news is out, we're joining a new club...the parenting club! We're looking forward to Fall when we get to meet our little one some time around October 21st. Though we are looking forward to it we are in no hurry; i've actually been very thankful that pregnancy is 9/10 months...I think that time is crucial to prepare yourself in so many ways (though I don't think it is something that you can ever fully prepare yourself for).

We are both so excited about this next step in our lives and are so thankful for the love and support of our amazing family and friends. This baby is joining the world during a major baby boom here in Santa Cruz and the surrounding area, so there will be no lack of friends for our little tyke, and there are plenty of people for me to talk pregnancy details with...we feel so blessed!

This ultrasound video was taken at 10 weeks, 6 days (i'm now 13 1/2 weeks). Seriously, it was one of the craziest things I have experienced. We have a mover and a shaker on our hands...i'm just wondering if that will continue into newborn phase...only time will tell.

Video disclaimer: please don't mind my annoying voice saying, "I danced for 9 years...." A sweet friend kindly reminded me that how dare I take all the credit for our dancing baby, when Brian used to be the one (pre-knee surgery days) who would bust out with the splits at weddings...and she couldn't be more correct.

Untitled from brian baer on Vimeo.

Mr. Giggles

2011-03-03T21:47:00.000-08:00

Last Friday night I watched Little B...Brian wasn't able to make it, so I figured it would be good for Beniam and I to have some quality auntie/nephew time. Little girl was there at the beginning, but ended up going out with her parents. Aren't those some pretty blue eyes?

I think her dad makes her laugh...

We bought B a random shaker instrument (he loves music) while we were in Ecuador and I finally gave it to him...here he is giving it a shake.

His favorite game for the night was...let's-hang-this-instrument-on-Auntie's-ear-and-have-her-shake-her-head-around-while-I-laugh-at-her...he had a blast, and I had a blast laughing at him. Here is Mr. Giggles in action laughing at the instrument hanging on my ear...isn't kid laughter the best?

Ecuador: Banos

2011-02-23T13:32:00.000-08:00

We weren't planning on going to Banos, but we had quite a few people mention what a cool spot it was, and we're glad they did. The town is nestled right below Volcano Tungurahua, which is one of the 8 active volcanoes in Ecuador. There has been quite a bit of activity since 1999, and on occasion the entire town has had to evacuate. While we were there the volcano just so happened to be letting off a bit of steam, yes, it made me nervous.

Take a closer look....it may look like clouds, but it's not...it was billowing steam from a volcano, crazy!

And here is part of Banos...

This man was awesome! I tried my best to get a photo without him noticing; hence the reason it's blurry. We wanted to be friends with him, but he looked like he was on a mission.

Puppet anyone? I guess they're technically not puppets, but that's what everyone there called them. Right after Christmas these "puppets" appear everywhere to begin getting ready for the new year celebration. Some people buy puppets and some people make their own puppets. We saw some older kids making a huge puppet that looked like it should have been on a float, it was massive!

I'm sure you're now wondering what everyone does with these puppets. Well, right after the stroke of twelve midnight on December 31st, everyone kicks their puppet into a pile and lights it on fire. There are huge piles of burning puppets everywhere!!! Such an interesting new year's tradition.

And some people wear these masks to help them ring in the new year

One of the major draws in Banos is the hot spings...hence the name of the town is Banos (baths). I had been to hot springs before in New Zealand and in Hungary, but it was Brian's first time experiencing the amazing-ness of natural hot springs. He fell in love immediately!

The next day we fueled ourselves with a big breakfast and headed out for our 6 hour hike to get an up close look at the volcano.

Have you ever been on a hike in Ecuador? Well, if you have then you will know that it is very easy to get lost! At some crossroads there will be signs and at others there won't be. Even if there is a sign you can't always tell which direction the arrow is pointing. By the time we got to this first lookout point we had already taken a 45 minute to 1 hour detour. We were sweaty and exhausted with hours more to go...so we continued.

A few hours into the hike we were even more exhausted...

Oh good, just in case the volcano decides to start spewing lava we know which direction to run!

We passed through a lot of farmland on our hike.

We were almost to the volcano...

when we came across these men...they told us since the cloud cover had already come in for the day that it would be impossible for us to see the volcano...noooooooooooooooooo!

With that said, we headed back to Banos.

And came across some red ants.

Almost there, almost there!

These stairs were gnarly! Poor Brian and his bad knees...

We got back to town about 6 hours later completely exhausted! We were going to head straight to the hot springs to relax and shower before our 10 p.m. night bus to Guayaquil when we ran into some friends we had made earlier in the trip. We were told we had to rent a dune buggy and go explore the waterfalls on the road to Puyo....so we did. The sun was on its way down so we were only able to rent the buggy for an hour and a half, and we had a blast! We would have loved to have had more time to actually go explore the waterfalls instead of pulling off the road, taking a photo, and moving on to the next one.

Here we are in our dune buggy about to get going. Don't be fooled, you don't just drive these things through town....you drive them on a highway! No joke. It would be the same if someone came to visit Santa Cruz and we put them on Highway 17 in a dune buggy and told them to enjoy the views...you would never even think to do that, right? Well in Ecuador they do :-)

Maybe you need some videos to get the full effect...

Oh ya, and there were dark tunnels...

And if you'll notice we only had one side mirror...

Our time was running out fast and it was almost dark at this point, so we decided it was time to book it back to town. Brian was driving at the time and we had just come around a corner when out of no where our buggy stopped shifting! It wouldn't do anything. Mind you this is on a highway with semi-trucks and huge buses that are constantly passing each other. Thank God no one was behind us! Brian jumped out of the buggy, yelled to me to get in the driver seat and crank the wheel to the left, and he pushed the buggy to the other side of the freeway. I'm glad I'm married to a quick thinker because he got us out of there just in time. There was no turnout anywhere near us, so we had the buggy up against the railing and it was still partially in the road.

I stood there waving cars and trucks around him so that he could try to fix the problem, but it still wasn't working. By the way, it was pitch black by this time. The only time we could see anything was when a car drove by. Luckily, Brian had his cell phone on him and remembered that the guy we rented it from had given him a business card. He called and he got through, which was a miracle in itself because we had tried making calls earlier in the trip and they never worked. In his best Spanish he told the man what happened and supposedly someone was coming to get us. Half hour later two guys showed up. We figured out that it wasn't a problem with the gears, but that the chain had broken and fallen off and we ended up finding it in the middle of the street where the buggy stopped.

The whole thing was a bit terrifying, but it was also quite the adventure. We ended up making it back to town with time to relax in the hot springs one more time!

And look who we ran into on our way to the bus station later that night....our friends Sue and Thompson who we met and hung out with in Cotopaxi. Hi guys!!!

Nutella. Cupcakes. Cream Cheese. Frosting...Yes Please!

2011-02-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

I have a few food blogs that I follow, and am constantly coming across more and more amazing ones. There are so many talented and creative people out there! I'm not sure how I came across it, but I found Tartlette a few months ago and have been smitten with her sinful looking sweets and equally amazing photography skills. You really need to go check out her blog; it's gorgeous!

The thing that sets Tartlette aside is that all of her recipes are gluten-free. I seriously had no idea that you could take absolutely every delicious sweet ever invented and make it gluten free. I don't feel so bad for all of those gluten-intolerant people now. But, for those of us who can eat gluten, she makes sure to include how to make the recipe with regular flour. Thank you!

I have yet to try one of her recipes, but when I do, I think this one will be the maiden voyage...

Click here for the recipe: Nutella Cupcakes with Nutella and Cream Cheese Frosting

(All photos taken by Tartlette)

Ecuador: Quito and Tena

2011-01-25T13:05:00.000-08:00

After our time in Cotopaxi, we heading back to Quito for a day and a half before making the trip to the jungle. We didn't do all that much...we strolled around the Old Town, checked out some churches, and the highlight...went to the Equator! What's a trip to Ecuador with standing at Latitude 0-0'-0"?

We started taking pictures of this huge cathedral and then found out it was build in the 1900's, so I stopped taking photos.

This one didn't turn out quite like I hoped...finger placement is a little off.

This one is bit more accurate.

The reason we went back to Quito in the first place was to wait for our luggage....and guess what? It came!!!! We were so happy it only took a few days instead of an entire week to get to us. I guess we were lucky! So with our luggage in hand we headed east into the jungle, or rather the secondary jungle. Getting into the heartland of the jungle costs a pretty penny so we settled for the next best thing. The bus ride alone was quite the experience. Have you even taken a bus through South America? It's pretty intense. Most of the mountain roads do not have guards on them and the bus drivers drive the bus like it's a motorcycle...the experience almost cured me of my fear of flying, almost.

We had a little tire trouble...

So Brian took the time to buy a snack from this cute little guy.

Side note - it always amazes me how Coca cola is everywhere...even in the jungle of Ecuador!

Our day and a half in Tena included jungle exploring, river swimming, and animal watching.

Peter, we took these monkey photos for you.

Porcupine

Termite nest

Jungle trees

Hors devours - popcorn and salsa...random, but good.

We went on a jungle stroll the next morning before leaving for the mountains again. We had to get on another bus, but luckily the ride was only 4 hours so it wasn't too bad.

Next stop was Banos, where we had an amazing time! Banos is situated right below an active volcano, and while we were there it was smoking...scary. It was an awesome place and we had far too much fun while we were there. Stay tuned for the next segment of the trip...

Ecuador -The First Few Days: Quit & Cotopaxi

2011-01-20T12:29:00.000-08:00

We've been home for a week now from our South American adventure and about all that I have been able to get done is 5 loads of laundry. And that's not even the whole truth because those 5 loads of laundry are still sitting in the laundry room waiting to be folded. This flu/cold/cough/sinus thing that I caught the day after we got back has really done me in! Oh well, lets get on to more exciting things...

Our flight to Ecuador went quite smoothly, except for me not being able to sleep, but that's normal. Brian of course was out like a light, so I sat there the whole flight by myself, clammy hands and all. We had an inkling that our luggage might get lost during the transition from Bogota to Quito...the guy that checked us in assured us that our baggage was checked all the way through, but we still had our reservations. Sure enough we watched bag after bag go around the luggage carousel until there were no bags left; our inkling was correct, no luggage. So we filed a claim and headed off to our hostel.

Day 1:
Upon checking in to our room, we told the manager what happened with our bags and that he might be getting a call from the airline soon....he laughed when we told him that our bags would probably get in later that day or the following day....he said we would be lucky if we got them in 3 days and that it could take up to a week! Not what I wanted to hear when all I had was the clothes on my back (Brian was smart enough to pack underwear and a pair of shorts in our carry-on). Luckily, I bought Travel Assure traveler's insurance through American Express, best $40 I've ever spent! We found out about an "American" type mall, so we headed out to stock up on our essentials for the next few days.

Quito, right outside our hostel.

So this "American" mall was not what we expected...it was completely over the top. With stores like Hugo Boss and Bebe, we had a hard time finding anything but suits and formal wear.

Needless to say, our first day in Quito was spent running around shopping malls trying to find jeans, shirts, sandals, raincoats, a backpack, pajamas, underwear, towels, and toiletries. Have you ever tried to find jeans in Ecuador? Do you know how short they are there? Do you know how long my legs are? I got desperate...I was about to buy jeans from the teen boy section when I spotted them, mom jeans. They were perfect, or should I say, "perfect." They were dark, long, had some stretch, and were somewhat high-waisted, but they worked!

The reason we were in such hurry is because we had made arrangements to go to the mountains for two days, and we were leaving at 10:00 the following morning. All I can say is that we did our best with what we were given.

Day 2:
We took off with a group of people to a place in the Andes called Cotopaxi. Cotopaxi is also a national park and the name of a volcano within the national park. The Cotopaxi Volcano is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and is also part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Brian had a nice 2 hour, bumpy ride in the back of the pickup.

The place we stayed, The Secret Garden Cotopaxi, was awesome! It was nestled on a hill toward the back of a valley and had views of 6 different volcanoes/mountains. They had farm animals, their own garden, a cozy lodge, and our little cabin even had it's own fireplace...it was the perfect spot to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas.

Here are a few photos from the hike, or excursion rather, that we all went on the day we arrived.

Our new friend, Thompson

So many Llamas!

Most of our crew. We had an awesome group of people!

As I mentioned before, we had an awesome little cabin that had a fireplace and great views. Here are the three cabins; ours was the one on the left.

There was no electricity, so we used candles placed in beer bottles to find our way around the cabin.

And this was the view from our room. It doesn't look like much, but what you can't see is a snow-covered volcano that is blending in with the clouds...it was beautiful!

Here's a close-up for you.

Some sunrise shots of the surrounding mountains, taken from our room.

Day 3:
By the way, have you ever tried mountain biking at 3,500 meters? Especially when you have only been at that altitude for a day? Believe me when I say they are not pulling your leg when they tell you that you need a few day to acclimatize. For that reason mountain biking didn't last long, but it was fun!

The horses were literally hiding from Brian...he tried so hard to get close to them; he even spoke to them in Spanish, but they still weren't convinced.

When we got back from our bike ride, the hammocks were calling our names. By the way, why doesn't everyone have a hammock? I think we need to remedy this.

Proof that Brian relaxed on Christmas :-) And ignore the sandals...they were part of the emergency purchases.

We had such a great meal for Christmas...they really went all out. Our afternoon hors devours though were a different story. We had a traditional Ecuadorian Christmas lunch, and here it is: three kinds of corn and pig fat, with the pig skin attached! The corn was good....

Christmas dinner...

And lastly, our new friends. We couldn't have asked for a better group of people to hang out with while we were in Cotopaxi!

Reminiscing of Italy - April 2005

2010-10-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

My in-laws are currently traveling around Italy. Part of their voyage will take them to the stomping grounds of distant relatives....I'm interested to see if they will be able to track down the correct Bacciagaluppo (can you get more Italian than that?) family. I love learning about family history! We also have some friends who just returned from an Italian adventure, so all this talk of Italy has had me thinking of my whirl-wind trip there in 2005.

I would love to go back some day...there is something just so charming about Italy, it captures you! These are just a few of the photos I randomly found on my computer today.

This man practically begged us to take a photo with him, so after a few minutes, we obliged and then we started walking away. Bad move on our part...we heard yelling, so we turned around and saw him following us through the crows by the Trevi fountain...then we ran...we kept hearing, "you pay! you pay!" He somehow caught up to us and grabbed us, so we coughed up a few Euro and paid him, he was creepy.

The Spanish Steps...

The Trevi fountain is beautiful, and it really is romantic.

Aaaaah, Florence! It is the picture I had in my head of Italy.

What's a trip to Italy without the typical, "I'm holding up the leaning Tower of Pisa" picture?

Yes please! I will take a cappuccino and a croissant :-)

We were in Rome at the beginning of the trip and the end. The first time we were there was Easter Sunday and the crowds were crazy at the Vatican, so we didn't go in. We figured we would wait until the end of our to do that. Again, bad move. The day we got back was the day the Pope passed. The picture below was taken fairly early in the day, so all of the crowds had not arrive. The square was packed with people praying, chanting, and singing! So, I've been to Rome two separate times and have not seen the Sistine Chapel...maybe some day.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival

2010-10-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we went up to San Francisco with some friends to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park. It's a FREE 3 day festival put on by a super wealthy guy who loves bluegrass...how cool is that? We only made it up for a few hours on the last day, so we missed many amazing shows (like Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris), but it was still fun to be a part of.

Believe it or not, I had never driven the coast up Highway 1 to San Francisco, so we took that route and it was a perfect day for it! On our way, we stopped at Taco Bell. Why? Because look where it is! Seriously, Best. Taco. Bell. Ever!

Go for a surf, a walk, or a fun day at the beach and you have food right in front of you. They even have an outdoor ordering window on the deck for all of their customers with sandy feet. How accommodating!

The show was packed! There were six stages with concerts going on at each one all throughout the day. The main reason we went was to see the Avett Brothers since we had missed both of the shows they played in the area earlier this year. I needed to get my fix, and I did. They are so fun live!

I think one of my favorite things about concerts is the people watching. These two danced the entire show! No joke, an hour and a half of the same movements over, and over, and over. He pulled out some really sweet hip movements which I didn't catch, but you'll get the idea.

Sweet Baby Girl

2010-10-02T22:15:00.000-07:00

Little Evangeline is already getting so big. I was able to hang out with her a bit last Saturday when we celebrated her big brother's 2nd birthday at Vasona Park in Los Gatos. She spent most of the day soundly sleeping in her baby bjorn, but I was able to manage a few snapshots before she slipped off into dreamland.

Poor girl, she was being smothered by all of her aunts, uncles, and cousins. I'm sure she was wondering what the heck all of the commotion was about...

"Auntie Em, will you please get out of my face with your camera, it's starting to get annoying..."

Isn't she sweet? She kindly let me take one last photo of her, thanks baby girl :-)

Let the Landscaping Begin!

2010-10-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

We're at it again. After a long hiatus, we are back to working on the house. We still have more work to do on the inside, but we're both tired of paint, spackle, tiling, crown molding, baseboard, sanding, etc., etc. So, we decided that to keep things rolling we should change gears and work on the outside of the house. It's going to be super fun to watch the yards go from weeds and dirt to patios, grass, and tropical plants!

Phase 1 of the landscaping journey started last week. We extended the patio that comes off of our "sunroom" so that we can have a spot to put our hot tub....YAY! We are so excited to get our hot tub back, and just in time for winter too!

Before we could lay the patio Brian had to move an in ground drain that was in the way and redo some piping. Here he is working hard...

Laying down the last of the rebar...he looks pretty happy with his rebar skills.

Here's a closer look at the job.

Thinking things over. "Are we sure this is what we want to do, are we sure we left enough room to put the plants we want around the patio?"

Now for the real fun part...the pouring of the patio! Brian's dad was nice enough to come help us out for the day, and we couldn't have done it without him! Go Brendon, go!!!

Brian looks happy that we have started working on the house again :-) We'll get there some day, but at least for now the ball is rolling again!

Fluffy Bedding

2010-09-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

Slipping into a freshly made bed with just washed sheets is one of my favorite things in the world! Fluffy pillows, soft sheets, and the smell of clean linens...*sigh* Yes, it's the small things in life that make me happy. The duvet set in our master bedroom is starting to look a little dingy; it's been through a lot this past year. There are remnants of floor underlayment (nasty, gooey, gray stuff), and even a stain from bird poop (that's another story). Needless to say, I've been looking around.

I just so happened to find something that I like at Anthropology, of course. I will never bring myself to buy it, but I can dream.

Wouldn't you love to slip into that bed? I LOVE white bedding, it's so fresh and happy. But, they also have it in this fabulous grey. Pretty tempting, huh?

And check out the ruffle sheets...too cute.

Anthropologie, you have ruined me. Here's to trying to find a look alike that is more suitable to my price range...cheers!

*All images from Anthropologie.

Pacific Grove and the Painted Lady

2010-09-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

The day after my crazy summer school class was finished I headed down to Pacific Grove with one of my best friends, Lauren, for a night away. It was a much needed "school is done" night away for me and a "baby boy #2 is arriving soon" night away for her. It was so nice to have some quality friend time and some much needed relaxation!

Lauren's in-laws own a house right up the street from the infamous "Lover's Point," so our accomodations were fabulous! Most all of the houses in Pacific Grove have a name, and theirs is called the, "Painted Lady."

As you can tell, it happened to be nice and foggy the day we arrived, so we took full advantage of the less then perfect weather and totally vegged out. First, we got pedicures.

Baby boy #2 came along for the fun. We most definitely enjoyed the massage chairs and the opportunity to catch up on celebrity gossip.

We went for a very short stroll down to Lover's Point to check out the sites.

Then what better to do on an overcast day then put on some sweat pants and watch a movie, so we did. Have you seen, "A Good Year?" If not, you should, it's a good one, especially if you like France :-)

What came next? Take out Chinese food...YUM! I can't remember the last time I ordered Chinese food; it had been far too long. There really is something fun about it being cold outside and being bundled up in sweat pants, chowing on Chinese food, and talking with a girlfriend. I think it should be done more often!

The next day we were surprised to find that Pacific Grove treated us to something unusual...a bright sunny day! Here's the view from the Painted Lady...

Lorraine, I'm so glad that we were able to spend some quality time together...thanks for the invite! I find it amazing that we've been friends since we were born, and we're still going strong. I think we're staying pretty true to our promise and are gonna be "buddies til the end of the world..."

Whidbey Island School House

2010-09-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Ruthie got married on Whidbey Island (just Northwest of Seattle) last month, and I had the pleasure of attending. I flew up to Seattle a few days before the wedding to spend some time with her and our friend Angela. The three of us met while attending Capernwray Bible School in New Zealand back in 2003, and we were attached at the hip. I get to see Ruthie quite often, but I hadn't seen Ang in 5 years, so it was quite a treat for the 3 of us to be together...it was much needed girl time!

I have heaps of photos from the trip, which I will hopefully get around to posting. Ruth and Erfon got married outside the schoolhouse, which overlooked the water and was absolutely gorgeous. The inside of the schoolhouse was converted into an actual house with two beds, a large living area, bathroom, and full kitchen. It was so super cute!

That's all for now...back to work!

Better Late Then Never..."Southeast Asia - 2007"

2010-09-02T09:50:00.001-07:00

We took this amazing trip two years ago now, and I have finally put together a photo book! Every once in a while Shutterfly will do a free 8x8 album, so I finally took advantage of it. They give you some restrictions, but even with those I think it turned out pretty good. I can't wait to get it in the mail! Now I just need to backtrack and catch up on albums from the past 3 years. All in good time...

Click here to view this photo book larger

He's a Trooper...

2010-08-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

Since we were super busy the past year I was not able to keep up on blog posts like I would have liked to...especially posts about the house progress. One of the main reasons I have this blog is for our own enjoyment; so that years down the road we can look back at it and say, "remember when....". Therefore, I'll be posting some of our remodeling photos for quite some time so that we can remember all of the craziness that we went through to get where we are.

As I mentioned above, he's a trooper. I can't even begin to tell you how many dust filled projects Brian has had to do...he lived many a day in a mask to keep his lungs free of concrete dusk, insulation, tile debris, and sawdust.

The photos below (one of the many dust filled projects) are the beginning stages of the floor installation...it all started on a Sunday afternoon and I was on my way home from a wedding shower. I pulled into our street and saw smoke pouring out our front and side doors...but it wasn't smoke, it was concrete dusk. The poor guy was leveling the concrete of our whole downstairs...NOT a fun job! Here's a bit of the aftermath....

Trying to clean every square inch with the small shop-vac nozzle. I lost track of the number of times we vacuumed up that floor.

He was covered head to toe in concrete dust.

Look how happy we are :-) Living in DIY Central was a blast (insert sarcastic tone)!

What's for Dinner?

2010-06-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

It's summer, which means fresh ingredients, light fish, and the grill! A few weeks ago at the gym I grabbed the new Sunset magazine, which happened to to be in the magazine drawer (score), and hit the elliptical. Note to self, it's never a good idea to read food magazines while working out. I always start drooling, my stomach starts growling, and I usually end my workout early so that i can go eat. Anyway, I came across this recipe for Mahimahi with Thai Green Curry. YUM! You need to make it, STAT. My new obsession is anything containing curry or coconut milk...I can't get enough.

*Sorry for the yellowy/orange tint...it was taken at night under lights. Maybe if I knew how to use my camera better it would have turned out better. Or better yet, if could edit photos....

If you're into that as well, try this recipe for Red Curry Coconut Noodles, it will also make your mouth very, very happy! Bon Appetit!

Running on Empty

2010-06-18T11:38:00.000-07:00

Wow it's been a while since I have blogged! Life was a little busy (understatement of the year) there for a while, but we are finally getting back into the swing of what normal life and a normal schedule looks like.

Long story short....we had to do a major push to get our house "done" in 30 days. Ready, set, panic attack! Luckily, I have been blessed with a husband who can do anything as well as amazing family and friends who were willing to help in the midst of the chaos.

The day we found out we had to "complete" our house in 30 days Brian and I decided that we had to be a team...there was no other way to get it done. Though I never want to go through what we went through again, we have lots of fond (*cough, cough, nudge, nudge*) memories of staying up til 3 a.m. drinking Simpler Times (how appropriate) while painting, floor prepping, running speaker wire, etc. By the way, since I'm on the topic of running speaker wire....I have a major aversion towards seeing wires, it drives me nuts! The night we had to run the speaker wire in the living room I was not a happy camper...I was grumpy from the lack of sleep, and knowing that I would be going to bed at 3:00 a.m. or later, again, was not making me any happier. I kept saying that we should just forget it, the wire wasn't cooperating. Who cares if we have to see wires when we put up the surround sound, I just want to go to bed! Brian kept reminding that I hate wires and that I would thank him later...really? Would I? Are you sure about that? After far too long that night, we finally got the wire to cooperate (too confusing to explain the process here)....and yes, I thank him all the time now! Do you know how nice it is to have speakers in the wall with no wires hanging from them? It truly is amazing! Thank you husband for not giving up.

Now back to the real reason I am writing this post. We were running on empty, not really sure how we were gonna make it another day. Late one night I was making us some burritos (for probably the 5th night in a row) and Brian was working on the floor. He had mentioned that he wasn't feeling that great. "Poor guy," I thought...and continued making burritos. About 15 minutes went by and I realized that I hadn't been hearing any noise. "Brian...Brian, are you ok?" No answer. The first thing that flashed into my head was an image of him collapsed on the floor...why wasn't he answering me? I rounded the corner to the living room and this is what I saw...the same image that had flashed into my head seconds earlier....

"BRIAAAAAAAN!!!!!" I yelled as my heart was beating a mile a minute. I ran closer to see what had happened.

"Brian!" He slowly opened his eyes and mumbled, "I fell asleep..."

Talk about a panic attack! The poor guy was just so exhausted that he fell asleep with his face right next to floor glue (gnarly stuff) and his head on a razor blade. So happy we are done with most of this chaos :-)

Oh, and don't worry, I took these photos after I found out he was ok.

Good Friends

2010-03-13T22:23:00.001-08:00

Good friends...there's nothing like 'em! We were so fortunate to have lived next to some of our best friends for the past year and a half. Granted, we only live 3 minutes down the road now, but it seems far since we used to live 30 seconds away, by foot.

Brian has known Luke since high school. They didn't like each other their freshman year, then Luke moved away for their sophomore year, then something happened the summer between Junior and Senior year and they became inseparable! I'm glad their relationship took a turn for the best because the McLelan's are great people to have around.

They have done SO much for us the past 6 months since I have started school and since the house purchase/renovation/remodel. To name a few...they have fed us a countless number of times, cleaned out our hot tub so that it could be refilled (there may have been an alterior motive here, but that's just a guess :-), mowed our lawn, scrubbed our bathroom, painted, sanded, demolished, and have even folded our laundry! I mean really, who does that? We are so blessed to have them as friends! Good friends really are a gift from God.

Encouraging Words

2010-02-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

My mom sent me this the other day and it encouraged me, so I thought I would share. I hope it encourages you too. It's from a devotional book called "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young.

Bring me your weakness, and receive My Peace. Accept yourself and your circumstances just as they are, remembering that I am sovereign over everything. Do not wear yourself out with analyzing and planning. Instead, let thankfulness and trust be your guides through this day; they will keep you close to Me. As you live in the radiance of My Presence, My Peace shines upon you. You will cease to notice how week or strong you feel, because you will be focusing on Me. The best way to get through this day is step by step with Me. Continue this intimate journey, trusting that the path you are following is headed for heaven.

Psalm 29:11 Numbers 6:24-26 Psalm 13:5

Saying Goodbye to the Beach Shack

2010-02-11T12:58:00.000-08:00

We've done it...we've moved. Little did we know that moving two minutes down the road would be so emotional. We LOVED our little beach shack! Yes, it was small; yes, mold would grow on the walls and we would have to clean it with bleach; yes, we had a church building in our front yard; and yes, the traffic on Portola Ave. was extremely loud (until they put in double paned windows for us), but even with all of those little "annoyances" we still loved it. Why? We were down the street from the ocean, we had space for a little tomato garden, we had an awesome little jungle spot for our hot tub, we lived by some of our best friends, and best of all it was our first home together...the place where we started our family.

I met (or re-met him as he would say) Brian on April 17, 2005 at a wedding, and he had just recently moved into the "beach shack." It just so happens that my sister and her husband had lived in the beach shack right before Brian, so I still had a key to the place.

A few days after that wedding I got a phone call from Brian, in which he mentioned that he had some of my sister's mail. I was literally down the street from the beach shack, so I told him that I would stop by to pick up the mail. During our conversation that night I mentioned how weird it was that I had a key to his house..."here you go, you can have a spare key now..." to which Brian responded, "you should hold on to it, you might need it some day...."

All I remember is giving him a strange look. I held on to the key and we continued our conversation. Little did I know that two and a half years later I really would be needing that key.

Goodbye beach shack...you were so good to us!

Meet Isaac

2010-01-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

Isaac, or I-2 as Brian likes to call him, is nephew number 2 out of 4 for Brian and I. Isaac has an older brother whose name is Isaiah and when Brian first met them he couldn't remember who was who, so he started referring to them as I-1 and I-2. For some reason the name I-2 just stuck and that's how we refer to him.

Isaac is a sweetheart. It took him a while to get there with me for some reason...when he was younger he would turn around and walk the other way when he saw me...why you may ask? I have no idea, but he had some sort of aversion towards me. Luckily, I have grown on him the past few months. He now jumps up and down when he sees me and gives me hugs. I'm so happy that I have finally won him over!

Isaac is quite entertaining. One of his favorite activities is dancing...to Michael Jackson, of course. He has a soft spot for MJ, and once that music starts playing his head automatically starts bobbing up and down, his arms start popping and locking, and his 360 spins come out in full force.

All in all, he's just so fun to watch. He's curious, adventurous, and mischievous. He is intrigued by everything and makes the best facial expressions. Here he is on Christmas day enjoying sour grass, which he loves, but you wouldn't know it by looking at these photos....

Bathroom Destruction

2010-01-26T16:40:00.000-08:00

First of all, forgive the quality of these pictures; they look horrible. Secondly, if you haven't seen or heard from us in a while, this would be why.

Poor Brian, I can't even tell you how much cement cutting/grinding he has had to do since we bought this house. I'm not gonna lie, it looks like a horrible job. I'm so happy that he is willing to do it :-)

We decided to move the location of the closet door in the master bedroom. Here's Brian in the process of changing it from the wall when you first enter the room to the bathroom. This way it will give us more wall space, plus with the lay out of the room/bathroom we thought it made more sense to enter the closet from the bathroom.

This job did not look fun! Brian and Luke were able to tackle the marble tiled wall...it took quite a bit of effort, but now it's empty. YAY! Thanks Luke, you were a huge help!

This photo is to prove that I do help from time to time :-)

And lastly, here is our "new view" from our "new bench." We love taking bike rides and going to one of the many benches along the water. This is the closest bench to our new house and it's about two blocks away. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. When Brian and I started looking for houses a while back we would pray for a house close enough to the water that we could ride our bikes. God totally blew us away with this one!

Back in Action

2009-12-12T19:42:00.000-08:00

Aaaaaaand, we're back to working on the house. Actually, I should say that Brian is back working on the house. He is no longer bound by the knee brace...he was like a giddy kid in a candy shop the day he was able to start working on our house again. Here are a few of the projects that have been going on lately...

Here's Brian's dad, Brendon, helping out with the stucco on the outside of the sunroom. I can't even begin to tell you how helpful Brian's parents have been! Brendon has done everything from painting and plumbing to fixing our chimney...he is a man of all trades. And of course there is Pat, Brian's mom, who I could not have done without! I can't even count the number of times she has cleaned, picked up trash, and organized. They are amazing; I've been blessed with wonderful in-laws!

Brian and Josh working on the drywall on the inside of the little sunroom.

My dad and Brian putting up the crown moulding around the beams in the living room...it's looking amazing! I'm so thankful that my dad was able to help out this week. He is a trim master!

Oh yes, and that's me. Like I said, Brian is the one who has been working on the house. I basically didn't leave the couch all week. And the reason that I have this lovely picture is because Brian thinks it's funny to take pictures of me looking my best :-) Isn't that sweet?

Well that's all for now. Cheers to the house progress being back in action...one day at a time.

Master Bath Renovation: What Would You Do?

2009-11-26T01:29:00.000-08:00

I have never designed a master bathroom before, and yet that is the next feat to conquer on our house "to do" list. Do you know how many kinds of tile there are in this world? Far too many for a person to handle!

As you can see below, the salmon/coral/creamsicle swirl color that is going on in there right now just isn't working for us. Not to mention the "rivers" of pebbles throughout floor (I'll take some more detailed photos so you can see what I'm talking about). We feel a bit bad ripping it all out since it was just put it and hasn't even been finished yet, but it's a little over the top for our taste. We are about to start tearing it all out and then we will have a blank slate.

I need the new colors to be fairly neutral. The bathroom is literally attached to the master bedroom...there is no door, just a large open archway, hence the need for the neutral color palette. We need the bathroom to be able to fit with whatever we decide to paint the bedroom.

What would you do if you had a blank slate to work with? I need ideas! It's hard because we kind of like a bit of everything...classy, modern, casual, contemporary, etc. Oh, and of course I would like a few feminine touches, but that mainly comes with accents and decorating.

Here is what it looks like now, YIKES!

The cabinets will stay, but do we paint them white? Or do we stain them a rich, brown color? There are two vanities, which will be nice so that we can each have our own sink and mirror (hard to see from the photos). What do we do to the countertops? Any suggestions on materials? And then there is the walk-in steam shower which you can't really see here...what do we do there?

If you had a chance to design your dream bathroom what would you do? I would love to hear!

House Feature

2009-11-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

This built-in outdoor fireplace is one of my favorite features on our new house. I keep imagining it all landscaped, lights hanging, outdoor kitchen, fire blazing, music playing, wine in hand, and laughter filling the air. We can't wait to have you over to enjoy it with us!

Oktoberfest

2009-11-18T23:10:00.000-08:00

We recently had a family get together...which included some Los Gatos Brewing Company Oktoberfest. I like beer, but I don't usually love it. Let's just say that this beer is one that was thoroughly enjoyed. Delish!

I Love Sushi

2009-10-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

Not only do I love sushi, but I love the restaurant "I Love Sushi." I've gotta say, it's my pick for restaurant of the year. We found out about it earlier this year from some friends and have been hooked ever since. It's a big, casual place downtown Santa Cruz that tends to host big parties and has a karaoke bar set up in a back room with a stage and everything. See, what's not to love...how can you go wrong with sushi and karaoke?

Here is a photo of my newest obsession...the yam roll, short for the "wham bam thank you yam" roll. It consists of tempura yam, macadamia nuts, and cream cheese rolled up with rice and seaweed, covered in avocado and some sort of sweet sauce. Dip it in some soy sauce with wasabi and your mouth with thank you!

When visiting, be prepared to be inundated with free things...they give you appetizers when you arrive, after you order they bring you miso soup (so delicious) and edamame. Also, expect a visit from the crazy, fun-loving owner. He will most likely give you a few shots of sake or some beer on the house.

Next time you are in need of an inexpensive, casual dining experience hit up I Love Sushi. It won't disappoint!

Recovery Time

2009-10-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

Brian's second knee surgery was last week on October 13th, our second wedding anniversary. What a way to spend a speicial day :-) I can't complain because #1) last year we traveled throughout Asia and spent our anniversary on an amazing beach in Thailand and #2) when B told me that he rescheduled the surgery for October 13th I told him, "perfect, that's a great date for it." It wasn't until hours later that I started thinking, "why does October 13th sound familiar? I think that might be an important date..." That's when it finally dawned on me, that yes, it is an important date, it's the day we got married.

We had been so busy the weeks leading up to this surgery that we were both actualy looking forward to it. I know, weird, but it gave us an excuse to slow down a little bit. I had been getting pretty tired of eating Subway, Little Caesars (yes, I said Little Caesars, I know, gross) Vallarta, and lots of pasta...when you need dinner for multiple people fast and cheap these seemed to be our only options.

Since we are on the topic of junk food...let me just say that once you get in the habit of eating bad food it's hard to stop. I usually crave "good for you" food, but lately all I have been wanting is the "bad for you" stuff and sweets. I need to get back to a healthy diet and a workout plan!

Back to Brian's recovery time. He will have to be on crutches for the next 3 weeks and then will slowly be able to put weight on his leg. I'll be excited to have him walking again...I miss my bike riding partner!

I can't tell you how amazing he has been throughout this whole process! He hasn't complained at all and has been uber productive. By the time he will be able to surf again it will probably be February, which means he will not have surfed once in 7 to 8 months. That is huge for someone who surfs everyday! I am so proud of him and the way he has handled this little "set-back." I can't wait for him to get back in the water again...it makes me happy to see him do something he loves so much. Also, I will be able to feel guilt-free again when I go to the gym...I hardly get to the gym anymore these days, but when I do go I feel horrible because I know he is just sitting at home with his leg propped up on pillows.

Cheers to next year...may it be a year filled with lots of walking, no crutches, and being somewhere other then a surgery room on our anniversary!

Cell Phone Trauma

2009-10-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we had some cell phone trauma. Not just one cell phone, but both cell phones. We thought we were doomed. You know when you make a big purchase and then right after everything around you starts falling apart? I told Brian, "Be prepared, once we buy this house everything is going to start having problems...something will happen with the cars, we'll have some major, unexpected payment on something, etc." Well, it was true. All of this started happening this week. I'm to the point where I think it is amusing...God has quite the sense of humor!

Back to the cell phones. I had to run to Orchard Supply for probably the 6th time that day and decided that I would take the Acura. Little did I know that Brian had left the black cell phone on the hood of the black Acura. I was walking through Orchard trying to find Henry's concrete floor primer when I finally found someone to ask. Lo and behold, they don't carry it...time to head to Home Depot for the 4th time that day. This is when I called Brian to tell him that Orchard had let us down again and I would be making the "trek" up 41st Ave. to grace Home Depot with my presence.

But no, Brian didn't answer. It was a woman and I was greeted with, "This is the second cell phone that I have found today! I'm just trying to be a good citizen. These Blackberry's are expensive phones, you should be thankful that I'm the one who found it. I'm trustworthy you know. I try to be an honest person. It says Brian Baer on the front. We were just bike riding down Portola when I saw something shiny and I said to Kyle, 'Hold on Kyle!' Kyle is my son. So then I found this phone and when I turned it over there was no back on it and the battery was gone. Then I told Kyle, 'We need to look for the rest of this phone.' Then we found the battery and then I saw something shining in the middle of the street, and it was the back!" You're lucky because it could have been run over and I'm an honest person and I want to get the phone back to you...." Wow, the woman could talk! Yes, I was thankful that she found it and yes, I was thankful thankful that she was an honest person. I was thankful for the non-stop talking lady in the tight, mid-drift showing, sequence enhanced Playboy Bunny shirt for finding the Blackberry and hunting down the rest of it's pieces. Oh, and of course I am thankful to Kyle for participating in the whole process.

Later on that night I was cleaning rollers and paint brushes...a large paint filled water puddle was forming in the trench where I was cleaning them. Next thing I know something in the puddle was glowing at me. What is that? Of course, it was my cell phone which i had forgotten was in my sweatshirt pocket. When I pulled it out it was covered in mud and of course some paint streaks. Those of you who know me well know that I have horrible luck with cell phones...they always get water damaged. I ruined many a cell phone during my waitressing days by keeping my phone in my apron pocket. Bad idea. When you work at a bar you should know that drinks get spilled often. Anyway, I figured that I would tack on another number to the running total of cell phones that I had drowned.

Much to my amazement it kept working. I stuck it in a bag of rice to absorb the moisture and 24 hours later it was as good as new (good trick for any of you who have never heard of that...we know of many success stories). So thankful that we didn't have to buy two new cell phones!

Homeowners

2009-10-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

Along with the many words we daily use to describe ourselves, Brian and I can now add the word "homeowner" to that repertoire. This photo shows exactly how we reacted the moment we found out that the house was ours :-) Well, not exactly. I was at work and Brian called me, but we would have looked like this had we been together at that moment.

I have to admit, I was terrified to take the plunge. And yes, I had a small emotional breakdown..."I'm too young to own a house, we are never going to be able to travel again, is it the right time, etc." We had been talking about buying a house since before we got married, and we've been looking for at least the past year, so I don't know why it was so hard for me once we finally decided to pull the trigger.

Now that I am past the initial "freakout" and the home is ours for the keeping I am excited to make it our own. There were so many pieces of the puzzle that had to fit together for this house to become ours...it was crazy watching God orchestrate the whole thing. We have felt beyond blessed throughout this whole process and the house is way beyond anything we could have imagined.

I do find it somewhat humorous that the house came into our lives when it did. We are both working full time, I am going to school, and Brian is having another knee surgery in 12 days, perfect. We (and by "we" I mainly mean Brian, not me) have been trying to bust out as much work as possible before his surgery. Picking out flooring and paint colors on a deadline is extremely hard, but I think no matter what it would have been hard, so this just forces me to make a decision that otherwise would have taken months.

Also, last month some time I had decided that I needed to start spending more time with family, hanging out with my friends that are not in Santa Cruz more often, being a better Auntie, that I needed to learn how to take better pictures, needed to learn how to edit photos, needed to pick up sewing again, needed to pick up a new book, needed to try out new recipes and make better meals, and that I needed to work out more consistently...and there are many more things on my to do list that I was planning on doing, oh well. Some of these things I can still do, but most will have to be put on hold...life is entering a different season.

Though we are way too busy for our own good, I think this is all part of the lesson I am learning on contentment and enjoying where God has me, instead of always looking for what is coming.

Reforming My Fetish

2009-09-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

I have a fetish…with traveling. I LOVE traveling. What’s not to love when you are exploring a new place, immersed in a different culture, and experiencing new sights, food, and scents? This may sound weird, but I feel the most at home when I travel; the most myself. I feel tranquil, which doesn’t seem to happen when I am physically home. I guess the feeling of tranquility correlates to me being content. I am the most content when I travel. I never seem to be fully content when I am home because I am longing for our next adventure and wanting the feeling of no responsibility, no timelines, and the anything goes mentality that comes with a trip.

I recently realized (last week) that my not being content at home is a problem…I need to reform my fetish. Time to start working on that one! Please don’t read this wrong, I love my life. I have an absolutely amazing husband, an adorable house, am surrounded by family and friends, we have our health, and we live by the ocean. But even with all of that my focus is on where can we go next? When can we do it? What is the longest possible time we can be gone? Basically I have realized that my focus needs to shift. When I am home I need to focus on what is going on here, and if we are fortunate enough to be on a trip then at that time I can enjoy all of the perks that come with it. I just need to start living in the moment, slow down, and focus on what is presently in front of me.

One year ago yesterday we left for our Southeast Asia trip. I can’t believe that was a year ago…quite possibly the fastest year of my life, scary. That trip was amazing, and Brian and I even got to spend our 1 year anniversary in Thailand. We are so lucky to have been able to do that! We were planning on heading down to Central/South American around Christmas for a few weeks, but with Brian’s knee surgeries and my decision to go back to school we are going to have to postpone…which actually works out well because it will force me to work on myself and will give me the opportunity to implement my new strategy on how to approach life. God has a plan and His plan is perfect.

Lake Trip '09

2009-08-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's that time of year again. Lake trip time. This year was a record breaker...at one point there were 34 people on the trip. As always, it was beautiful with perfect weather, nice water, lots of friends, boating, tanning, fishing, card playing, and many other activities.

For Brian is was a little different this year. His day consisted of swimming (more like floating since he couldn't kick), fishing, and lots of dock sitting...not his typical lake trip. He was able to get some good quality time in with Pipe (Pat's dog) though since fishing is Pipe's favorite activity. Don't they look cute?

Ryan gets the prize for best fisherman. Not only did he catch the biggest lake trip fish ever, but he also caught a bluegill by using a Bud Light can, not bad. Oh, and Jordan caught his first fish, ever. This was definitely a record breaking trip!

There was also water paddle ball, skurfing (sp?) and an awesome rock slide...what more could you ask for?

Brian with his new favorite toy...his fishy flotation device. I had my doubts, but it worked out perfectly. It was a good accompaniment to the dolphin that Luke brought.

And the crew. As always a big thanks to Donna and Michael for hanging out with all of us "kids." We love having you guys around. And to Luke and AnnHelen, you guys did a great job shopping for 3 meals a day for 34 people, nice work!

Fun Find

2009-08-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

If you love photography and fun weddings you MUST check out The Nichols blog. This link will take you to a recent wedding they shot of Amy & Greg. What a fun wedding! So colorful and creative and full of life. They are a gorgeous couple too....have fun drooling over all of their fun ideas and sassy photos!

Sew, sew, sew

2009-07-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

I've been itching to sew again. Not that I was ever much of a sewer; technically all that I have sewn have been 2 pillow cases and a few aprons (with the help of my mom), and lets not forget all those buttons and sequins to embellish my many dance recital costumes back in the day. I am still very much so a beginner.

For my birthday last month, my friend Lauren bought me "Weekend Sewing" by Heather Ross. It is filled with fun and easy sewing projects that can be completed in a weekend...or longer if you are me. It even comes with all of the pattens, how fun is that?

I've been trying to decide which item I should make first. Which one is simple enough for me to conquer? Lauren said that I should just start at the beginning and make everything in the book...great idea! It worked out perfectly because the first pattern in the book is for the "everything bag," which I really wanted to make. It's just a simple, big tote, and the fabric for it only cost me $6.00, how can you go wrong? We'll see what happens when I embark on my first, totally solo sewing project. Maybe I'll start on it this weekend by cutting out the fabric...I don't have a sewing machine at the moment, so I can't get much further then that.

And since we're on the sewing topic, have you heard of Anna Marie Horner? She is amazing! You should check out her blog and her website. She uses such fun, vibrant colors and looking at her website just makes you happy.

Photo from Anna Marie Horner website

See, aren't you happy?
Ok, so I was happy, but I have two different fonts and blogger will not let me correct it! Technology.....

Cuteness

2009-07-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

Can it get any cuter???

I am LOVING this dress! I hadn't been to the Anthropologie website in months, so I decided to torture myself and see what amazing new dresses they had. I haven't even gotten past the first page yet because I was so excited about this dress that I had to post it. I'm sure there are many more tasty items, but this one caught my fancy. Maybe it's because I've been daydreaming about France lately, especially since we had a French exchange student stay with us last weekend and we watched a French movie. Can't you just imagine yourself in this dress at a Parisian cafe sipping esspresso and eating a croissant? I'm day dreaming about it right now...except in my daydream I can actually speak French...now that would be fabulous. Off to go look at the rest of the website...

Life in General

2009-07-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

It's an absolutely amazing day outside...summer is finally here! It always takes a bit longer to get to us folks here in Santa Cruz. It's now time for more bikerides, summer dresses, bbq's and iced tea :-) Oh the joys of summer! I would love it if it were perpetually summer...the heat, sun, and the ocean make life just that much better.

I'm always trying to get Brian to move to Hawaii for a while. Wouldn't that be amazing? Wouldn't you love to wake up everyday to perfect weather and that fabulous tropical scent in the air? I don't think it's ever going to happen, but I can keep trying.

Life in general has been busy in a different sort of way. Brian recently hurt his knee and couldn't walk for two weeks. At that point we finally decided he should go see a real doctor (we went to urgent care the day it happened, but that didn't help much). After an MRI and meeting with different surgeons he had surgery two weeks ago. His meniscus had torn and flipped and was a big mess.

With a lot of elevating, icing, and physical therapy he is slowly starting to recover. He still will not be able to put any weight on his leg for another two or three weeks, so he'll have to continue with the crutches. The major bummer is that once his left knee heals enough for him to walk on it well he needs to have surgery on his right knee! This means no surfing, tennis, or anything super active until at least December. Brian is the most active person I know, so that is a looooooooooong time of no activity.

I have to give him props though...he has been doing well with all of his down time. We've been watching Arrested Development and I have him working on some photo books that i've been wanting to make :-) All in all, he's hoping these next 6 months go by fast....

In other news, I'm going back to school in the fall. I'll still be working full time for the Title IX Office at UCSC, but I will be taking two classes (i'm on the waiting list as of now, but I should be able to get into them). And what fun classes they are too...Chemistry and Psychology! Since Brian will be around the house alot more he'll be able to help me with Chemistry (science has never been my best friend), which will be SO helpful. It will be a busy, busy semester, but we'll pull through...i'm excited about this next step!

He Makes Me Laugh

2009-06-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

My husband that is. He amazes me with his endless creativity and imagination. Sometimes I wish my brain worked a little more like his.

Brian has always made me cards, whether it's for my birthday, valentines day, etc. he will make me a card. He gave me a store bought card once, and even though it was really sweet, I was a little sad that it wasn't home made (I hope that doesn't make me sound like a brat).

My birthday was on the 16th, and when I came home from work there were beautiful flowers on the table and a card that wasn't in an envelope. It looked just like a "real" card...it said Happy Birthday on it multiple times and there was a picture of an elderly couple on the front. "How sweet, you bought me a card!" Brian responded with a, "no, I think you should look closer..." Here is a picture of the elderly couple for your viewing pleasure:

The Newest Addition to the Fam

2009-03-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

Isn't he sweet? He loves people and he loves to smile...I love that about him.

Baby Shower Love

2009-03-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

A few of us girls threw a baby shower for one of my oldest friends this weekend. And by oldest I don't mean age, I mean that I have known her my entire life! It's a pretty cool thing, and hopefully one day our kids will be able to say they too have known eachother for their entire lives.

Lauren is having a boy, and she is due on May 2nd, but maybe the little guy will grace us with his presence sooner. Here are a few details from the day as documented by Shanni, one of my fabulous photographer friends. You can check out her blog here for some of her other work. Details, details, details...

So excited to meet the little Furtado!

The Weekend

2009-03-02T23:12:00.000-08:00

We had a mellow day for Brian's birthday on Saturday...slept in, made breakfast, finished the latest "Lost" episode, etc. Then we ended up heading down south a bit to Marina with our fabulous friends and good neighbors, the McLelans. The boys needed to fit in a birthday surf session and there were no waves in town, so we decided to make an afternoon of it. It was beautiful! It's amazing how much clearer and brighter the water is down there. AnnHelen and I enjoyed ourselves on the beach chatting away and taking photos while the boys surfed their hearts out.

On our way back from Marina we stopped at Chris and Anna's house so that we could be there when they got home from the airport with their new little man. It was so special to be a part of his homecoming. This new little guy is now offically home, no more moving from place to place and he now has a family to be a part of. He stole my heart right when they took him out of the car.

He is so precious! He's 5 months old and he looks like a little peanut, I love it. You can see how tiny he is sitting next to his 6 week old cousin in the second picture. It's so neat to think that these two little ones with such different beginnings will grow up together and probably be best buddies.

The whole adoption process is amazing. I am so happy for Chris and Anna, and so thankful for their example of amazing patience and reliance on God through this whole process. They were and are such an inspiration to so many people.

Happy Birthday Mr. B!

2009-02-28T10:49:00.001-08:00

Today is my Love's birthday :-) One more year and he will be the big 30, crazy how time flies! I am so thankful for him. I am thankful for so many things about him, but one of the most is his persistence. With out that, I probably wouldn't be where I am today. When he wants something, he goes after it with his whole heart and he never stops trying. I love his love for people. He has a heart that genuinely loves and cares for everyone and is truly interested in what people have to say. I love his heart for adventure, and that he wants to make every day a new, exciting chapter in our life story.

Here he is as a little 2 year old. The pictures of him as a little tyke always make me laugh a bit because he looks so mischievous, like he's up to something...he still gets that same look in his eyes. Happy Birthday B, I love you with all my heart!

There is one more reason that today is a special day...my brother Chris and his wife Anna are coming back from Ethiopia with their new baby boy! They have been in the adoption process for almost 2 years now, and all of their patience has paid off. I can't wait to meet this sweet little boy later today!

Christopher Tarik Beniam Reno

My newfound hobby

2009-01-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

So I mentioned that I was finally going to learn how to sew after all of these years, and guess what? I have! I knew that I would need a goal if I was ever going to get anywhere, so I decided to make aprons for some of the ladies in my family for Christmas. It was super fun, and I think they turned out pretty cute. But, I couldn't have done it without the help of my mom...thanks mom for being a great sewing teacher!

I only have pictures of the half aprons that I made. I'm a bit sad that I never got photos of the full aprons...they were cute, kinda retro/50's style. Anyway, here is my first sewing project...

These are matching aprons for my sister Amy and her daughter Aaliyah

And this one was for my sister-in-law Jeni

I'm working on another sewing project right now. It's something simple, but cute. It's super fun creating things and seeing a finished product, I love it! Let's hope that I keep at it :-)

Tropical Thailand

2008-12-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I never really showed the pictures of our island adventures in Thailand. What gorgeous places we went to! We spent the first part on the island of Phuket and the second part on a very small island by the name of Koh Phi Phi Don (goes by "pee-pee" for short).

I found out that if we are ever to be stranded on a deserted island that my husband would be able to provide food and drink for us. He knows how to climb palm trees, and he can open coconuts within a minute.

Celebrating our one-year anniversary, woo-hoo! We had a great day filled with rock hiking, paddle ball, swimming, opening coconuts, surfing, and of course "splurging" on a nice meal. By the way, the dress that I'm wearing in this picture I had made in Vietnam. I can't wait for summer to get here so that I can wear it!

On a hike to the other side of the island...

Our little bungalow

We took a boat ride to Phi Phi's neighboring island, Koh Phi Phi Ley. No one lives on this island and it is beautiful! We hit a lot of snorkeling spots along the way and did a lot of "oohing" and "aahhing" at the impressive cliffs and crystal clear water.

We spent part of a day kayaking to different coves and beaches on Phi Phi. I forgot how tiring kayaking was...wow did we get tired. But we found an awesome beach so it was well worth the trek.

Later that same day Brian and I went to the other side of the island to swim with sharks...reef sharks. We had heard that they were always at this specific spot so we decided to check it out. Actually, I had Brian check it out first and then I mustered up the courage to get out there myself. I'm glad that I did, it was pretty cool. Well, this brings us to the end of our travels. I can't believe we've been home for almost two months now. I already can't wait til our next trip :-)
Australia? New Zealand? Africa? South America? Who knows, but I'm looking forward to it!

Handy Man

2008-12-11T09:10:00.001-08:00

As I've mentioned before, I have quite the handy man on my hands. Brian loves projects and creating things, and I love the ideas he comes up with! We had been getting pretty tired of not having any sort of entertainment center/console and weren't up to spending $900 on the one that we liked, so Brian decided that he should make one. It was perfect this way because we were able to make it the correct size for our cute little shack. Many thanks to my father-in-law too who stayed after work many times so that he and Brian could work on this project. We LOVE our new entertainment center! Who would have thought that it would be so nice to have a place to put DVDs and photo albums? We have yet to decide what color we should paint it/stain it, so we are letting it hang out in the nude for a while until we decide. Here it is in all of it's glory...

Bali video

2008-11-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Peter and Jessica put together a few minutes of our Bali adventure and have it posted on their blog. Click here to check out the video!

Beautiful fall day

2008-11-22T12:14:00.000-08:00

My mom recently got a new Canon Digital SLR, so we decided to play around with it the other day. I haven't shot with that kind of camera since high school. I've totally forgotten all that Mr. Howell taught me in photo class...aperture is set to what? How fast should the shutter speed be, etc.? Needless to say, I shot in the green mode which does all of that for you. I think I should spend some time this afternoon brushing up on my camera knowledge. Anyway, here are a few of the shots we got of my sister and her cute little ones (and her one on the way). Oh, and I also need some help with my editing skills...maybe that's because I don't have any yet...photoshop, here I come...

I'm gonna be an Uncle again!

2008-11-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

We just got word yesterday that my brother and sister-in-law are going to be getting a little boy (hence the reason I am going to be an uncle...it's kind of a family joke) from Ethiopia! They have been in this whole adoption process for a year and a half now and have been so patient throughout it. They should be going to get the little man in about two months...we are so excited about this new addition to our family. Congrats Reno's!

Cambodia

2008-11-04T15:25:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned briefly before, Cambodia was, well, a bit crazy. Honestly though, that was part of the experience. Everywhere you went you could be sure that someone was trying to scam you, even the littlest of kids. For example, Brian was pulled into one of these schemes by a ten year old boy who was spouting off facts about California and United States (part of his great plan to catch our attention)..."Sacramento is the capital of California, there are 50 states, Barack Obama is going to be your next president, etc." Anyway, all that to say that he ended up beating Brian at a game of tic-tac-toe, and we had to buy a pack of post cards because we lost the bet, it was pretty funny in the end.

On the other hand, Cambodia was beautiful. Our main reason for visiting was to see the Temples of Angkor in Siem Reap. Here's a bit of information for you:

The temples were built between 900-1200 A.D.
Angkor Wat (the main temple) is said to be the worlds largest single religion monument.
Angkor had been the largest pre-industrial city in the world with an urban sprawl of 3000 square kilometers (that's the size of LA).
72 major temples or other buildings are in this area.

Here are some of the things we saw...

Angkor Wat

Angkor Thom

Traditional Khmer food

See the man perched on the top of that big truck? That was a much seen sight around the streets of Cambodia.

Prah Khan temple below

Vietnam

2008-10-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, we loved Vietnam! The town we stayed in was just so charming, I think that's the best way to describe it.

On a ride to China Beach to try and find some surf. There's something about bike riding through Vietnam that is just so fun. If I ever find a bicycle from Vietnam, I'm buying it. They're so cool. (i'm having a font problem and I can't change it back to my normal font, blogger has done this to me before. I don' know why, it drives me nuts)

Believe it or not, that is a fishing boat...we saw them in action.

Around town photos...

Vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk...so delicious! We looked forward to it every morning.

"Pho" Vietnamese soup that is so yummy!

Fish with lemon grass, steamed in a banana leaf, also very tasty.

Brian, picking out his suit styles and getting measured. We had such a great time with our tailors. They were such nice, fun ladies.

Backtracking to Malaysia

2008-10-21T17:58:00.000-07:00

Even though I recaped most of our travels through Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia I never put up any photos. So, here is the start of those few weeks: Malaysia...

Night market shopping in China Town in Kuala Lumpur

Delicious Indian food! Can you say Chicken Tikka Masala and Garlic Naan? Oh Yeah!

The Petronas Towers.
The tallest twin towers in the world.

Knock-offs galore!

Dragon fruit

Any fresh, cool tropical fruit you want at your fingertips. For $.30 it comes peeled and ready to eat!

Local street food. The spring rolls with plum sauce were delicious!

Phuket, Thailand

2008-10-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

We are now officially relaxing! After a busy few days of non-stop travel we are living a completely different lifestyle. The laid back, high-end island style of Phuket is much different then the chaotic run-down style of Cambodia. The water here is gorgeous...clear blues and turquoise with super soft sand and the most perfect temperature I have ever felt!

We decided to splurge while we were here by getting a room at a resort. And by splurging I mean spending $23 per night, amazing deal right?! We checked in, went to our room and were surprised to find 2 twin sized beds. Not what we were hoping for, but we were willing to make due if that was all they had available. We mentioned to the front desk that this weekend was our anniversary (well, almost) and asked if there was any other room. They surprised us by upgrading us to their Deluxe Suite, which goes for $150 per night. We were ecstatic! Brian was particularly excited that he could watch the flat screen tv from the bath tub, then put on the provided robe, and walk out to our balcony to look at the ocean and see what was going on at the pool below us. We scored big time!

We have had a great 2 days here so far. We did alot of exploring on the southern part of the island yesterday afternoon and earlier today. We did a bit of snorkeling yesterday and saw some pretty tropical fish (a black and white lion fish was one of them)...the underwater world is gorgeous! I always freak out a little bit when i'm down there because it is so foreign to me, but Brian made sure that I survived. We also went surfing this evening at Kata Beach when the sun was going down and we had a blast. There was a beautiful purple and pink sunset happening at the same time so it made the whole experience even better.

Last night we were hanging out at the beach in the evening just chatting and enjoying the perfect weather under the beautiful full moon. Down the beach from us people were sending off these crazy looking glowing lanterns into the air, then fireworks started going off, then a crazy display of lighting out on the open ocean began. It was pretty epic, it felt like we were watching a show that someone put together for us. Here's a few more pics for fun...

Tomorrow is our one year anniversary, so we are headed to a small island about 45 minutes away from where we are now. I am super excited! Ko Phi Phi is supposed to have some of the most amazing beaches in the world...and we get to enjoy them!

Shopping in Malaysia, Loving Vietnam, and Crazy Cambodia

2008-10-09T09:16:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been quite a whirlwind of activity since we left Bali last week. (I have no pictures for you at the moment because we decided to take a side trip to Cambodia and we do not have all of our camera cords with us). Anyway, as I last mentioned, we were on our way to Vietnam with a one day stop over in Malaysia...

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia pretty late in the evening and headed straight to our hotel in the China Town District, which was literaly smack-dab in the middle of crazy, chaotic China Town. We dropped off our things and headed into the street to see what kinds of fun goods we could get our hands on. This place had every kind of "designer" brand you could think of: Lacoste, Channel, Gucci, Burberry, Rolex, Tiffany's, etc. If you stopped to check out an item, or if your eyes lingered for one second too long then you would have to make a run for it or else you might be stuck all night long. All of the vendors promised they were giving you, "Very cheap price, My best price for you, I give you sale price, etc." It was pretty crazy, but super fun.

Since we only had one full day in Malaysia we spent most of our time around the China town area. We had some yummy spring rolls and roast duck with plum sauce for lunch and then headed to the famous Petronas Twin Towns, while doing a bit more site seeing along the way. We threw in a bit more shopping, ate a delicious dinner of Indian Chicken Tika Masala with Garlic Naan, had lots of tropical fruit (you can buy yummy, fresh, cold fruit sold on the street that is already prepared for you and ready to enjoy)and headed to bed since we had to leave for Vietnam at 4 a.m.

Vietnam was AMAZING! I almost cried when we left because it felt like my second home. We stayed in an amazing town by the name of Hoi An. There was alot of French architecture so it made the town seem very European, it also helped that there was a delicious bakery that had the best chocolate croissant that I have ever eaten!

The people in Vietnam are GREAT! Everyone was so friendly and wanted to talk and talk. We met some neat people too, which is part of the reason that traveling is so fun. One Vietnamese woman, whose name was Tam and owned a little restaurant by the name of Tam's pub, told us all about her life during the war. I think she was around 12 years old when she was taken in by American soldiers and worked for them in the American compounds. She said that she loved the Americans. Even to this day she has soldiers who come back and visit her, pretty cool. Anyway, she said that she used to cook for the soldiers and do whatever else they needed help with. Apparently there were times when they would be driving from place to place and fighting would break out...she said they would throw her under the jeep where she would be safe and she would watch the fighting from there. She had some pretty crazy stories and we felt like we could have talked to her for hours.

A little more on Hoi An...they are a town with about 500 tailor shops, literaly, it's crazy! So needless to say, we decided to get some things made :-) Brian got some suits, pants, and business shirts, and I had 2 jackets and 2 dresses made. It is SO fun to have things custom made for you. I don't want to buy anything from a store ever again. The tailor shop we had our things made at was called Blue and we loved the 3 ladies (Tam Tam was the owner) that worked there...I think they loved us too. We spent alot of time together with them and multiple fittings to make sure that everything was perfect. They even bought us a bag of fruit (mangos, these massive, yummy grapefruit, and some sort of small oranges) when it was time for us to go. Another thing about Hoi An is that it is just 3km from the from the ocean, so it was a quick and easy bike ride or motorbike ride to China Beach. The water in Vietnam was insanely warm...warmer than Hawaii water, which was quite suprising. Anyway, I could have spent weeks in Hoi An. It was such a fun, but relaxing town. I highly recommend it!

And now, we are in Cambodia! We decided a few days ago to make the trek here, and a trek it was!!! It took us 24 hours to get here from Vietnam, but I'm glad we did it. I'm also glad we made it here safely because we had to endure the longest 2 hour drive I have ever taken in my life. The taxi ride from the border of Cambodia to the town of Siem Reap (where we are staying) was probably the craziest, scariest thing I have ever done. Words cannot describe the insanity, but i'm pretty sure we got video of it so that you can experience it yourself.

So the reason we came to Cambodia in the first place was to visit the Temples of Angkor, which were built during the 12th century. We spent most of the day today traveling to and exploring the different temples. They were quite the site to see and we got some really awesome pictures. I can't wait to post some so that you can see what we have seen. It's getting late and we have to be up early tomorrow to begin our journey through Cambodia and into Thailand. Continue to keep us in your prayers.

Au Revoir!

Saying good bye to Bali

2008-09-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here in Bali and we are so sad to be saying good bye, but that just means that we have more fun ahead and new places to venture to. Here are a few pictures that I bummed off of the Garaway's camera so that you could get a bit more of a glimpse of what we have been up to. And just so you know, we bit the bullet and bought a new camera today, so we are back in the world of photo taking. Here's what we've been up to...

Lots and lots of surfing.  Here is a sequence of Brian surfing out at Uluwatu.

This is the amazing view that we would wake up to every morning (sort of, it was only a few yards away from our cottage) when we were staying at Romeo Bungalows out in Uluwatu. We only spent $15 per night and it was such a quite and peaceful place...definitely our favorite place so far.

Here we are on our trusty motorbike getting ready for another crazy ride. The roads here are literally out of control. Oh, and just so you know Brian joined Jessica by getting a Bali burn on his leg also. Poor guy...

Beautiful Padang Padang Beach

Up North in Ubud, exploring the river and rice paddies

One of the many sunsets that Jessica and I enjoyed together while our husbands were out surfing.

The four of us at the Uluwatu Temple where we were attacked by monkeys.

Some of the many "homestays" and "warungs (restaurants)" on Bingin Beach

This where the boys spent a good deal of their time and where most of their wounds came from.

Brian's dream has finally come true! He has had an obsession with monkeys forever and we were finally able to hold one. It was pretty hilarious...I just laughed the entire time.

More rivers and rice paddies in Ubud.

The mean, fat grandpa monkey at the temple who stole the bananas from Brian, and the cute babies to his left. These things are vicious!

Well folks, I guess that's it for now. Tomorrow we are headed to Malaysia for about a day and a half on our way to Vietnam. The forecast is looking like rain, so that should be quite a change for us. Time to go get some sleep!

Bingin Beach Photo

2008-09-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

Let the adventures begin

2008-09-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we've made it. We have been in Bali for almost 2 weeks now...it's pretty crazy how time flies! It's been a little harder finding time to get to a computer then I thought, but here I am finally.

One bummer so far is that we are pretty sure we have lost our camera, so sad. Luckily I downloaded the first two hundred that we had to our ipod, but we have lost the second round. At least we still have some pictures on the Garaway's camera so it's not as bad as it could be.

As for what we have been doing? Well, we have been enjoying (for me anyway) some pretty hot and humid weather. The water is the perfect temperature of warm but also refreshing too, I love it. The guys have been surfing almost every day (minus the two days there was absolutely no swell) at Uluwatu or Bingin and have been having a great time...not to mention a few cuts, bruises,and puncture wounds to go along with it. I didn't realize how handy those band aides I brought were going to be.

Our accommodations have been pretty awesome. It's cool when you can spend somewhere between $7.50 and $15, to get a place that practically overlooks your favorite surf spot.

I love the mornings here. I love waking up to warm weather, getting some morning tea, and looking out over the water. It's such a great way to start the day!

There is so much to fill you in on about Bali. Sorry if this post seems so sporadic and not orderly. I have so much going on in my head and I am trying to hurry.

Everyday there is some sort of new crazy adventure that has taken place.

We were attacked (almost, sort of, basically) by some crazy monkey's at the Uluwatu temple...I think those things run the place, they are definitely not friendly monkeys.
Jessica and I lost our husbands for a few hours on our second day in Bali, that was an interesting experience.
I've had to pick lots of pieces of reef out of Brian's feet.
Poor Jessica has experienced a Bali kiss (as they call it here), which is the name for a nice sized burn on her right calf from the exhaust on our motorbikes.
We were kicked out of one of the places we were staying when we woke up the morning by a lady telling us, "you leave now, you leave!"
We have had some interesting food, as well as some good food too. The other night the boys each ordered a hamburger that was said to have "choice australian ground beef," but when it came out the ground beef looked like a piece of salami, seriously.
We got to hold an orangutan (sp?) which was hilarious. Brian's dream finally came true, he loves monkeys!
We have seen five people on one motorbike: mom, dad, baby, and two kids (that has been the record breaker so far).
Driven a car so far North that no one spoke any English and all they did was stare at us.

I know there is lots more, but this is all I can do for now. Sorry there are no photos to go along with it. Hopefully within the next few days I can do that. We leave Bali on tuesday and are already so sad to be leaving...it has been so relaxing and I have been able to do lots of reading too, which has been fun. We are off to malaysia next so i'll let you know how that is.

Au Revoir!

Lake trip '08

2008-08-08T10:29:00.000-07:00

We just got back from spending 4 days up at Bass Lake. There was nice hot weather, lots of friends, boating, fishing, reading, cooking, relaxing, etc. and the lake was perfect! Michael and Donna McLelan are nice enough to rent out a house on the lake every year and there is an open invitation to all of us. They are so sweet to put up with all of us "kids" for a few days. At one point there was twenty-five of us up there this year. Thank you McLelan's for an amazing trip...already looking forward to next year!

The rope swing into the lake.

The guy's favorite game on the trip...how many men can fit on one floating device?

I think six was their limit.

We went on an awesome river walk where we found some rad swimming holes...

And a natural water slide which was one of the funnest things I have ever done!

My big catch!

We did it!

2008-08-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

What did we do you may ask? We bought plane tickets! To where? To Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, and wherever else we decide to go once we get there. We have been talking about doing a trip to Asia for almost a year now, and this morning at 4:45 a.m. we bought our tickets. We leave SFO September 15th and return October 20th, just about five weeks.

We don't have much of a plan as of now, but what we do know is that we are flying into Bali and staying there for two weeks (this way the boys can surf their hearts out). Then off to Vietnam and after that Thailand. You never know, we could end up in India depending on flights...we'll just have to see when we get there. I am so excited that we are actually doing this, it feels good. Cheers to travel, adventure, and exploring new places!

Bike Rides

2008-07-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

For the past few months bike rides have been new obsession. I LOVE THEM! I love hopping on my cute black & white Schwinn and heading down to the beach, riding along west cliff, or riding down to Capitola to visit my younger sister working at Mr. Toots (just did this today). There is something about being on a bike that makes me feel free.

Capitola Venetians

I love riding by myself, with Brian, or with a group of people. Everything just seems more fun when you are on a bike, it's like an adventure and you never know where you are going to end up or who you are going to run into. Cheers to bike rides and feeling free!

Dahlias

2008-07-18T11:56:00.000-07:00

One of the many reasons I love summer time (besides the warm weather, being able to wear dresses & sandals, BBQ's, bathing suits, iced tea, fresh fruit, etc.) is because of dahlias. These flowers are amazing. They come in every size, shape and color imaginable! This year my mom planted a dahlia garden (along with the millions of other flowers she has planted...she definitely has a green thumb). I love it when I can take a few home and put them in multiple places around the house, they just make me smile and make everything look better!

This is one of my favorites. The picture doesn't do justice to the size of the thing!

Crafty

2008-07-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

A few months ago Brian and I bought an old window at the flee market. Originally we were going to use it to make a hutch, but due to the size of our cute little beach shack we realized that a hutch would take up too much space, so the window sat in the shed. That is until we heard the idea of turning an old window into a mirror.

Being the crafty guy that he is Brian took on the project by himself while I was at work one day. I came home and we had a mirror! He popped out the window panes, sanded everything down, painted it, distressed it, and then glued in the mirrors. I think he did an awesome job! It reminds me something that would be hanging in Anthropologie for one of their new displays, but they would have them hanging all over the store in multiple different colors. Anyway, here is the finished project...

New Hair

2008-07-09T16:45:00.001-07:00

I finally did it. I bit the bullet, joined the rage, and got myself some bangs! It's funny how we can stress over something like bangs for two years. Every time I went in to get my hair cut I would think, "ok, i'm gonna do it this time, i'm gonna tell her that I want bangs." And two years later here we are finally, with bangs. It was quite the traumatic experience, i'm not going to lie :-)

They've taken some getting used to, but I think I like them. Everyone once in a while though I feel like i'm back in second grade on picture day. For instance, after a bike ride when they are all over the place and sticking straight up...it looks like i'm trying to relive the days of curling irons and hair spray on bangs.

Overall, they've been good to me. I needed a hair change and I'm so glad that I finally gave in after two years. If you've been wanting to do something with your hair I highly suggest you just do it. What's the worst thing that can happen? It's just hair, right?

He's my favorite amusement

2008-06-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

My birthday was at the beginning of last week and the card that Brian got for me was a card that I would definitely have given to him as well. On the front was a boy and a little girl looking up at him...they were at a carnival and I think they were eating corn dogs (i know, not really needed information). The front said, "You're my favorite amusement." Brian amuses me daily and I am always finding out something new about him. A few weeks ago he was vacuuming the house and then headed out onto the porch to vacuum it as well as the stairs leading up to it. I found this very amusing so of course iI had to take some pictures...now vacuuming the porch is a regular occurrence!

Ciao Bella!

2008-06-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

Oh Italy...How I adore thee! Even though we were only in Milan for one night it was great to be back in Italy again! I had not been to Milan before so it was fun to see the gothic cathedral and drool over the amazing shops :-) We didn't bother trying to cram anything in to our few hours there so we relaxed, drank the best coffee in the world (any coffee in italy is the best), had a yummy pizza dinner, and of course ate multiple helpings of gelato. We couldn't help ourselves...who knows when we'll get back to Italy again?

The most perfect espresso drink in the world...the cafe shakerato. Take one shot of fresh espresso and a small amount of sugar and put it in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake for about 30 seconds till it's nice, cold, and frothy, and pour into a martini glass. Sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon or some grated chocolate and you have perfection!

The famous gothic cathedral by day. It really is amazing. The detail is out of control!

And the night view.

Loving Italy and hanging out in the piazzas.

One of the reasons we had such a great time during our one night stay in Italy is because Laura speaks Italian. She had just finished a semester abroad there before meeting me in Paris. She was so excited to back, and I loved watching her interact with the Italians. It was fabulous!

Budapest

2008-06-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Budapest, Hungary was different. It was not like all of the other main cities throughout Europe...it is still up and coming. Not everything is perfect, but it is still very romantic. It sits along the Danube River which makes for some nice evening strolls along the river bank. We loved Budapest! We definitely knew we had crossed the border on our train when officials came through with their machine guns to make sure that everyone on board was ok to pass through to Hungary. I would love to go back and explore deeper into Eastern Europe.

"The Baths" are huge in Budapest. Supposedly people come from all over Europe to spend time in the different bath houses. I didn't get any photos of my favorite outdoor bath house, but here are two photos from one of the indoor ones that we went to.

The cool lap pool

The underground hot tubs

A little chapel we happened upon while on a walk.

The views of Budapest.

We also saw some beautiful castles, multiple bath houses, fun parks hidden throughout the city, and some super cool markets with all kinds of goodies and yummy pastries. Budapest was grand!

The hills are alive....

2008-06-05T22:50:00.001-07:00

With the sound of music! I'm sure you guessed it...Austria. We went to both Salzburg and Vienna. Salzburg being more of a small town surrounded by rolling hills, and Vienna a beautiful city that brought us wonderful weather for the rest of our trip. I'm not going to write too much for this post because I am SO frustrated! I tried uploading a video multiple times, but something keeps happening so it won't finish and also uploading pictures is driving me crazy. I can't figure out how to put them side by side, then some of them get deleted and I have to start over, and the order is always messed up. I am not the most technically savvy person, but how hard can this really be? It's driving me nuts at the moment. Enough of that...

Vienna. This was my favorite building. I can't remember for the life of me what it's purpose was, but it was beautiful. We spent hours in front of it: soaking our feet in the large fountain, journaling, laughing, and eating gelato with the locals.

The Schonbrunn Palace (large, yellow building up a few pictures)! Quite the large establishment...it was built to rival Versailles in France, but apparently they lacked the funds and were never able to accomplish what they set out to do.

One of my favorite things to do when I am at a place like this is to imagine the parties that must have gone on. How amazing would they have been!

The two below that one are pictures of a portion of the grounds at this massive estate.

These last two photos are from Salzburg. I had others that I wanted to post, but again, my inability to figure blogger out has kept me from doing so.

Anyway, I want one of these houses to the left. Aren't they too cute? The whole river was lined with houses just like these, gorgeous!

Austria was a happy place. Everything was nice and perfect and clean and of course very expensive :-) We were able to see many of the place where the Sound of Music was shot (Laura and I were huge fans when we were younger) such as the gazebo, the VonTraps house, the lake and back of the house where the water scene takes place, and of course the horse fountain that Maria dances around. Call us cheesy, but we loved it!

Catching up to Munich

2008-06-02T15:21:00.001-07:00

Oh Munich! We were able to spend a few days there and had a grand ol' time, sort of :-) One of the little joys of traveling is that things do not always work out...the weather isn't always perfect, the hostels are not always the best, ect. This is exactly what happened to us in Munich.

The photo to the left is from our ghetto hotel (I don't know if you can appreciate the full effect of it's nastiness in this picture...our light in the room was a tiny table lamp with no lamp shade)! We had booked it online and were supposed to stay there for 3 nights, but we weren't too fond of the four shaddy men that were running the hotel...they liked to wear their sunglasses while they were inside and watching t.v. at 11:00 pm, so we packed up our bags and headed out the next morning to find something that suited us a bit better.

By the way, the hotel looked nothing like this when we booked it online.

There is nothing quite like a beer garden! Lots of cold yummy beer to choose from and HUGE, delicious soft pretzels, so yummy. This picture was taken right before the skies decided to open up and pour on us for the 4 days that we were in Munich. It would have been fine if we had been prepared, but we packed all summer clothes. For days we layered item after item of clothing then threw on the one sweatshirt that we packed, along with our flip-flops and army hats and braved the cold rain and wind. We were FROZEN!!!

The above are a few pictures from our bike tour (yes, that too was in the pouring rain),but we had a blast! And below, one of the best meals EVER! Seriously, so delicious. I highly recommend eating at Augustiner brewhouse and restaurant (it's Munich's oldest brewery).

Yes everyone, the eating establishment you are looking at is a McDonalds! It was so clean that you could eat off the floor...leave it to the German's to make something like a McDonald's seem much more incredible then it really is.

And lasty, we went to Dachau Concentration Camp. What an experience that was! It was the first German concentration camp to open and served as a model for the all of the others to come. One of the interesting facts about Dachau is that they housed mainly political prisoners and a very small amount of Jews. Below is the memorial that was erected in the middle of the camp (those are the sleeping baracks in the back ground). It was such a sad place to go, and so crazy to see how horrible humans can be to one another.

The Romantic Road

2008-05-25T17:06:00.001-07:00

Off to Germany! We started off our German adventure by going on a tour called the "Romantic Road." It stopped in the small, medieval towns that were out in the middle of nowhere (especially when you are traveling without a car). It was so beautiful driving through the middle of Germany and seeing something other than a city. I can't remember for the life of me where these first two pictures were taken, but it was so fun walking around the gorgeous grounds of this small castle estate. I kept imagining hosting a huge party there...the weather was perfect and everything was manicured to the T!

Our next stop along the way was Rothenburg, where we stayed for two nights. It was a tiny town that you could walk through in about 15 minutes, and they still have the original wall which surrounds it. It was absolutely beautiful! The old half-timbered houses were amazing, along with the skinny cobblestone streets, tiny pastry and sausage shops, fountains, and lots and lots of flowers. We were lucky enough to have been there during their annual festival called, "The Master's Draught." The whole town dawns traditional medieval garbs and there is a festival for three days. It's really interesting because no ever left character. They take their festival very seriously!

Here is a photo below of the wall that encases the entire town.

This group of men went around the town for hours playing fiddles, trumpets, symbols,etc. They stopped in front of every pub/bar and would perform for the people there, then the owner would invite them in for a brew. Then, off to the next bar...

Rothenburg was beautiful. Such the quintessential German town.

My European Excursion

2008-05-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

It was a year ago today that I arrived at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport to meet my friend Laura for our European Excursion. That five and a half week trip was one of the best times in my life. There was no stress, no worries, no schedules, and lots of food (well, not always), lots of exploring, and heaps of FUN! I saw so many great places on that trip and can't wait to go back to some of them some day.

As I mentioned, we met in Paris and from there went to Amsterdam, multiple places in Germany, Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, Prague, Budapest, Milan, Monaco, the French Riviera, Paris, Porto and Cascais, Portugal, and Barcelona. I have yet to create any sort of album from this trip or print up any of the photos. So I have decided to re-live the trip by posting a few photos and videos in order of the places that we went.

Once Laura and I met in Paris we boarded a train and went straight to Amsterdam for one night. We were exhausted from our travels so we didn't get too much sight seeing in. We did however get to the van Gough museum, which was amazing. Highly recommend it if you ever get to Amsterdam. Here are a few photos from our first two days of travel....

The oh-so-popular "I amsterdam" sign.

Meet my gorgeous friend Laura. She comes from an amazing family and we have known each other since we were born. We had the best time together...lots of laughs and so many memories! (I have no idea why my font changed and I can't figure out how to change either one of them now...I'm still new to this whole blog thing)

I have never seen as many bikes as I have when I was in Amsterdam. I wish that I wasn't so jetlagged at this point in the trip so that I had more pictures. We went on a canal cruise so that we could get a quick glimpse of the city, and we both kept falling asleep, bummer. It really was a beautiful place with some amazing architecture as well, so neat.

Check back tomorrow and see where our trip took us to next.....

Spanish it is!

2008-05-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok, so I chose Spanish. I decided that I should be practical (sorry Faith *smile*). So, I headed to the library two weeks ago to see by what means I could go about to learn this new language. To my surprise they had the Rosetta Stone language software! I was SO excited because this program costs a few hundred dollars that I was just not willing to spend. It is supposedly the #1 language software in the world and is used by NASA, West Point, and the U.S. State Department.

It teaches you your language of choice as if you were learning your first language, all through association. There is not one word of English in the whole program...pretty crazy. Brian and I are having fun with it and are excited to see how we do once we get more advanced. If anyone else is in the mood to learn a new language, head to the library.....

Something I should have learned

2008-05-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

Every summer when I was girl there would be a struggle with my mom and I over the fact that she wanted me to have sewing lessons. She was the teacher, I was the student, and the story went the same way every year.....It would start off with me complaining about how I never wanted to sew, we would eventually get to lesson number one where I would learn about how to cut out a pattern, and then that was the end. I always found a way to weasel my way out of it and never get past lesson number one, hence the reason that I never learned how to sew. What a good mom I have for trying to teach me every year...thanks for trying mom :-)

I have been itching to learn how to sew for quite a while now. I want to make some throw pillows for my couch, but wait, I can't, I don't know how to sew! Oh how I wish I had learned when I was young. I love that when my dear friend Ashley (here is a link to her fun blog, something pretty) needs a new dress she can just pull out the sewing machine and whip one up...amazing...and so incredibly awesome.

So, all of this to say that we just got a sewing machine. Last week we were at Brian's Grandma Mary's house cleaning some things out and he noticed, "that piece of furniture is actually a sewing machine." It looks like a small desk, but the top opens up and then a sewing machine pops out, pretty cool. Brian's parents were sweet enough to let us have it, and here it is below. We are planning on sanding it down and then refinishing it with a different stain. (The pictures aren't the best because the lighting in the room was horrible, but you get the picture).

He was so determined to get the needle threaded and get it working, and he did! Now we are both determined to learn how to sew....I have no excuses this time :-)

Ryan & Jena's Wedding

2008-05-14T10:37:00.001-07:00

Our friends Ryan and Jena were married a few weeks ago at a beautiful winery in Livermore, California. We all had a great time at their wedding and are so happy for them! I didn't get too many pictures from the night, but here is the happy couple dancing the night away and having a blast!

Here are a few more pictures from the night....

Brian and I. For some of you this may your first time seeing his new look. His new look being

his long hair/beard/looking like a rock star type of look. He loves it!

A few of the boys and some of the crew...

Jake, doing what he does at every wedding, catching the garter. I'm so proud of this action shot!

OYE VEY!!!

2008-05-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize that it had been two months since I started this thing! I'm itching to start writing on here more often. Not that life has been that exciting lately, but i'm unemployed so I have heaps of free time! If anyone has any leads on some sort of interesting job give me a ring. I'm feeling desperate. I always heard that when you graduate college you feel confused and lost and don't know what to do with your life, but I never imagined it being this bad! Haha. I've been realizing lately though that I should take advantage of this time to learn something new, take up some hobbies, read a book etc. One thing that I have wanted to do for a long time is learn a language, but i'm torn...Spanish or French???? I have taken classes in both of these languages and have always liked the French classes better. I LOVE the French language, but how often am I really going to use it? If I knew that I would be frequenting Paris, the French Riviera, and Monaco then I'd be on it! Spanish on the other hand is SO useful in California, plus I fell in love with Barcelona this past summer...I would love to live in Spain for awhile! I think I just answered my own question of what language I should learn, but i'm not ready to commit yet. I still have a soft spot for French that i'm not willing to give up....

The beginning of an era...

2008-03-04T17:32:00.000-08:00

So many fun, interesting, and even ordinary things happen in life from day to day. That is one of the main reasons that I wanted to start a blog, so that we could look back on it as the years go by and see how our lives have progressed. The French have a phrase they use, "Joie de Vivre," which means, "the joy of living," and that is how I want to live my life...finding joy in all things. So this is the beginning, the start of writing about our daily life, family, friends, fun adventures, and the little joys in life.