merry christmas!

I am a blogslacker.  :(  Work & the holidays have consumed me.  I’m also working on a new photography blog so things are a bit crazy.  I am photoshop-less right now on top of it all and that is depressing!!  haha  You know how I hate to post w/o a photo….

Anyway….I just wanted to say I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas/holiday.  Ours was fun-filled for sure – Christmas Eve we went to my grandparents’ house which is usually pretty quiet since most of my family has moved away.  But this year, my aunt and her family showed up to surprise everyone; I don’t think I’ve seen her in 10 years or so – it was incredible.  Later that night we went to Dalin’s dad’s for the big family gift exchange, we were there until after midnight enjoying the craziness of a house full of nearly 30.  On Christmas morning we met my mom, my sister-in-law & family, and Dalin’s grandma and my mother-in-law’s for breakfast and gifts, the kids were so cute, opening gifts in their jammies…I want to squeeze them!!  In the afternoon, we headed to Dalin’s aunt’s home for another big family gift exchange and the yummiest food ever.  We passed out as soon as we got home last night.  Late nights + calorie overload = Hibernation mode.  :)

It was such a great Christmas.  Everyone seemed to love the framed honeymoon photos that we gave them…YAY for our 1st “married” Christmas.  

I have a few million pics to post as soon as I’m up and running again.  Promise.  

xoxo

send love…

As you rest and heal, know that you are thought of warmly and wished a quick recovery.

-Unknown

Our favorite little niece had surgery on her ears this morning and we were thinking of her all day.  Her mommy has reported to us that she is doing great and isn’t in too much pain so we’re pumped on that!!  I just wanted to put this post out into the universe to say we hope she gets all better very, very soon and more importantly, we hope that this will be the end of her ear problems.  We love you little one…!!

Can’t leave a post w/o pictures so here our some of our little “angel”:

How cute is her hair?

It was soooo adorable seeing how happy this box made her.  AHHH – so cute!!

Please send lots of love and healing energy…

i am thankful

A thankful heart is always close to the riches of the universe.

-Unknown

I know I’m late on the Thanksgiving post-tizzle but I have been working on a project for work for the last week solid (except for Thursday and a few hous on Sat).  My mind is so exhausted.  I need a weekend.  :(  Hopefully we can take off early one of these days since we’ve been working so hard.  I had so much to do I actually missed going to the game today…which actually might have been a good thing considering how the Chargers did.

I am TIRED but I wanted to show my blog a little love and just say that I am thankful.  For everything.  I am thankful for the joy, the sadness, the love, and the smiles.  All the experiences I’ve had and all the things I’ve heard, seen…and all the people who have loved me, make my life what it is today.  Of course there are things that can always be better but I am elated to have what I do.  

Thank you Mom, Papa & Grandma…thank you Dalin…thank you Heather…thank you Kathy, Robert & Dierra…thank you family…and thank you FRIENDS (you know who you are).  I hope you all had a fantastic holiday.  :)

I am leaving you with a mess of random images…this first picture is of the countertop and our Aunt Kathy’s house when we arrived late Thursday on our third and final thanksgiving dinner stop.  It cracks me up.  We were late so they were starting to clean up but that didn’t stop my dear husband from breaking out the zip lock bags and containers (that he brought with us) to take home the yummy home cookin’.  

And finally, one of my super-hero.  Just a quick moment in time – but I love it.  I think it’s the sparkle of his wedding ring.  He thinks it looks like a cell phone ad.

That’s it for now…it’s past my bed time.  

::hugs:: – C

finally friday

You can’t have Thanksgiving with no turkey.  That’s like 4th of July without apple pie, or like Friday with no two pizzas!”

-Friends

Are you ready for the weekend?

Man, work is a bit crazy these days and I’m thankful that when I wake up tomorrow it’s going to be Friday. Yes!  I thought it might never come.  I have an insane to do list this weekend so there won’t be much down time but at least I’ll be doing a few of my favorite things – spending time with family & friends, taking pictures (2 sessions this weekend!), and going to the Charger game (hell yeah!).  I know…they aren’t having the best season, but I must say, the fun of a San Diego home game remains uncompromised!! 

I guess this post was just to say I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.  If you’re working as hard as me…you deserve it!

Here are a few pics from the last home game (just tryin to get you fired up for Sunday!)

Tailgating…Barbies & Beer

I’m not sure I can put into words how happy my husband was to see this:

Almost as happy as me when I caught this “What not to wear” moment.  I blurred the face cause, well…she’s a fashion victim.  

Audrey’s first game and she was a natural…

The wind trying to take my mom away..

Last but not least…I think it’s important for every man to see what a real man does for his woman when she’s in the port-o-potty.  :)

Good times….GOOOOOOOO Chargers & Happy Friday to all.

Responsible Decisions

Parents used to have lots of children – now children have lots of parents.

-Guro Hansen Helskog

I am a planner.   When I was a teenager, I formed a mental list containing the steps I wanted my life to take.  I was very careful when making decisions that could potentially alter my path and I feel proud I accomplished things the way I planned.  I am caught up on one right now though and I need help.

Here’s how my priorites have played out thus far:

• Finish college before you get married or have kids - check
• Live on your own before you get married – check
• Have a few boyfriends before you get married – check
• Find a career before you get married – check
• Get married before you get pregnant – check
• Travel to Europe with husband before you get pregnant – check
• Spend some quality married time as a couple before you get pregnant………..

ANXIETY.  Pregnancy anxiety.

Both Dalin and I want our kids to be close in age to their cousins; we had a short engagement for this reason.  In our planning, we decided that although short, 4 months was an acceptable amount of married time before we try to get pregnant. 

However, it’s been 3 months since our wedding date, and I feel like we haven’t spent 1 day as a married couple.  I don’t think we’ve spent one evening at home alone since July 25th.  Our wedding gifts are still in storage.  We are still renting a room…

The plan was to start trying to get pregnant in late November.  I feel very anxious about this decision.  I worry that until we move we won’t ever get the husband & wife feeling; I don’t want to live the rest of my life regretting that we didn’t wait longer.

How will we be good at being married and having kids when we haven’t really had any practice being married?  Is this really a responsible decision?

Dalin feels ready.  Our families are ready.  But for everyone else, the change won’t happen for months.  For me, it will be immediate.  I will be picked up right off the ground into a pregnancy whirlwind tornado that will last 9 months…when the 8 month wedding/honeymoon whirlwind tornado just spit me out. I haven’t even felt my toes touch the ground.  My gut is saying no.  Everyone else is saying yes. 

Stressed.

Boo on you living arrangements. 

family fun time randomness

Family faces are magic mirrors.  Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future.

-Gail Lumet Buckley

After work tonight I met some of my lovely family at CPK for some pre-birthday goodness.  I love spending time with my, I mean “our” family – especially while chomping down one of my new favorite salads, the CPK “Miso” salad.  It is very light but oh so tasty and is hands down my favorite thing on their menu (well besides the alfredo pastas but that’s a whole different story).

BTW, I’m not the only one who loves it – check it out health nuts:

http://morgansmenu.blogspot.com/2007/12/miso-salad-at-california-pizza-kitchen.html

I am also happy to announce the streets will be quite a bit safer going forward being that one of my gifts was a bluetooth cell phone speaker for my car (I’ve been randomly talking on the phone in super stealth speaker mode since they passed that silly no cell phone while driving law, shame on me, I know!).  And not only will I be a safer driver but I will be a happier driver because I was also given the money I need to get that flash I’ve been needing!  

My Awesome Family + Yummy Food/Cake + Bluetooth Cell Phone Car Speaker + New Flash = One Happy Birthday Girl

I look forward to the holidays and spending more time with the fam.  I feel a bit out of touch being that we were gone so long on our honeymoon and I believe the holidays will be just the cure for that.  <3

Thank you family for a beautiful evening, I love you…

to remind myself

I will take each year as it comes, but I will never take you for granted.

-Wedding Vow #15

Things could be much worse.  Many people have lost their jobs, lost their homes, lost their businesses and their pride.  Luckily, this hasn’t yet happened to us.  However, since we’ve returned from our honeymoon it feels as though we’ve been hit from every direction.  Problems with the car, job stress, moving woes, changing tax laws, etc.  I’ve been trying to keep a happy face.  I do believe it will get better.

Last night Dalin told me that he wishes it wasn’t hitting us all at once.  I told him – maybe it’s not that bad…I said, “It’s kind of like getting a nose job and a boob job at the same time.  Double the pain, shorter time period.”  :)  I was happy to make him smile.

For me, times like these always shed light on the important things.    We have a big support system.  We have our health.  We have we each other.  We should never take those things for granted.  If I had a few giant houses, 18 new cars, and no taxes to pay (I’d be John McCain – hhahahaa)…j/k….I’ll start over….If I had a few giant houses, 18 new cars, and no taxes to pay – but was alone, without the love of my husband, our family, or our friends, it would be worthless.

So – today‘s post is just to remind myself of my wedding vow #15: 

I will take each year as it comes, but I will never take you for granted.

Photo Credit:  The Image is Found