Hey!

Im not gonna lie...this totally made my day
[be sure to put the music player on pause...scroll down and look to the right]

have a lovely Sunday

It's a gorgeous Sunday full of blue skies and sunshine. I cant help but smile this morning. I have a day off with my love, Spring has arrived, and Im a whopping 27 weeks pregnant. It's a lovely way to end the week to say the least. Tony and I are going to hit up costco for lunch (you cant beat a polish dog & a soda for a $1.50!), head to the park for some sunshine,reading and ipod listening & then over to my parents for dinner and an evening with my family. I just love days like these...even when money is [really] tight, Tony is completely bombarded with homework and Im a bit tired from pregnancy, poor sleep and the anemia- things are STILL good. Everytime I feel our precious baby kick I just cant help but be totally filled with joy...and these days Im lucky because he moves a lot! Last night I felt his little feet pushing out and moving across my belly. He did this for a good five-ten minutes. It's just amazing...I will surely miss being pregnant but having my son in my arms will be SO worth it.

Have a lovely rest of your weekend my friends...and if you feel so inclined, check out the fun below:

How to get your kids to eat anything - by MckMama

Loving these old school toys

Engrish.com - lets just say you may cry, laugh and pee your pants all at once.

Forget business and first. These airplanes are now offering cuddle class!

A book I plan to buy for mum, dad and baby Desmond

An awesome mantra for cranky blog comments (Im lucky to say Ive only had a few!)

A post that made me feel hopeful about breastfeeding

Sweet elephant pillows

Someday I will have a blue Great Dane like this one

Baby shower tea party recipes by the amazing Martha

pregnancy tips...

2009; possibly the best year ever.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Many, many things...too many to list actually..but a few; I got married in March. Flew on an airplane for the first time when we went on our Disneyland honeymoon. Traveled alone with Tony for the first time after we got married. Went to a Mariners game in Seattle with my family. and the big one; became pregnant! <--- that's my favorite :)

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I didnt make any new year's resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth or get pregnant?
Yes! my sister Jessi gave birth to my niece, Cosette, on November 19th! and my sister in law, Nicole gave birth to my other niece, Ireland, on December 3rd!

4. Did anyone close to you get married?
Yes actually, a big year for weddings. Our best friends, Ty & Kim got married in January and our other friends, Bryce and Amanda tied the knot in August.

5. Did anyone close to you die?
no, thank God.

6. Travel?
oh yes,
7 days in Disneyland for our honeymoon.
3 trips to the Oregon coast (April, July & then in September).
Camping in the Redwoods.
Monmouth to see Ty & Kim.
Camping at Lake O'Dell.
Seattle in June.
Portland in October for Ingrid Michaelson concert.
Im so ready to go back to the coast again.

7. Did you move anywhere?
yep! I moved in with my husband the day after our wedding. & then we moved into a new apartment at the end of November. The best apartment ever. We love it here. I hope to not move for a very long time.

8. What was the best month?
March for sure. Our wedding, Disneyland, living together for the first time...it was amazing. Also November was also the best month because I discovered I was with child ..hehe

9. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
a heater in my car. haha. but that's about it.

10. What date(s) from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 21: Our wedding day
August 13: my 21st birthday
November 27: the day I got a positive pregnancy test :)

11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
hmm. well both Tony and I both being virgins when we married...that's a pretty big achievement for us! Especially after dating for 5 years...we're pretty proud to say we waited, and are still so glad we did.

12. What was your biggest failure?
Tony and I missed church a lot. We are lazy and slept in too much :/

13. Did you suffer illness or injury?
colds and bronchitis, but other than that it was a pretty healthy year for me.

14. What was the best thing you bought?
probably our couches off of craigslist. I got an awesome deal, both for $250. They are like new, only a year old and originally over $1000.

15. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Tony's ...for being a wonderful husband who sacrifices and works his butt off for our little family, all while loving me selflessly and unconditionally. And for also being my best friend..and always having fun with me. I love him.

16. Whose behavior made you appalled and/or depressed?
Obama. not depressed but definitely appalled.

17. Where did most of your money go?
bills, food, coffee, travel. All totally worth it.

18. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
being married, Disneyland, being pregnant, the Oregon coast, my niece's being born.

19. What song will always remind you of 2009?
The Blue Room - Perry Como
The Winner Is - Mychael Danna (the song I walked down the aisle to)
Georgia on my mind - Ray Charles

20. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier for sure! Im married to my best friend, having a baby, working an awesome job as a coach...definitely happier :)
ii. richer or poorer? & richer too. Simply because I have a combined income. but not 'rich' by any means.

21. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I would have read more.

22. What do you wish you'd done less of?
I wish I would have stressed less.

23. How will you be spending New Year's Eve/Day?
celebrating with my husband and family...eating good food, playing games, lots of laughing..it's a tradition.

24. What was an unexpected surprise?
getting to move into this beautiful apartment for sure. And definitely discovering that I am pregnant...we like to call it a pleasant surprise :)

25. Did you fall in love in 2009?
I fell in love with my husband in a whole new way.

26. What was the best concert you've been to this year?
I saw Pink Martini and Ingrid Michaelson...both were amazing.

27. What was your favorite TV program?
Flight of the Concords season 2!

28. Do you dislike anyone now that you didn't dislike this time last year?
not that I can think of.

29. What was the best book you read?
Redeeming Love. I finished it on our honeymoon and then Tony started reading it and finished it before the honeymoon was over. Such an amazing book.

30. What was your greatest musical discovery?
maybe not the 'greatest' musical discovery but I did discover that I love Gorgol Bordello!

31. What did you want and get?
to be married to Tony - got that.
to have his child - got that too, well, it's on its way at least :)

32. What did you want and not get?
honestly, nothing that I can think of.

33. What was your favorite film of this year?
oh man, there were SO many good movies this year. District 9, I love you man, Up. Those were probably my three favorites of 2009.

34. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 21 and I went to the Black Sheep with Tony, my sisters and brother in laws. I ordered my first alcoholic drink, a lemon drop.

35. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
a heater in my car...seriously.

36. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
what it always is...what I feel looks good and what is comfortable.

37. What kept you sane?
Tony, he's like my live in shrink.

38. What political issue stirred you the most?
ugh. universal healthcare.

39. Who did you miss?
I am blessed to have all my family and friends so close. I didnt really miss anyone.

40. Random Memories from 2009?

• the beach house; the beautiful ocean, the people I love most, fireworks on the beach...& the potato gun
• Disneyland; "slonch"..haha, fireworks that made us cry, sleeping in and watching Chuck Norris, room service, the queen of hearts flirting with Tony, getting stuck on the Indiana Jones ride, mmm the Blue Bayou & monte cristo, being at Disneyland until 12:30 am every single night.
• Red bull, pretzels & flying for the first time
• seeing my niece Cosette for the first time..minutes after being born
• watching ichiro suzuki bat at the Mariners game
• showing Tony the positive pregnancy test
• driving to the B&B after our wedding reception
• late nights playing halo and CODMW2 with my husband
• watching my dad pretend to pass out when I told him I am pregnant
• lots of garage sales and antique-ing
• Starbucks with my sisters
• Tony and I getting way to close to some sea lions
• hiking 11 miles with Tony, Ty & Kim at Silver Creek Falls...and then eating everything in sight when we were done
• seeing our baby's heartbeat for the first time
• long drives along the ocean with my love
• "you may kiss the bride" ...Sigur Ros playing and the most joy & complete I've felt in my entire life.

Oh Disney.

How I love thee...

Tarzan's Treehouse at Disneyland

lefties

A funny little fact about Tony and I; we are both left handed! In tribute to that our amazing best friends, Ty & Kim sent us "The Left Hander's 2010 Calendar" in the mail! We just got it today!

If you notice, the binding is on the opposite side, this is very convenient for lefties as its huge pain trying to write with your hand resting on that! Here are some quotes from the lefty calendar...

"It's as if we all belong to our own unique club" -Rae Lindsay (left hander)

"Left handers have a higher 'fluid' intelligence and better vocabulary that the majority of the population. This is perhaps why there are of them in creative professions, such as music, art and writing." -Dr. Alan Searleman, St. Lawrence University, NY

Tina Fey is left handed. nuff said. (my paraphrasing ha)

Thank you so much you two! We love you guys!

Leap Year - trailer

This movie "Leap Year" looks really cute...I don't like a lot of stupid formulaic chick flicks, so anything with Matthew McConaughey or Kate Hudson...but you really cannot go wrong with Amy Adams, Ive loved everything I have ever seen her in (Enchanted, Julie & Julia, The Office, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day). Plus its set in Ireland and the guy she unexpectedly falls in love with kind of looks like my husband (at least in this movie he does). so yes, I will definitely be seeing this! :)

Today is my sister, Jessi's due date, but no baby yet! My niece could come any time now so I ask that everyone be in prayer for Jess; prayer for a healthy baby & a smooth delivery would be greatly appreciated :) We are SO excited, I can't wait to meet my new baby niece!

Yesterday I saw The Christmas Carol with my nephew, mom & sisters. Oh man, it was SO good. I haven't read the book but I'm pretty sure that the movie was pretty much straight out of the Charles Dickens 'Christmas Carol'. It was pretty darn intense! Much more intense than the previews make it out to be. Don't take a five year old to it or probably anyone under 10 because it's got some really scary parts. But I definitely recommend this movie for adults! The story has such a great message, a message that everyone needs to hear, especially in these times of recession. Plus it's done by Disney so the whole movie is amazing, especially the music and the animation. I can tell this Christmas Carol movie is going to be a family holiday favorite along with our others; White Christmas, Muppet's Christmas Carol, The Christmas Story, Elf, The Grinch & so on :) I thought I would post the picture & the recipe of the yummy banana bread I made! I hope everyone has a lovely first weekend of November! May it be blessed!

I feel like kind of a sinner today. I did something really bad. You won't believe it but...I started listening to Christmas music!!!! I know! It's awful right? Halloween hasn't even passed yet! I usually wait until the day after Halloween to start the Christmas festivities (which always starts with listening to the classic Christmas songs) but I just couldn't wait you guys! It was horrible...the "holiday" genre on my zune was calling out my name and I gave in...like a Christmas glutton. but...I must say this, it was 100% WORTH IT! Man is Christmas wonderful in every little way or what? First and foremost what it stands for, The birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. It's such a beautiful story. But along with that there is all the wonderful time spent with the ones you love & the music..the music is amazing. I'm not talking about this Nsync or Mariah Carey crap... we're talking about Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney. Only the best of course. I think one of my favorite things about Christmas is listening to Christmas music with all the lights off except the tree & just sitting their soaking it all in. I remember doing that with my mom and dad as a little girl on Christmas Eve...Tony remembers the same with his parents. There's just something special about it. Seriously though...I have to STOP talking about Christmas! I won't blog about again until Halloween is over... i promise. but I can't promise that I won't be listening to Christmas songs on pandora ;)

Today Tony & I went to the pumpkin patch with my family. It was so fun and festive. They had pony rides, a petting zoo & lots and lots of pumpkins to pick from. We had a great time. There's nothing I love more than spending time with my family. Also. Today (the 25th) is my dad's 63rd birthday! I can say that my dad is the best person I know...everyone who knows him will tell you that he is the most kind, caring & selfless man, it really is the truth. Im blessed to call him my dad. I love him very much :]

Here are the pictures from the Pumpkin patch today (as well as the rest from my little Fall photo shoot I did yesterday):

It's Monday which means another busy week of school, coaching & homework...life sure is packed these days. I kind of really like it though! I know, it's very weird..but I guess it's a good thing though! On a side note...Tony and I are wanting to find a new apartment asap. Where we live just doesn't feel safe plus we could get a better place for what we are paying. We are looking for a place with (2 or 1 bedroom), a washer/dryer & dishwasher for no more than $620 a month. If you come across anything like that please let us know! & in the mean time pray that the right place comes along :)

I hope everyone has a lovely Monday. God Bless You!

ROAD TRIP!

Tomorrow morning (technically today...its nearly 2 am!) I will be going on a road trip to Portland with my sisters! eee! We are going in celebration of Jessi's birthday (my eldest & also 8 months pregnant sister!!) which happened to fall on the same day as the Ingrid Michaelson concert at the Wonder Ballroom! Surprisingly enough, my two sisters and I have never done a road trip together like this before so we are really excited about it! We are going to be staying at one of the wonderfully historic McMenamins...which i am also very excited about. I love McMenamins, I make it a point to visit one every time I go to Portland. Jessi lived up there for a long time so she is going to be taking us to her favorite restaurants! mm hmm...its just going to be a wonderful little getaway! How great is it that both my sisters are absolutely two of my best friends!? They are such blessings to me. ..I have a feeling there will be a lot of good music, fantastic food, lots of laughing, yummy Starbucks & many, many pictures to be taken :)

Hope everyone has a very Fall-ish rest of their weekend!
Pumpkin hunting & carving will be happening soon! yay. I love this time of year!
God Bless!

Why am I excited on the Friday, October 2nd?

first off...

• IT'S OCTOBER! I love love love this time of year.
• I received my Financial Aid Letter award today, which is a month earlier than I thought I would! & it says that ALL of my school this year is PAID FOR and then some! seriously...PRAISE GOD!
• Today is my sisters, who is also my best friend, birthday!!
• Im dying my hair today.. I love newly dyed hair.
• Tony & my best friends are in town this weekend!!
• Sunday is Tony's 23rd birthday!!
• My mother in law gave us her old tv (which is much nicer the our old one that broke this week) and her converter box...so we have a tv & local channels now YAY!
• I have no work or school responsibilities this weekend!
• Saturday night my sisters, their husbands, Tony, and some other friends and family are all going to dinner at Porters and then we are going to see Zombieland!!
• My friend Jade & her baby are up from California this week
• Im going to the Ingrid Michaelson concert up in Portland with my two sisters a week from Sunday!
• aaaand I have the most wonderful, attractive, chivalrous, selfless, funny husband in the WORLD!

wonderful wonderful Fall!

The weather was GORGEOUS today... Fall is here my friends & I hope it is here to stay. Just last week it was in the high 90s..yuck..im so over the heat. Today was the first day it really felt like fall. I was walking out of Old Navy (where I got a pair of really cute jeans for 6 bucks...another reason to smile!) when it hit me..the cool breeze, the crisp fall air, the fact that I was buying jean! I realized that the Summer is over and my favorite season has begun...praise God for that!

I got my Ingrid Michaelson ticket in the mail today! My sisters and I are going to take a trip up to Portland for her concert on my eldest sister's birthday which is going to be in just a couple weeks. It's going to be just us girls and one of our favorite musicians...if you have never listened to her music please do..she is wonderful, great music to listen to on a cool Fall evening, windows rolled down..mmm. Just lovely.

I start school tomorrow! It's kind of weird...Im excited & nervous all at the same time..which often accompany each other. Im not dreading school like I used to because Im going to school to pursue my career...my passion..one of the reasons God created me & that is to counsel teen girls. Im very content & at peace about my choice to pursue high school counseling. Im excited to start this new chapter of my life..of our life.

Also, this weekend is my sister, Emmi's birthday & Tony birthday! October is a very busy month for our family...we have 6 birthday in our family this month...both my sisters, Tony, my dad & my niece and nephew..and maybe my niece who is on her way, she is due on November 7th but you never know! I love this time of year because everything I love comes to fast...first everyones birthday, then pumpkin hunting at " White Country Farm" then Halloween, Christmas time begins in November for us! Thanksgiving, Winter, Picking out the tree...Christmas break...it is just all so wonderful & Im sharing it now with a husband who loves it all just as much as I do :)

To go along with the wonderful fall weather I downloaded a song that I discovered on Pandora this morning. It's called "Till Kingdom Come" by Coldplay. It reminds me of so much of what Tony & I have been through together, if you know how long we waited for each other..you will get it. Here are the lyrics, they are special to me.

Til Kingdom Come

"Still my heart and hold my tongue

I feel my time

My time has come

Let me in

Unlock the door

I never felt this way before

And the wheels just keep on turning

The drummer begins to drum

I don’t know which way I’m going

I don’t know which way I’ve come

Hold my head inside your hands

I need someone who understands I need someone, someone who hears

For you I’ve waited all these years

For you I’d wait 'til kingdom come

Until my day, my day is done

And say you'll come and set me free

Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me

In your tears and in your blood

In your fire and in your flood

I hear you laugh, I heard you sing

I wouldn’t change a single thing

And the wheels just keep on turning

The drummers begin to drum

I don’t know which way I’m going

I don’t know what I’ve become

For you I’d wait 'til kingdom come

Until my days, my days are done

And say you'll come and set me free

Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me

Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me

Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me"