Family Movie Night....

....and there is no place I would rather be on a Saturday night....look at my two loves. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The lovies and I (plus Dad and Nana Tina) stayed awake until 12:00 am to ring in the New Year together! It was lovely. Some of the highlights: The kids and I drinking Pellegrino out of champagne (Q had a wine glass) glasses. Emma kept wanting to engage in conversation like we were at a 'real' party. She also kept 'cheers'ing' me....I loved every minute of those last moments of 2011. The year left me a lot different than it joined me....I was surrounded by so much love. We all anticipated the stroke of midnight with as much excitement as waiting for Santa's arrival. We all silently knew in our hearts that this would be our year. This would be the year our family flourished (the kids included). I sat quietly, moments before I bid adieu to the 11's and relished all that was surrounding me. It was in that moment that I thanked God for his unwavering strength, love and blessings. 

ROCK IT 2012!!

Untitled Video 

check this video...cool!

Recap of 2011

"The worst thing you can possibly do is worry about what you could have done."
~ Author Unknown ~

1.      January started out in a haze and was rocky. January can be best described as a whirlwind of confusion.

2.     February was the month my life would change forever. What I thought to be real was not and shock would be the state I chose to live in.

3.     March was a month of numbness….I don’t remember anything about March.

4.    April I went to Corona Del Mar on a whim with my two lovies in tow. Rented an amazing beach cottage and recovered from the previous months. In April God placed his hand upon my families life and began to save us.

5.     May was all about a dear friends wedding. It was full of love, hard work and excitement.

6.     June I turned 30. I turned 30 and can say without a doubt that I was a different person than I was in my twenties….oh yah, and I also turned 30 in Mexico on a white sandy beach starring into the ocean…Amazeballs! In June God’s hand was shown and our lives were immediately changed again.

7.     In July, Matt and I took a trip to Oregon to find a new home and to create a new life thanks to the swoosh.

8.     In August we moved from our beautiful neighborhood of East Sacramento and began our summer of being vagabonds. In August, I had two amazing Weddings to coordinate and they both were wonderful!

9.     In September, my wedding business had it’s final wedding. It was wonderful it was beautiful it was the perfect end. In September the kids and I joined Matt in Oregon and began our adventure.

10.  October was a month of exploring and learning and adjusting about our new home.

11.     November was a month of giving Thanks. We did so in Northern California with our family.

12.   December was beautiful. December was when I decided that Oregon is quite possibly the most beautiful place to live. There are so many amazing things to see and so amazing things to learn about. I can’t wait to have my children grow up in this new land. I am grateful for this new place to call home. 

My beautiful friend (and sister from another mister) Sarah is realizing her dream of being a flight attendant and has been stationed in Seattle. I grew up taking care of Sarah and her sisters and brother as we lived next door to each other. I have been so fortunate to watch her and her siblings grow and become fantastic young adults. Sarah and I have had a particularly close relationship. What a co-ink-ee-dink that I move to Portland this month and she gets a job flying Alaska Airline's friendly skies, stationed in Seattle the very same month. This makes the transition for both of our mothers so much easier. I can keep a watchful eye on Sarah and we can have our own family dinners, Pac Northwest style. 

I am so proud of Sarah for pursuing what she wanted and obtaining that goal. I am glad she and I will be discovering this new part of the country together (leaving both of our safe little bubbles). 

Cheers!

My morning view....not bad with a cup of coffee

Swim Lessons or Olympian Swim Lessons??

That was my question as I approached the Nike campus to sign my kids up for swim lessons yesterday. Below is an actual account of the morning enjoy: 

It’s Tuesday. It is also the day that Nike has there swim class sign ups for the kids. One of Matt’s co-workers said that there is a line that forms and that we should arrive early. Okay, so 6 am….ummm no, 4:30. Hell to the no…I am not getting there at 4:30 am. I did show up this morning at 5:45 though. My route here of course included a trip to Starbucks. When I arrived at my sacred coffee place I realized that it wasn’t open until 6 am so I popped over to McDonalds across the street to grab a cup of Joe. I arrived onto the Nike campus at 5:35 am grabbed my camping chair, my laptop, magazines and my coffee. I walked into the gym and saw the massive line that had already been formed. Think about the lines on black Friday. We are talking camping chairs, huge thermoses filled with coffee, people wearing pajamas ….every stereotype you can think of. “WTH??” was going through my mind. This is crazy! I thought I was going to be the #2 person in line at this hour. No, I am halfway down the line right now. Well, I held my head high and walked passed all of the parents eagerly awaiting to sign their 1 and 2 year olds up for basic swimming lessons (can you hear the sarcasm in my voice…c’mon they are kids, not Olympic athletes…yet). I started getting these weird stares. I am not even joking. I knew they were not looking at my gorgeous outfit because I am wearing my “wait in line clothes” aka, sweats.  I am pretty sure they were starring at my cup of coffee with the blaring golden arches across. I slowly realized they were not stares of curiosity but of total disgust. Like “How could you even go through a place like McDonalds?” I am not even exaggerating! I felt like I was naked in a dream. It was so bad. I am over it though as I am sitting here delightfully sipping my plain coffee (with zero fat and no calories).  I put my head up pulled out my camping chair, sat down and waited in line. I was half hoping this whole waiting in line for hours thing would forge some new friendships with my fellow line waiters but the other Nike people were busy away on their laptops and talking about this and that...clearly avoiding the MCD coffee sipper. Oh well. Finally, a man next to me said "isn't this crazy?" We chatted and he said that this sign up is the most coveted because the weather gets so bad here....oh great. Bottom line, I succeeded at securing the kids into their classes and now feel like I have to do 1000 crunches a day since I will have to be in a bathing suit for Quinn's class!!!!

I realized a few things while waiting in line, these Nike people could be a little freaky when it comes to health/wellness and I am okay with that. I will still be me…I will still sneak Taco Bell when I really need it, I will chow down on some pancakes if I feel like it and I will do it all proudly….maybe not tell anyone….but I wont judge myself.

The 3 Vagabonds...

Soaking up the sun before we all become bleached white in Oregon!!

My Lovies and I have been living out of our suitcases for almost three weeks now. Just as fast as we were moved and settled in Oregon, we were off again. We traveled to So Cal to ease the move for my mother. She has been having a hard time with it. She really only had a week to let it set in before Matt moved...I forget that I have known for at least two months of the possibility. I don't even think my mom has gotten over us moving to Sacramento. In both instances of me letting her know it was like I literally stuck a knife into her heart. You see, my Mama and I are best friends. We have depended on each other as long as I have been alive. I have been told thousands of times of our extreme resemblence. Thankfully, our personalities are slightly different but have no fear, Emma is the exact same as she is....it is sort of scary. Anyway, we spent a week there before I jetted off to SF for some work. I left the kids in So Cal with my parents and let them have some more alone time. My babes are thankfully back in my loving arms and I am so happy. Five days without your children can seem like an exciting fun break but it breaks your heart. I kept telling myself (as I always do when I am away from them)..."you will see them on the 6th day Danielle" and I did. We spent the day swimming, hugging, loving on each other and just rejoicing for being reuinited. We will spend the rest of our days in California at my wonderful inlaws house where we continued to be spoiled rotten.