Yay for the HOLIDAYS!

So life has been non-stop lately.

Traveling to New York for work kept me pretty busy, in preparation before, while I was there, and finally recovering once I got home. I think I am mostly recovered although I began to get sick while I was there, and though it never culminated into a full blown cold, my body is still fighting off something.

The weekend after I returned from New York I took a much needed vacation to Washington. It was colder than I remember it EVER being, but I survived. I was pretty lucky that it hardly rained while I was there. There isn't much worse than being cold and wet! It was a short trip, but none-the-less rejuvenating and relaxing. There is just something about the people there!

I returned just in time for Thanksgiving. It was a great four day weekend! LOTS AND LOTS of food and desserts. Followed by the longest Black Friday of my life. It all started at 9pm on Thanksgiving night. My friends and I headed up an hour north to Los Angeles to go to the Citadell Outlets. We were there from 10pm-2:30 am. We shopped/waited in lines almost the whole time, but took a much needed rest stop at Ruby's before we headed home to get some caffeine and fries. Two or three sodas later I was hyped up for round 2! We arrived back home around 3:30 just in time to head out for the 4 am openings of stores. My friends and I parted ways for the time being and I headed to Kohls with my mom. We waited outside the store for about 20 minutes which wasn't bad at all. When we arrived people were lined up with shopping carts from the grocery store down the way. Apparently the so called carts at Kohls aren't very good. So out of laziness, my mother and I came up with an alternative (walking all that way was not an option at this time of the morning)... we went back to the car and got grandma's wheelchair. It did the trick, and one better, gave me a place to sit while we finished waiting in line! Once in it was stacked higher than eye level. But we found some great deals. I have never done Black Friday to this extent. It was crazy, but fun at the same time. I can see what all the hype is about. Who knows, maybe next year I will get even more into it! Anyways, after Kohls, the plan was to drive to the mall to shop a little more and meet up with my friends. So due to lack of sleep, I thought it would be a bad idea to drive, so my mother drove me out there and dropped me off. I arrived somewhere around 5:30 am. We stayed there till about 7am when we were all about to drop (and the mall didn't have ANY good sales)!! And somewhere around 7:15 am my head hit my pillow and I was out cold for the next 5 hours. And you ask what did I do once I woke up?!? You guessed it, I did some more shopping. Target was the main one, but Michaels, Ulta and Walmart are also on that list. Call me crazy, I partially agree! So Saturday was designated to be a day of rest and arts and crafts. Well of course I had to go to the mall to go to a paper store, but after that is was home sweet home until church at night.

My art prject of the day were inspired by my friend Katie's creativity. They are no where near as amazing as hers, but in my defense they were my first try. I am in love with the idea and can not wait to experiment further.

The background is a deep red decorative paper. The green paper is so unique, Katie used it for her wedding invitations, and was so kind to let me have some. The trunk of the tree is made out of raffia (sp?). And the gold leafs I found at Michaels were added as embellishment. These are some of my favorite colors. The first photo is probably my favorite design. There is also one more to come, but we are waiting to frame it first. It looks much better framed.

So now I believe you are caught up to date. I can't wait to see what this next month holds. Kim and the boys will be here in a little over a week, and Brandon in about three weeks. Christmas time holds lots of cookie making, and of course tamales! Two of my favorite things! Tis the season! Bring on the Christmas music!

FINALLY going home!

Well, tickets are finally bought for our return flight home! I will be arriving at 9:45, and I could not be more excited. Our original flight was scheduled for last Monday, but it got pushed out to an unofficial Thursday flight, but I was beginning to get a little scared since it is Wednesday night and nothing had been purchased.

Don't get my wrong, I am fond of New York, but trying to do anything in this city with a stroller and a toddler is nearly impossible. And I am just worn down. I have been working 16 hour days minimum. I can hardly wait to go home and be CHILDLESS! These trips always give me a new appreciation for all the work that moms actually do! And of course, thankful for cities that do NOT have stairs!

Halloween

So unlike Kim, I actually did the work myself. I think the fact that Chipotle gives away free burritos is possibly the greatest thing ever. So we wrapped ourselves in some foil, and enjoyed FREE Chipotle. Greatest thing ever!

After not being able to dress up in my childhood, these past few year I have started to embrace it. It is actually pretty fun. But I won't take the credit. My creativity still isn't very good, so I turn to friends for their ideas, and a bumblebee is what we came up with this year.

Overall, it was a fun night.

We wish you were here to share in these with us Kim! We miss you!

Two in one week!

You should be very proud of me Kim, this is my second blog in one week (at least I think it has been in the same week)!

So, Adrienne and I decided that we wanted to go see a movie tonight. In true cheap fashion, we check the dollar theater to see what is playing. All About Steve was suggested, so on our merry ways we went. But first, we HAD to stop for frozen yogurt. But of course not the place across the street from my house, but the one 10 miles down the road through "the ghetto" of Tustin. We pull up, park, but Anna decided she would just stay in the car. I was trying to be kind, so I left the car running. Adrienne and I go in, serve ourselves, pay and are walking back when I notice a car had parked next to us. There are a couple of guys in the car, and one young kid- by young I mean like 10- standing outside. We are already cutting it close to getting to the movie so we move along and climb in the car, the whole time being watched very closely. As we are backing out, Anna so kindly informs us that she actually thought they were going to climb in the car and drive off with her. A great way to start off poor Anna's night. But anyways, that was just a side story...

Now for the good stuff, the reason I am writing... to HIGHLY recommend seeing All About Steve. I did not expect it to be funny, but let me tell you, I laughed the entire two hours. Poor Anna got dragged along with Adrienne and I. After a long ay of work, usually pretty much the cheesiest thing can get me laughing. But I would say this was legitimately funny. I am really bad at summing up movies without ruining them though, so I won't even try. But, there were a few times during the movie that Anna hid her face (which was already in her hood out of fear or getting lice- I did it as well, you just never know with these sketchy dollar theaters). I will proudly admit that there were many times when Adrienne and I were laughing louder than anyone else, and even a few where I was doing it on my own. Poor poor Anna. And to top it off, there was a part where I almost lost it because I did not see it coming. In short, if you see the movie in the future, do NOT be frightened by the mine scene. It is not meant to be scary, and that was confirmed when I was the only person in the theater screaming from fear. My heart felt like it was going to shoot out of my chest. I just did not see that coming. Anyways, to sum it all up, in my opinion, it is a really good movie, and you can't beat the dollar theater price. Especially the one in the ghetto where all of my distant relatives decided to come after they got out of spanish church at 10 pm.

Oh, and side note, we found a Yogurt Land right off the freeway, about 5 minutes from my house on our way home. But Anna and I did enjoy our tour, thanks to Adrienne who had to have strawberries (to support her people who picked them, and because Golden Spoon so kindly does not offer them).

For you Kim

So I got reprimanded the other day for having a blog and not actually writing anything, so here goes nothing...

I actually only got the blog so that I could stalk my nephews. It has been working pretty well in case you were wondering. I don't view my life as very exciting, I am not married nor do I have kids, so that narrows down the topics to write about. But lately I have had the privilege of being insanely busy (by choice for the most part), in between some rather fun excursions.

Since so much time has lapsed since my last blog I will just sum up some of the more recent events.

I was in Seattle a little over a week ago. I had some vacation time that I needed to use up from work, so I planned a trip. It was a little last minute, but I almost prefer it that way. It was about 80 degrees when I left at 7 in the morning. When I landed it had to be 20 degrees cooler. So much for the shorts that I was wearing. I changed rather quickly. And added a layer or two of sweatshirts.

One of the smartest things I have ever done is be there for my birthday week, I have to admit that I was rather spoiled. I got pretty much anything that I asked for, it was wonderful.

That Sunday Peter took me to the Puyallup Fair (we met up with Karin, her husband Chris and Chris's brother). The fair in my opinion is famous for their scones. I wanted to at a dozen, but practiced self-control. I was rather impressed with myself. Although I think over the course of a week I ate at least half a dozen. The working out started last week after my vacation ended. Some of the other highlights from my week were seeing Shannon, Katie and Karin as often as possible. Bless their hearts, they made as much time for me as possible in between their working and social lives. I love my friends. I also had another tour of UW, which I had to admit, this time around it was much better than I remembered. I got to spend lots of time in Seattle which was also fun. I can't wait to go back around Christmas time and see all the lights. That is one thing California is lacking in, I have tried my hardest to find neighborhoods and cities that put up lights, I have yet to find them. A little disappointing, but I have yet to give up hope.

As for the being spoiled on my birthday, here are all of the glorious details. I woke up (after getting to sleep in) to get a phone call from my sister Renee telling me that SHE IS PREGNANT. For the 3 people who actually read this, I am sure you all already know that. But none the less, it was the highlight of my birthday (sorry Peter, I know you tried). After that, I was bouncing off the walls so my massage was canceled per my request, and instead we just walked around The Marina, one of my favorite places, and then headed up to Seattle. This is where I got my tour of UW, and due to dinner reservations sneaking up on us, we headed to the U District and played a rousing game of speed. I would like to announce that I won. After that we went to this cute restaurant called The Pink Door. And ate lots of garlic. Kim, you would have been soooo proud. And then off to a chocolate restaurant called The Dillitant (sp?). I really was very spoiled. And then we got to go see Katie and her husband Casey, and then my cousin Jordan. All in all it was one of the top birthdays. You have a lot to top next year Renee. Last year I got Carrie Underwood tickets, this year a new niece or nephew. You better start planning for next year.

Washington was a great vacation, as always.

I got to return to a full week of work and things to do, but I was blessed enough to get another vacation this weekend. I got to go to Palm Springs to see Peter who was down with his Aunt and Uncle watching his cousins. My mom and I drove down Friday night after I got off work. It was a great little get away. And of course seeing Peter just topped it off.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I flew back last weekend to go to Brooke and Jeff's wedding. It was a gorgeous wedding. And so much fun seeing old friends as well. And who can beat a wedding that is catered by In an Out and that has a photo booth? I will leave you all with these photos from the wedding (seeing as how I never take any myself).

I am going to Seattle!

I figured it had been a while since I last blogged, and what better way to break the silence than to announce that I was going on vacation! The family I nanny for is going on vacation, so I get a paid vacation without having to use any of my vacation time.  I am soo excited!

So my Aunt the other day was over, and almost instantly upon walking in announced that she had something to read about Washington.  Well, I am not the biggest fan of Washington, so I kind of blew it off.  Once we sat down to eat dinner she whipped it out and started reading it.  It is actually really funny.  I have no idea where she got it from, or even who wrote it, but it made me laugh.  Enjoy!

"So now we know how it all happened.

God was missing for six days, eventually, Michael the archangel found him resting on the seventh day. 

He inquired, “where have you been?” 

God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds, “look, Michael, look what I’ve made!” 

Archangel, Michael looked puzzled, and said, “what is it?” 

It’s a planet, “replied God, and I’ve put life on it.  I’m going to call it Earth and it’s going to be a place to test balance.” 

Balance? “inquired Michael, I’m still confused! 

God explained pointing to different parts of Earth.  “for example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe is going to be poor.”

Over here I’ve made a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people, balance in all things.  “God continued pointing to different countries, “This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice.” 

The archangel, impressed by God’s work, then pointed to a land area and said, “what’s that one?” 

“That’s Washington State, one of the most glorious places on earth, there are beautiful mountains, rivers, and streams, lakes, forests, hills and plains.  The people from Washington State are going to be handsome modest intelligent, and humerous, and they are going to tavel the world.  They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, carriers of peace, and producers of software.”

Archangel gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, “but, what about balance, God?  You said there would be balance.” 

God smiled, there’s another Washington, wait till you see the idiots I put there!"

I hope you all get a kick out of it as much as I did!

Last week I had a flashback to my younger years.  Somewhere in my junior high years my parents purchased a basketball hoop for the pool.  It provided years of entertainment.  So much entertainment, that when we moved from California back to Washington we brought it with us.  A plastic pool toy!  I have no idea where it went after that, but it brought back many good memories.  

After having this flashback I went to every store imaginable looking for it.  No one sold it.  How sad!  So then I started to look online and I found it.  So exciting.  So this last Saturday we decided to break it out.  We had my Aunt, Uncle, two of my cousins, my sisters Anna and Renee, Jon, Brent, my mom and myself.  It was quite the physical game.  There were many fouls, many faces full of water, and a few scratches. We even scared one woman out of the pool who was trying to swim laps.  I mean seriously, what was she thinking?   Basketball so takes priority over swimming laps.  It didn't take long until we were all too tired to continue.  I am so excited for the rest of summer!  

Who else HATES April 15th?

I thought I had a dislike for it last year (when I worked in a tax office), but it hasn't gotten much better.  I am currently STILL waiting for a W-2 from one of my jobs last year.  Nothing quite like filing last minute!

Who would have thought...

Well, I am in New York AGAIN!  

I got to fly home last Friday so that I could welcome Jon home from Iraq on Saturday.  It was one of the craziest happiest feelings that I have ever had.  It is hard to explain the feeling, but it is this overwhelming joy.  The welcome home clips they show on the news are so accurate.  Seeing all the families just lined up and ecstatic, it is a great feeling.  So anyways, needless to say, Saturday was a great day.  And it was topped off with a trip to Downtown Disney!  Oh, and we can not forget the beignets.  Talk about a mouthful of amazingness.  

Sunday was also a great day.  Obviously it was Easter, which brought an amazing Easter service.  I also had the privilege of volunteering with the baptisms.  It was so powerful.  Worship was amazing, followed by a great message, where Mike (the pastor) taught baptism by doing one, and then opening it up to anyone and everyone.  I was back stage taking down information from all of the people.  Having them walk up to me crying, or with the biggest smile on their face, so moving and powerful.  

After that we headed home to enjoy an AMAZING Easter dinner.  We had steak, lamb, chicken, like 5 different vegetables, rice pilaf, potatoes, 3 different breads, fruit, and some amazing desserts to top it all off.  We also had like 15 people there (hence the insane amount of food).  It was a great time of hanging out, eating, relaxing, and of course sleeping.  It would not be an Ortiz event if there was no sleeping involved.  

And after Sunday comes Monday, which was quite dreaded.  I really did not want to travel again, but I did, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  Minus the cold that I swear I get every time I travel, I am doing quite well for being back in the cold weather of New York.  It gets a bit depressing when I look at the weather reports for back home, and then for here, but when I think of it being in the mid 80's next weekend, I get a bit cheered up.  It will be a weekend full of tanning and relaxing.  And it is very much needed.  

Well, I should probably go to bed pretty soon, the morning comes very quickly over here.  

Oh New York...

Well another day has come and gone, and I am all the more ready to go home.  

I swear every person I have talked to from California has found the need to remind me that it has been hot there and that they are getting tan.  Meanwhile I am freezing over here wearing boots and a peacoat.  Don't get me wrong, it was a good reason to break out some cute fall/winter clothes again, but I am a flip-flops and shorts kind of girl!  I love hot weather!  Last weekend I was laying by the pool.  This week I have been planning my outings around the weather report.  No thank you!

Other than the cold weather, New York has been fun.  

I have actually gone out and done things this time.  Today I was really adventurous and took a taxi (with Dylan strapped to my side- you don't have to have a car seat in NY) down to the Museum of Natural History and Art.  Probably the best museum for taking a small child to yet.  Dylan loved it.  And I was especially fond of it because it was the museum in Nanny Diaries.  Call me cheesy, I don't care.  Anyways, the taxi ride there was so much work, with a stroller, diaper bag and child, that on the way home I decided to walk.  It was about 40 blocks.  It was a good walk.  We started out in Central Park.  Which I am partial to, because I love Law and Order.  I was really hoping to see them filming, but no suck luck.  Then I walked up 6th avenue to our hotel which is right next to Time Square.  Our living room is glowing right now with the lights from there.  

Oh, and side note/story.  Dylan is notorious for losing shoes in New York.  Always on the first day.  We didn't even make it out of the airport this time.  So anyways, I had to go to Toys-R-Us today in an attempt to replace the missing shoe.  Mistake number one was attempting to go into the one in Time Square.  It is like a circus.  Literally.  Mistake number two was pushing a stroller in there.  And to top it off, mistake number three, taking a sleeping baby into a circus.  He was no longer sleeping when we left.  Oh well, you live you learn.  

After reading this posting, and my last posting, I am beginning to realize how much my life revolves around my job.  I love my job, but when I post more stories from work than anything else, I begin to find it a bit depressing.  Oh well, it really won't stop me.  I am sure the next post will be the same!

Well... we finally made it!

It has been one long day!  It started off great.  I went to church before the airport, service was fantastic.  We are preparing for Easter next sunday, and we have something called Seek Week all this next week (which I am bummed to be missing), but service today was about working on preparing your heart.  

After that it was straight to the airport.  I had to meet the family I nanny for and begin preparing mentally for a very LONG week!  FYI, traveling with a baby is NOT easy!  That kid has more luggage than his mom and I combined.  5 checked bags later, we are still toting his stroller and 4 carry-ons.  Can we talk about a sore back?  Oh, and not to mention, our flight was delayed.  How I have yet to figure out, considering the airport had 4 terminals.  All of which shared a waiting room.  Anyways, it was a long but good flight.  Dylan is a great traveler. He is just so mobile now that he hates sitting still.  I guess it could be worse.

Once we landed stinking Jet Blue could not get their act together.  They had no idea what baggage claim had what flight.  Our flight attendants said baggage claim 3.  Baggage claim 2 had our information posted above it.  Some of the luggage was on both.  Who would have thought.  Oh well, the car service was nice enough to wait.  On our way out to the curb though, I caught a glance at the line for a taxi.  I thought the 20 people waiting when we were in Europe was bad.  OH NO!  Not even close.  Let's talk about 100+ people.  That is just plain nuts!  

But high note, our hotel is really nice.  It isn't your typical hotel though.  It is like an apartment.  It has a kitchen, living room, bathroom and separate bedroom.  Which is great considering Dylan and I will be spending a lot of time here this week.  And he does not know how to sit still.  At least there are no stairs for him to climb here.  

Well, it is getting late, and Dylan has no concept of sleeping through the night, let alone what time to wake up, so I better hit the hay.  PRAY FOR ME!  

And it is off to New York again...

Yesterday it was confirmed.  I fly out Sunday late morning for New York.  I go with the family I nanny for, it isn't all pleasure, but it isn't all work either.  Off and on for the past month or so I have known I could go any time.  This is only the second time though that I have actually had a ticket.  

I am really hoping to do a lot more sight seeing this time.  Seeing as how Dylan is a few months older, and well it isn't exactly the dead of winter there anymore, I hope this can come true.  I am really excited about seeing the Statue of Liberty.  I just hope it isn't too cold to take the boat over to the island rather than just staying on the mainland.  There are also a few museums on my itinerary.  

Luckily this trip is only about 5 days long.  I will be flying back on Friday night, hopefully in time to make it to Jon's homecoming.  

Palm Springs

So Palm Springs was great.  My mom got a free hotel room for two nights (even though we only utilized it for one).  Anyways, so Renee and I drove out and picked up my Aunt T early on Saturday in an attempt to get to the hotel early so we could get in a full day of tanning.  Well we got there, but could not check in until my mom got there, so Aunt T, Renee and I went to the first bar we saw and got some not very good raspberry margaritas.  As we were finishing my mom got there and checked us in.  We then decided to attempt to get everything from the car to the hotel room in one trip (mainly out of laziness).  Not a very wise decision.  We all had purpleish hands by the time we got there.  

We then changed into our bathing suits and headed down to the pool to begin the tanning.  We ordered food (and more drinks of course) and let the good times roll.  Aunt T has to be the only person who goes to Palm Springs without a bathing suit.  After a few hours at the pool we headed back up to the room to get ready for dinner.  Eight girls getting ready in one hotel room is a bit of a challenge.  

Dinner was absolutely amazing.  We ate at Renee's favorite steak house.  Great choice.  I am sure Jon will be a little jealous.  But since he comes home SOOO SOON, we can take him there.  He will get pretty much anything he wants when he gets home.  Anyways, that was just a little side note.

After the steak house, the young ones left and the partying began.  We hit the floor and did some gambling.  I quickly realized it is not my strong point in life and learned to enjoy watching (and instructing) other people.  I met this man (who reminded me of one of my great uncles) who was playing some game that I did not understand, so I sat and talked to him all about it.  I obviously learned a lot considering I can not even tell you the name of the game.  But he was cool.  He put up with all of my weird questions after all.  

The rest of the night began a bit of a blur after that.  I remember some yelling, some singing along to itunes in the room, Renee falling asleep, ordering pizza and asking where the rest of it was, dumping salt into a napkin to take to the room, attempting to steal limes, actually stealing a salt shaker off of a room service cart, oh, and the flowers from the room service cart.  All in all, it was a great night.

Today was a bit stranger of a day.  After waking up and scrounging to clean the hotel room, we once again made the not so wise decision to try to get everything to the car in one shot.  Not a good idea, but a success none the less.   We then headed to the desert house to ransack it and take what we wanted.  It was a bit depressing, but it was kind of cool to find some of the things we did.  Like our old toys, and some family heirlooms (which I quickly realized I am the only one who appreciates them in the family- oh well, more for me).  Oh, back tracking a bit, when we were laying at the pool, my Uncle Jim kept trying to call my aunt, but her phone was in the room so he was having no success.  Eventually told Renee to have her call him.  Only to find out that my cousin Stevie had surprised everyone and had come in town from Arizona with his girlfriend Kat.  An old joke between Stevie and I is that if I don't approve oh her, he is in trouble.  This led to us trying to get home as quickly today as possible.  Which then led to us sitting at the house for like two hours waiting from them to get back.  Oh, and I really liked her.  So I guess he is in the clear.  

After that Renee and I headed home where I have been sitting on my butt ever since.  Now I am hiding in my room while my sisters and their friends watch that ridiculous movie Twilight.  EWW!  Well on that happy note I am heading to bed.  My 5:30 wake up call comes very quickly, especially on Mondays!  Oh, and as always, pictures are to come of our weekend in the desert. 

Jon comes home in 22 days!

They came and went...

The photos are all out of order, but here is a snap shot of when Kim, Brandon and the twins visited.  It was a perfect week, especially since I had the whole week off of work.  We celebrated Grandma Sue's 70th birthday, we went to the beach, the pool, and Disneyland twice!  The boys absolutely loved all of the spoiling.  And now the next time they come back they will really be able to enjoy everything! 

Dad with his girls and the babies... call him Gramps, he loves it

I believe this is Cullen, we took this picture because of how chubby he looks!

I convinced Tisha to tell me if he had a smelly diaper!

The happiest place on earth!

Anna and I are to thank for the super cute Mickey ears!

Yes, we went to the pool in February!

It was a great trip, and I didn't even have to go anywhere!  Now we just need to get them to come back for another trip!  

Finally a few pictures from the wedding I was in last weekend.  

The beautiful bride and the hansom groom on their get away.

Some Seattle Christian friends

We were a little excited about the wine, and our feet were hurting from the 4 1/2" heels, so we killed two birds with one stone...

The bridal room was freezing

The beautiful bride and me

It wasn't supposed to be posed, but it kinda looks like that...

Karin was absolutely stunning, and it was an amazing wedding.  It was so good to see everyone.  It actually kind of made me miss Seattle... and I never thought that would happen.  

Back in Cali...

Well, Sunday night I flew back to reality.  It was a great trip to Washington though.  The first three days were spent with some of my closest friends from high school.  We got to celebrate Chris and Karin getting married and it was a gorgeous wedding.  

Wednesday after I arrived Katie and I got to hang out and just catch up.  It was great.  Oh, and I got to experience the renovated version of South Center.  What a difference.  Then we met up with the bride only to go meet up with the rest of the bridal party to get manicures and pedicures.  Two of my favorite things to do.  Then the girls hit the town for Karin's bachelorette party.  So fun.  Well, minus the dress in the freezing cold weather.  One of the highlights from the day: we were driving, it was about 50 degrees outside and Karin thought it was warm enough to turn on the air conditioner.  Call me crazy, but that is no where near air conditioner weather.  

Thursday was the start of another busy day.  Katie and I ran lots of errands in the afternoon.  Then we had the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner.  By the end of the meal Katie and I both had sore fingers from trying to crack all the crab.  I actually punctured my finger at one point and saw blood.  We then headed to Issaquah (where Katie and he husband live) for the night.  Upon arrival Kasey asked us what we wanted to do, we both looked at him and said "VEG!"  

Friday was another early morning.  Considering I wake up at like 5:45 every day I don't know why anything is ever considered early, but it is.  Katie and I attempted to get ready before heading to the hotel to meet the bridal party.  Let's just say that about an hour and a half later we both had our hair pinned back.  It looks so easy, but do not be fooled.  The twist and pin combination is not easy.  Then back to Seattle we went.   And yet again we headed out into the cold in dresses to take pictures.  I am not sure why people in Seattle think this is okay.  And to top it off, the grooms men were complaining about being cold.  HA!  Oh, and that their feet hurt.  Given, I love love love heels.  But by the end of the night after wearing 4 1/2 inch heels my feet were killing me.  But it was so worth it, they looked so cute!  

After the wedding I hitched a ride to Federal Way where I spent the night at my cousin's house.  I have not slept that soundly in a very long time.  I am actually not sure how I even made it into bed, but let's just say that I hit the bed, realized there was no pillow, said "oh well" and promptly fell asleep.  Saturday I got to hang out with my best friend Shannon.  We just laid low as she had homework and I was still trying to re cooperate from the events of the wedding.  

And to end the weekend on a high note, I got to drive to Bellevue (which I do not highly recommend doing if you can avoid it... I got a bit claustrophobic on the 405 freeway.  How do people drive with only 2 lanes and when all the drivers are barely going 60?)  But in Bellevue were my precious nephews, and of course my sister and her husband.  I could seriously hold those boys for days!  On another high note, they come to Cali tomorrow.  I jokingly tease Kim that once they get here they won't get to hold the boys, but I am kinda serious.  

With them coming to Cali there will be lots of fun events, from Disneyland, to a hockey game, to hopefully being able to go to the beach.  If only we could get back to where it was a month ago where it was in the upper 80's.  Now that is my kind of weather.  

Scott was there as well.  It was really good to see him, it has been forever.  

Cullen is in the tan and Jackson is in the white.  

                                                  We are pretty much the best aunt and uncle ever, hands down!

The best photo of Cullen ever!

                                                                                 

Photos are courtesy of Kim and Brandon and their shnazzy new camera.  All in all, it was a great trip, only to be followed by a great week of being home.  Given I am a little tired, but it all has been worth it.  And now for Kim, Brandon and the twins to arrive!

Here I come

So in about a day and a half I get to leave for Seattle.  I am soo excited.  One of my best friends from high school, Karin, is getting married.  So not only do I get to go to one of my favorite events ever, a wedding, but I get to hang out with some of my best friends. 

 A few of my fears of the week/weekend:  THE WEATHER.  I am seriously trying to figure out how to wear dresses and be dressed up and still be warm.  I guess that might be my only fear, but it is pretty much consuming my thoughts.  I am seriously not sure how it is going to work because it is in like the 60's here during the day and I am freezing ALL the time.  The only advice I have been given is to wear a peacoat.  Well what about my exposed legs?  So that is my current dilemma.  

Also, how to possibly get all the clothes and shoes I need to Washington for this trip.  And then there is the added drama of possibly having to go to New York straight from Seattle.  As for when I will find out, could be that day.  We will just have to wait and see.  

Oh, and Kimmy and the boys come in like 9 days!  What more could I possibly want?  A wedding with some amazing friends, and then all four of us girls get to be reunited.  Prepare yourselves.  

Cookies

So I found this new recipe for some Valentines Day cookies, and I made them about two weeks ago and sent them to Jon in Iraq, and Renee and Anna could not keep their hands off of them.  Renee kept trying to convince me that Jon would want her to have one.  Anna tried to join that bandwagon, it so did not work with me.  So I decided to be a nice sister and make them again, this time for them.  

I also found this recipe for this "healthier version" of rice krispie treats.  It is made with yogurt burst cheerios and white chocolate.  They were pretty tasty.  But by far the jam cutouts had the most positive feedback.  

Well, it is Superbowl Sunday, and I guess technically I am watching the game, although unless I look at the TV I don't think I could tell you who was playing  :-) Other than vegging on the couch while the game has been on, I have had a pretty productive day.  

This morning I went to church, which was an amazing sermon on 1 Corinthians 1.  It is a great series thus far, and we are only 3 weeks in.  After church Anna, Grandma and I went to In and Out.  It was pretty good, except for the fact that the closest one is 15 minutes away.  Then we dared to venture to the pool.  But by the time we got there most of the pool was shaded so we only got to lay in the sun for about 45 minutes, but I will count my blessings and be thankful considering the weather most of the US is facing.  I believe it was last Thursday that Orange County was considered the hottest place in the country.  Pretty crazy, but I loved every minute of it.  After the pool I started to make the Valentines Day cookies that I am sending to Jon.  Pictures will come, the dough is still in the chilling stage.  

Now I am trying to motivate myself to get up and pack.  I leave tomorrow afternoon to go to San Francisco with the family that I nanny for.  It should be pretty fun, I have not been there in like 10 years.  But getting up the energy to head into the city with an 8 month old is pretty hard  and rare.  

But today is the first day of February which marks the month that Kim and Brandon and the babies come to visit.  It is only like a little over three weeks till they come.  And while they are here we are celebrating Grandma's 70th birthday.  Which always brings out relatives which calls for a good time.  Yesterday two of my grandma's cousins and their spouses were here to visit her.  We went out to eat at the Claim Jumper and they thought we were hilarious.  I have yet to figure out why people find us so funny.  I would not mind being an outsider and watching the interaction once. My sisters and I have this endearing quality where we all try to speak over the other.  So it tends to get rather loud when we are all together.  Luckily they had us in a private banquet room so we did not have to fear about disturbing the other customers.  It was a great lunch.  Hopefully everyone will come out for my grandma's birthday.  If not, at least it will be my sisters and I together again which always calls for some good times.  And now we have the added blessing of the babies.  Which by the way Kim, I would just like to say I told you so, because today when we were at the pool Renee kept pulling the "well I have not seen them yet" card.  She is like I should get to pick them up from the airport, I should get to do this, I have not seen them yet. Blah blah blah.  Anyways, my point is that I TOLD YOU SO.  Well, on that high note, I really need to get motivated and go and pack.  Thankfully it is a short trip which means that I don't have to pack all that much.  

Meeting the nephews

So I got back late last night from one of the most amazing trips of my life.  I got to meet my nephews for the first time.  And I am convinced that they are the cutest babies I have ever met.  I know I am biased, but I mean come on, they are absolutely perfect.  

I dare you to disagree.  

Anyways, I took a red eye flight out Wednesday night.  As great as that sounded originally, I flew out at 9:30 pm and landed in New York around 5 am.  I had a 2 hour layover, which I am sure is needless to say was a pretty sleepless night.  Then I flew out of there to DC and landed at 8:30.  I could seriously hardly wait to get in the car.  I had a pleasant surprise awaiting me in the car, yup, you guessed it, the boys were with Kim.  I instantly fell in love.  It took everything for me not to crawl through the car to the back seat to be with those boys.  The instant we walked through that front door, I don't think I put whichever baby it was that I was holding down for a good 5 hours.  Kim and I each had one baby and took a nap on the couches.  It was absolutely perfect.  It was a perfect first day with the boys.  Mrs. O'Malley was there as well.  It was a perfect weekend.  After all the relaxation on Thursday, we decided to be adventurous and take the boys to Mount Vernon.  We walked around and just enjoyed the "great" weather, which was in the 30's.  Not really my idea of great weather  considering I left California when it was in the 70's.  But oh well, I sucked it up and we had a lot of fun.  After walking around Mount Vernon we went to Old Town Alexandria.  Probably my favorite town that I have ever seen.  It is just so cute and quaint.  We had lunch at a great little french bistro.  Then we headed home.  Another great but very long and tiring day.  Who would have thought two such tiny babies could be so much work.  Saturday we decided to attempt to go to a museum.  We made it through one exhibit (The First Ladies exhibit- which was not even finished) and then we had to head home to feed the babies.  Those little things can eat like I have never seen.  Other than that it was a pretty mellow trip.  I only had to do two midnight feedings, and I was lucky because Mrs. O'Malley was there right by my side.   Sunday was a sad day because it meant leaving those amazing boys behind.  The only helpful thing is that I know I will get to see them in like a month.  Until that day I will continue to stalk them via Kim's blog and Brandon's facebook.  

                             

So it is official, I am going to New York for in like 2 1/2 weeks, but the bonus to that deal is that they are sending me to DC first to visit my nephews. It is a part of my compensation for the long hours that I will be working while I am in New York. By long hours, we are talking like waking up at 8am (at the latest) eastern time when Kimberlee has to go into the office. And then, being with the baby all day till she gets back from the office. We are talking like 12 hour days at the least. The point in all that is to say that I get to go to DC to see my nephews. And I am ecstatic. Other than that, today has been an interesting day. Taking care of grandma hit its climax when Renee dropped her off at the nursing home to find it completely inadequate. Little things like not having pillows on the beds to not having a channel changer. Now my grandma is pretty self sufficient when it comes to being able to be left alone for like an hour at a time, but hello, what is she supposed to do without a channel changer? Do they expect the handicapped to just start walking around so they can change the channel whenever they desire? Doesn't sound like the smartest thing I have ever heard. Anyways, Renee got home from the gym at like 8ish, and had just gotten off the phone with my grandma. Let's just say it wasn't pretty. And her true feelings definitely came out. She left pretty quickly to go pick my grandma up and take her home, seeing as how they had not given her medicine since she got there. Poor Renee. She is so stressed out about this. And the point in putting my grandma there was because all three of us have to work the next few days. So now we are frantically trying to find a new nursing home. So that was a bit of added drama. Other than that, it was kinda mellow. I got off work almost half an hour late because Kimberlee had to run to the grocery store, which was fine. Then I had to go to Balboa Island where I was supposed to clean two hot tubs. Well they weren't home. So I turned around and headed home. I attempted to pick up the bake at home kind of pizza from the store, but I was so distracted I picked up the wrong kind, so Anna and I had to go back to the store and exchange the pizza. I thoroughly embarrassed Anna (not entirely sure how) which was kinda fun. Since we have been watching The Biggest Loser and vegging on the couch. It is always a nice treat to just be able to relax, seeing as how I don't get to do too much of it during the days. I love my job, and I can not wait to be a mother, but at times one of the best parts of my job is being able to leave and come home to peace and quiet every night. Anyways, all my excitement lies in the fact that in 2 weeks from tomorrow I will be leaving to fly to DC where I will FINALLY get to meet my nephews. The joy is beyond words.

So Friday I found out that I will most likely be going to New York again for work in like three weeks. The lady that I nanny for is a lawyer and her law firm is in Rockafeller Center, and she got a call on Friday that she will be working on some big deal that requires her to be in the office that week. It shall be an interesting trip as well. We went almost two months ago, and the trip was a lot of fun. I spent my days with the baby, roaming about the city. I got to walk through Time Square, I only got to go to one museum, but we took walks in Central Park, and of course did a few of the typical touristy things. The only bad part was the weather. I thought it was cold then, but last week when I was watching the New Years Eve special, it was like 1 degree. I am so not okay with that. The 60's are cold to me. I don't think there are enough clothing layers in the world to keep me warm. This results in a problem because now I have even more of an excuse to shop. Oh well, I will try to work on that.

Love

So I have fallen in love (with my nephews) and I have not even met them.  I am definitely am a very biased aunt.  I think they are pretty much the cutest babies ever.  And the idea of not meeting them for like a month and a half is pretty much unbearable!  Currently I am thinking of ways to get time off of work to fly out there.  I have been working 50 hour weeks, so getting time off is quite difficult.  But even if it is only for like 3 days, I would totally go just so I could have the chance to cuddle with my nephews.  I have never checked two websites (facebook and Kim's blog) more in my life.  To even get a glimpse of them is pretty much the highlight of my day.  Now comes the more serious plotting of getting to DC sometime this month.  And or just convincing Kim to come to Seattle when I am there for my friend Karin's wedding.  Although it is not much, seeing them a week earlier seems like eternity right now.  Even though I know Kim is the only person who reads this, here are some of my favorite photos of my nephews that I have stolen from their websites.  

Jackson David

Cullen Scott

Anyways, other than being an internet junkie and stalking my nephews, I have been working quite a bit.  But over the holidays I have been blessed with getting some time off.  Which has come in quite helpful with trying to beat this cold.  Last week I had Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and even the day after Christmas off.  This week I had New Years day off, and I even get to go in late tomorrow, the day after New Years day.  It will be rather nice to get to go to bed early AND get to sleep in.  On top of work, this week my sisters (Renee and Anna) and I get to take care of my grandma so that my mom can be in DC with the babies and Kim and Brandon.  It is nice for her, but it does add a bit of stress to our week.  Not because we don't want to take care of her, but because all three of us work, and coordinating our schedules is a bit of a challenge.  Tomorrow will be the hardest day.  Anna and I both start work at 10, and Renee at 12:30, but that leaves at least a 2 hour gap until Anna gets off that no one is able to take care of grandma.  So we are attempting to get a nurse to be there during that time.  Hopefully it will all work out.  If not, grandma thinks she can be alone that long, but it is a bit scary for us to leave her there alone that long.  (Kim, you better appreciate all of our hard work, we are only doing this for you)  Anyways, tomorrow will be a challenge, but grandma does want to take the three of us out to PF Changs for dinner, so that is a positive.  

Anyways, I have spent enough time away from staring at my nephews, I better return to what I have made my temporary job.