Julia Loves David

My kitchen helper

2012-01-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

I took a long break from blogging, but I'm back and have a lot to update!

Some hot weather, an abundance of lemons, and Ryan's got a new favorite project!

We got a little messy after this point, so off went the shirt. He's now in his favorite outfit - a diaper.

Just a little sip

more sugar please

And he's off with a cup full

My little guy is pretty good at cracking eggs. Eggs have been an obsession with him since last Easter.

I'm loving...

2011-05-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

My little family

going to the beach with our little buddy

when Ryan and David get serious

when Ryan saw his new cousin baby Liv for the 1st time

and Aunt Rachel talked to him about it (because he looked worried)

Happy Friday!!

2011-02-22T07:45:00.000-08:00

Our Valentine's Day

Ryan found the box of Chocolates from Dad!So good! When Ryan gets a bite of chocolate he does a little giggle!Ryan and I made Valentine's cookiesOne of the beautiful flowers from David my very sweet husbandMaking eye contact with the frog :)

2011-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

A day at the Huntington Library

2011-02-14T09:14:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Griffith Observatory

2010-10-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

We went to the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles a few weeks back . It was cold, a little spooky and perfect for an October evening. Just the thing we needed to get us thinking about Halloween.

Here is the Hollywood sign off in the distance.

David telling me secrets. He whispers nice things to me like, "stop taking so many pictures." Just so you know his hat says, "Breadwinner" not something else.

Wonderfully cold

The whole observatoryDavid & Ryan bonding
The end

Rain

2010-10-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

It has been raining and I love it!

Ryan's 1st Birthday

2010-09-21T01:02:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Ryan's 1st Birthday down by the beach earlier last week!

It was just a small party with immediate family, but so special for us.

When it came time to open gifts, Ryan was so polite to read all of his cards Audrey helped open gifts and even got a gift from grandma!

I just love how sweet Audrey is with Ryan. She always calls him baby Ryan and pats his cheeks so gently. Such a wonderful niece!

Ryan reading another card :) Cake time was very yummy for RyanSmashing his cake was maybe his favorite part. He now loves frosting!

Our little Family!

Everyone wore their sailor hats and looked great!

Wearing a hat for Ryan was a definite no!

Lots of love for our little guy!

After the party we took a walk by the water. We are such happy parents to have a beautiful baby that we love!

Looking forward to another year of laughs, crying, growing, walking, more teething, talking, eating, sleeping or maybe no sleeping, colds, ear aches but mostly lots of love!

We made it through the 1st year!

My baby

2010-09-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

Ryan is almost one!

2010-09-08T00:34:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I catch Ryan trying to pick out a good book.

First ear ache, fever and molar

2010-08-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

Ryan got his first ear ache, first fever and first molar all in the past few weeks. There is a first time for everything, and not all "firsts" are that great. After some hard days he is taking naps non-stop today, which has led me to some great free-time :)

Feeling better after his high fever went away

Checking to make sure all five fingers are still there after chewing on them.We went to Grandma's Kindergarten class and had a crazy good time counting.

Outside before sunset keeping cool.

Following the hoseReady for another nap

Mtn's, Fathers Day & the 4th

2010-07-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

In the mountains

we hiked and looked for bears

○○○

On Father's Day (David's 1st)

we celebrated that daddy is our hero♥

and gave him lots of love

○○○

On the 4th of July (Ryan's 1st)

we ate cupcakes

stomped around and saw our first Fire Work show

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

Being a mom is love ♥

There is nothing better than holding Ryan on my first Mother's Day!

Watching my baby with my husband is what makes life so special.

Watching first discoveries melts my heart

"Hey guys, there's a whole lot of water over here"

And when life gets tough we just laugh about it.

I know the truth about what it means to have a child. For the rest of my life looking at him and thinking about him will make my heart feel like it could burst. I feel so much love for him, and because of this I feel so vulnerable because I want to protect him from so many things. I never knew such a little person could bring so much happiness.

I love being Ryan's mom ♥

Ryan's First Easter

2010-04-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

We had a quiet Easter this year, but it was special because it was Ryan's First!

We colored eggs!

The Rabbit brought baskets for the kids (Ryan and Jackie) and nests for everyone too! Remember the first time you found out about the Easter bunny?

There were giant bugs in our baskets too!

Finally, Mom and Baby from Ryan's Easter pictures

Baby Blessing

2010-01-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

This update is way over due!

Here we are after Ryan's blessing, last December, at Amy & Kyle's house.

David's family put on a wonderful luncheon at Amy & Kyle's house. It was such a special way to celebrate Ryan - Thank you!!

David's wonderful family

My brother and sister

I love my little boy! He is getting so big (over 17 lbs)! There is nothing better than being a mom! When I look at Ryan I'm reminded of how much I have, and how grateful I should be. Sometimes when I'm holding him I think of babies who don't have as much. It is such hard work taking care of a new baby, but my secret wish is to have/hold, and rescue, all of the babies that need love and care - especially all of the babies in Haiti right now.

Introducing our baby Ryan Matthew

2009-12-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

Here is our baby Ryan Matthew who was born on September 15th at 1:02 a.m. weighing 7 lbs, 13 ozs and 20.5 inches long.
I can't believe he's 12 weeks old now!! He is such a big little guy and is looking more like an infant than a newborn. I'm trying to enjoy each moment with him because at the rate he's growing he will not be small for long. We are in love with our little boy and can't imagine life without him. I will post more pictures soon ღ♥ღ

Here is our first family photo taken when Ryan was two weeks old.

Thank you Kellie for the wonder photos, Click HERE to see more.
Thank you Amy for posting pictures when he was first born. If you want to see click HERE.

2009-07-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

Spontaneous late night walks

at favorite places

with this guy

makes me happy!

Fourth of July weekend

2009-07-05T16:43:00.001-07:00

Saturday the 4th of July

This guy is American all the way!

We headed to the Los Alamitos base for the fire work show and had so much fun keeping each other entertained and eating until the fire works started!

Here I am heading out with my chair but David ended up carrying it the rest of the day :)

We checked out some fun military helicopters and tanks. Here is David with his backpack of stuff to make sure we are comfortable. I have to admit the guy knows how to pack and is not ashamed to bring an umbrella for his very white wife (who doesn't like to be in the sun for very long).

Getting settled in for the show. David set us up in front of a WWII battle scene reenactment, so he was loving it!

Pow, Boom, Bang!! Our little baby was not sure about all of the noise and kept moving around. David and I loved the show and would go back again. I love the 4th of July!

Friday the 3rd of July

We took a little trip down to the beach for the day. It was really hot! David did a good job at setting up my umbrella, keeping me cool and letting me wear his hat.

Lugging around a pregnant wife and then going for a swim is hard work, so he crashed!

A little later this always fun and beautiful lady showed up (my mom)! She brought this cute gal (my sister) with her who has been sporting a new hair color.

John (my brother) told us about the dolphins he could hear under the water. Last week he was out swimming and a seal got really close to him. I'm jealous!

Here is one more shot of me and the baby! I can't wait to take him to the beach someday!

The Belly Shots

2009-06-14T14:05:00.001-07:00

Here we go, less than 100 days left!

But, at our appointment last week the Dr says we are keeping Sept 27th as our due date even though the ultrasound shows we have the 20th as our due date. She said our baby might just be bigger. I'm sticking with the 20th just because it makes me feel better and it's based on measurements rather than an estimated date. Plus who wants to add an extra week to their pregnancy? Here are some belly shots and other pregnancy photos:

January 20th - I suspect something is up and find out I'm right. This picture shows it all in my face. Excited, shocked, happy, worried, shocked, happy plus I think I was shaking a little. One of the most significant moments of my life.

Skipping to May 5, 2009. I finally felt like my belly was really starting to show.

My mothers day photo (May 10, 2009) The blue top is so appropriate even though I didn't know we were having a boy yet.

A few days back (25 weeks ) June 12, 2009. I can't believe in one month how much bigger I am. I'm wearing the stretchy pants all the time now :)

Here are my likes and dislikes about being pregnant so far:

Dislikes:
I've been really breaking out bad and it does not seem to be going away. My favorite comments have been, "What happened to your face" and "Do you try to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and stay away from fast food." You can imagine what I feel like saying back, but I just smile and thank them for being so kind to bring it to my attention.

The abdomen pains keep getting worse. Today I feel like I can hardly stand up strait, but feel miserable laying in bed.

It is all worth it though, because I'm really excited for my baby!

Likes and Loves:
I love feeling him kick and even when his kicks keep getting harder and wake me up, it makes me happy to know he's growing.
I love thinking about him and our future. Baby clothes almost always make me cry. I really can't wait to see him, hold him and experience being a mom and watch David be a father. These are the good things in life!

We're having a BOY!!

2009-05-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

It's official, we're having a little BOY!

I can't believe my little family is going to be a family of boys and I couldn't be happier!

Our day on Monday was so exciting as we waited to find out what we are having! We invited our family to the beach to celebrate with us and had a great time! Our plans to take our secret envelope with the results to the baker worked our perfect! We had no clue what we were having until we cut into the cake and saw blue filling!!

The girls!

The guys! It was a little intense cutting into the cake. Both David and I had to pause for a moment before we proceeded and take a deep breath!

Here is the cake! (Our baker insisted on decorating the cake with no suggestions so it would be a surprise for us)

Here is the first piece. Can you tell we got a little anxious and scooped it out :)

After cutting the cake Amy gave me my first baby boy gift. She is always so clever and brought a gift for a girl or boy depending on what we were having. It is an adorable little outfit, thank you Amy!

Here are some more pictures of family! Here is Kyle playing with adorable Audrey!

Beverly, Rachel and David Sr. - so cozy and cute!

Sarah and Rachel! (Some of the pictures came from Sarah my sister in law - Thank you!)

With some good friends that came!

Thank you everyone that came! Now only four more months to go!

Is baby Williford a boy or girl?

2009-05-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

We had our second ultrasound today. Our baby measurements showed that I'm 22 weeks along. We have a new due date of September 20th! We are so excited because we will cut a cake tonight that has pink or blue filling and find out if we are having a boy or girl!! (Thanks Amy for a great family tradition). David and I don't even know what we are having yet, but we are excited no matter what. During the ultrasound our baby was very active once again so I'm sure we will have our hands full. Only 125 days to go!

2009-03-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring!

We're Pregnant!!

2009-03-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

David and I are so excited to announce that we are pregnant!! We had our first baby appointment last Wednesday and saw our new little person for the first time. We were amazed to see this miniature baby moving around like crazy. I think the baby was having a party because the movement was amazing as we watched the arms move up and down, kicking, turning from side to side and putting on quite the show for us. I was mostly taken by the little fingers. I couldn't believe how small the little hands were.

The baby measured at 12 weeks, and we have a due date of September 27th!!

These pictures do not do justice to the little miracle we saw, we are so excited!!

2009-02-04T17:27:00.000-08:00

I will blog again as soon as I find my battery charger for my camera. It is so painful having new photos and not being able to view them until I can remember where in the world I placed that thing :(

I can't get enough time at the beach, and Happy B-day Dad!

2009-01-11T18:28:00.001-08:00

We spend as much time at the beach as possible. Yesterday, the cold water felt great on my toes. It was such a hot day!

The tide was the lowest I have ever seen so David climbed into new crevasses that are usually covered by the water ...

...and came up with "Patrick." He tried to name him Ted, but I knew who he really was.

He was so excited but we knew that he had to go home to SpongeBob.

David took this photo of a big starfish nestled in with some sea urchins. I love the blue colors in this photo.

It was a much needed warm day.
I love taking pictures of this guy looking at the unusually low tide.

LOVE HIM

We ended the day watching a beautiful sunset

Most important, I want to say Happy Birthday Dad! I love this picture because it reminds me of the great times we had cutting down our own Christmas Tree in the mountains. You have always been such a fun dad. We all love you!!

(My Dad holding Jackie approx. 18 years ago)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

Can I doubt that it will be a great new year when it starts out like this?

I promise that John is only drinking Sparkling Cider, or all of us for that matter.

I love having my cousins, Sarah and Ari around

Sarah and Dan

Here is Ari and Jeremy setting up the fun game we played

We didn't have fireworks, but we made our own noise!

Punch drunk and full of fun, Happy New Year Everyone !!

Christmas

2008-12-28T22:03:00.000-08:00

This is a little look at somethings we did for the Holidays
Getting ready for Christmas brunch

Jackie and I sat by the fire a lot

It was Audrey's First Christmas and oh so fun!

We opened some presentsMy big confession is that I started reading the Twilight books. I was not going to touch them because they didn't sound like something I would like, but I'm finishing the third book tonight. This is back on Thanksgiving when it all started.

My mom and John my brother

Jackie looking so festive

and of course a work Christmas Party

December 18, 2004

2008-12-21T21:23:00.003-08:00

Four years ago David and I were married in the LA Temple

I married him because he is a good man with a wonderfully loving heart...

...and mostly because I loved him and knew that would never stop

To celebrate our anniversary we stayed local at a Laguna Beach Hotel and yes, did my favorite thing which is looking at the water, tide pools and sitting on the rocks. Here are some pictures from our 4 year celebration.

We had hot chocolate to keep us warm

Beautiful background and beautifully clear water

We had the beach almost all to ourselves and loved every minute together.

Love you David

2008 Family Pictures

2008-12-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

Kellie thank you again!!

Here is one of our family pictures of the girls! I'm so lucky to have such wonderful and beautiful sister in-laws and niece!! I will get copies of the other pictures and will post some more soon :)

Clockwise starting at the top (Me, Amy, Audrey, Sarah and Rachel)

Photos

2008-12-17T22:03:00.000-08:00

We had family pictures taken by Kyle's sister Kellie a few days back, which I am very excited to see. Thank you Kellie!!

I couldn't resist getting our own camera out to get a few pictures of Audrey after the photo session.

If I had a Christmas wish, I think it would be to keep Audrey - she is just so adorable.

Here I am with my guy!

and beautiful Audrey again!

2008-11-22T21:25:00.000-08:00

(scaring the birds away) I love walks with my family at the beach and looking at the tide pools. I especially love going to the beach in cooler weather because you basically get the beach to yourself. I just wonder why hardly anyone was there. Are the malls or crowds of people really that appealing?

Here's my mom

I guess I'm fluffing my hair

Ohhh - the little crab is so cute, but mad and blowing bubbles

Poking around at sea anemones

Another crab that John my brother caught

The End

The Moon During the Fires

2008-11-19T21:02:00.000-08:00

The moon during the California fires was crazy.

Here is a picture below that shows the color a little better.

Did anyone else get a chance to see it like this?

Goodbye to my Grandpa

2008-11-15T18:24:00.000-08:00

Today was my grandpa Hawley's funeral. It is sad to see him go sooner than expected, but I'm glad his suffering is over. Right now I celebrate the fact that he can find peace and be with my Grandma whom he missed.

Here are some pictures in his memory.

Grandpa, Grandma and my dad

My Grandpa holding my dad

The Pets

2008-11-15T13:06:00.001-08:00

Here is the fish all better now!

Dang it, I'm determined to keep this carnival fish alive.

now, taking care of Tinkerbell has it's own special requirements

She is a "somniac" (can't stay awake) on top of her other issues

THE FISH

2008-11-11T18:30:00.000-08:00

Here is our new little goldfish. I won it on Halloween Eve at a pumpkin patch playing the goldfish toss. I'm thinking this was not a lucky win as I'm heading to the pet store right now to get medicine as it already has ich ;(

Last comment on Halloween

2008-11-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

The original Mini and Mickey

So, I was thinking while looking at all of the cute costumes on Halloween that my mom was pretty creative and talented when it came to Halloween when I was a kid. All costumes designed (above) or sewn (below) by her loving hands. I only hope someday when I have kids to bring the same love and fun to Halloween that my mom did.

John being bloody(12) , Jackie as Belle (4), Me as a Jester(10)
Our family loves this picture because it was the Halloween before Jackie got sick. Yes, feel free to laugh at me all you want!

Halloween Night

2008-10-31T23:26:00.000-07:00

Jackie was Cristina from Phantom of the Opera

I braided my hair and put on all of my pow wow stuff & flannel shirt (3 minute costume). I'm still not sure if I ended up being anything.

Beverly brought Little Audrey out to join us for the Trick or Treating. Audrey kept control of her vehicle at all times, but sometimes did not keep her eyes on the road.

While out, something was lurking in the bushes.

No worries, it was just prop 8 John and Army David. Both with their own agendas.

Here are my not so long braids. You can't really see them.

ö Jackie & Mom

" John and Jackie

! The Mr and Mrs.

Snakes & Lizards

2008-10-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

We were at our friends the Bagley's last night for a scary movie. They happen to have many amazing exotic lizard pets and are pretty much experts when it comes to any creature with scales. So the movie we watched was scary, but it was also kind of scary when Kyle placed the giant snake on us. To be honest I kind of liked it as it slithered around, but I'm still really afraid of its face.

This yellow snake is so soft

Here is Charles the lizard (if I'm remembering his name right)- this little guy kept nuzzling up to David.

Then a little more nuzzle behind the ears. What is funny is David looks like he is loving it, maybe he needs a pet!

Family Time

2008-10-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

It was a fun night out with David's family last Saturday eating at Walt's Wharf.

The girls,

the guys &

♥ the whole family ♥

Thank you all for a fun evening!

(Thank you Sarah for the last two pictures that I snagged)

The New BCAM

2008-10-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

We took a little trip on Saturday to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to see the new BCAM.

David is usually up for a museum visit, but this is how he felt about this one.

♦

He did get excited about this car!

Here is a cool close up Then we went back and played in the fun street lamp sculpture

Afterwards it was yummy pizza at 3rd Street Promenade and cute new slippers to stay warm on the way home. I was so excited for cooler weather, but it is HOT AGAIN and over 90°F tomorrow.
Note: My opinion is that BCAM has some great art I've always wanted to see and very controversial art I NEVER wanted to see. Not a museum for kids unless you only go to see certain sections or the Richard Serra sculpture.

NOUN

2008-10-08T21:05:00.000-07:00

PEOPLE to thank

Sarah and Dan thanks for the visit on Sunday -you guys always make me laugh

A PLACE to look at
THINGS that matter to so many of us here in California.

Please VOTE: I don't want to lose my right to protect marriage or my right to personal beliefs. If you don't agree, please vote. You have a right to your beliefs too. If you win I might have to move when I'm no longer able to voice my opinion about what my future kids hear in school."It protects our children from being taught in public schools that “same-sex marriage” is the same as traditional marriage, and prevents other consequences to Californians who will be forced to not just be tolerant of gay lifestyles, but face mandatory compliance regardless of their personal beliefs." click on the text

IDEAS to dream about

David, Julia and the Dinosaurs

2008-10-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

We walked with Dinosaurs! Having only a few channels has its drawbacks - before you know it you are watching too much PBS. Then the impossible happens when you suddenly find yourself attending an event they have advertised - ha I think David lost interest when the fruit of the loom flowers started blooming on stage, but I kind of liked them.

Here is the Utahraptor - I guess these little guys were really smart

I think if anyone goes, make sure you take kids. Remember the dinos look cool on TV because they can walk, but they still have a support structure under them. If you get low seats then you probably won't see the gear. Other than that it was just fun going to something different. (This video reminds me of old horror films)

All of this writing makes me think of this

Disneyland with Jackie

2008-10-04T07:01:00.001-07:00

It is that time of year at Disneyland, and I love Disney around the holidays!

Would you agree that the large Mickey pumpkins are scary? Keep in mind I still can't resist taking pictures in front of them. It is not a spook alley kind of scary but more of a KITCH thing. If you really want to be scared click here . Popular culture can be down right spooky.

Enough of that - I'm over it! Here is Jackie and me loving our time at Disneyland. She is so pretty with the Tinkerbell crown.

I tried to be as pretty as her but something went horribly wrong (maybe I was still disturbed by the pumpkin/Jeff Koons comparison)

More fun with my little sister

•••

Out to Sea

2008-09-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

We headed out to sea yesterday for a little day cruise on the SS Lane Victory. It was a beautifully foggy day which seemed to add to the historic character of the old cargo ship's history.

We loved the ocean air,

but the best part was spending time together!

Although, David did get a little crazy through the day

See what I mean?

No worries, I love this guy ♥ Instead, I just keep my cool and kept on sailing!

oh wait, maybe we all got a little crazy at sea, but you weren't suppose to know that (lol)

2008-09-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

Beverly you are a wonderful example of what being a mother is about. I admire your great talent for always being so full of love and concern for so many, even for the little animals such as Ruby and Bruiser who always have someone to stick up for them when they make mistakes.

la Famiglia

2008-09-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

It was a family weekend!

We went and ate at one of our family favorites, Angelo's and Vinci's after a long Saturday of running around.

John my brother and David my husband are simply the best.

There is so much to look at while you eat. If you have not been there than it's a must do if you're in old town Fullerton.

Earlier in the day we also celebrated Kylee's 3rd Birthday. She is David's 2nd cousin's daughter. She is a cutie and loves David so much that she had him by the hand the minute he got there.

By the way, Fall starts tomorrow!! I'm very ready for some cooler weather, how about you?

Artistic Habits

2008-09-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

This is the look of focus with perhaps a little inspiration. David my love, watch out because the house is going to transform once again into my studio space. I'm sure you will be very sad as I know you just worked so hard on it, but don't worry I'm committed this time to...

...keeping the pencils, charcoal stick, sharpeners, erasers, X-Acto knifes, pallets, canvases, conté sticks, brushes, toxic oil paints (including the ones with lead), non-toxic paint, ink, notebooks, pencil boxes, art bags and paper in a designated area and I will also keep the windows open for proper ventilation so we can continue to have intelligent conversations.

♥ Julia

I'm loving...

2008-09-14T15:01:00.001-07:00

I'm loving ♥ this guy! I'm also loving and thanking Rachel for giving him such a great hair cut. Thank you!!

I'm loving that David and I just finished talking in church! To find out what we spoke about click here .

I've also been loving some of these lately (random, I know). Probably because I've been reading more about this.

Of course, I'm always loving her ♥

9/11

2008-09-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

I will not forget 9/11

Permanently etched in my mind is that morning of sadness when the NY cityscape changed forever and so many innocent lives were lost.

Permanently etched in my mind is the fact that it was intentional.

Permanently etched in my mind is the affect it will always have on us.

Permanently etched in my mind is the pain that continues for the families and friends who lost loved ones.

Permanently etched in my mind is how brave we are as Americans

Above I have placed the same image I posted last September 11th with a link to that post as this image still continues to say so much.

Back to School

2008-09-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

The end of our summer break and back to school

Before our long summer break ended we hit a few Art Festivals,

enjoyed some beautiful sunsets,

☼

and played in the sand

Nie Recovery

2008-08-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

I am spreading the word about Christian and Stephanie Nielson. I do not know this couple or their family, but recent events in their lives has made me want to take action and help. I don't know who could keep from praying, donating or helping spread the word after hearing about this couples survival of an airplane crash along with more than major burns. I have cried many times for them the past few days and continue to include their family in my prayers. Please read the following blogs to find out more information and how to help:

Nie Recovery • CJane • NieNie Dialogues

Nothing Like a Good Book or Shake

2008-07-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

There is no time for blogging when you find a good book!! I couldn't put down The Kite Runner. If you read it and can get past the sad parts you will know why this is such a wonderfully inspiring book. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. I looked up the author and plan on getting his second book soon. I'm hooked and now have a greater interest in Afghanistan.

Now, for those in Southern California, how did you like the little shake or big shake depending on where you were. I was in Huntington Beach in my work parking lot and the quake stopped me from walking as all of the cars moved in unison. Then the car alarms went off.

Let's be honest, at least it wasn't the BIG one!!

for more info on the big one, click here

2008-07-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS TO LOVE INDEPENDENCE DAY! HERE ARE A FEW REASONS WHY THIS IS SUCH A GREAT HOLIDAY FOR ME.

A chance to celebrate the United States and what our independence truly means.
Always great fireworks! Whether it is the kind you buy from the stand or a stadium show it is always special.
Most important is quality time with family. We just relax and enjoy the usually hot day eating and swimming.
Picking out a patriotic book for David. This is my own new tradition since we got married. Which means tomorrow morning I need to get up early and find something ☺
I contribute by making my American flag cake. Which is super basic but everyone seems to look forward to it. An official tradition!

101° Today

2008-06-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

Honestly, can it get any HOTTER?

Walk at the Park

2008-06-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

Our little outing to the park

He just couldn't resist climbing a tree - trying to be his young self once again.

Here he is victorious!

I seem to be getting a lot of pictures like this lately - does anyone else have this problem?

Weeeeeee!

Another failed attempt to get a picture together. He's just trying to figure out why I'm wallowing on him and taking pictures (poor guy)

Much Better

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some old photos to celebrate our fathers. Thank you for all that you do for us!

My Dad way back when.

(I just found this picture a few days ago and love it)

David Sr. and David Jr. looking so cute together.

Best Buddies Prom

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

First a little bit about Jackie:
She is my 19 year old sister who is a “special needs” kid due to a cancerous brain tumor (medulloblastoma) she had at the age of four. The removal of the tumor along with treatments caused a variety of new challenges she has faced. I along with my whole family are so lucky to have this special girl. Jackie is my hero as she has tackled some of the ugliest challenges life can throw. She truly is a survivor and a very fun kid!

So, to celebrate Jackie I wanted to post some pictures from her 2008 Senior Prom. The event was designed to be casual or formal or 80’s style with family members invited.

Going out the door

Looking beautiful at the table

Going towards the limo with a couple of school friends

Her teacher was such a crack up the whole night. Here is is sending them off in the limo with the "best buddies" (a club of high school kids who help out) supervising of course. They would drive around for 15 minutes and then he would send out another group. David Bowie...rock on!
Jackie with one of the Best Buddies. They were so wonderful for spending their Friday evening with these very special kids.

Jackie with our mom

Everyone in the room got excited when these two got out on the dance floor. (Mrs. Syrus is one of Jackie's wonderful teachers who happens to live a block away from my mom with her wonderful family.)

Taking a break by the fountain

Ending the night with a picture Jackie with her teacher and his wife.

Jackie is a Senior but will have an extra two years at high school after the official graduation. Our family is so proud of her!

Johnathan's Birthday

2008-06-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a follow up birthday celebration for this great guys birthday at the Crab Cooker. I had a final until 11pm on John's actual birthday so I wasn't able to make it to the first celebration.

We love fish but could not resist getting these crazy looking things

Which were super yummy!!

...but very disturbing to Jackie (standing behind me)

Raarh!

Spring Semester is Over!!!

2008-05-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

It is the best feeling! Here is a little recap of Spring 2008.

First I was scheduled to take Advanced Drawing and showed up the first day only to find out they dropped the class. It was too late to petition a drawing /painting class so somehow I ended up taking woodworking.

My pencil box built & designed by myself.

Keep in mind I had never used any of these

Basically I love tools now and keep talking to David about buying some. Funny how these conversations sound familiar except I use to be the listener and David was the tool talker.

Next, was the History of Exhibitions and Museums class. This class was more than I expected as Karen Moss the teacher was also the Curator of Collections and Director of Public Programs at the Orange County Museum of Art. For CSULB it was one of my first experiences having a teacher who genuinely was interested in her students even going so far as to invite us to her loft for the final.

Mothers Day

2008-05-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

I don't know what any of us would do without our mothers. I am so thankful for my mom, David's mom and our grandma's. I didn't get any photos from Sunday so I'm doing a photo tribute to some amazing women who make up who I or my husband is today. Thank you for all of the sacrifices you have made so that you could be a mother.

Mom you are beautiful! Thank you for always being there for us.

Beverly you are beautiful! Thank you for raising such a wonderful son!

Grandma Gray and Grandma Velma - both beautiful women! Thanks for being great mothers who raised wonderful sons and daughters.

Grandma Velma

Grandma Gray

Grandma Hawley and Grandma Baron we love you and miss you. You were both wonderful beautiful mothers.

Grandma Hawley

Grandma Baron

Update

2008-04-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

Baby Blessing

Sundays are wonderful and today really seemed to celebrate how thankful we are for family. Today our niece Audrey was blessed at church. She was so beautiful in her white dress (I will have to snatch a photo from another blog, or even better click here for a link to Amy's blog). We enjoyed seeing so many wonderful friends & family of Kyle and Amy come out to celebrate. Jackie my sister was so excited to see Audrey be blessed that she stayed the night at our house so we would all make it to church on time. Here is a snapshot of us going out the door.

Here are some other pictures from the first part of this year.

David holding Audry (she was just a week old)

When it was my B-day I got so many wonderful things from everyone, but these flowers from Rachel were especially beautiful!

Celebrating my B-day at my moms! She made a very lovely pink angel food cake for me with raspberry's - yum

Very pretty cake Beverly made for me! So Yummy!
Celebrating David's Birthday a few weeks back.
From one of our trips to the mountains this year - so cold!

Amy & Kyle's Baby

2008-02-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

Audrey

Our new niece Audrey Elise arrived January 26th. I can't even begin to explain what a special moment it was to see her for the first time. She is so beautiful, and we are excited to have her here and be her Uncle & Aunt. Amy & Kyle are our new heros as we watch how great they are with their new little baby, not to mention everything it took to get her here. I don't have to say they will be wonderful parent's, because they already are so much more than that.

Here are some pictures from that night.

Kyle talking to Audrey

Rachel Holding Audrey for the first time.

David Holding Audrey for the first time.

(They both have their beanies on!)

Kristi Holding Audrey for the first time.

Grandma's & Great Grandma holding Audrey

David got a video of me holding Audrey for the 1st time.

Sorry the lighting is so bad, but her little cry sounds so cute.

Holiday Cheer!

2007-11-25T15:24:00.000-08:00

I’ve been busy with the holidays and homework and haven’t had time to post anything new. These pictures will range from last night all the way to Halloween.

David and I were heading to Laguna Beach to walk by the water, and got sidetracked with a new art festival we hadn’t seen yet. If you’ve been to the Sawdust festival in summer time, we discovered that they have a winter version. We loved the sawdust on the floors, Santa, snow for kids, trees decorated mostly by kids, and lots of art ranging from very good to very amateur, but still fun! It was one of our best unexpected dates of the year, and only 5.75 per person plus hot chocolates!

Festival Pictures!

Oh, I can't forget my early Christmas jacket from David!

Super cute and makes me feel extra prepared for the holidays!

Halloween pictures are next! We didn’t have any good Thanksgiving pictures due to the disposable camera. Still, we had a wonderful time spent with family at my grandma’s house.

Jackie my little sister and I with the pumpkins we carved!

Hers is much better than mine, thanks David for helping!

Johnathan my big brother with his very funny pumkin!

Those teeth and little eyes had everyone cracking up!

Finally, pictures from Kelly’s wedding shower. It was at Shelley's beautiful house. She is a very talanted hostess and cook! This was really the best shower ever! As you can see, we made very fun wedding dresses out of tissue!

Kristi, Kacey, and Kellie (Such beautiful brides)!

Kristi in her very cute tissue dress and me!

My Little Mushy Blog

2007-11-04T16:01:00.000-08:00

For the mushy at heart, I’m dedicating this blog to David my very loving husband. Since this is for him, by all means feel free to skip it and scroll ahead if this embarrasses you. After all this will be my little brag session about David.

A Few Reasons Why I’m in Love with David

He’s an original article. Just like Johnny Cash had his own thing going on, the same could be said about David. This guy isn’t changing anytime soon.
His thoughtful cards. David could be a writer if he chose. If you’ve ever gotten a card from him, than you know what I mean. It is a mixture of eloquence and humor so uniquely his own. I’m getting a little collection of these and I love it!
He lets me be myself, and thinks my strange jokes are hilarious. I don’t even think my jokes are that great.
His surprises – I never know when I’m going to be asked to open a Christmas Present or Birthday Present a few months early.
His natural artistic ability. He was drawing three dimensionally way too young. If he’d been around during the Middle Ages, the art scene would have revolutionized sooner.
The way that he talks about me in front of others. It’s sometimes embarrassing, but I’ve grown to like it.
His want for good things for our family both spiritually and temporally.

His willingness to shop for me. I really dislike clothes shopping and so about 90% of my clothes were picked out by David. What a guy!

He puts up with my own bouts of creativity, when I transform the entire house into my art studio for months. I guess that's not really a bout then.

Finally, the way he looks at me like I’m the most precious thing in the world to him, and then tells me so.

After having a conversation with someone about mushy blogs and how much we dislike them and would need to be challenged to write them, I’ve decided to send out the challenge. If you read this, feel free to write your own “Little Mushy Blog.”

Tagged...

2007-10-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

I’ve been tagged, so here’s six exciting and interesting things about me. Perhaps I will expound another time, but for now I will spare you by making this a semi quick list.

1. I am a descendent of Lady Godiva. Hooray for protesting in the nude! This protest wasn't quite the exhibitionist event that people might mistakenly think it was. You should read about it.
2. “I was born and raised in Vernal. I’ve got minerals in my bones. I’ve got a lot of grit and little bit of it on the bottom of my soles.” - Camp Song
3. I get told often that I have a nice accent by people with accents. People also ask me what country I am from. I’m always puzzled by this, do I have an accent?
4. Cheese is the best! This is probably my favorite food. I use to pretend I was a mouse and nibble little pieces when I was really little.
5. I was an Alice in Wonderland kind of kid growing up. I still want a little wooden chest like the rabbit had with treats in it that say, “Eat Me, Eat Me, Eat Me...”
6. I’m madly in love with David! Oh, but you already new that didn’t you?

I’m tagging everyone on my list, I will be checking.

Childhood Obsessions

2007-10-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

Turn your sound on for this one!
(I moved the song, find the David Bowie song while reading.)

Growing up I think most of us had slight fascinations, and to call them obsessions might be taking it too far. Yet, perhaps for a few weeks it might have been an obsession, and so my title remains.

As a 5/6 year old, I decide that I would become a nun. At night I would put a t-shirt on my head and look in the mirror, it was my apostolnik (scarf). I’m sure my mom was worried when I approached a group of nuns at a store, and asked them, “How come I never see them at church?”

After realizing nuns didn’t get married, we come upon the next phase. It starts by watching a middle aged man who looks trans-gendered jumping around with puppets while wearing tights. Oh yes, this is the “Classic David Bowie Phase,” brought on by watching the movie the Labyrinth. You will only understand if you watched this movie frequently. I wish this was my only connection to the 80’s, but it’s hard to escape this time period not being a victim.

Big hair is next, and if it wasn’t big at least it wasn’t moving. Lots of hairspray was the trick, and my hair was covered in it. My hair was so coated that I was made fun of at a St. Louis school bus stop for having my hair so coated (I was in first grade). My mom claims that I insisted, but I know she was into the hairspray just as much as I was. As you can see, this obsession lasted the longest. I’m around thirteen in this photo. At least the hair isn’t as big as Bowie’s, but it was getting there.

There are many more! What were some of your childhood obsessions?

Conference Sunday

2007-10-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

What isn’t there to love about General Conference? After all, it is only twice a year that you can enjoy church meetings from the comfort of your own home. The hustle and bustle of getting ready flies out the door as pajamas might be the typical attire for this occasion. We enjoyed this very special event at David’s Parents with cinnamon rolls and fruit for the first session lovingly prepared by Beverly. Prior to the second session Beverly spoiled us with her wonderful BLT sandwiches and chocolate pie. I especially enjoyed talking to Amy about her baby that will be due in January, and seeing the cute Mary Jane baby socks she bought (maybe she will post pics). When the day was over we left feeling both physically and spiritually full.

Click to see pictures on Amy's Blog - Conference Day

Knott's Scary Farm

2007-10-07T17:49:00.000-07:00

Creepy! This is how much David enjoys Halloween.

Here is a link to Sarah’s Blog for pictures – Scary Farm Pictures

Last Friday, David and I officially kicked off the festivities for Halloween with Sarah and Dan. Knott’s Scary Farm was our destination to see if we could get a good scare. Realize that I’m not even into scary movies usually, and David has been trying to get me to go for the past five years. Perhaps, it was through these years of avoidance that my curiosity finally grew. It was now me asking David if we could go. David was shocked, surprised, and maybe even excited as he is the expert when it comes to everything and anything Halloween. As we walked through the fog, I think I was the most scared out of anyone in our group. Although, Sarah did have to deal with the creepy clown that seemed to really like her. The mazes were the best with unexpected themes like Grudge II (very creepy, I couldn’t even handle the first movie). If you decide to go, realize that the scariest thing about Knott’s is the large groups of teenagers that fill every square inch of the park. Thanks Sarah and Dan for a fun night!

Update

2007-10-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

A week and a half and I’ve not had a chance to post something new. Here’s a thorough look into my past week and a half.

9/24 Went to school and learned that by putting Vaseline on goggles you can simulate what it might feel like to have cataracts when you’re an older adult. Gotta love college!

9/25 Celebrated Beverly’s Birthday- My very wonderful mother-in-law, the most genuinely nice person you’ll ever meet. Love her Tonzs (and her son)!!

David & Beverly

9/28 Checked out the Fall decorations with my mom and sister Jackie at Disneyland. Finally, made it on the Finding Nemo ride.

9/29 Painted a bedroom(after getting three layers of wallpaper off previously). David helped a lot!

9/29 Took a fun break to go out to eat with family, provided Dan and Sarah suggested a great place to eat near their place in HB. Love them!!

Dan & my cousin Sarah (sorry I nabbed the photo)

10/1 Called AAA when David’s key got lost in the Ocean. Found out his key has a computer chip in it, and $120 dollars later drove home. (My super surfer boss said she’s done this twice – we don’t feel bad anymore).
Finally, I went to work, Mon.-Fri. Flammability Rocks!

Fall Time

2007-09-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

How could I not get excited about our little rain storm here in Long Beach. It has been unforgivingly hot for the past month, and finally the first signs of Fall have appeared. Here are some reasons why I’m excited for Fall:

More Rain! I love listening to it, watching it, and getting wet in it.

The typical scenery of an often mucky California skyscape is filled with billowy clouds after a rainstorm.

Being cuddled simply because it’s colder outside.

General Conference

Fall leaves, need I say more.

Hot Chocolate at Starbucks

David & I increasing our trips to Barnes & Noble with our Starbucks.

My cat Tinkerbell’s new fall coat (so puffy)!

Halloween & Thanksgiving

Sweaters and pulling out the warmer clothes.

Sitting in front of the fireplace with loved ones.

Grandma Gray

2007-09-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

Aunt Vonda & Grandma Gray

Finally, I can say that I’m feeling settled into my new schedule. It has been three weeks into the semester and one week at my new job. In fact, I’m so settled that Disneyland is definitely on my mental, “what to do next list” for one of these evenings. My next challenge will be convincing David to go, but he always loves it once I get him there. In my classes I’ve lucked out with some great teachers. One teacher is retired and has officially canceled almost half of the classes. This is something worth smiling about! The other class is Gerontology where I will have to write a 17 page paper on someone over 65. I’ve already asked my 91 year old Grandma Gray if she would let me interview her, and of course she said yes. My grandma had my mom later in life and so it’s always seemed like a generation was skipped in our family. This gap in age has been a blessing, as I’ve had and known my grandma who grew up in such an awesome era. An era where they went from riding horses to seeing man travel to the moon! This paper will be a great opportunity to record her life story and possibly give it to family members! Here are a few pictures of an amazing and beautiful woman.

At her 90th last year and still going strong!

Tiffeny & Daniel

2007-09-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Last night David and I went to Tiffeny Wieck and Daniel Ives wedding reception. They are such a gorgeous couple (as you can see from the picture). They looked so happy and it was fun watching them dance and enjoy their guests. The best part was when she tossed the bouquet. It hit the ceiling and broke into many pieces, which I've never seen anyone do. I think all brides should try and achieve hitting the ceiling with their bouquet, because it was so cute watching all of the little girls pick up the flowers. Anyway - I'm so excited for them and what a wonderful future they have ahead of themselves. I love receptions, especially now that David and I have ours a few years behind us. You finally get to see every ones efforts payed off, and the best part is watching the couple celebrate their first day together as husband and wife!

To blog or not to blog...

2007-09-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

To blog or not to blog... I've debated for sometime if blogging is right for me. I will admit that looking at others blogs, usually complete strangers has been my motivation to start. It has been all of the wonderful photos and interesting articles that have got me hooked. For some reason blogging reminds me of small town life where everyone is in your business but in a nonintrusive way. Anyway - enough about that. At the moment I am lacking a camera, due to the infamous Canon E18 error. So I will have to write more and post older pictures for a while until my camera is replaced. As for something significant about my day, I started a new job! Everyone was so nice plus there is even a gym, but now I have a complete headache. So, I’m sitting here eating chocolate chips and thinking about all of the acronyms that Flame Engineers use hoping that my head will hurt a little less for tomorrow.

9/11

2007-09-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

I found this image titled 9/11 Victims at http://neveryetmelted.com/wp-images/9-11Poster.jpg. I still hold back tears when I think of that day six years ago, and perhaps always will. Posting this image is my meager way of paying tribute to those who lost their lives. Images are so powerful and a quilt of so many faces puts into perspective just how much our lives changed on 9/11/01. WE WILL NEVER FORGET.