May 2011

May was such a fantastic month! So many wonderful things happened :) It started off with Sarah's Kentucky derby 25th birthday party. She did an amazing job planning it. We all got to bet on horses, drink mint juleps and eat hot browns. I was impressed that so many people dressed up, I loved it!

Mint julep cupcakes...EVERY tasty!

The birthday girl and I.

My southern gentelmen.

My horse, stay thirsty (totally didn't win, but it was fun to shout stay thirsty at the TV for about 3 minutes.)

The race begins!

After the race was over, Bryan and I switched clothes an made our way down to Newport beach for Jamie's birthday beach bon fire. I was so excited to spend some time around a warm bon fire on the beach. Jamie had the perfect bon fire snacks: hot dogs, jello shots, s'mores and beer! Great way to kick off the summer. It was a very fun night :)

Just a few weeks after the girls birthdays was my graduation. I couldn't believe it. I finished! I finished my masters. It was finally all over. I was so happy that I kicked but and got to finish with my friends. It was a splendid day and I miss seeing these girls every week. We did it!

Natalie, Vanessa and I.

The parents :)

My brothers!

After the ceremony we went back to the Greens house for a graduation BBQ. Thank you everyone who came. I loved the support!

The biggest supporter of all, my husband. I'm so lucky :)

Next on the list for May was Candace's baby shower. I was over the moon about planning this shower! I've know Candace since I was two and she feels like a sister to me. Her mom, Danielle and myself put her nautical themes baby shower together. It came out better than I expected.

Danielle (preggers), Candace, and myself.

We put hand prints on fabric and a friend is making a quilt.

Everyone got the chance to make baby onies. This was a huge hit!

Memorial day weekend was spent with the Slattery's. It was Mikes 25th birthday and we spent the weekend off roading in a desert somewhere. It was so much fun. I haven't been off roading in a really long time, and certainly not the way we were off roading. There were quite a few times that I screamed in fear but I still felt totally safe with Mike driving. They brought their RV, which was a different type of camping that I have every done. It was way more of a community of camping. It was really fun!

Mike even let Bryan drive. It was very nervous but he did amazing! Here he is rock climbing while Mike guides him.

April

April was a crazy month! I had one month left to finish my Masters project, I started work as a trainer at the new Ruby's in Orange, my niece went into the hospital and my grandma went into the hospital.
Being a trainer for a new store opening is always so much fun! It feels like summer camp. Edward, the boss, always puts together a really fun team of trainers and he makes the long days feel like a fun day with friends. The Ruby's in Orange is amazing. I'm very proud to work there! Come visit!
My niece, Scarlett got a really bad cut on her leg that got infected and she ended up in the hospital. Although the rest of us were worried about her, she LOVED it. She got ice cream almost everyday and she got to play with her toys and watch TV. She got out of the hospital a week later and was completely fine! Thank God!
The same day Scarlett went into the hospital, my grandma did too. She has had very weak lung for the past year or so. Whenever she gets sick, its hard for her to breathe and she ends up in the hospital. This time was really scary though. When I visited her in the hospital I felt like it was my last time seeing her alive. It was so hard. I didn't want to leave and so I sent Bryan home with the car and I took the train home the next day. I sat by her bed and held her hand. She told me about her dreams and told me that she would always be with me. Right before Bryan left, she told him to take care of me or she would haunt him :) For dinner, my mom and I got Chinese food, chocolate ice cream and we snuck in some yummy blue moon. It was wonderful to be around family. We got in trouble for the beer and so we called it a night :) After a week of my grandma being in the hospital she was sent home to be on hospice. A couple times she called me to say good-bye but still today she has stayed strong and is doing great! June 9th will be my grandparents 60Th wedding anniversary! I'm so proud that I come from such a long line of strong, stubborn women. We don't give up!

One of the wonderful things I got to do in April was visit was my friend Candace and her husband. Candace has been one of my best friends since we were 2. I love her like a sister and love the bond we have. She is expecting a baby boy in July and Bryan and I are so excited to be auntie Katie and Uncle googly :) We spent a day golfing and taking maternity pictures. It was a wonderful day!

The Boys :)

Bryan and I's pregnancy picture :)

The Girls!

Life is so precious...

March

It has been way too long since I have updated this blog so this is my attempt to catch up :) I'll start with March! The month started off with a weekend canoe trip and then my birthday! This year I turned 28. Usually I get weirded out by getting older but this was the first year that I put my thoughts into perspective...Not everyone gets to grow old, I'm one lucky girl! I have turned another year older :) This was my 5th year of celebrating at Heroes. It was so much fun. I have loved celebrating my birthday in the same place for 5 years. Some people came early and others came late, but throughout the night I was surrounded by people I love. It was a fantastic birthday. Bryan spoiled me with a new Iphone!

The canoe trip this year was really fun! I went on this trip 10 years ago with my girlfriends and mom. My mom has continued to do this trip with her group of friends a couple times a year. This year she wanted to lead a group of my friends down the river. I was thrilled with the idea! I got a group of about 16 people, some non-campers and some experienced campers. The weekend was quite wonderful! I loved introducing a different world to people. I'm looking forward to doing again next year!

Water cave

The open river...

Climbing up waterfalls

The river water was cold but there was natural hot springs all over the place. We stopped and relaxed in a couple of hot pools.

One of the stops we made was in a sauna cave. It was pretty rad.

The trip starts right under the Hoover damn. The first day we canoed 3 miles, then we camped. The next day we canoed 9 miles.

We had a wonderful Trip!