Lake Vacation!

This summer Bryan and I were spoiled! We started off our 8 day vacation at a small lake called Scott's Flat that is located in Northern California. Andrea and I grew up going to this lake and so this trip was extra special for us. The four families (Caslavas, Grovers, Caras, and Johnsons) would make the long drive up to the lake every summer since I was about 7 years old. It was the best part of summer. After all of us kids graduated high school our schedules got hectic, the trips stopped happening. After many years of not going to Scott's Flat, we decided it was time to visit memory lane. Andrea and I got to show our Husbands where we learned how to ski, wake board, knee board and more importantly hardcore tubing :) It's a lake that we hope baby Green will know and love as well.

The whole group! Each of the original four families is represented here. We are missing a few from each family but each family has also grown. I love all of these people so much! I've know most of them since I was 3 years old.

This trip was also special to us because my niece, Scarlett, got to come. She loved it!

After the wonderful3 days on Scott's Flat Lake, some people went home and the rest continued on the journey to house boating at Lake Shasta. Once we got up to Lake Shasta we met up with some of our other friends. We were excited because Bryan's brother, Kevin, and Kevin's girlfriend, Val, came up too! Here's a picture of our Costco run...The first night on the boat was a party night. We had a ton of fun! Although we didn't plan on it being only couples, it ended up being 7 couples (5 newly weds and 2 'almost' engaged). Being pregnant kept me from drinking but it didn't slow me down :)We played flip cup (I played with water). I wanted to keep playing but I ended up with a bunch of drunk people :)

Val and I enjoying the sun on the boat.

Bryan mastering is 360 on the air chair.

One of the nights we were playing 'the newly wed' game on the top of the houseboat and we had a visitor. We named her Paul. She loved us!

This is a picture of the group that was on our houseboat. Couples Retreat 2011 was awesome!

Dinning with the Caslava's

Happy One Year!

July 30th 2011

I still can't believe it's been a full year since we had our wedding day! This year has been filled with so much love and happiness. It's been full of ups and downs and Bryan and I have loved every minute of it :)

To celebrate our anniversary we really wanted to go back to Catalina where we got engaged. As the date got closer we realized that Bryan would be at improv camp on our anniversary. Once we found out we were pregnant we decided to lay low and not spend a lot of money. The day before our anniversary I went to visit Bryan at improv camp and had a bunch of fun. James, the director, pull us both on stage to play a game called love letters, where we improvised love letters to each other and the other improvisiors acted the letters out. It was really sweet and we had a bunch of fun. Thanks James!!
Then a few days later on Aug 3rd Bryan took me to the OC fair. I LOVE going to the fair and Bryan does not :) It was a sweet surprise and I was so happy he took me. I couldn't go on the rides so we just walked around, looked at the exhibits and animals, and ate bad food. We had a blast.

Then we were super lucky and got the chance to get an ultrasound. We left the fair and made our way to the ultrasound tech school. As soon as I saw the tiny heart beat I burst into tears. I couldn't believe it. It was real. Bryan and I really made a person. I know it's a miracle but it still is just so nuts to me that there is a baby growing inside me. I LOVE it :) Bryan took a video. Even though the baby doesn't look like anything more than a ball, you can see the little heart beat :)

As soon as we knew the heart beat was strong we started to tell more people when we saw them in person. We couldn't wait any longer, we were just too excited! The more people we told the more we realized just how much our baby was already loved. It felt so wonderful to be supported by so many people that we love and respect. People said things such as "your baby is going to be so bad ass" and "I'm going to love the sh#t out of that baby"...

Just to let you know baby; it doesn't matter what sex you are, how many toes you have, how many sleepless nights you give me and your father, who you marry, what you want to be when you grow up...you are loved.

Start Spreading the News

As soon as I told Bryan about the baby all I wanted to do was tell our families and friends! Bryan thought it would be best to wait because it was still so early. Him and his dad went into the garage to work on a few projects. He quickly walked back into our room a shut the door and said "we have to tell our parents cause all I want to do right now is tell my dad." I was so excited that he came around to the idea and we immediately started planning how we would tell everyone. We decided we would only tell our families and some of our close friends until I was further along.

Later that day Bryan and I went to our friends Andy and Jeff's wedding. It was such a fun wedding and we'll remember it forever! In order for me to look like I was drinking at the wedding we let our friends Sarah and Eddie in on our big news! They were super supportive and they toasted to our new little family :) They did a great job at making sure my glass of wine was always half empty, especially Eddie!


On Monday (July 18Th)
In honor of my grandma I decided I wanted to cook her favorite meal for Bryan's family. It just so happened that it would also be the perfect night to tell his family about the baby. Bryan's grandparents, parents, brothers, and Val were all there. I worked really hard to make my grandmas fried chicken but I must admit, I've got some learnin' to do. We toasted with coke from a glass bottle (her favorite) and I was honored that the whole family was there to comfort me and toast to my grandma.

This video is Bryan telling the family. It's priceless!

Bryan's parents were both so excited.

Jimmy got dirt in his eye...

The whole family.
All the Green men :)

On Tuesday (July 19Th)
we went down to my grandpas house for a BBQ in honor of my grandma. The whole family was feeling down and we thought it would be important to get together and be supportive of each other and share the happy stories of grandma. This was the perfect time to share the news of the baby. We wanted to share some happy news to hopefully perk up the family or at least give them something to look forward to. My mom was so happy for us. I couldn't wait to tell her. I knew she was really upset about her mom and it made me feel special to let her know that she was going to be a grandma (again!)

That same day we made a trip to see my dad and tell him the special news too. He was excited in his own way :)

After we left my dads place we made our way over to the Brian's to see the 3 day old Nathan and to see how the new parents were doing. It was already pretty late at night so we knew it would be a quick visit. While we were visiting we also let them know about our little growing baby.

Candace and I have always wanted to be pregnant at the same time...although I didn't know at the time, but we were both preggers for 5 weeks! Hopefully in the future we can plan a bit better :)
The video is blurry but Candace's reaction is awesome! Enjoy.

That Friday we were lucky enough to have his aunt LaDonna and cousins come into town. Bryan's mom had a bbq at the house. The whole family was there including both of his aunts. We also invited Jamie, Scott, Jason and Shannon over so they could hear the news too. It was so hard to give excuses to Jamie on why I wasn't drinking! As I got up from the table to go to the bathroom she told Bryan that she thought I was pregnant. He tried to brush it off but she knew her BFF too well. As soon as I got back Bryan announced to everyone I was pregnant and Jamie yelled "I knew it" and burst into tears. She was so happy and it made me start to cry as well. It took others a few minutes to realize that we weren't joking :)

The next people we told were our friends Mike and Andrea. It was perfect because we went out on the boat and that is where we got to tell them the great news! Bryan and I are looking forward to all the many trips we get to experience with the Slattery's and their future children. Enjoy the video (done by Kevin G)

The circle of life

Bryan and I couldn't be more excited about announcing to the world that we are preggers!! Although the pregnancy was not planned, we are over joyed and thrilled for the new adventure in our lives. Today I'm 12 weeks but I would like to take you all back a few steps and start from the beginning :)

On July 10th Bryan and I went wakeboarding with his family. It was a wonderful day on the lake, I landed my 180 on the wakeboard that I had been attempting since last year. My brother in law, Kevin, asked me about how on earth I have not gotten preggers while not being on the pill for the past 4 years. I pulled out my iphone and showed him my app that shows how a women's cycle works, as I did this I noticed that something was a day late. I'm never late. I played it cool. Bryan left for Improv camp Tuesday morning. By Wednesday I needed to know one way or another! I went to the store and bought a bottle of wine and a test. I was trying to figure out which one to do first...I poured a glass of wine, had two sips and went to take the test. It read positive. I couldn't believe it! I burst into tears. I was so happy and so scared all at the same time. I downed a glass of water and took the second test. Positive again! Bryan was at camp and wouldn't be back until Saturday. I decided not to tell him until I could see him in person. I wasn't sure how he would react and I didn't want to distract him from camp. Little did I know how hard that week was going to be.

July 14th (The day after finding out I was preggers)
All day I day dreamed about what our baby would look like and what the babies laugh would sound like. After work I got a call from my mom. My grandma had been sick for along time and was fading fast. She told me I needed to come down soon. I decided I would go down Saturday but Friday morning I got a text from my mom saying come down today. It's happening today.

July 15h
After work I rushed down to San Diego. I called Bryan and told him that shark week was late, just to plant the seed, and also tell him I was going to SD. I walked into my grandmas house to see my grandma (barely holding on) my mom, dad, grandpa, aunt kelly and uncle brad. I fell into my dads arms and cried. It was so overwhelming. A rush of sadness and helplessness ran over me. I sat down beside my grandma and held her hand. She couldn't talk or open her eyes. My mom told me the last thing to go was hearing, so I should talk to her. I kissed her cheek, told her that I loved her with all my heart and then I whispered in her ear "I'm pregnant." Her lips moved as if she wanted to talk but couldn't. My grandma was the first person I told I was pregnant and I will treasure that memory forever. As she left this world my grandpa, aunt kelly, uncle brad, mom and I laid on the bed and held her close. We told her it was okay to leave and that we loved her. My mom held me, we both held grandma and I held my belly. I felt such a strong connect between all of us. Sally Patricia Bradley passed away at 7:35 PM. It was a tough night but I'm happy I was there with family.

On the way home that night I talked to Candace, who was due any day now. She told me to come over and spend the night but I was too tired and just wanted to climb in my own bed. Little did I know she went into labor at 2AM.

July 16th
I woke up at 10AM to wonderful news that Candace was in labor. My week had been so crazy. A life created, a life left this earth and a life was entering this earth. I was having such a rush of emotions. I rushed to the hospital. As I walked into Candaces hospital room I burst into tears at the sight of my best friend with a tiny newborn (well not really tiny. Nathan Daniel almost weighted 9 lbs!). She did such an amazing job. She did it completely natural without any drugs. I'm so proud of her and her new little family. I so badly wanted to tell her I was pregnant but Bryan didn't now yet so I though it would be best to wait.

Bryan came home that day at 8pm and crashed. He was so tired from the week at camp. Little did he know, his world was about to change.

July 17th
We woke up and had breakfast. I could tell he was still tired from camp so I didn't want to tell him about the baby until the moment was right. When we walked back in the room he saw the box from the pregnancy test and lifted it up and looked at me. I asked "do you want to talk about this?" He asked "are we?" I nodded yes and he grew the biggest smile on his face. He pulled me on to the bed and we hugged. He told me it was a good thing. We both were scared but we were both super happy. I was happy that I finally got to tell someone. He was so supportive about my emotional week. The next step was to tell our families!

The circle of life is harsh and amazing, full of ups and downs. I miss my grandma so much. It sucks that she can't be here to see her great grandchild grow up but I must say that I know she loved this baby before there was a baby.

Fourth of July weekend

This fourth of July was an amazing weekend! We were lucky enough to have Mike and Andrea invite us to Mikes parents house in Seattle. It is beautiful place right on the water. The weekend was sunny with only a few hours of gloomy weather. We had such an awesome time.

The first morning we jumped on the boat and Mikes dad, Jim, took us on a tour of the bay. It was peaceful morning.

On the way back to our dock the tide started going out. The timing was off and our boat actually got beached before we made it back to the dock. Bryan and Mike tried to push the boat off the beach but it didn't work. The others at the house rescued us with kayaks. It was quite an adventure!

One night we had a camp fire. We enjoyed the fire and watched the sunset.

The water was super cold but we thought it would be a lot of fun to go tubing. We threw on some wet suits and jumped behind the boat. When we fell in the water it was soooo freakin' cold but it was totally worth it. We had so much fun!

One of my favorite things we did was set off fireworks! One of the reasons Fourth of July is my favorite holiday is because I LOVE fireworks. I was thrilled when I found out we got to set off our own fireworks. It always reminds me of being a kid. We had so many fireworks we set them off for what felt like hours. The neighbors also were setting off fireworks all along the bay.

We took the ferry over to Seattle and walked through the market and had lunch. We bought some fish and shrimp for dinner that night.

On July 3rd we all loaded up on the boat a drove over to a bay with a bunch of other boats. There was a huge firework show. It was neat to see the fireworks reflection in the water. We sang patriotic songs, which I'm sure the neighbors loved :)

For breakfast one morning we went out. Bryan got apple pancakes that were huge. He did a great job but didn't finish them :)

The trip was amazing and we were so thankful for the experiences. We had a blast!

My grandparents 60th wedding anniversary!

On June 9th 2011 it was my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary.
I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it was to see the whole family get together for such a wonderful mile stone. With all my grandmothers health problems lately we weren't sure if she was going to make it. The women in my family are stubborn and strong. She was determined to make it. She looked so beautiful in her white dress and I'll never forget the smile on her face. We went around the room and said our favorite memories of grandma and grandpa as a couple. It was wonderful to hear so many stories of when they were young. I love that I have a couple to look up to. I love you both so much!

(above) Most of the bradley family. Look what two beautiful people made :)
60 years ago on my grandparents wedding day. My grandma had just turned 16 and my grandpa was 20. They are so sweet, young and in love in this picture.