RIP Steve Jobs

I've had this post from a blog I follow bookmarked because it really resonated with me. Today, I re-read it and decided it was worthy of sharing. Check it out....

Parenting Lessons from Steve Jobs

National Day of Service

I can't believe that 10 short years has past since 9/11/01. I remember that day like yesterday. It's easy to remember the images that we all saw on the TVs that we couldn't pull away from. It's easy to remember how we felt. Though it was a day that was marked as a tragedy, it caused a nation to unite under extreme duress. In the days that followed 9/11/01, I remember everyone seemed a little nicer, a little more patient, a little less hurried.

Beginning in 2002, family members who lost loved ones in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and support groups began to seek a forward-looking tribute to honor the sacrifice of those who were lost and pay tribute to those who rose in service in response to the tragedy.

By encouraging Americans to participate in service and remembrance activities on the 9/11 anniversary, family members wanted to provide a productive and respectful way to honor those who perished and rekindle the spirit of unity and compassion that swept our nation after 9/11 to help meet the challenges we face today.

Because of their efforts to build support for this idea, September 11 has been designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance. The September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance was established into law by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act in 2009, and is consistent with President Obama’s overall call to service, United We Serve.

I'll be honest...I don't have a ton of time to volunteer right now. I wish I did....but I don't. However, when I stumbled across Operation Shower, I knew I had to help. Operation Shower is about celebrating and honoring military families. Operation Shower is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides joyful baby showers for military families to ease the burden of deployment. Check out their website and their Amazon Wish List and help make a service family's day just a little bit brighter! Together, we can make a difference on this 9/11

Operation Shower website
Operation Shower Wish List

Lego Fun...

We went to Chace's 3rd birthday party at Bricks for Kids. Sara had fun playing with the Legos at a table that was just her size. The older kids had a blast building and playing with all kinds of Legos! What a great idea!

4 years....

Four years ago today, we made a promise to each other in front of family and friends. Hand in hand, we vowed to love each other through thick and through thin for years. Four years ago, we walked hand in hand towards our future. We dreamed of house projects and babies; places we wanted to go and things we wanted to do for years and years.

Some of the dreams were harder to make come true than we ever could have dreamed. Some are a little further away or changed altogether. But, one dream did come true and it is one hundred times better than anything we could have ever possibly dreamed...

I love you, Brian and I love our family....our dream come true. Happy Anniversary!

Terra Firma Farm Day

We had a great day at Terra Firma's Farm Day. After a hectic morning, it was nice to go to the farm, relax, and remember that the small things are the most beautiful. Here's some pictures of the day....Enjoy!

Checking on Sara in her new ride.

Broccoli....the heat took a toll on the heads, but can't wait to eat some for dinner!

Cabbage will be ready soon!



Red and Green Cabbage Patch


Look who we found in the cabbage patch!

Potatoes

Blue Grass Band in the Walnut Orchard

Sara enjoyed listening to music and watching the leaves on the trees

Terra Firma's mascot cruising the orchard

Sweet Peppers....so delicious!

Heirloom Tomatoes....beautiful!

What a beautiful setting for a strawberry field!

No farm is complete without a big, green tractor!

Sara and Auntie Heather

Pumpkin Sit In!

Brian found a little pumpkin about the same size as our Lil Pumpkin's head!

Beautiful setting for a pumpkin patch!

(Looks crowded...but it really wasn't)

Strawberries!

Picking strawberries wore Sara out!

Strawberries don't get fresher than this!

Loaded the stroller with our pumpkins and heading for the car!

I have a thing for Old Barns!

After hanging out at the farm, we headed to Davis for dinner at The Mustard Seed. I'll admit, I was a little nervous walking in and seeing white table clothes and hearing quiet music playing. Were we crazy taking a tired 12 week old baby there?!?! I'm happy to report that Sara was great , even though she was awake the entire time, and we had a delightful dinner. We shared our dishes, family style. Heather ordered Day Boat Scallops, I order a risotto with shrimp and sundried tomatoes, and Brian ordered Butternut Squash Gnocchi with a Sage Butter Sauce and Roasted Brussel Sprouts.....yes, Brussel Sprouts. We were all a little unsure about the Brussel Sprouts, but they were so good.

I highly recommend trying the Mustard Seed if you are in Davis. Excellent Service, Excellent Food, and Excellent ambiance. Paul and Robin, the owners, were so nice and accomodating. Our waitress was the best. I can't give this place enough props! Perfect ending to a perfect day!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's 70th birthday! He makes 70 look fabulous!

We celebrated with a family dinner yesterday at my parent's house. Here's some pictures of the festivities:

Dad with his Grandchildren: Evan, Sara, Dawson, and Clareesa


Mom and Dad with the grandkids

My dad got his birthday wish!

and of course, we had to have cake!

Lafayette Art and Wine Festival

Brian is not working Saturdays anymore! Yeah!!!

We took advantage of his new-found weekend freedom by going to the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival. The day was perfect as the weather was partly cloudy with temperatures in the mid-70s.

Sara was awake for a little bit, but quickly fell asleep.

We enjoyed strolling the streets, sampling wine and beer, checking out the art vendors, and listenting to live bands.

Sara was rather bored by it all!

We bought a couple of handmade Christmas ornaments. Growing up, my mom bought Christmas ornaments for my brother and I each year. I now use those ornaments on our Christmas tree. I was excited to start this tradition with Sara!

We had to get this one, too!

Baby Showers

Mini Kenny's nursery is filling up.....thanks to the generosity of family, friends and co-workers. I had 2 showers this past week....one I knew about and one that was a complete surprise.

Marlo and Jenn threw a lovely shower at my mom's house on June 26th. Mini is super lucky to be so loved by friends and family already. We were showered with beautiful and thoughtful gifts....Mini is one spoiled kid already! Here's some pictures from the day:

Game time

Cutest cake ever....made by my college friend, Jenn

Diaper Cake Centerpiece made by Marlo

Loving Lemonade these days!

The port-a-crib was my mom's as a baby. I can't wait for Mini to use it!

Then, on July 2nd, my co-workers threw a surprise shower for me. I was deeply touched by their generosity.....they basically completed our registry for us. Wow!

Happy New Year

Hello 2010! Wow! I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since we wondered if Y2K was going to wipe out life as we knew it.

Looking back at the last 10 years, I almost can’t believe all the stuff that’s happened. This decade, I think, has defined me as a person more so than any other of my life so far. Obviously, in the 1980s, I was just a young girl trying to navigate the dramas and traumas of elementary, middle, and high school. In the 1990s, I was a shy high school student, turned college student, turned teacher. At the start of the 21st century, I was 27, becoming disillusioned with teaching, starting to work for Crate&Barrel, and really trying to figure life out. What the heck did I want to do, now that I'm grown up??? Armed with a stipend check and a full-time sales position from Crate&Barrel, and new outlook on life, I decided to throw caution to the wind and STOP worrying so much about what other people thought. New millennium, new me. I packed my bags and moved to Seattle.


And now, 10 years later, I can see how far I’ve come. I still have a long way to go, obviously. Still learning, still growing. But in the last decade, I moved to another state and started building a career with a company that I adore. I watched with millions as the world changed forever on 9/11. I had the best time of my life, and I struggled harder than I ever had before.


Then I met this boy. THE boy. This adorable, sweet, amazing military brat. And I fell – head.over.heels. in love with him. We dated for 3 years, building amazing memories along the way, and fell madly in love. Our wedding was by far one of the best days of my life so far. Such a special day surrounded by family and friends and so much love. And we bought a house! A small, ranch-style home of our very own.


Toward the end of the decade, we decided that we wanted to start a family. What a journey that has been. We struggled and struggled and I will say that it was the most difficult and darkest time of both our lives. Yet, through it all, Brian and I stood by each other. We learned to communicate better and shared a determination that we were going to beat infertility!


And now, here we are, at the dawn of a new decade! I’ve got my hubby by my side who still gives me butterflies just like he did when we first met. We are still learning from each other and growing with each other every day. And we are going to be parents! I can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring!

Brunch Date

In our journey with infertility, I have found a few really great resources on-line. The best resource that I have found is from an Infertility message board. It's a place for women who are under going ART (assisted reproductive technology). It's a place where people can ask questions, vent frustrations, and offer support. I've been on the board since the beginning of the year once we received our diagnosis and realized our dreams of having a baby weren't going to be easy.

These women are the most knowledgeable and supportive group of women who I have ever "met". I think what has been the most helpful to me it that they all "get it". They understand, first hand, the fears, frustrations, doubts, and insecurities that infertility brings. It's reassuring to learn from their experiences, bounce ideas off of them, and to realize what you are feeling is the same as what others going thru this roller coaster are experiencing.

There are a handful of us from Northern CA, so we decided to meet in person for brunch. It was a morning full of laughter, encouragement, and sharing. Three of us go to the same clinic, so we compared notes. We are already planning our next get-together after the first of the year.

Cindy, Betsy, me, Anna, and Stacy

Relay for Life

I just got home a bit ago from participating in Relay for Life, a 24-hour relay fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. I'm very sleepy as I write this, as I have been at the Relay for the past 24 hours and only got about 1 hour of sleep in a lawn chair. But, it was such a great experience, that I had to share!


Together with 10 co-workers from Crate, I spent the last 24 hours Celebrating survivors who have won their battle with cancer,

Joelle and Lucy are finishing up the Survivor Lap. Lucy is a 4 year survivor of Thyroid Cancer. Joelle will be finishing her treatments in July for Melanoma

Fighting Back by walking approximately 15 miles while representing my team, who raised $4,500 all together, on the track,

We earned recognition as a Bronze level team for our efforts!

Remembering those who have sadly lost their battle with this terrible disease.

Naquisha getting ready to do the Bra Lap in memory of her Grannie.

Like all my team-mates, I have never participated in anything like this before. We weren't really sure what to expect. Mother Nature tested our dedication with a wet and stormy start to the day. However, we all unanimously agreed that Relay will become an annual event.

The Girl Power portion of the team: me, Joelle, Naquisha, Casey and Jana...we took turns walking thru-out the night!

Our Campsite...complete with our educational posters wrapped in plastic protection from the rain!

Thank you to all of you who sent in donations. Thank you especially to Brian and Heather for coming to spend part of the day with me. It was great having you there to support the team!

Ariel walking at 6:30 Sunday morning