Mel's Thoughts and Ramblings

Pinned it and Made it

2012-02-08T20:18:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite time wasting sites is Pinterest, it's a great place to find ideas for everything from recipes to crafts. While searching the kid category, I came across a great picture that seemed like the essence of a little boy. Check out the inspiration and my version:

It came out pretty cute if I say so myself! I didn't process the image as much as the original poster did, but I'm definitely okay with that. The plan is to get a couple cute Valentine's frames (Target has them on sale right now) and then give them as gifts to the grandparents.

2012-02-03T14:22:00.001-08:00

#febphotoaday
Hands

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2012-02-02T16:34:00.001-08:00

febphotoaday Words

2012-02-01T21:03:00.001-08:00

My view today
#febphotoaday

2012-02-01T21:01:00.001-08:00

I, along with 90% of social media, am participating in the February 2012 Photo A Day Challenge. You should try too!

2012 One Word Goal

2012-01-31T21:35:00.000-08:00

I guess I missed the boat on doing a big 2011 year in review and what I learned, blah blah blah. I found the idea for "2012 One Word Goal" here. I love the idea of picking one word that encompasses your goals for the new year. The blogger describes the goal as:

"not with things that we’ll end up forgetting.
But real things. That you can really accomplish.
And I promise you’ll feel amazingly inspired by it!"

The word I picked is

Nourish encompasses everything I want to accomplish in 2012:

Nourish my body:
We have a tendency to eat out a lot and that obviously isn't the best fuel for any of our bodies. I've committed to cooking 6 out of 7 nights of the week in order to nourish my family's bodies with healthy food. Also trying to be healthy by working out consistently.

Nourish relationships:
I learned the hard way the effects of quantity versus quality with a few relationships last year. This year I'm making it a priority to nourish the quality relationships that I have been blessed with and see people through my own lenses versus letting others tint how I view people.

Nourish my spiritual life:
Spiritually my life has been dry in the past few months, I'm trying to reignite the flame by reading the bible daily. It's something I have always want to do, but have never made the effort until now.

Nourish my mind:
I've toyed with the idea of going back to school for a few years and finally took the first steps this week by applying to the local community college. I'm not sure where I want to end up, but for now want to get my general ed completed. I'm excited at the future with this.

I really like the idea of picking one word vs many goals that end up becoming frustrating and thrown aside which in turn makes us feel like failures. Although it's 31 days in, I'm looking forward to what 2012 brings.

New Recipe: Crockpot Buffalo Chicken

2012-01-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

One of our resolutions is to eat dinner at home more often so I'm making it a priority to try new recipes, which I will share here. If you follow me on Pinterest, you might also see the recipes there as well.

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken is seriously one of the easiest recipes I have ever made, so wonderful and convenient to throw together in the morning on a day that you know will be busy. It definitely will be perfect when baseball starts up again and there is just no time to cook a meal on practice or game nights.

Details:

3lb bag of frozen chicken breasts
1 bottle Original Frank's Buffalo Sauce
1 packet Ranch Dip Mix
2 TBSP Butter

Put frozen chicken, wing sauce and ranch dip mix into crockpot
Cook on low at least 6-7 hours
Using two forks, shred chicken and return to crockpot
Add butter
Cook on low an additional hour (I set a timer for 1hr before the meal would be done and did steps 3-5)

What I loved about it:
- You put the chicken in frozen. FROZEN! How fabulous is that?
- The chicken shreds so easily - I seriously hate shredding chicken, but this came apart simply by touching it.
- The chicken was moist and flavorful
- It makes a ton of chicken which is great for leftovers. We had it as a protein for a salad, but it would be great with rice, in taquitos, in a sandwich, I really think the possibilities are endless on this one.

What would I change:
- I think it could have been spicier. The original post talks about using the buffalo wing sauce instead of original Franks and I think I might that next time.

New Polish

2012-01-10T18:44:00.003-08:00

We were at Valley Fair the week after Christmas to redeem a box Andrew could fill for free at the Lego store, and I needed some make up so we also swung by Sephora. The line was incredibly long, but they have the adult "candy" for you to browse while waiting (you know how grocery stores have all the cheap impulse buys right at checkout? Sephora has that for adults with little make up doodads, perfume, etc). Near the register was a bin of SEPHORA by OPI nail polishes that looked to be the holiday line, but really could work any time of the year. My eye was caught by a gorgeous copper with medium and chunky glitter and it was only $5! Definitely a steal.

Finally got around to using it on Sunday, while it's gorgeous on it's own, I decided to layer it over a teal polish and it looked awesome!

If you are interested, the $5 sale is also on their website, this color is called Don't Be Eggnog-ious.

Weekend

2012-01-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was again amazingly gorgeous. I don't remember a January every being this beautiful, each day hits between 65-70 with bright blue skies. We went for another walk along West Cliff and Andrew decided to ride his bike. So fun (and somewhat sad) to see how quickly he is growing up and to think that just this summer he still had training wheels. The time goes by so fast!

Olden Days

2012-01-08T18:44:00.000-08:00

Sunday Andrew went to church with his Gram and Gramps as a special treat and after they took him to lunch and a little farmers market type thing downtown. While browsing the tables they came across a man selling old school marbles. These things are legit glass and beautiful. It was fun to see Andrew slow down and play games like kids "from the olden days" (as he said).

Making Slime

2012-01-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love Pinterest and have found so many cool things and ideas on that site. I was browsing it this morning and saw a link on how to make slime and thought what a great thing to try with Andrew once he got out of school!

One thing I wasn't crazy about with the link was that the recipe was at the bottom, so I'm going to give it to you up front (if you decide not to look at our pics, it's your loss ;).

We learned a few lessons from mistakes, and those are included at the end.

Homemade Slime aka GAK

1 teaspoon borax powder

1 1/2 C water, divided

4 oz (1/2 C) Elmer’s glue, clear or white

food coloring

Add borax powder to 1 cup of water and stir to dissolve. Set aside. Pour glue into a medium mixing bowl and add 1/2 C water. Add a few drops of food coloring until desired color is reached and then stir to mix glue solution until smooth. Pour the borax mixture into the glue mixture and watch the solids start to form. Stir for a few moments and then use your hands to gather the mass. The mixture will be very soft and wet. Keep kneading until it firms up and feels dry. Discard excess liquid in bowl. The more you knead and play with the slime the firmer it will become. Store in a ziplock bag or air tight container and the slime will keep indefinitely.

patiently waiting for mom to get the camera ready

ingredients (plus water which isn't shown)

take a cup of water

add a teaspoon of borax and mix until it dissolves

in a separate bowl add 4oz of glue (you can use clear or white)

add half a cup of water

and food coloring

mix until smooth

add in the borax solution

if you did everything right, you'll immediately see the solid matter starting to collect

he actually wanted in a picture!

using your hands, gather all the goopy, icky slime and start kneading it

(he is literally saying "eeeewwww!")

it is pretty nasty!

remove all the goop from the water

and keep kneading it until it dries up some and doesn't stick so badly to your hands

once you have it out, you can toss the leftover water

so stretchy!

definitely a fun and quick activity to do with your child!

What we learned:

1. Read carefully - I had read online that 4oz is 1/4 cup and proceeded to use that measurement for our glue. Truth is, the bottle of glue is 4oz. We didn't discover that until after making our first batch which didn't work.

2. Have extra glue on hand - Just in case you mess up.

3. Do NOT use the gel food colors - for the first try we put the gel right in and it didn't "take" at all combined with the extra water to glue ratio. Once I realized where we went wrong I halved the water and also mixed the food coloring in water separately to create a liquid food coloring. The color wasn't nearly as bright, but did work somewhat.

4. Have paper towels near by, it's messy, but worth it!

January 1, 2012

2012-01-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! The weather has been insanely gorgeous the past couple weeks, so we decided to go for a nice walk along West Cliff drive on New Year's Day. It was close to 70 degrees out and clear blue sky, doesn't get much better than that.

Andrew being a boy

The family

"pick me up mom!"

Andrew under the surfer statue

Collage of pics from the day

We live in such an amazing place!

Hanging at Verve

2011-12-28T22:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, so the past few weeks we've obviously gone to Verve Coffee a lot! We took Andrew one morning just to hang out and have our coffee/tea and he got to play with the iPad (always a treat). It cracked me up how much he looked like a little hipster, so I had to snap some shots without him noticing.

After coffee we walked around downtown and had some lunch. I always try to get Andrew to pose with this barber but he won't, so Randy tackled him and I got the pic.

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T22:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning the grandparents came over bright and early to celebrate with us. We opened presents, ate a delicious breakfast and then visited and played with Andrew's new goodies. Later in the afternoon the three of us went and saw "The Chipmunks 3: Chipwrecked", as part of our newer tradition of seeing a movie on Christmas day. It was a busy day, but definitely one filled with lots of love and fun.

Andrew leaping with excitement!

Gram had run out of wrapping paper so she used grocery bags - the ultimate in recycling ;)

Lola was very festive

Me reading Jingle's book to Andrew

Grammy got Lola a present

The sunset Christmas Eve, can you believe how gorgeous it was?

Christmas lights

2011-12-24T21:54:00.000-08:00

After returning home from Walnut Creek we stopped at Verve (of course) for hot chocolate and coffee before we went and checked out the Christmas lights around Santa Cruz. It's a tradition Randy & I started before we were even married, and continued to do once Andrew was born. It's definitely a family favorite!

Downtown Santa Cruz

Decorations inside of Verve Coffee

A GREAT house a friend told us about on the West Side

Hereeeeeeeeee's Andrew!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T21:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve we went up to Walnut Creek to visit my grandparents. It was really great to see them and to have Andrew hang out with his great grandparents. My grandma definitely seemed to get a kick out of Andrew's energy and zeal for life, which was such an awesome thing to see.

Andrew showing the great grandparents games on the iPad

G.G. was really concentrating!

Their cute little tree

Grandpa opening the calendar we made for them

G.G. opening her chocolates

Andrew helping out

Rob's Wedding

2011-12-22T21:40:00.000-08:00

Randy's older brother Rob got married on December 22nd in Carmel. It was a gorgeous, intimate wedding and Andrew was asked to be a ring bearer again! The ceremony was at a little boutique hotel that is part owned by Doris Day, and just included immediate family. We were blessed to be able to join in this special day and wish Rob and Michelle lots of love and blessings for many years!

(Sadly our camera died right before the ceremony, so these are all shots from the iPhone)

Getting ready for the ceremony

I make this look gooooood

Kiddo cocktail before the ceremony

Mom putting the boutonniere on the groom

Uncle Rob talking with Andrew about the rings.

I adore this shot

Rob & Michelle

Andrew took his job very seriously, including prayer time

Mr & Mrs Boose!

Menu for dinner

Our cohorts at the "kid" table - Ronnie (Randy's oldest brother) and Melanie

Andrew blowing off a little steam. He did such an amazing job that day/night, it can't be easy to be the ONLY kid with all those adults and he definitely held his own

Baking Day!

2011-12-20T17:50:00.000-08:00

Some of my fondest memories are baking and decorating cookies at Christmas time with my mom and Grandma. We would gather everything we needed to try different recipes and decorate sugar cookies. I wanted to try to create some of those memories for Andrew with his grandmas and cousin so we invited them over for a baking day.

Each person picked a recipe they wanted to try and the results were delicious! We had cowboy cookies, peanut butter with hershey kisses, chocolatey meringue cookies, reindeer marshmallow pops and of course sugar cookies. We made a plate for our neighbors and it was so much fun to bless them with the goodies.

Love the tongue out to concentrate!

Decorating the reindeer pops

So cute!

Putting Rudolph's nose on

They came out so cute!

Flouring up to roll out the sugar cookies

Grammy (my mom) and Andrew rolling dough

The cookies Andrew cut out

Gram (Randy's mom) and Andrew putting kisses on top

Little hands :)

Decorated cookies

In the middle of decorating sugar cookies

Andrew's reindeer

My chocolate cookies

Linda's peanut butter cookies

yum!

Cowboy cookies

Ho ho ho!

A pretty tree decorated by our niece

Way too much sugar!

Getting so big

2011-12-19T21:29:00.000-08:00

I love this photo of Andrew. We were at Verve Coffee downtown and he ordered a hot chocolate and picked it up all by himself, then stopped to talk to the barista. It's just such a cute moment in time captured and shows how fast he is growing.

Christmas In The Park

2011-12-18T17:27:00.000-08:00

One of the activities I remember doing as a kid is visiting Christmas in the Park in San Jose. It was always so fun to go and see the little displays, decorated trees and tons of Christmas lights. Randy and I had been since we were married, but hadn't been with Andrew yet, so we decided to take him for the first time this year.

Christmas in the Park has definitely expanded from the small celebration when we were kids, there's now tons of carnival rides, things to buy and random food vendors. There are also TONS of people! We were shocked at how many people were there that night, so we didn't spend a ton of time there, but we did enjoy ourselves.

Elves doing their thang

Elves decorating with candy canes

One of the beautifully decorated trees

One of the IBEW 332 signs (Randy, my dad & brother's local)

Randy & Andrew

Churros make everything better!

cuteness

2011-12-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

I was going through old pictures on Randy's computer and found this video of Andrew when he was about 16 months old. We were trying to get him to say "bye bye" so we could get it on tape. Adorable!

My baby

2011-12-14T21:48:00.000-08:00

Andrew at 10 months

Andrew at 7

Coffe dates

2011-12-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

A new coffee shop opened up downtown, so Randy and I thought we would take our technology down and check it out. We both knew we liked the coffee & tea as their flagship store had been open for a few years on our side of town, but it was cool to go and just hang out and actually experience the coffee and the atmosphere verses grabbing a cup and coming back home.

The Pacific Avenue location of The Verve is gorgeous. Open, airy, tons of seating, free wi-fi, amazing friendly staff, exceptional coffee and just all around amazing. I can't stand the taste of coffee so I usually get a mocha with caramel syrup added to it in order to hide the flavor. This coffee is so well made that there is no need for anything to "cover" the taste.

Looking forward to another coffee date with Randy tomorrow!

Randy scoping websites

My mocha & iPad

Shot of my mocha from today, isn't it pretty?

Tried an apple slipper on Tuesday, delish!

The cool lights

A convenient coupon we received in the mail!

Electives

2011-12-14T21:18:00.000-08:00

One of the cool things Andrew's school offers is Electives. The Electives are for 1st grade and up, taught by a parent or student (with parent supervising) and range from dancing to skateboarding and everything in between.

The sessions run 8 weeks at a time, so the kids get a good amount of experience with whatever they choose and are on every Friday. For Andrew's first session he chose dance. I was so excited he had picked such an active and fun thing to do. He was super cute coming home each Friday and wanting to show off the new hip hop move he learned.

The current session he's in is holiday crafts, and he absolutely loves it. The items he brings home show he is taking time to focus, and truly do his best work. The parent that teaches it has actually stopped us a couple times to tell us about how Andrew is THE only kid in the group that sticks with what the craft is for the day and works on it until it is "just perfect". I love that! Usually it is hard for boys to focus, especially on things like crafts and Andrew is no exception to that. It's so neat to see how he is maturing and the amazing work he is creating.

This snowman was made last week, it was awesome to hear Andrew talk about how he made the hat out of pipe cleaners. Definitely a keeper!

"You're A Good Man Charlie Brown"

2011-12-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

The last week of November, I won tickets from a local magazine to see "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown at The Retrodome in San Jose. I am a fan of all things Snoopy, so was stoked to be able to check it out and share it with the family.

The show itself was fun and lively. Andrew was especially entertained by Snoopy, who at one point got in the chairs in front of us and started dancing and singing. We loved the little theater and are planning on attending another show there in February.

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

This year we headed up to Johnson's Farm in Boulder Creek to cut down a tree for the first time. Usually we get one off a nearby lot, but this year decided to go for "real deal". The farm was beautiful with so many gorgeous trees to choose from. Farmer Rob was fun as always and remembered Andrew from the field trips he has had up there over the years.

Totally recommend checking them out if you haven't been before. They name each tree (ours is Wags) and are great with the kids. Our tree is gorgeous and smells absolutely amazing.

Andrew posing by a tree

cuteness

He makes it so easy to take great pictures

So handsome

My boys

If you're a mommy to boys, you get to do cool things like pick up lizards

Boys cutting down Wags

Andrew taking a turn, love the tongue out

Awwww

Andrew & I with Wags

Farmer Rob showing Andrew the "shaker"

Netting the tree

The barn

Merry Christmas!

Little singer

2011-12-13T22:13:00.000-08:00

Love this video of Andrew. He has such a great little voice but is so embarrassed for people other than us to hear him sing. I'm praying that he'll get more brave as he grows and fully share the gift he has.

Oaks

2011-12-13T22:08:00.000-08:00

Andrew's class this year is the Oaks class. We are super blessed to have him in such a great school that works with the child's personality in learning and also still provides music, art and PE. Being in a great school does of course come with it's challenges, especially when the community is as small as it is.

The time period of mid-October through Thanksgiving break was a really rough one for us. Andrew was experiencing difficulty with one particular child and that child was manipulating the situation to make it look as if Andrew was causing all of the problems. I had more principal meetings during that time period than I had my whole schooling career. It was incredibly stressful, to the point of feeling nauseous at taking Andrew to school and picking him up.

We strongly considered home schooling and had him do independent study for a week in order for him to get the idea that he needed to stand up to this kid and tell him "no" if he wanted to continue traditional schooling. It got to the point where doing anything at school was a chore, which is quite frustrating when you are required to work 12-15 hours a month at the school.

Thankfully, that week off made Andrew stronger and helped him to realize the importance of standing up for one's self as well as what makes a true friend. The time period from Thanksgiving to now has been much easier and we are starting to find joy with being at school again. Andrew has been thriving again which of course was the most important thing to us.

The oak being their symbol seems especially fitting since oaks have so many roots to support them. We truly have an amazing support system which allows us to grow and thrive as parents. We're super thankful to those who prayed, offered advice and were there as shoulders to cry on. You know who you are, and we are super grateful.

Thanksgiving weekend....It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-12-13T22:00:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was spent at my brother-in-law's girlfriend's house (hopefully future sister-in-law?). Melanie was an awesome hostess and it was a ton of fun to hang with her parents, Randy's parents and a few cousins. Everything was delicious and the table was beautiful.

gorgeous table setting

Friday we went up to visit my grandparents and parents and have Thanksgiving with them. As always it was good to see my grandparents and spend some quality time with them. The boys found some wild turkeys behind their house and had fun playing laser tag.

wild turkeys

Andrew playing laser tag

Jaiden playing laser tag

Saturday we used a Groupon I had bought for Global Winter Wonderland in Santa Clara. It was an interesting display of lanterns and lights, definitely worth going if you bought the Groupon (there's another one for sale right now) but I don't know that I'd go again and pay full price. It was also cool because one of Randy's cousin's restaurants was running a stand so it was good to visit and catch up with her.

Andrew in front of the dragon

The family under the light canopy... Andrew had a wee too much cotton candy

After the Winter Wonderland, we met up with my parents in Los Gatos for hot cocoa and a drive through Vasona Park's Fantasy of Lights. I didn't know my mom had wanted to go for a long time, but never asked us. It was fun to experience it with Andrew's grandparents and helped to kick off the Christmas season!

Seven

2011-12-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

Andrew turned seven on November 23rd. So crazy to think that our lives were blessed with him over 6 years ago. He has grown so much since the first time we met, but he has especially grown just in the past year. I swear each day he grows a little taller and becomes a little more mature. It's so beautiful to see the little man he's becoming and I couldn't be prouder to be his mommy.

For Andrew's birthday we planned a day o' fun. He was surprised by decorations in his room & downstairs, it was so cute to see his face light up when he saw the decorations everywhere. We had funfetti waffles with whipped cream and strawberries, then got ready for the day and went to see "The Muppet Movie" (so fun!). After the movie Andrew chose to have lunch at the food court, then we went bowling, had a trip to the super fun Lego store and then went to dinner at Red Robin. It was a fantastic day spent celebrating the most amazing guy I know.

Decorations downstairs, cake and asleep 1/2 an hour before he turned 7

Funfetti waffles & candle!

At "The Muppet Movie" with his popcorn (Andrew's favorite snack)

Panda Express at the food court

Bowling at 300

Andrew & Randy kicking my booty!

Lego store!

Picking out goodies from the wall of bricks

Sundae from Red Robin after they sang to him

Birthday cake

Andrew's birthday party

2011-12-13T21:24:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Andrew's birthday we had his birthday party. The theme was Legos (which was a surprise to Andrew) and he absolutely loved it. I had a blast planning the different elements and seeing how much I could come up with on a budget.

Saw this tip on Pinterest for letting cake pops set. Stick them inside your colander, genius!

Funfetti cupcakes with edible Lego bricks

The dessert set up

Lego head marshmallow pops

So festive!

The birthday boy!

nom nom nom

Blowing out the candles

Mema's visit

2011-12-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

End of October through the beginning of November, my grandma (Andrew's mema) came for a visit from Iowa. She usually comes twice a year and we always enjoy hanging out with her. We took her along the coast, introduced her to some new technology and just had some great quality time with her.

Mema at Marini's

Using the iPad

Before dinner on the wharf

This is Halloween, This is Halloween!

2011-12-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

This year was a big Halloween for Andrew, he went trick or treating for the first time! Usually we do the trunk or treat events at local churches (of course hitting up a couple special neighbors) but this year we were invited to a Halloween party with some crazy fun families and all the kiddos got to trick or treat in a huge group like we used to do back in the day. The party was a costume party, so Randy and I decided I'd do Dia de los Muertos make up on us both. I had a hard time with the white face paint on both of us, but learned some tricks for next time. Overall though, I think it came out pretty good for my first time and more importantly, it was a great night.

Embroidery Square

2011-12-13T20:24:00.000-08:00

Andrew's teacher Laura was pregnant with her first child at the beginning of the year (she actually gave birth to a baby boy earlier this morning!). The class decided to make a quilt for the baby as a gift before she left on maternity leave. To make the quilt extra special, each family embroidered a sea creature onto a square and then our amazing art teacher sewed it together. The kids presented the quilt at a surprise tea on Laura's last day.

For our square, I embroidered a sea turtle. I hadn't embroidered in the longest time (over 10 years) but was pretty happy with how it turned out!

Our square

Hiding

Surprise!

Kids loving on Laura

Laura (left) and Gwen (our awesome art teacher) with the quilt

Pumpkins

2011-12-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

Santa Cruz is an amazing community, my mom always says "it's a place where people can let their freak flag fly and no one bats an eyelash". This sign was outside one of our local businesses the weekend we went to go get pumpkins.

Every year, since we moved to Santa Cruz, we head out to Half Moon Bay to pick out pumpkins for Halloween. This year the weather was insanely beautiful, sunny and warm. We checked out our usual farm, but ended up buying a HUGE pumpkin back in town at a little patch. As always, it was a great time as a family.

Pumpkins!

Cutie!

Family on the hay ride

Andrew on the tractor

Getting so big

Lola?

love him

Coffee Dates

2011-12-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

A few weekends in October Randy had some events/activities to attend, which left Andrew and I on our own for Saturday breakfast. Naturally we decided to hit up our local Starbucks for some quality time. He was especially excited to try a caramel hot chocolate and have a drink similar to mom's (my signature drink is a caramel mocha). As always, they were great times with my favorite kiddo.

Fleet Week

2011-12-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

In October we took Andrew & his friend Charlie to Fleet Week in San Francisco. This was Andrew's first time bringing a friend along on a trip and it was a total blast for him, as well as us. Loved spending time with the boys and seeing them interact and have fun.

Boys being silly in the car

Bay Bridge

Bay Bridge 2

Pier 39

Boys watching sea lions

Outside Hard Rock Cafe

On the submarine

Red & Black Dragons

2011-12-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

This year Andrew played soccer for the Red & Black Dragons (aptly named after their red and black uniforms). It was awesome to see him change throughout the season and become more focused and interested in the game. It was also fun to see the team bond, as well as for Randy and I to become closer with many of the parents since 7 of the 8 boys in his class at school were also on the team. The boys won one game the entire season, but that victory was indeed sweet and well earned!

Fall

2011-12-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

This was taken before the official start of fall, but that morning at soccer was when it finally hit that fall was here. It was a brisk morning with gorgeous, huge red and orange leaves scattered all over the ground. I had placed my coffee on the ground to set up my chair and couldn't resist the shot. Perfection.

Fun with shadows

2011-12-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

Was hanging out upstairs early one evening and the light through the window was making some fantastic shadows.

Family Night

2011-12-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

Later that night, we all went over the hill to San Jose for a family night. We decided on dinner at Red Robin (Andrew's favorite) and bowling at 300. It was SO much fun! 300 is a beautiful bowling alley and totally modern - little things like the bumpers automatically coming up for the kiddo (if they want them), music videos and black lights make it so much fun. Definitely a place we would go again (I'm even tempted to go for my birthday!).

Mommy & Andrew Day

2011-12-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

Like many schools in the area, A's school gets out earlier on Friday afternoons. One Friday in October we decided to have a mom & son day and have lunch, go shopping and get a haircut. I loved hanging out one on one with my little guy since he's now in school ALL day long. He also enjoyed getting a little extra mommy attention & love.

He is so handsome!

Our day

Fun with friends

2011-12-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

In early October we went up to Felton to hang with some friends. The Kappings are good people and I adore their son Vincent. Thankfully Andrew and Vincent get along amazingly well and are just crazy, silly boys when they play together.

On this particular night, we also got to meet and hang with another great family, The Igartas. They also have 2 boys who are close with Vincent (their eldest goes to the same school) so it was great to see all the kids play together while the adults chilled.

Malissa had planned a fun activity for the boys - making fruit leathers. They came out delicious and it was cool to see Vince and Andrew so stoked on making them!

Go, go, go

2011-12-13T18:56:00.000-08:00

Seems like we are constantly on the go between sports, family outings, and other randomness. In my downtime I'm trying to be better about actually resting so I don't necessarily take the time to blog that I should. My plan is to get up to date from October to now by Christmas Day. I think it's definitely doable even though we have more craziness coming up with parties, a wedding (Andrew's a ring bearer again!), family things, school stuff, etc.

So be on the lookout for a bunch of blog posts getting everybody up to date!

You're a good man

2011-12-07T21:29:00.001-08:00

God has truly blessed me with an amazing husband that I am so thankful for. When Randy and I were married almost 10 years ago, the vow "in sickness and in health" hit home for both of us due to my Lupus, however I don't think either of us realized the fullness of which that vow would be tested in the first 10 years of our marriage.

Randy has always put me first when it comes to finding a job. You see, it's imperative that I have health insurance due to both the Lupus and kidney transplant. Randy had an interview today for something that would be pretty close to his dream job and his chances of getting it are pretty high, but they do not offer health insurance for spouses or family. It is such a dagger in my heart to know that I essentially am the dead weight that keeps him from moving into a job that he would flourish in. He is such an amazing man and has so much to offer the world and I can't help but think how much easier it would be for him to move to a position he loved if he didn't have to always worry about my health being taken care of.

This was the card we were dealt though, and I am beyond grateful that my husband has truly honored the vow of 'in sickness and in health" when most men his age haven't even had to entertain the thought of such a thing.

Thank you Randy. Thank you for being such an amazing friend, husband, father, provider, emotional support and all around good man. I love you.

If you are a praying person, please keep this job in your prayers. Randy will be sending them a counter offer to include health insurance for me. We just ask if this job is meant to be that they will respond positively and agree to providing me with insurance, as well as me being able to join the plan despite my pre-existing condition.

1,000 Book Challenge

2011-10-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

At A's school they are really pushing reading to the kids. Not in a way that will turn kids off from reading, but in a way that gets them excited to read. There is no mandatory reading each night, it's just suggested that the kids read at home, and more importantly that parents and the children read together.

One of the books that A's teacher (Laura) had been reading to the class during lunch was called "The Principal On The Roof" in which the students of the school read 1,000 books, and the principal reads a book from the roof to reward them. While reading the book, Andrew and 3 other kids in his class came up with the idea of approaching principal Linda and issuing the challenge to her: If each student in the 1st/2nd combo class reads 1,000 books, she will read them a story from the roof. The only problem being Linda is afraid of heights. She accepted the challenge, and raised the ante to every student in the school has to read 1,000 books. Of course all the students were in and are currently reading and keeping track of each book they finish.

Check out the video of A getting up at assembly with a couple other kids from his class and explaining the challenge:

Still Little

2011-10-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

With all the changes A has been going through, it is hard to remember that he is still just a little 6 year old. He has always had an above average vocabulary and been extremely verbal, but add to that his first year of full day school, reading & writing more, and being even more independent and you can see how it slips our minds that he's still a little guy.

Last night A had been in bed for about an hour when we heard him scream "MOMMY!!! I NEED YOU!!!!!" I went upstairs to see what had happened, and it was obvious he had been asleep for a little bit. I asked him what was wrong, and this is what he told me:

"Mommy, you know how some stories are real and some are not? I think the one Laura (his teacher) read to us at lunch was real. It was about a monster that lives under the bed and it practices putting your head in it's mouth when you fall asleep. You know it's been practicing because there's monster drool on your pillow. Mommy. There is drool ON MY PILLOW!"

I reassured him that the book wasn't real and there are no monsters that live under the bed. We all (or the majority of us) drool in our sleep and that's what is on his pillow. Poor little guy was so shaken up! Nights are already a bit rough since he's afraid of the dark, but add a monster that practices putting his head in it's mouth and it's all over! Thankfully he ended up sleeping very well, but it was a good reminder to me of how little he still is, and I am thankful for that.

For those wondering about the book:

"No Attitudes" Volleyball

2011-09-23T16:20:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Dan and I along with Staci & Randy participated in Phil Kaplan's No Attitudes Tournament. We all competed in the novice division, with a separate competition between our teams - whoever lost would buy the winner drinks.

Needless to say, plenty of smack talk flew from Stace and Randy's side leading up to the tournament. It was a really great time and I feel like I'm getting a bit more solid as a player but of course can still use improvement and practice. Dan and I won a few matches, including the much awaited match with Staci and Randy (woo hoo!). Here are some pics from the day:

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 30

2011-09-22T14:57:00.001-07:00

Day 30: In Motion

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 29

2011-09-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

Day 29: Purchased

A yummy popsicle from The Penny Creamery

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 28

2011-09-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Day 28: Daily Routine

My breakfast

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 27

2011-09-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

Day 27: After Dark

Taken at a Giants' game that a friend generously took us to.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 26

2011-09-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Day 26: Something Old

This is an old car in our neighborhood. It's in beautiful condition and one of my favorite colors.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 25

2011-09-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Day 25: Sunflare

Taken in Tahoe

20 Day Photo Challenge: Day 24

2011-09-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

Day 24: A Smile

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 23

2011-09-11T14:38:00.000-07:00

Day 23: Sunset

Taken in Sacramento, a friend of Randy's is thinking of using it as artwork for his upcoming album. Wow!

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 22

2011-09-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

Day 22: Trees

This was taken at a bridge in a local park. I love how the trees surround it and make it feel so secluded.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 21

2011-09-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

Day 21: A Pretty Pattern

This is the pattern from a gift bag I purchased for a friend's baby shower (the dress ended up not fitting, so I still have the bag). I love how simple & beautiful it is.

Behind

2011-09-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

Whoops! I obviously got way behind this week in the 30 day photo challenge, and blogging in general. I'd like to have a great excuse, but I really don't! So instead I'll just do a massive blog purge with this past week's photos. Enjoy!

Living with Lupus

2011-09-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

A link to Rob Mayeda's blog was included in the weekly newsletter from the Lupus Foundation of Northern California. Honestly, it's one of the best articles I've read on what living with Lupus can be like and it's not even from the patient's perspective. One of the things that rang true for me when I read it was talking about his wedding vows and "in sickness and in health" and remembering how true that was for Randy and I. He was choosing to stand by my side regardless of what may come and I love him for that, and so much more.

Take a moment to check out Rob's blog post on his wife living with Lupus.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 20

2011-09-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

Day 20: What I Read
My favorite bible verse -
John 15: 13

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 19

2011-09-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

Day 19: Where You Slept

I give you...our bed

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 18

2011-09-03T20:05:00.001-07:00

Day 18: In My Bag

Most people probably post a picture from inside their purse, but the inside of mine is pretty boring. Here's a picture from my shopping bag at Whole Foods this morning. Had to make cupcakes for a BBQ so went with chocolate stout cake and ganache frosting. I had NO idea you could whip ganache, after it set, into a frosting, how yummy and easy!

I'll share that recipe (which I found online) in another post.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 17

2011-09-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

Day 17: On The Shelf

This is a decorative shelf in our room that was there when we moved in. I have little "mommy" trinkets on there; basically gifts Andrew has given me for Mother's Day etc. The picture frame has a photo of him along with a handprint from when he was two. The cheerleader is a random little figurine that A picked out for me when he was with his grandparents.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 16

2011-09-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

Day 16: What I Ate

We ate out a lot the past 3 days due to birthdays, friend hangouts, etc. Each time we went out I would remember I had to take a picture of my food, but then forget as soon as it came! I didn't even get a picture of my first ever sushi experience (had a California roll at Mobo Sushi here in Santa Cruz, super good).

This morning Randy took me out for brunch at Center Street Grill (one of our newer breakfast finds) and I told him I needed to take a picture. Thankfully he kept me on task and reminded me before I took a bite! I ordered the "create your own omelet" with brie, green onions and ham. The breakfast comes with potatoes (they use Yukon gold, um.. yum!) and toast - I chose sourdough. I love how they even decorate the plate with parsley confetti, this picture was meant to be ;)

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 15

2011-08-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

Day 15: Your Shoes

I LOVE these heels. I bought them with a gift card for my birthday and totally dig them. They have a platform so it's not quite as hard to walk in them and they are super cute!

Here's a link to them at Kohls.

We're officially halfway through with the 30 Day Photo Challenge!

Special (in a good way)

2011-08-31T09:20:00.000-07:00

One of the more interesting things that has happened since Andrew started school is adults at our local haunts noticing he's not with me. The conversation usually goes something like:

Them (grocery clerk, barista, etc) "oh, did Andrew start school?"

Me "yes, he's in first grade now."

Them "wow! That's so great, how did the first day go?"

Me "really well, he's such a social kid and he loves school so it's easy for him to go."

Them "he really his such a nice, social boy. You guys have done a great job."

Now I'm not sharing this with you to toot my own horn, believe me, if we were perfect parents we'd already have written a book or 10 and be cashing in! Thinking about these conversations this morning made me realize how much the seemingly "little" interactions we have with people each day may truly mean a lot more to them than we realize.

I realize this isn't a new revelation, but take a second to think about what it would look like if every interaction we had was purposefully meaningful. To Andrew these interactions are all special and meaningful. He looks forward to going into the usual Starbucks, Togos and grocery stores so he can see his "friends". If we go at a different time and I tell him his friends won't be working he always quips "don't worry, that just means I can make new ones". Writing that line and picturing him saying it, just made me realize what a truly special boy he is to think that.

Here's my challenge (including to myself) try to make each interaction today a meaningful one. When the person tells you their name, remember it (I'm so guilty of this). Talk to them realizing the human being they are and love them in the way God expects us to. What a different life we would all lead if we just took the time to do it.

Proud

2011-08-30T19:03:00.001-07:00

Right now Randy is at an informational meeting for the AIDS Lifecycle Ride. The ride is something he has wanted to participate in for quite some time and I'm so proud of him that this may finally be the year. Doing this ride would put R completely out of his comfort zone, but his passion for showing the AIDS community Christ's love (which is different from how many people believe the church treats the community) outweighs the discomfort of having boundaries pushed.

I'm super stoked to be supporting him in this and will be posting more about it as we find out information - how you can support him financially, through prayer, etc.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 14

2011-08-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

Day 14: Flowers

First Day of 1st Grade

2011-08-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

Today was A's first day of 1st grade, I can't believe time has gone by so fast. It literally feels like yesterday that we brought him home to stay with us for the first weekend. I had a rough time last night after he went to bed (definitely didn't want him to see Mommy's tears) coming to terms with the fact that my little buddy wouldn't be around in the afternoons to hang out with me anymore. He started full school days going from 8:45-3:15.

Thankfully, he loves school and is such a social little guy so it makes it a lot easier for him in new situations. He was so excited to go today to see all his friends, have two recesses, and learn new things. Randy and I were concerned with how he would be at the end of the day figuring he'd be tired and horribly grumpy but I was pleasantly surprised to find him totally content and happy! We went to The Penny Creamery with some friends from school to celebrate the first day. Such a great milestone and day.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 13

2011-08-29T20:04:00.001-07:00

Day 13: From A Distance

The close up picture yesterday was Lola's tail. Here's a picture of her from a further distance.

Samson Family

2011-08-28T23:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday night we traveled to Walnut Creek to visit with my dad's side of the family. His sister and one of his brothers had come to California to visit with their parents (my grandparents) for a week, which was fantastic since they haven't seen them in probably 4-5 years.

It was fun to hang out with my aunts and uncles as an "adult" even though I've been one for many years. My youngest uncle and I have a child the same age (born literally 7 days apart) so it was fun for them to play together. Everyone always just picks up where they left off as if no time has passed between seeing each other. Definitely love my family and was happy to be able to see them again.

Here are my grandparents with their grandkids (my cousins)

and their great grandson (my little one, A).

Panoramic pic of the goings on. My mom, aunt (dad's sister), uncle (dad's brother)

and dad in the kitchen. Grandpa, the kids and uncle in the family room.

Aunt taking pictures and Randy hiding in the corner ;)

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 12

2011-08-28T23:13:00.001-07:00

Day 12: Up Close

Not sure what to say about this photo. Guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow's challenge for "from a distance".

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 11

2011-08-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

Day 11: Something Fun

Beach volleyball is one of my favorite things. It's great exercise and just a good time to hang with friends and be active. This is a panoramic picture of the Tuesday night group I play with, always a fun time.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 10

2011-08-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

Day 10: Something I Made

Rubber stamping is a hobby I've had for over 10 years. The past 5 years I haven't done it as much as I used to, but when I have it's always something I truly enjoy.

This is a project I made last year. The frames I bought at the dollar spot at Target and then I hand stamped the flowers, water colored the images and attached them to coordinating paper and included some embellishments. Custom artwork for less than $5!

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 9

2011-08-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

Day 9: Faceless Self Portrait

Taken at Jade Street park during A's soccer practice.

Waaaah I'm Sick

2011-08-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

I was trying to ignore it and just keep pushing through, but I finally have to admit I am sick. I started feeling off while we were in Tahoe but kept pushing through blaming it on the elevation, or different pillows, or basically anything but being sick. I spent most of today sleeping in between concerts from A with the damn Paper Jamz guitar. Seriously, if you ever want to get the kid in your life an annoyingly loud gift, one of these would be perfect. Hoping the rest today and some more tomorrow (sadly have to cancel volleyball for tomorrow night) will help me to get better quickly for my out of state family's visit this weekend.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 8

2011-08-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

Day 8: Technology

Shockingly, this one was kind of hard. I could be obvious and take a picture of the computer, or iPad, or Randy's replacement iPhone, but I didn't. This is a picture from inside the carwash today.

Yes, we might think of the carwash as an "old" invention/technology but think about our great grandparents, they would be amazed by this kind of thing! The second part of this technology themed picture is that I used Instagram one of my all time favorite apps for the iPhone. If you don't have it, get it!

Tahoe Sunday

2011-08-22T15:47:00.001-07:00

Day 2 we got a late start and did a few things closer to home. The other family (The Griffins) came up Saturday night and so we spent most of Sunday with them swimming, hanging out at the lake and then packing up to go home. Here are a few snapshots of the day:

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 7

2011-08-22T15:22:00.001-07:00

Day 7: Something New

This photo I took at Squaw Valley is an awesome example of new life. These flowers bloom every summer after the snow (as seen in the background) has finally melted off. It just amazes me that new life can grow from under something so seemingly bleak and dense, and a good reminder that changes and opportunity can hide just beneath the surface of where you least expect it.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 6

2011-08-21T23:29:00.001-07:00

Day 6: Childhood Memory

One of my favorite childhood memories is swimming. I have been able to swim for as long as I can remember, it started with taking lessons during preschool. During my tweens and teens we either owned a pool, or belonged to a neighborhood that had a pool association, which was an awesome thing growing up. I've recently re-discovered my love of swimming with trips to the lake and swimming in the pool with Andrew in Tahoe. So great to see that he is picking up my love of the water.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 5

2011-08-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

Day 5: Someone You Love

Picking just one person you love is ridiculously hard, but I chose my Andrew. As much as he challenges me, I love that little booger with all my heart. I'm a better person by having him as my son. Love you buddy!

(pic was taken on the gondola up to High Camp at Squaw Valley today)

Tahoe Saturday

2011-08-20T15:51:00.001-07:00

This morning we got up and headed out to Squaw Valley to do some hiking, always a ton of fun! We took the gondola (cable car) up to High Camp and hiked for a good 2+ miles. The scenery was gorgeous! Such an odd sight to see both snow and flowers flourishing. Here are some pics from our day -

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 4

2011-08-19T22:21:00.001-07:00

Day 4: Your Favorite Color

My favorite color is teal/turquoise. This is a picture from the outer bay exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I love how the sunlight is coming in highlighting the beauty of the water.

Honestly? (aka Tahoe Friday)

2011-08-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a trying day.

We drove up to Tahoe (North Shore) today and had a great family drive in the car. Everything was going very well until we actually got to Tahoe. Once we landed and got unpacked A just started running amuck. Granted, he was excited for his friends to arrive (turns out they had major car problems and won't be arriving till tomorrow) but he was off the hook crazy. Not listening to anything we told him, excited talking to the point of panicking, wasn't paying attention to where he was going walking to the car and smacked his head into the door so he got a HUGE knot on his forehead, and the list goes on. We finally got him semi-calmed down to go swimming but then once we were done he was whining about what fun thing he got to do next.

BREATHE

Something I think we all forget to do from time to time is to just step back and breathe. How do we get our kids to do it, if we often have times modeling it ourselves? Looking forward to a better day tomorrow and praying for renewed mommy patience with the new day.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 3

2011-08-18T23:32:00.001-07:00

Day 3: Clouds

Today was a gorgeous, clear day with absolutely no clouds. I had to pull this pic (one of my firsts and favorites with my iPhone 4) from my camera roll. It was a gorgeous morning for volleyball that day.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 2

2011-08-17T13:31:00.000-07:00

Day 2: What I Wore

Nothing too fancy, went to coffee with a friend (and her new baby!) who I haven't seen in a while. Jeans, black top, black sweater and my blue hawaiian flower flip flops.

30 Day Photo Challenge: Day 1

2011-08-16T14:33:00.001-07:00

Day 1: Self Portrait

I took this photo after getting my hair cut and straightened by the amazing Evelyn Drake. Like most people, I'm not a huge fan of photos of myself, but this one isn't bad ;)

30 Day Photo Challenge

2011-08-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Like I said, I'm trying to get better about blogging regularly. One of the things I've been wanting to try is a 30 day photo challenge. I think it would be fun to document specific things in our lives. For this challenge I'm going to use the inspiration below, as a specific challenge to my self, I'm going to try to do 99% of the photos with my cell phone. Maybe later down the road I'll do another challenge using mostly our fancy pants SLR

I'm Still Alive

2011-08-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

Forgive me internet, it's been 3 months since my last blog post. I really am a horrible blogger. Thankfully, I'm pretty sure Randy is the only one who reads this anyway. If there is anyone out there, here's what you've missed:

The end of kindergarten has come and gone for A, he's a big first grader starting in 14 days.
My brother got married in May
I celebrated my 2 year kidneyversary in July and hoping for 30+ more.
Spent an awesome weekend with Staci and Angel on the lake
A finished up a great season of tball and took a variety of small summer camps (baseball, cooking, rock climbing)
I've been playing a decent amount of beach volleyball and looking forward to a tournament in September
I was asked to talk to members of hospital clergy staff to share my transplant story and am on "hold" to speak at high schools this coming school year

Our family is heading to Tahoe this weekend with some newer friends of ours, definitely looking forward to relaxing and some time away from Santa Cruz. Also excited, nervous, unsure for some possibilities for the future, but all great adventures start out that way, right? Just gotta leave it to God.

So here's to another promise to try to get on this thing more often. I'm going to start out easy with a 30 day photo challenge which I'll describe in my next post.

2011-08-16T13:40:00.001-07:00

Test post using mobile phone settings

Testing an app

2011-05-30T15:27:00.001-07:00

Obviously it's been a long, long time since I last blogged. Part of my slacking can be blamed on just being lazy, the other part on never using a computer. A year ago R and A gave me an iPad for Mother's Day and it truly has become my primary "computer". I later found out Blogger just doesn't work with iPads. I could type it out in notes then copy and paste, but as I mentioned earlier, I was lazy. I finally bit the bullet and purchased an app called BloggerPlus. I'm hoping the ease of the app will get ne in to regular blogging... We'll see!

Andrew's Volleyball Class

2010-07-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

We signed Andrew up for a beach volleyball class specifically for 3-5 year olds. It started at the beginning of July, perfectly timed with Randy's 3 day weekend for the 4th of July so he was able to see a class! It was a lot of fun to watch the kids learn skills that will eventually transition into bumping, setting and spiking the ball. Here are a few pics from the class:

Intentional Thankfulness

2010-07-19T15:20:00.001-07:00

I saw this challenge on a dear friend, pastor, and former boss man's blog today and I thought it was especially apropos after Saturday's kidneyversary and being thankful for what God has blessed me with.

So here is my list of 100 things I am thankful for (freestyle brainstorming...no particular order):

1. Randy

2. Andrew

3. a home

4. my health

5. my "like new" kidney

6. organ transplants

7. dialysis

8. Jesus

9. new life through Jesus

10. my vision

11. colors

12. air

13. the ocean

14. the beach

15. friends that are like family

16. my mom

17. my dad

18. Randy's mom

19. Randy's dad

20. our siblings

21. Andrew's laugh

22. Randy's laugh

23. being able to hear

24. having a sense of humor

25. the health crises I've gone through

26. prayer

27. this past Sunday with A & R

28. time at the lake with Staci and Christal

29. laughing

30. Disneyland

31. an upcoming family vacation to Tahoe

32. the sun

33. swimming

34. kayaking

35. paddle boarding

36. photos

37. art

38. music

39. concerts

40. singing

41. being married to my best friend

42. the smell of coffee

43. my hair growing back

44. Staci

45. Christal

46. volleyball

47. having clean water

48. my grandparents

49. Lola

50. Dusty

51. generosity

52. health of my family

53. being spoiled by the amazing California weather

54. taste-buds and the myriad of food and drink we are privileged to have

55. the stars

56. family vacations to Disneyland as a child

57. Kailey and Andrew playing together

58. still being amazed by God's "random" blessings

59. God's beyond generous grace

60. Dan's sacrificial giving

61. an abundance of material goods

62. education

63. my parent's desire for a great life for my brother and I

64. my parent's financial support this past year

65. Randy's parent's financial support this past year

66. health insurance

67. Randy's job

68. laughter

69. countless great memories with friends

70. living in the United States

71. adoption

72. Andrew's biological mother

73. Andrew's biological father

74. Andrew's foster mom Joy

75. the love and caring Joy put into raising Andrew the first 6 months of his life

76. Randy's unconditional love

77. living in California

78. living in Santa Cruz

79. sleeping on top of the houseboat and staring a the night sky

80. Tuesday night beach volleyball

81. Wednesday morning beach volleyball

82. joint and muscle pain because it means I'm well enough to participate

83. great doctors

84. being able to drive

85. cars that are paid off

86. no credit card debt

87. Randy's last year of apprenticeship

88. Andrew getting into the charter school

89. Andrew's smaller class size

90. chocolate

91. family vacations to Disneyland and Disney World as a parent

92. knowing that worrying doesn't help anything

93. finishing the 5k I couldn't finish 8 years ago

94. making it to my 1 year anniversary of the transplant without rejection

95. Andrew's grandparent's involvement in his life

96. THE favorite memory of Andrew at Disney World. Complete joy

97. knowing that in sickness and health was a reality most newlyweds don't have and Randy still was in 100%

98. being literate and enjoying to read

99. being a parent

100. reflecting on how many blessings I have in my life and knowing where they come from.

101. our E family and the people we still are in contact with. They know who they are.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father

of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

Kidneyversary! (1 year since transplant)

2010-07-17T08:05:00.001-07:00

Early morning one year ago today (July 17, 2009) my amazing friend and kidney donor Dan & I were waiting for our respective surgeries to start. I knew my life would change after transplant, but never realized how absolutely fantastic, vibrant and just plain "well" I would feel. I'll never forget as they wheeled him off for surgery past my curtained area and he quipped (obviously already feeling the effects of the happy meds) "I've got something for ya!" little did I know it was pretty much the most perfect kidney.

Today I'm spending the day thankful for the second chance I've had at life. Without Dan's generous gift I wouldn't be living as healthy and well as I am, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends

John 15:13

1 year since dialysis

2010-07-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

Today is officially the one year anniversary of my last dialysis treatment. It seems like such a long distant memory now that I've been healthy for a year. Dialysis was 3 times a week (Tue, Thur, Sat) from 7am-10am in Cupertino (about 45 minutes away). I think back on those times and although they were physically and emotionally rough, I truly am thankful for going through it. I became much stronger in my faith, in compassion for others, and it truly has made me who I am today.

And we know that in all things God works for the good

of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

One Year Check Up

2010-07-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

Today is officially day 363 from transplant. I can't believe just two more days and it's been a full year! I had to go up to UCSF for my one year check up with the research nurse today. Since I elected to do a drug research study I had more appointments than one would normally have post transplant. The visit was pretty basic - go over meds I'm currently on, fill out another survey on how the study drug has effected me, blood draw and visit with the doctor.

Today was a whopping 16 vials of blood, the same amount they drew the day of the surgery. My veins are getting so darn difficult that Joanne (the study nurse) told me I have a reputation with the lab workers for being a hard stick since they have to wait a bit longer to get the specimens. Took 3 pokes to finally fill up all the tubes - each arm and then again on my hand.

Everything looks great based on last month's lab work. They expect a kidney transplant patient's creatinine to be at 1.25 and mine is at .92 (lower is a good thing!). One year is a huge milestone as 90% of organ/graft rejection happens within the first year. That's a staggering percentage and I feel so blessed to have made it to that milestone.

I felt awkward as the nurse and doctor kept thanking me for participating in the clinical trial, it seemed like such a no brainer thing to do. My "sacrifice" was nothing compared to what Dan gave up for me. The appointment was also an emotional one, it was really hard not to cry tears of joy as the nurses and doctors are saying "happy 1st birthday". It truly is the start of a new life and I am so thankful for it.

Girls Weekend

2010-07-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my awesome hubby took over and let me hang out for two nights with my two great friends Christal & Staci at Lake McClure. Staci's family owns a houseboat and was gracious enough to let us come up and spend part of the weekend with them. Of course we all forgot our cameras, so the only surviving pic (that I know of) is the one above of one of the boat launching areas.

We arrived early Saturday evening, had dinner and then went in for a swim. I hadn't swam in at least 2 years due to being on dialysis (you can't get your port wet which makes even bathing/washing your hair an adventure!) so I was a little leery of getting in but finally got up the courage to dive on in. I forgot how much I enjoy swimming and the water in general! We had a great night hanging with Staci's sister's family (the parents of the infamous Kailey), Staci's mom and a friend of the family. It was a lot of fun, most of it at Miss Staci's expense...gotta love her. We spent the night on top of the houseboat and my word the stars were absolutely fabulous.

The next day we started with another swim then went out on the boat with Kristi driving. Christal and I had never been wake-boarding before, so we both got up the courage to give it a go and LOVED it. So challenging, yet so much fun. We both were so close to getting up on the board, and I think if we had another day or two there we would have mastered it. After lunch we said goodbye to Staci's family as they went back home. Another afternoon of swimming with some dive contests between Staci and I (I'm not competitive at all ;) and the girls talked me into jumping off the top of the houseboat into the water. It took all my courage to actually do it, but Christal pulled out the trump card "do it for kidney-versary!" so after some dramatics from Christal stomping up the stairs to make me jump, I took the plunge...literally (I know, I know bad pun). Another great night was spent talking, playing games and sleeping under God's creation. I really was in awe of how beautiful it is, we are so blessed.

The next day we went out for one more boat ride and Christal tried to get up on the wake-board, I couldn't try due to a run in between my toe and the garbage compactor (only me), then we packed up to leave.

It was a quick and fantastic trip, but I still missed my boys. Andrew would absolutely love to play in the water like we did, and if he knew Kailey was up there I'd be in so much trouble. Looking forward to the next lake trip!

4th of July

2010-07-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

July 4th is my hubby's birthday, as well as a pretty famous national holiday. This year we decided to have a few of our closest friends over for some hang time, bbq, and fireworks....Good times! Definitely up there on my list of favorite fourths.

Here are some of my favorite snapshots, enjoy.

Yikes

2010-06-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Melissa and it's been 2 months since my last blog post. I truly am a bad blogger!

I have 3 that I've started writing but haven't published, so those will be coming out in the next couple days. Going to try to get better about posting at least once per week, I promise!