We will never forget

I still remember this day 8 years ago like it was yesterday. I remember the weather, what I was wearing, my thoughts that morning when Luke wasn't behind me in Mr. Ramonda's class and I was wondering where he was because he ALWAYS text me when he wasn't coming to school and it was a basketball game day so he wouldn't miss because he couldn't play if he didn't come to school. I remember the comment Mr. Ramonda made when taking roll and he quietly said "Lucas..." and mumbled to himself  "ohhh...we probably won't be seeing him for a while..." and I sat and wondered "what the heck is he talking about?".  I remember leaving that period, walking to my next period and running into Jessika Ferrari in the hall. I will never forget the look on her face and the feelings I felt when those words came out of her mouth. "Adam Kinser died." It gives me the chills still just to think about it. I remember being in shock, being so sad, I couldn't believe it...I rushed into my classroom where the news had just began to spread like wildfire. I remember walking next door from Parsons's class to Fulk's to find Kayla and seeing her completely devastated.  At that point, no one could teach, no one could learn, no one wanted to be at school, and the school released anyone and everyone that wanted to go home.  The entire community shut down and immediately showed their love and support for the Kinser's. Businesses closed, people went home, and everyone just grieved together. People brought food, flowers, cards, someone went over and took out their trash on trash day, I mean they did everything you could think of for them...our town came together and it was amazing to see the support their family received. I will never forget the first time I went to see Luke after it happened...I showed up at his house and his mom, strong as she is, answered the door and let me in.  Luke was in his room just broken. So sad. So very sad. And then there was Tiffany...Adam's wife. Pregnant and due in March...he never got to meet his little boy. Heaven gained a heroic angel...but so many people lost a friend and the Kinser's lost a brother, son, grandson, nephew, husband, and father.  He died at 21 years young fighting for our country on a mission he wasn't even supposed to be on.  He was supposed to be coming home...and he volunteered to stay behind and take one last mission and a weapons cache was rigged with bombs..

Although this day brings great sadness to so many, we must remember to celebrate his life and what an amazing person he was.  He was kind hearted, hard working, dedicated, honest, sweet, handsome, generous, polite, wonderful, and brave. I will never forget the memories I have of  him nor will I ever forget his smile.  About 2 months back we were out to dinner and I saw Tiffany (his wife) I only recognized her after I saw little Adam...and I knew it was him because he is a spitting image of his dad! His legacy will live through his son and no one will ever let little Adam forget who his wonderful father was. He may not understand now, but one day he will realize how brave his dad was and what a true hero he was. So let today be a day of remembering, celebrating his life, and keeping his family in your thoughts, hearts, and prayers. I know you're smiling down on your family for their strength and on your little boy that you have yet to meet. You are missed greatly.

Teacher in-service

Today we cut our school day short (2:30) and we had our teacher in-service. This has been the second in-service since I've started working there. Today we had a speaker come in to teach us about a system used to identify the 4 different temperament categories.  It's called Real Colors.  I think I speak for all of us when I say it was very enjoyable and informational.  I found it interesting that over half our group fell into one personality type...and that personality type held one of the lower percentages for the overall population! It's importatnt to understand other people's temperaments in order to work with them in an effective way.  I think this goes for both work environments and personal relationships.  I think it's definitely important when working with children in any situation; whether at home or in a classroom, understanding a child's temperament will help you to better work with them.  Something else I also found interesting is that a majority of the women in our "blue" group had significant others that belonged in the "green" group.  My scores came very close, within 2 points, between blue and gold with blue being the highest. But I will say, I can relate to them both very well.  I was also able to identify my sister immediately ORANGE ORANGE ORANGE! and Danny as well...a lot of green with some orange as well.  The instructor did say that opposites attract and he was correct.  I feel that understanding each other's different temperaments or personalities can really help strengthen relationships...whether they are parent-child, spousal, friendships, student-teacher, coworkers, etc. If we could all learn how and try to understand how one another works and prefers things, we may accomplish much more! To be honest, it really opened my eyes to see Danny's personality laid out on paper and to realize how different our temperaments are but how much we also have to learn from one another.  I now can try to understand even more his green/orangish side whereas he can understand my blue/goldness (my sensitive/control freak temperament). He is even reading into it too now because I came home talking about it and now he's interested in it.  I have learned so much from this job already and I have so many new books from the shelves at work to read to expand my knowledge on caring for children.  I may never make millions, but I know I will always love my career as long as I'm in a position with children.

Real Colors - Check it out! See where you fall! and your spouse, child, parents, etc.! It's very interesting!

Taco Thursdays! :)

Ok, ok, so we really have tacos/tostadas at least once a week and I usually eat rice, beans and tortillas like multiple days during the week because I'm addicted to beans...weird I know! But our taco night generally consists of nothing but skills taught by none other than an amazing mexican chef herself Jess Graham...and her grandma! I learned to make REAL mexican rice...not the boxed stuff you add a can of tomatoes to and boy is it so simple and so much better!!! I also make my own beans because well, they're just yummier! I've only actually soaked my own dry pinto beans ONCE but I do buy a can of whole pinto beans, boil them, then mash them with a bean masher (aka potato masher, this is what I used to call it until I realized I never used it to mash potatoes but I use it more to mash beans!)

For the beans:
- A large can of whole pinto beans, just drain a tiny bit of the liquid out, but not much
- olive or canola oil
- onion, 1/4 or so...not a whole lot, chopped

heat up some oil, cook the onion for a few mins...add the pinto beans and liquid and let them simmer for a while covered. After about 10-15 mins take your bean (or potato masher) and smoosh up the beans. Then heat...if they are a little thin, they will thicken as they stand...keep on low to thicken and cover.

For rice:
- 1 cup white rice (YES, WHITE rice...this is the only recipe ever that I use white rice...why? because I tried it with brown rice a MILLION times...and it never ever turned out right...either overcooked, undercooked, never cooked, frustrating! I just sucked it up and in order to have delicious rice, I use white )
- 2 cups water
- Olive or canola oil
- 1/4 onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1/2 of a small can of tomato sauce
- 1 heaping tablespoon Chicken boullion, or to taste

Heat oil in pot, add onion and garlic, cook for a few mins over med-high, add rice and brown for about 3 mins watching it and stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.

Add 2 cups of water, 1/2 can of tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon of chicken boullion and stir. Bring to a boil, lower heat to low, simmer covered for 30 mins. DO NOT OPEN LID BEFORE 30 MINS!

After the 30 mins, open to check if done, fluff with fork and enjoy.

For the most part, our tacos are done with chicken and tofu (for me) both of which I season with mexican seasonings and bake...but every once in a while Danny requests Carne Asada...which we buy from the mexican market. He loves it, and well, I eat tofu or just beans!

For the tacos:
- Meat of your choice, tonight was Carne Asada
- onion
- cilantro
- tomato
- fresh jalepeno
- salsa of your choice
- avocado
- lime
- beans if you choose
- Corn or whole wheat tortillas (see recipe for whole wheat tortillas here)
- OR you can buy tostada shells and make tostadas as well...another favorite of ours!

My completed tacos...corn tortillas, refried beans, black beans, (told you I love beans!), onion, cilantro, tomato, fresh jalepeno, salsa verde, avocado, and fresh lime squeezed on top.

We love mexican and this is such a quick and easy dinner!


ENJOY!

Wedding nightmares!

Ahhhh I was warned that these would happen! I had a friend who had one a while back and shortly after, I had my first one and she was in it! Go figure! LOL The first two were about my photographer...one was about not getting her (before I booked her) and I had to settle for something else that I really didn't want and just wasn't happy...second was she didn't show up and someone was trying to take pictures with a digital camera telling me not to worry it'll all be fine! During that same dream, Kayla also didn't show up on time and she missed the ceremony and when she finally arrived she acted like it was no big deal at all! The next one was shortly after I purchased my dress...I went for my fitting and it DIDN'T FIT...I was so stressed over it I ended up calling the dress store a few days after the nightmare and ordered the size up JUST to be safe! Then last night, it was that we were literally shopping hours before the ceremony began...and we were rushing around to get things done and in place...story of my life!!! I am such a procrastinator and now it's coming out in my nightmares in regards to our wedding. Great! This is going to be such a long year!


However, on the bright side...there is a bright side...we received our wedding money. YIPEE! and we made our first Forest House Lodge payment a couple days ago...we haven't decided (or discussed with them) if we are going to just pay off the balance now, or make payments for a few months. We had mentioned in the past that we wanted to just pay the remainder as soon as we got the money but they didn't seem too thrilled about that idea for some reason...I guess it messed with their monthly cash flow...who knows!  We put a nice chunk down as the deposit so we have a smaller amount (it's not SMALL just SMALLER lol) left to pay off up until our wedding day. It was so relieving to receive it. My parents really went all out to do this and I am ever so grateful (but still feel guilty because I know things aren't easy right now) that they were able to pull through for us.  I could never repay them enough...maybe one day! They know how much we appreciate it and that we didn't expect it from them at all after things that have happened these past couple months...we were going to figure it out on our own as necessary but they insisted...anyway, I am excited that we have it and I am looking forward to starting wedding stuff in the next few months! Becca already wants to make mock invite samples so we will see how far we get on those. But what I'm really excited for, well two things...is our engagement pictures but also to get my dress in! I hope it fits! ;) damn nightmares! lol.

Rainy day = Crafty day

The rain has returned in full force! Lots of rain and wind and coldness. Perfect day to do some crafting. I left early this morning (ALONE!) and went and took my sweet time and wandered around all the stores. I hit up Michael's, Joann's, and Target (not craft related, just stuff related!).  I must add, it was nice to go alone! I love when Danny tags along but shopping alone is so peaceful...I can just roam around and look at everything...even stuff I don't need, or plan on buying. Just browse without getting the evil eye or the sighs of frustration because I am taking too long to decide on a frame (which I spent about 20 minutes looking at!).

Today I decided to not only work on my bridesmaid gifts but to also do another project I had been wanting to try ever since I saw it on Pinterest. It's a burlap calendar that is framed. First, I went to Michael's and checked out their frames...they had a huge selection and a lot of them were 40-50% off. I spent quite a while in there trying to decide on which one I wanted.  Then, I went to Joann's today and wandered around forever just looking at everything. I found the burlap that I liked and bought a yard of it which turned out to be way too much anyway but I'm sure I'll find use for it for a later project, or for the wedding. All you need is some burlap, a fine point sharpie, a ruler, and a frame.

First I measured the burlap and then used a ruler and a sharpie to grid the calendar onto the burlap

 Then I added our picture and framed it in a rustic looking frame I found at Michael's

 Then on top of the glass I wrote the month, days, and dates for the month with a sharpie

The finished product hanging in our kitchen :)

Infant and Toddler Development Seminar

First off, I'd like to ask, what the heck happened to our 4 days of rain??? It's sunny again today after one day of rain! Not a rain cloud in sight and last night it was a complete downpour. I mean DOWNPOUR. I felt like we were in Florida.

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Today was part 1 of 2 for our infant and toddler development seminar.  It was actually very informational and a lot of fun! We studied the four different developmental domains and their foundations in relation to infant and toddler development. A lot of stuff I learned in school, but it was awesome to be able to attend this and retouch on all of it because there is a lot that I needed to refresh! It gave us so many ideas as to what we can implement in the classroom that is appropriate and supportive for infant and toddler development.  It also showed us how to recognize and categorize different activities and actions as specific developmental milestones under certain domains of deveopment in order to perform our observations and complete our childrens' portfolios.  We received a great book that I plan to read cover to cover! I love my field of work and love learning more about it.

It was a lot of fun, we all learned a bunch from the material and trainers. One of the trainers actually was the head of the Child Development center at Sac State. They made the seminar fun and interactive. I can't wait for part 2 next month!

Lazy Friday

Pizza night at the Dominguez/Salm house :) (Sidenote: I love how I'm going from the shortest last name to one of the longest! Better start practicing the signature now! YIKES!) Veggie pizza...tomatoes, spinach, artichoke hearts, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic...YUMMY!

It was delicious!

Rain Rain Rain!

Today the much anticipated rain finally hit. Yesterday it sprinkled a bit but was mainly cold and misty. Today we had plenty of showers that have been going on all day long. I am happy for the change it weather. This morning when I arrived at work our power was out. I guess it had been out for an hour and after 2 hours we close the center because we are unable to keep perishable lunch foods and milk cold and we are unable to heat the classrooms in these cold conditions. Luckily it came back on within that 2 hour time frame. I know all the parents were happy they didn't have to take off work to come back to get their children too! Unfortunately for me, this drastic change in weather has caused me to get the worst migraine. I generally get them when the weather changes and it's from the pressure changes in the atmosphere. I figured since I hadn't had one the past few days I was good but I was wrong. Yesterday I had a slight headache and sore throat as well as some ear pressure but I assumed it was just the cold that all the kids had. This morning I woke up feeling a million times worse. I made it in to work but after a couple hours I decided it was best if I just came home. That's how you know I really feel awful, it takes a LOT for me to want to come home and sleep. I took some Excedrin and called my Dr. to see if I should come in. I called because she's all the way in Lodi and I'd rather not go if it wasn't serious because usually it's just "oh it's just a cold". So we determined that my throat and ears were an issue from the cold I had and that if the ear pain persisted to come in but it's probably not an ear infection and the migraine she said was from, yes like I said, the weather change. She is very familiar with my temperamental head and my common occurrences of awful headaches and migraines. After taking a nap I decided I needed to sweat out this stupid cold and that's just what I did...I drug myself out of bed and to the gym. Then, I headed to the store to buy some more Excedrin migraine because I took the last of it and to my surprise, Excedrin has been RECALLED. Wonderful. The only over the counter drug that works for my head and there is NONE to be found in any stores right now. I stocked up on Emergen-C, Odwalla superfood (I'm generally not a fan of this because of all the sugar, but for illness purposes I gave in), and Tylenol rapid release. I am hoping this all helps, I hate being "sick". It doesn't take as much of a toll on my energy as it does my patience and I get super frustrated because I have headaches and a sore throat. So tonight, I will curl up on the couch with Danny next to the fire, watch a movie, and maybe have a glass of wine!

Best part about the cold is being able to run the fire place! Can you believe that only the 3rd floor here has fire places AND it's $200 cheaper because people are too lazy to want to live on the 3rd floor? Pshhhh! They are missin out!

 It's very wet out there!!! and COLD!!! I thought for sure the rain would bring some warmer temperatures but it definitely has not!

Wedding music

So we also think we may have chosen our first dance song! It's a secret of course, but it's one that suits us well as we are both a fan of it! Yay! :) I also have a few other songs chosen for our wedding...I have chosen the song that we will use for the recessional and possibly a few choices for what I will walk down the aisle to. All secrets as well!

:)

Catching up!

So I am finally getting a chance to catch up on all these things I have had to blog! After working all day, heading straight to the gym after work (because morning gym sessions when it's dark and ice cold out just don't happen right now!), then coming home and cooking dinner, all I want to do is take a hot shower and head to bed!  Ok, ok, maybe I make a little time for a glass of wine ;) but THEN it's to bed we go! We have both been keeping busy with work. I have been doing a lot of little things to help myself stay organized for this wedding. I went to Target last weekend and printed up over 100 pictures of ideas and organized them all in my binder. It really helped me bring it all to life to physically have all the ideas in front of me.  I was able to narrow stuff down and choose my "favorites" as opposed to having a million ideas for each thing. My goal is to keep things simple, cheap, but pretty!  My dining room table is currently the spread for my bridesmaid projects and I started them last weekend and will continue them, and hopefully finish these damn things this weekend!

This past Monday we both had the day off so we decided to hit up the movies! Something we rarely do because for some reason, I am not a huge fan of going. Not sure why, I usually enjoy it when I'm there, I just never seem to think to go! We saw Contraband and it was actually really good! Definitely recommend it!

Winter has finally arrived here! and my oh my has it been COLD! We literally had days of FREEZING weather. Temperatures in the 20s and one morning it actually dropped to 19 degrees! During the day it's remained in the 40s and today it finally started to rain a bit. I don't mind the cold, unless I have to be out in it. It will be nice to get some rain for a change which is odd for me to even say considering I'm not a fan of the rain!

This weekend is also my first Seminar for work. We have to do so many hours of professional development and this weekend a few of us signed up for a child development seminar in Woodland. It's a two part seminar.  The first one is this Saturday, and the second is next month on a Saturday.  I am pretty excited to attend.

This week, a nasty cold has struck our school. Lots of children have been hospitalized and out this week. We have had record lows in our classroom with only 8 children today! Many children have bronchitis and rsv.  We've got children on inhalers, nebulizers, nasty coughs, runny noses, ear infections, sore throats, vomiting, and more! These poor babies! :( Of course, my 3 children have all gotten something so guess who now has a sore throat? Oh yes. That would be ME! Not too fun! My ears were aching today so I'm praying to god I don't end up with an ear infection. The quiet classroom has been nice, but I am looking forward to having all our healthy happy babies back soon! I am also hoping to be better soon because I miss my Baby Jake but don't want to bring this nasty funk around him!!!

Until next time!

Breakfast Sandwich

Usually Danny is the king of breakfast on the weekends. He makes the best eggs with all the works! But this past Sunday he slept in a little too long for me to wait any longer and I cooked up this masterpiece!

It's a two egg, pepper jack cheese, spinach, and tomato breakfast sandwich on a british style whole wheat english muffin (my favorite kind, from Trader Joes) with strawberries. Yummmmy!

All you need is:

2 eggs (This can also be made with just the egg whites if you'd like!)
1 slice of cheese of your choice (I loved the added kick the pepper jack gave it)
Organic spinach, just a small handful will do
Few slices of tomato
1 english muffin of your choice (I used the british style ones from TJs)
Your choice of fruit

First I fried the eggs, I like my fried egg yolks to be cooked so after I've cooked the egg a few times on each side I gently break the center and let the yolk flow a little so it cooks. Danny likes his super runny and messy, so it's all in how you prefer your sunny side up egg! I did one egg at a time in the pan. Toast the english muffin. Then I layered I slice of english muffin, one egg, the slice of cheese, the second egg, spinach, tomato, second slice of muffin. Then I stuck it in the microwave for a few seconds to melt up the cheese (IF the cheese doesn't already melt from the heat of the eggs. If it does, then no need to microwave!) Enjoy! :)

Chicken tortilla soup

Since winter has finally decided to show up and it has been bone chilling cold here I decided it was the perfect time to bust out the crock pot to make some soup! I decided to go simple...and made chicken tortilla soup...it turned out good! It was so easy, I tossed it all in the pot before I left for work this morn and it was done by the time Danny got home. I'm always a little hesitant when we use our crock pot because I'm scared it's going to catch on fire LOL.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 cans cilantro lime Ro-Tel diced tomatoes
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
1 can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can low sodium kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced green chilis
1 can corn
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro (you can also use 1 tablespoon dried cilantro if you don't have fresh on hand)
1 tablespoon garlic powder (I used 4 fresh cloves)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 chicken breasts...all natural, vegetarian fed, hormone free ;) (This is the only way I'll eat chicken...even this is rare!)

I tossed it all in the pot, mixed it, added the chicken and made sure they were submerged, then cooked it on low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, pull the chicken out and shred it if it hasn't already fallen apart on it's own and then put it back in. Serve. I suggest crumbling some corn tortilla chips into it and some shredded cheese on top. Sour cream would have been good as well but I didn't have any!

Finally!

So after almost a year of living here we finally found a picture for above our bed. It has been driving me crazy that we hadn't had anything and I have a million ideas of what I wanted to do but I needed a quick fix! We got this picture and it works perfectly. It may be temporary, we'll see if I actually continue on my other projects for here but for now, it looks great and matches!

Stupid pillows are crooked...Danny must have made the bed ;)  At least he got them in the right order!

Getting work, from work.

Since starting this new job I had wondered if the parents of the kids at the school had babysitters of their own or they actually asked the teachers if they babysat on the side. The other day, one of my favorite families, asked if any of us babysat on the side. I of course, said yes because I still do. They are such a sweet family. If someone were to tell me to "picture the perfect little family" they pop into my head. The dad is an airforce pilot and just recently got a position flying with southwest and the mom is a nurse at sutter. They have two children a boy, Colin, who is in my class, and a 3.5 year old girl, Mikayla. They were so much fun to watch. I see Colin on a daily basis but had never really hung out with Mikayla until last night. These parents hadn't been out in over 6 months! I was happy to do it. As I was answering their question of "who babysits on the side" one of my other parents was like "REALLY"? So far I have given 3 parents my information :). I have a feeling this is the beginning of lots of weekend jobs. But I am ok with that! Colin is such a sweet boy, he is absolutely adorable! and Mikayla is hilarious! She has such a huge personality, like a little teenager! She had a lot of fun and as I was tucking her into bed she said "will you be here in the morning?" I told her that I wouldn't be but her Mommy and Daddy would be and then she asked "will you come back again soon when mommy and daddy go on another date night?" Of course! Sweet girl. People ask if I will ever stop babysitting on my weekends off. Probably not. Well, at least not anytime soon. Maybe once I have my own children to take care of. But even then, I may continue to do this once mine are a little older. I simply enjoy it. I love my job at the school, but I have always babysat...well over 10 years now...it's something that I am good at, and I enjoy doing. If I'm just going to be sitting home on a Friday or Saturday night, why not? All of these people trust me with their kids, I only hope I have as trustworthy of a sitter as myself when I have children.

Life...oh crazy busy life!

Well, we are 14 days into the new year and I would have to say it has been pretty good. Last weekend we went up to Kayla's for a new year celebration/meet baby Jake party. She normally throws an annual new year's eve party but this year things were different because of Mr. Jake. She decided to do it the weekend after the new year and turned it into a meet Jake party for all those who have yet to have had a chance to meet him. That day Danny and I went up there around 11:30 to watch Jake while they finished up their errands and getting ready. Oh my gosh. He is so big and so precious! I can't believe how quickly he has grown. He's adorable. Well over 50 people showed up for this party and it turned out lovely! We had lots of great food, drinks, and great friends. Once Jake was asleep and the party died down the neighbors and a few others were in the garage playing games of beer pong...I'd say I rocked it for our team! :) It was a fun, relaxed, carefree night. Kayla always hosts a great time!

We also both began back at work and that has been great as well. It was so nice going back and seeing how much all my kids have changed in just a weeks time! We have 4 new little ones starting this month! It has been hard getting back into a routine after being off for a week and I've been exhausted. But this weekend brings us a much needed 3 day weekend which in turn brings us a 4 day work week.

We've also both continued our adventures in the gym harder than we both were doing before...it has paid off! We've both changed a lot and we're very happy! Yesterday I wore a high wasit skirt to work that was always a little too snug (since the day I bought it lol, I almost returned it but I've had it for 2 years) but it fit perfectly! That's a good sign. We've shed a few more pounds and toned up a few more muscles! We'll hopefully be good to go by summer! My dress is scheduled to come around that time and our engagement photos are around then as well so there's 2 things to be keeping in shape for!

My dad has been doing great! Things are really moving in the right direction with him and I'm happy. I talk to him often and he sounds good. He knows what he did was insanely scary and he realizes that he is so lucky to be alive today. Everything happens for a reason. We're a strong family and we have made it through a lot and we will make it through this.

I also was finally able to coordinate a date for our engagement session. I wasn't in a rush to get them done, but I did want them done in enough time to use them for our save the dates. Our photographer emailed me a couple days ago with a million dates to choose from Jan-May and I was going through the list and choosing the ones that we were available for and when I came to May, I saw "May 11th" and thought YEP that's it! We got engaged a year ago May 11th so it's a perfect date for an engagement session :) Plus, we're doing it in Tahoe, so hopefully by then the snow storms will be over...but who knows with this crazy weather we've been having! I'm totally fine with having snow on the ground...I just don't really want to be caught in a blizzard. Over the summer I had said I wanted to do our session in SF. The cool sites in the city plus the beach would be perfect for engagement pictures plus I've seen many that she has done in the city and they were gorgeous. But then, I noticed Danny wasn't too thrilled or cared much about the idea of doing it there and I guess I wasn't dead set on it and kept trying to think of other places we could go instead. Then one night we were talking and decided on Tahoe and thought it was perfect for us. It fits us. The thought of going to SF gives me anxiety and stresses me out...I'm not even thinking of the engagement session, I'm thinking of the traffic and driving from one location to the next. Not. Fun. and the last thing I want to be on that day is stressed! Tahoe is also closer for our photographer and she said she has places in mind that are gorgeous that we are going to. Plus, I can get my water shots there as well. I am very satisfied with our decision and Danny seems a little more excited. We are also planning for it to be a mini trip and stay for the weekend after our pictures are done to celebrate. :)

Besides doing that, I have found a lot of ideas that I am pretty set on for our wedding. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful bridesmaid that is as creative and dedicated to my wedding, Becca, as I am. She has so many amazing ideas and loves all of mine...we're on the same page with everything and she is going to help everything come to life! I'm in the process of printing out the pictures of all the stuff I have found and adding it to my binder to make it more concrete than having to get online all the time to look at my pinboard lol. Don't get me wrong, pinterest has been great for all this, but I want it printed out so I can have better access to it. I STILL...yes STILL haven't finished my other bridesmaids things...I will definitely need to get on this like, tomorrow! I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my dress too. I look at the pictures every single day and can't wait to put it on again. I think it should be here sometime late spring/early summer? Ahhhh! Then it's shower time, bach time, then wedding time. I can't believe how fast November is creeping upon us...I felt like last May I was worried that we had TOO much time but no, things have gone by very quickly!

We have two events scheduled so far at the Forest House Lodge. One is at the end of this Month...it's a Vendor fair/meet the crew. It's to get our brides and grooms acquainted with all their preferred vendors and to meet all the staff that is going to help make this wonderful day possible. So far what we've met has been nothing short of amazing! Then in February it's their annual sweetheart cocktail event. This is more of a "get to know the other brides and grooms" thing where they will have cocktails, food, and fun events planned for the evening and then we stay the night in the lodge. Best of all, it's FREE! ok well maybe not free considering what we are paying for our wedding lol but it's nice to get all these added events in with our price. We are supposed to start our "payments" to the lodge this month for the remainder of the balance but we are hoping to just pay it off this month or next and be done with that portion of our wedding fees...yikes! I am so happy we chose this place for our wedding. The people that run it are amazing and I have no doubts that everything will run smoothly for our wedding. I really enjoy that we will get to spend more time up there before our wedding because it means I will be seeing a lot of the lodge and I can get a better idea of what I need as for decor. I plan to take a TON of pictures when I'm there this month and next of every space in the lodge so I can start piecing together where I want to put things, how I want things set up, etc. I also am trying to plan a day that Kayla, Becca, and Missy can all come together to see the Lodge so they can help bring my wedding vision to life as well. 

We've also been talking about how we should probably start registering places but we don't really know what for...see, I have an issue, well actually we both do...and everytime we figure out we *need* something we go and buy it because it's generally something we need or want now.  There are a few things we want to "upgrade" that we will register for. But other than that, we're just so unsure as to what we should actually register for! Hmmmmm....I was so excited to register until I began thinking about this! lol I'm sure once we get into the stores we will find stuff! But who knows how big the registry will actually be come time for people to start purchasing gifts...

We've also received our save the date for Alexis and Jason's wedding this summer! I'm so excited to see all of her stuff come to life! We have lots of similar ideas and I know her wedding will be just gorgeous! I have so many friends wedding planning along with me and it is so much fun to talk about and share all our ideas. Everyone has their own ideas and tastes and each wedding will be beautiful! 2012 is here, and it's our year!

Danny received a phone call the other day in regards to a job position with the sheriff's dept in Yosemite! If only his contract with the Coast Guard was up THIS May instead of next he would have taken it. They were looking for a qualified boat driver/officer to work for the sheriff's dept and patrol the lake. I could totally live in Yosemite. BUT maybe next year....

Updates!

We're welcoming 2012 with open arms! We have made our resolutions and they are doable and we're sticking to them! We both have similar resolutions so it well help us be accountable for them and to actually follow through. I've never really been one to make resolutions but this year we did. We have so much to look forward to this year and so much to be grateful for. We're ready for it.

This year we brought in the new year in a much more low key way than we normally do. It was actually kind of nice :). We went to my parents for dinner and hung out with them until midnight. We headed home and turned on all our Christmas lights one last time and sat on the couch drinking wine and just hung out and talked until 3:30am about nothing and everything!

My dad has been doing well. Last night (New year's day) we went out to dinner for a belated birthday dinner for my dad. We went to Tahoe Joes and HOLY CRAP! I have never been served so much food in my entire life for the price. They had a special, $21/person for 2 people and you got a HUGE appetizer to share, bread, salad, your choice of steak (or in my case the vegetarian option), your choice of 2 sides (one starch and one veggie, which they still brought me with my pasta dish. I sent it home with my dad though because there was no way we'd eat it all), and then a GIGANTIC piece of the most delicious cheesecake I've ever had. We literally didn't eat our dinner. We ate both appetizers, our salads, and a couple bites of our dinner, and a bite each of the cheesecake and brought the rest home. For $21 each we got about 3 meals out of it. It was really nice to spend time with my parents on a "double-date". My dad is getting better each day and I am so happy for this.

We finally de-Christmased our house. It was bittersweet. I love the feel of Christmas around us but I am so happy to have our home back to normal. It's amazing how disastrous it is to remove a tree from your house! But we'll forget about the mess by the time next year comes around and be ready to do it all over again. I must say, our house feels very empty without our tree and all the decorations up. But it's a nice feeling to get rid of the *clutter*.

We've been very committed to working out again and it has been awesome! We both weren't as into it as we should have been but we realized with our wedding less than a year away now is the perfect time to get back into our normal routines. Up until a couple months ago, we hadn't had a gym membership since June 16th when we moved from Elk Grove. We were using our apartment gym which I might add may be impressive to some, but it wasn't to us, my workout equipment I have at home, doing lots of yoga, and running more than ever. Which surprisingly, has managed to keep us in pretty decent shape lol. I haven't gained a pound! And I don't think Danny has either. I've actually lost a few. Probably from all the running. The thing I was actually the most excited for about getting back in the gym was my BOSU BALLS!!!! Ahhhh I've missed them. I love those things. I have a yoga ball at home, but nothing compares to a bosu ball. We recently got the New Balance N9 GPS trainer and it is COOL! It tracks all of our runs. We're very excited to have this! All in all, we've been very happy to be back in a *real* gym. We've got plenty of time to get in our best shape for the wedding. I have no doubts that we will be. I am also hoping to set up our engagement session within the next couple months so that's something a bit closer to be getting into shape for. I also received a juicer (finally!) and I am so excited to use it! Anyone who knows me knows I love my fruits and veggies in any form. This thing is something I have wanted for a long time and I am so excited to finally own one!

We've made a lot of wedding decisions as well. Colors, style, decor ideas, ceremony details, invites, and well, almost everything. It's finally real so we need to start making set decisions so I can start working on all the DIY stuff! I have an amazing friend/Bridesmaid that is going to help me with all the DIY stuff. She is crafty and I trust her 100% with all my wedding plans. I have decided to use a lot of stuff that was my great grandmas, my grandmas, and my moms as decor. She has so much cool stuff that fits the style of our wedding around her house.  There's really no point in buying all the stuff if I can just borrow it from her. Plus, it is very meaningful to be able to use my grandmas stuff. I feel like my mind is scattered everywhere with all these ideas so I guess I should probably start to organize them and write them down. I need to talk to our florist and get our flower ideas set and figure out what we are doing as for a DJ. I am almost positive we are going to have Missy's boyfriend Brian do it since that is what he does for a living and if he isn't *around* anymore (lol) our friend Josh is an awesome DJ and can do it too. IF not...we will hire one. I'd just rather try to save the money and use it on something else! Oh, and I have been LAGGING on my last 3 bridesmaid pre-wedding gifts...I need to do those asap.

We're looking forward to having our friends back in California this summer as well. Josh and Jess should hopefully be back sometime early this summer. Perfect timing for Jess to be apart of all the wedding fun.

Tomorrow we both return to work. Danny is not looking forward to it, but I am! :) I miss my kids and just can't wait to be back into the swing of things. It was nice having a week off but I'm ready. Back to early bedtimes, morning workout sessions, and well, no time for anything else!

So far, 2012 has been good to us. We are hoping it has a lot of good in store for both of us and our families and friends. We look forward to what it has in store for us. So cheers to good health, joy, happiness, love, celebrations, and fun! Bring it on 2012.

More Christmas DIY

Cardboard, twine, wrapping paper, hole puncher, cards. That's all you need for these cute little booklets to store all your cards!!!! :) If I had spare fabric I would have definitely wrapped the front and back "covers" in that! But I didn't right now so xmas wrapping paper will do! :) So easy! I'm going to be making these for each Christmas and I have HUNDREDS of birthday cards thrown in a box that I plan to do this to as well! I also made a few batches of my apple zucchini bread for people and everyone LOVED it...apple zuccini bread with a coconut oat topping...yummy!!!!

Zucchini apple loaf is a top secret recipe of mine ;)