This past week we had one of our children graduate from our class to the older toddler class.  He was such a sweet boy.  He wasn't in my group but I formed a very close bond with him and if his primary wasn't there, he always came to me for comfort or to fulfill his needs. His parents were also very sweet.  They made us these movie night bags as a "thank you" for taking care of Nolan.  Such a cute idea! It was filled with a redbox gift certificate and tons of treats for a movie night.  I don't drink soda, or eat half of this stuff but it was a cute cute cute idea and was very thoughtful! I ended up keeping the movie certificate, M&Ms, pack of nuts, and mike and ikes because Danny likes them...Danny also drank the coke because apparently bottled coke is delicious...I wouldn't know!

This past weekend was a weekend full of fun and visits with amazing friends and some of my favorite kids! I started off the weekend on Friday when I babysat for Haylie after work.  It was such a long day but well worth it to see this little cutie! I also enjoyed seeing her mom who is pregnant again with a little BOY! Haylie has gotten so big and is extremely smart.  She's not even two yet and she rocked the ipad like a pro and kicked butt at memory...I must say, I was shocked...I've known 3 year olds who can't even play memory...she totally understood the concept and once she saw a card at one side she remembered where it was if she flipped it again somewhere else on the board. Impressive.  She was so cute all night and I hated having to put her to bed...Katie said when she woke up the next day and was so angry with her because I was gone! haha!

Saturday Crystal and Scott invited Danny and I over for dinner.  We were actually supposed to do this about 2 months ago but it was scheduled for the evening my dad went to the hospital so it got postponed. It was an awesome night and it was so great to see them all.  Easton is getting so big as well and talks so much! He also knows Spanish because his school does two days a week of only speaking Spanish to the children. It's really neat.  Crystal and Scott didn't tell Easton we were coming so when we showed up he was so excited.  Crystal had also gotten me a Christmas present that I loved. It was a pearl necklace from Silpada.  It's so pretty.  We also got to see sonogram pictures because Crystal is pregnant again as well. :)

Sunday was spent doing lots of lots of wedding stuff.  First super early in the morning we made our way up to the Forest House Lodge so I could show Kayla and Becca around.  They LOVED it.  Jake did too :).  We spent hours playing around with all the vases and decor they had to offer us and we decorated the lodge as if it were my wedding day.  I was able to get so many ideas as to where I want to put stuff, how I want to do stuff, and what kind of centerpieces I want to do. It's such a relief because if I stick to my decisions, I shouldn't have to purchase much and I should be saving a lot of money by using all their stuff. Relief! After the Lodge we went to lunch at El Portal.  It's a taqueria that I had met our photographer at and it's yummy and cheap! Then we made our way back to Kayla's and did more web-surfing and idea hunting for their dresses.  They also did some bachelorette party planning while I hung out with Jake...they were being very secretive. 

The cutest baby in the entire world!!!!

Another DIY

So we have this end table stand that we originally got for a different spot but we just didn't like it there...then we put it another spot that I thought needed a table which it did, but then I thought to myself "what the heck am I going to put on here?" I wanted a pretty plant...but I just couldn't find anything I loved...then I went to Michael's to try to put together my own flower arrangement...no luck! Then the other day Danny put this random snow globe on there (yes a snow globe, he says it was his way to make me figure it out faster because it's been sitting there empty for weeks) that worked! I thought "think think think...creative right side think!" So I remembered how my mom had arranged her books in her new book shelves so I just stacked 4 books on there and yes, stuck the stupid snow globe back on top...I hated looking at it so this morning I woke up with an ingenious idea! HAHA ok not really but I remembered I had mason jars from something else, lace from my bridesmaid boxes...rocks that I used as filler in another candle vase, and twine from the bridesmaids boxes...and I came up with this...TA-DA! haha Cute right?

Cold Canyon Trails

For a while now we have been talking about going hiking.  There are so many places around here to go, from Yosemite to SF to Tahoe and all in between there is just so many opportunity for outdoor adventures! I have been mentioning Lake Berryessa a lot lately because of how close it is to us and how I figured it would be a great place to start.  Last weekend we had a cocktail party at the Forest House Lodge.  We had mentioned how hiking on Sunday after the party would have been a perfect idea, but Sunday morning we just wanted to come home and relax! So we agreed that "next weekend" (this weekend) we would go and I was in charge of looking up where we would go and planning it.  I had already been researching places around here for a while so I knew of the hiking trails up and around Berryessa.  I went back and found a 4 mile loop which actually is 5 miles after all the zigzagging and backtracking. It said it was a "strenuous" trail but I figured..."how strenuous could it be?" HA! lol it was strenuous climbing up the mountain! There were two options to start the loop...one to the East and one to the West...the most common starting point was to the East but you were able to start to the West they just said it was harder because it was a steeper uphill climb...we thought we had chosen the right direction until we started getting higher and it was literally straight up...we began to wonder if we made the wrong decision but by then, it was way too late to turn around...so we just kept climbing.

Once we made it to the top, the view was gorgeous! It was of lake Berryessa and a resort just off the lake.

We found some rocks to climb out on and we stopped there for our snack break...ok well Danny did...and he went first to check it out because I was scared. haha

Our view for lunch



After our break we continued up a little farther

Then down, down, down we went! The trail got a bit rough as we got closer to the top...

On our way down we looked up and realized we had just come from way up there! It was a nice feeling to be heading down...FINALLY. At this point we were about halfway down...we still had some way to go but we were definitely on our way down...

It was a really fun day and I'm so happy we decided to go...we are planning (weather permitting) to go venture up to Foresthill next weekend to hike around there so we can actually put stuff on our wedding site that we know is doable for our guests.  Like I said, this hiking trail said "strenuous" but I took that a little too lightly I think...haha. It was a tough one but we made it in one piece! We ventured off the trail a few times to get better views and have a little extra fun. It was a blast! And surprisingly, as much as I thought I was going to be dying and sore today, I'm not! But I'm not going to lie, climbing up wasn't easy by any means!

 

New routine

So I completed my first full week of morning gym sessions as of today! I feel so much better and have so much more energy at the gym and love being able to just come home and make dinner and relax! I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd actually get back into the routine and I did it! It's not even that hard to get up anymore...it's actually harder to go after work and want to stay and workout than it is to get up earlier.

I got pulled over Wednesday morning after going to the gym for making an illegal u-turn which I had no clue was illegal...I literally did it right in front of a cop!!! Good thing it wasn't posted anywhere and he was so nice...and hes my neighbor! haha! AND I was in Danny's car...because not only did I make an illegal u-turn, I didn't have my license on me.  He saw the registration and insurance info and said "I see your husband is active duty military" and I thought "Why yes he is!!! Yes he is! Thank goodness he is!" haha he walked away, checked out my info, came back and said he wasn't going to give me a ticket because he knew I didn't know AND he was letting me go for the no license because I was his neighbor and Danny is a "fellow serviceman". LESSON LEARNED! I will from now on also bring my wallet with me to to the gym! I was running out the door and I said "Oh my wallet, ah well I don't need it I'm only going a mile! What could I possibly get pulled over for?" Well I did...

Anyway, I know it's not from just this week but from all the other time I had been putting in but I've noticed a huge change in my body (thank goodness!) because I had gotten a bit lazy for a couple months and it was not cute. PHEW! My dress should be here in a couple months and our engagement pictures are in May, then summer! Ok and then my shower, bach party, wedding, and honeymoon...ahhhhh! Yes, this post just went from the gym to my wedding again...but hey, they're related in a sense...and right now all I can think about is wedding, wedding, wedding stuff!!!

Back to the Forest House Lodge we go!

Well today I got an email from the bridal liason, Lindsey, inviting us to the tasting for our wedding but unfortunately the dates she invited us to this time around are the 2 weekends that Danny will be gone for spring training...bummer. BUT she said that they should be setting up another tasting in April for those who can't make it to these dates. :) The invite included all the food and courses we would be tasting and OH MY!!!! There was so much! It doesn't surprise me considering the menu is like 20 pages...I'm not kidding either...so I figured there would be lots to taste! We'll also get to meet the pastry chef at this time as well! I am very excited for it to come in April...

So even though we can't make it up in March for the tasting, I spoke to our wedding planner today and she was able to meet with me on Feb 26th so I can bring Kayla and Becca up there to see the lodge and to play around with all the vases and mason jars and other decor that we are able to use for our wedding...*big sigh* FINALLY! She wants me to bring all my pictures and ideas so we can get a better idea of what I will need to use of theirs...ahhh time is flying and things are happening so fast! I can't wait to show Kayla and Becca, I wish Missy would be here to come as well but we can always schedule another appointment for when she is here.  My parents and hopefully Danny's parents will be joining us for the food tasting in April so they will get the tour then...ahhh yes! Fun stuff!  Oh yea and this time I will not forget my memory card, I will make sure my camera is fully charged, and I will come prepared with everything else I need! :)

Valentine's Day 2012

This year Valentine's day fell on a Tuesday which meant low key for us since we're in bed so early during the week! It was so much fun at school with all the kids and their Valentine's and all the yummy treats parents brought to the teachers! The kids in our room made really cute Valentine's that we sent home with the parents and ourselves. They were their little footprints stamped and then a cute little note was written on the back. Adorable.  I also made cute little Valentine's for my kids with some scrapbooking stuff I had laying around. I woke up that morning to Danny's gift that he had left out before he went to work at 5.  He had bought me See's candy (a definitely LOVE) and Lady and The Tramp blue ray. YES!!!! :) He *actually* listens when I speak random things sometimes...like when the Lady and the Tramp commercial comes on and I say, "I loved that movie, I have to buy it!" he heard me and actually listened! HAHA! :) We decided this year that we would go very low key for Valentine's day...I'm not a big deal kind of person for Valentine's day and neither is he.  I bought him a gift set of cigars (not Cuban because apprently they're illegal which I didn't know and I walked into a cigar shop asking for them...hello dumbass!) and he LOVED it! Of course. :) On my way home from work I stopped by to leave some flowers for my grandma.  I miss her so much, and holidays make me miss her even more. She always sent us cards for Valentine's day from "loveland, USA"...I drive by the cemetary ever single monday night now and so far, I have burst into tears every time I pass by....I am so lucky to be so close to where she is but I would much rather have her here. It's so hard and doesn't seem like it has gotten much easier over the years...Then we went out to dinner to this sushi place that we both really like. (Well, I get veggie tofu ramen and cucumber avacado rolls with soy paper wrap, as far from sushi as it gets but hey, that's what I like!) We also had the Forest House Lodge cocktail party this past weekend that was a Valentine's day event so we did that as well. 

All in all, I would say it was a really successful, low key day! :) I couldn't have asked for more!

Infant and Toddler seminar/Forest House Lodge Valentine's Day Cocktail

Saturday was part two of the infant and toddler seminar that we went to last month.  It was very interesting and we received another book. I can't wait to read it. This was all about the growing and developing infant and how relationships support their continuous growth.  How they learn through our care and loving support and don't neccessarily need us to directly "teach" them everything, rather they learn by exploration and certain things really just come natural to them. I had a really hard time focusing at this seminar because honestly, I was completely wiped out from last week. It was a long week and I wasn't alone! I think our whole table was just drained. Not only were we drained, I was really excited for it to be over because we had plans that I was really looking forward to.

After the seminar I came home and we left right away to head up to Foresthill to the Forest House Lodge for their annual Valentine's Day Cocktail party.  I was a little hesitant at first because it was 92 couples that I had never met but then I thought about it and realized everyone there was in the same exact situation! I knew Danny didn't reeeeaaaallly care to go because a party with complete strangers wasn't his idea of a good time (initially) but once we got there, we realized it was so easy to meet and talk to people and we ended up having a great time and actually making pretty good friends with two couples. One of the couples we met lives in Dixon! He is an army vet so he and Danny had a lot in common and a lot to talk about. I love that they are in Dixon because their life is literally a complete mirror image of ours! They don't really know too many people because all his friends are in Tennassee where he was last stationed and she's from Southern California.  She was an absolute sweetheart and he was very nice. I'm looking forward to hanging out with them again soon. We kept saying if we had this much fun with complete strangers, our wedding with our friends and family is going to be off the charts fun! Anyway, the Cocktail party itself was just perfect. They really do know how to throw a party there. There was never ending appetizers which were all absolutely delicious, open bar (beer and wine), a candy buffet, an awesome DJ, they did contests, a photo booth, and our accomodations were right upstairs and were FREE. It was so nice to get to go to the lodge and see it all over again. I had intended on taking a million pictures but silly me, I forgot to put my memory card back in my camera...dumbass! haha! But I managed to get a good amount of them on my phone. I also checked out all they had to offer as far as additional decor and OH MY I feel like a HUGE load of stress has been relieved! They have so many vases for me to use, mason jars, mason jars with burlap and twine already wrapped around them, tea lights galore, all of the dishes for the candy buffet, they even have some of the chocolate overlays I want to use that are sort of crinkled with hints of goldish/shimmer throughout...they have enough for a few tables that are in the lounging area, not for the entire dining room BUT that's just a bunch less that we'll have to rent in the end, they have the wooden "stumps" I guess you could call them, like slices of wood for under flower/candle displays and a large circular slice for under our cake if we want to use stuff like that, which I had been thinking about but wasn't quite sure where to find them...but they have them! I am so happy for all the vases and candy jars. I was not looking forward to spending a fortune on vases, and candy dishes, and saving mason jars or dealing with renting them...this place really does it all.  We left there loving it more than we already did which I didn't think was possible. We are so beyond satisfied and we know we chose the best venue for one of the biggest days of our lives. The staff at the lodge is amazing. They welcome you with hugs, they are so friendly and accomodating, they are so on top of things constantly sending emails to check in with me and all our planning, setting up dates for us to meet with Kathryn, the wedding coordinator, so she can help decide on decor, details, etc., they just really care! I love that they love what they do and it shows. They are so enthusiastic about their jobs and our weddings and making everything perfect. I knew the moment I stepped foot in there for the first time that this was the perfect place.

The food last night was amazing! They just had appetizers but all of them were delicious. I can't wait for our tasting in a few months. We were told by a few people who had already done their tastings that everything was awesome and you really couldn't go wrong with anything you chose.  The menu is like 20 pages...no joke...I felt so overwhelmed when I was looking through it that I just stopped and figured I'd wait until our tasting to see.  I also found out that our parents are invited to the food tasting. I am really happy about this because my dad and his parents haven't seen the place at all so this would be the perfect opportunity to show them all and feed them good food :)

I can't say enough good things about last night and how happy we are with our decision. We are not only having our wedding there, it's like we have become a permanent part of them. Past brides and grooms were there last  night, some were even 2 years past! They keep coming back because of how much they love it and can't get enough of the lodge.

We love the Forest House Lodge!

Life updates!

Ahhhh so this week has been so crazy that I haven't had a chance to really even think let alone get online and blog! Our class now has 17 kids...all under the age of 18 months...can you say YIKES!? We've had a lot of screaming, crying, and biting! We have kids adjusting and older toddlers transitioning...one of them is the biter! It came out of nowhere too! I've also been babysitting a lot! Weekends and week nights after work sometimes as well.  Busy, busy!!!

This weekend is also a very busy weekend for us as well! Tomorrow I have part 2 of our child development seminar till 2:30, then we are heading to the Forest House Lodge for their annual Sweetheart Cocktail party. We are really looking forward to this, it should be a lot of fun! It's cocktails, food, and accomodations at the lodge. We're excited to be able to spend time there before the wedding and I plan to take a lot of pictures to better plan our wedding. I want to take pictures of every single room as well so we know where to put people. Can't wait!

Today I also was able to get Danny's Valentine's day gift after work. I had to go to the cigar shop, pick the gift, then run to the ATM and pull out cash so he wouldn't know where I made the purchase and run back and pay for it! haha! I think I may have pulled this one off this time. I effed up Christmas, now I know better. I'm honestly not huge on Valentine's day, but we still do little gifts for each other...

ANNNNNND another huge accomplishment...I have gotten back in the gym in the mornings! I had been so tired of lugging all my stuff to work, changing at work, and being rushed to leave work to make it to the gym so I could get home at a decent hour, eat dinner, and get to bed...I hated it! It took me a week of setting my alarm to the time I would need to get up for the gym to finally get out of bed and I have been so happy ever since. It's so freeing! I get it done in the morning, then after work I can come home and enjoy time with Danny, make dinner, go to dinner, whatever we want really. I started dreading going to the gym after work because it became such a huge task...then I'd rush through everything, not do as much cardio or as much weight training...started skimping...just not like me! Plus, I also hated coming home eating, then going to bed shortly after...blah! So I finally just did it and now I have time to do all my stuff then head to work and then spend my evenings free.

We helped my parents move some stuff last weekend...it's always fun to go through stuff and find old pictures, notes, and memories. They're doing all the big stuff this weekend but we won't be able to be there Saturday to help because of our event. We are going to head over there on Sunday after we get home to help unpack some more and visit with my godparents. My dad is doing really well and I am so happy! I talk to him often and he just sounds great! Let's hope things keep progressing in this direction! He isn't going back to his old job so he's trying to figure out his next move. However, he hasn't been released by the doctors yet to even go back to work, so until then they're just moving and keeping busy with that.

Life has been great to us lately! Here's to a continuously great year! :)

Tomato soup

So probably one of my favorite meals that I make is tomato soup. Sometimes I crave it! I never liked tomato soup as a kid because the only time I ever had it was at a friend's house and her mom made us the campbell's condensed stuff that you add water to...YUM! haha...it reminded me of ragu spaghetti sauce being served as soup...no thanks! Anyway, as I got older I tried it at restaurants more and realized there's a yummy side to tomato soup and now, it's one of my favorite meals! It's very simple to make...

I started with a bottle of our favorite "cheap" go to wine...Robert Mondavi's private selection...

What you'll need:

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1½ cups chopped red onions (2 onions)
2 carrots, unpeeled and chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, coarsely chopped (4 large cans of peeled whole tomatoes, I don't like to risk the tomatoes not being ripe enough when you buy fresh tomatoes...so I buy the canned)
1½ teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¼ cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves
3 cups vegetable stock

1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup heavy cream
Julienned fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions (2 of them, I only had one in the picture, but you need 2!) and carrots and sauté for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender.

Add the cream to the soup and process it with a submersion blender, food proccessor, or a blender (you will need to do it in batches as it won't all fit in a blender)...I love my cuisinart submersion blender/mixer/mini food processor...great purchase!



Finsihed product...

 Serve with grilled cheese made on your choice of bread and with your choice of cheese...tonight I chose a sour dough cracked wheat bread with pepper jack cheese...OR you can just serve it in a bowl with croutons on top...however you like your tomato soup!

Forgot the basil on this one...but you get it!

This recipe makes a TON...as you can see! I freeze a lot of it and keep some out for leftovers and then thaw it when we want it...it still tastes just as good! :)