A gift for me and a gift to you! (Zoey's Personalized Gifts Giveaway)

Here's the deal. I'm super lucky to have awesome friends. One of my friends in particular, Melia, is a keeper. She's one of those people who will send you a card in the mail just because. Or will show up to stay the night at your house, eat bacon burgers, and bring a box of goodies for your baby. You see where I'm going with this right...? 

She also happens to be one of the most hilarious people I know and I've been telling her for years that she needs to write stuff so that I can read it (lucky for me, she blogs!). The whole point in me telling you all of this is that she sent me a gift recently that was HILARIOUS/AMAZING. 

Adorbs, right? I thought so too. 

That's why the second I received these from Zoey's Personalized Gifts in the mail, I hopped on their website to see what other cool stuff they have and well, you won't be disappointed. I'm 100% sure that I will be purchasing a shirt from them for Jonas' birthday in January. Probably for Gabriel's too. They also have some really cute ideas for big sib/little sib shirts, major holidays, etc., all customizable for your kiddies!

The shirts fit the boys super well, they're soft and the fabric is extremely durable, meaning that I can scrub the heck out of them after they color on them/play in mud/do all of the other messy things that boys do while I'm busy snapping pics.

So without further ado, ENTER SO YOU CAN WIN STUFF!!! And go check out Zoey's Personalized Gifts and buy something for yourself or your sister or your neighbor. I promise they'll love it just as much as I love my shirts. May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received these products as a gift and all opinions are my own.

Halloween preview

I know.

I CAN'T HANDLE THE CUTENESS EITHER.

Okay but seriously, we're about to have some rockin' good fun tonight with our friends. We're probably going to overdose on hot dogs and candy. It's all good.

What are you up to?

PSSSSSSSSS. There's going to be a giveaway starting tomorrow. It's awesome, especially for you mama bloggers in the hizzzouse. See here for a hint.

PEACE/LOVE/DOVE

Annual trip to Julian

For the last four years in the weeks leading up to Halloween, we pack our little family up and head up to the quaint little town of Julian. This time of year it's still rather warm and bustling with people so we thought that Sunday would be the perfect day for a visit.

Three years ago, we invited our friends Nicole and Jimmy and a yearly tradition was born. I've realized how important their friendship is to us. Not only are they two of our best friends, but they are also the godparents to both of our kids and part of our family.

We've had different faces join us over the years...first, my sister, followed by James' mom last year and this trip included his brother Joe.

Highlights from this trip included:
-Apple pie. Oh, the apple pie.
-Lunch as usual at the Julian Grille.
-Shopping at the Warm Hearth.
-Stumbling across an adorable $5 yellow teapot at an antique shop to add to my collection.
-A pitcher of brew at the Julian Brewery.
-Looking for pumpkins at the Julian Mining Company

Lowlights:
-Being behind an awful motorcycle accident and having to get out and help.
-All of the pumpkins having rotted.
-The end of the day. Because the end of the day is always sad when we're spending time with our friends!

If you are a fellow Californian, have you ever ventured up to Julian? Did you love it?

Back in action

Thank you sweet baby Jesus, I have internet again. Technically it's been a week and a half since we've had it and holy moses, I didn't realize how reliant I was. Really, I'm a big old baby because I still had my Verizon hotspot, but I'm super paranoid that I'll go over my allotted GB so was kind of hesitant to use it. 

Anyway, we're moved in. We have internet. We have most of our boxes unpacked. To say I'm happy would be an understatement. Ecstatic, maybe? 

This past weekend we were extremely busy - unrelated to moving busy. We took Gabriel to skating lessons, actually attempted to make new friends at a mom's group Halloween party (post for another time...) and then went on our yearly trip to Julian with some of our BFFs (lots of pics later!). 

That's pretty much the only update I have for you. I swear at some point soon you'll see the house, but at the moment we're working on this:

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Pieces purchased.
Just need to put this together.
Possibly paint. 

And this...

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Going up this week.

There is much to be done, both inside and out, and I currently have a list currently running about 20 items long. It's a lot of fun but a lot of work!

Speaking of work, I haven't done laundry in 2 weeks and the piles are beckoning me... 

How I Met My Husband - Part 3

The details are a little fuzzy, but my first real recollection of hanging out with Adrian on our own was the day after Thanksgiving. I'm pretty sure there were other times we hung out, but this maybe is just my fondest of those first memories. I was depressed because I had to high-tail it back to Agoura after spending Turkey Day with my family because I got suckered into working. None of the girls were at the house, just me and my sad little self.

My not-yet-boyfriend-but-just-friend Adrian asked me if I wanted to take my mopey behind to BJ's Brewery and Restaurant. If there's one thing I can't turn down, it's pizza and beer. He obviously knew the quickest way to my heart was through food. 

There is nothing really significant about this night except..well...it was nice. He bought me dinner and made me laugh and then, yes, this is the crux of it. He took me to Blockbuster and we watched nerdy documentaries all night long. I'm sure he could care less about watching the obnoxious Michael Moore, but he did and he was able to carry on intelligent conversation about it.

I was still in denial about him. My two best friends started to mention stuff about him and I kept saying, "You guys are absolutely crazy! There's no way in hell I would ever date him. He's not my type." 

Clearly this was not the case...

Next Sunday, I'll share the next part of our adventure!

How I Met My Husband - Part 2

As I'm sure you have gathered, that date I went on about a week late was with my new dancing friend. We went to Claim Jumper's or Black Angus or some other sort of guy-meal place and it was interesting. He was funny and kind of awkward in an appealing way. Because I'm awkward too. It was good to be in good company.

I met up with my new guy friend another time to watch a movie. I'm a prude. Nothing happened. When he invited me to join him and his friends the following weekend at a bar, my girlfriends and I threw some sexy tanks and heels on and headed out the door.

We got there, had fun, danced, had a few drinks, but my bestie was feeling a little sick so we were kind of anxious to head home. Now here's where things get a little iffy. I'm convinced that in Gadrian's "fun" at the bar, he may have shared a special kiss with another one of my besties. To this day, he will deny it, but I am 99% sure it happened. It's okay though, we're all family!

I drove the boys home that night and when "Gage" was being dropped off, he promised me breakfast. Now, I'm not one to forget a promise to buy me a meal, especially my favorite meal of the day, and ESPECIALLY as a broke college student. The next morning, and by morning I mean early afternoon, I made it clear that I had not forgotten his promise. I fully intended to cash in on my free meal!

I'm pretty sure he had no idea that a breakfast promise would lead to a lifetime of breakfasts together...

Stay tuned for How I Met My Husband - Part 3, to air next Sunday afternoon at 3pm!

I also choose to live

 I'm going to the Kelle Hampton book signing tonight with Gabriel, a friend and her daughter. I cannot wait!

Obsessed: what I want to be wearing right now #4

I'm into the bauble trend right now. 

Actually, I'm kind of into the jewelry of any kind trend right now. I've never been one to accessorize, but for some reason lately I've been really into finding beautiful, way-too-expensive-for-me stuff on Pinterest and pining for it all. Anyway, here are some of the less expensive things that I'm lusting for...

baubles and such by jessica-ayala featuring gold plated jewelry

How I Met My Husband - Part 1

A couple of days ago, I met my husband...

...in 2007. It was the night pictured above. I had red (pink?) hair and a cute dress on. That night changed the trajectory of my life.

It feels like I've known him forever, and yet it's only been five long short years.

Do you want to know the story? Yes? Alright...it's very romantic.

My girlfriends and I had gone out on a Saturday night. After sipping our drinks so very lady-like (or, possibly getting a tiny bit inebriated), I met a guy. No, it was not my husband. This guy was fun and we danced pretty much the entire night.

He had a friend. That friend may or may not have been naughty and could not come into the bar. After several hours of dancing with my new guy friend, girlfriends and I had to go. Or maybe it was last call...really, I can't remember. However, new guy friend and his friend (who we did not know was around at the time) had been left at the bar by their friends.

We, being so very kind, invited my new friend to come over. As we were pulling out of the parking lot, a LARGE man jumped into the car. To our surprise, this large man was our new guy friend's friend.

We took them home, LARGE man (at this point, called Gadrian because he told some of us his name was Adrian and some of us that it was Gabriel) did our disgusting sink full of dishes, we gave him a frozen bag of veggies for his kicked-in lip and then all of us retired to our bedrooms to lock our doors and pray that these scary men did not break our doors down.

As I woke up the next morning, I peeked out of the door to see Gadrian pacing on the back porch, Newcastle in hand, shouting on the phone to his friend that he was in a forest and had no idea where he was. That she was to come pick him up immediately because he was very confused.

I finally emerged from my room, cleared up his confusion and offered to drive them home. We all exchanged numbers and then I dropped them off. After a few days, I received a text message inviting me out on a date to dinner. I was excited!

That date was not with my husband. I'm sure you can guess what happened next, right...? No? Alright...stay tuned...

Part 2 will air next Sunday afternoon at 3pm!

Tell me about the first time you met your significant other...

Nine months old

Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a nine month old to pose for two minutes? No? It's impossible. However, this child of ours has really come into his own this month. It's just crazy.

Stats

Height: 33.5 inches

Weight: 28.2 lbs

Diaper size: Size 5

Clothing size: 24 months

Likes: Feeding himself, getting into everything possible (especially cords behind the TV, FUN), crawling under the table, knocking over his big brother's block castles, pulling up in his bed in the middle of the night, pulling up on the couches, pulling up on...anything.

 Dislikes: Diaper changing, being confined when he wants to be exploring, napping, bed time

 Special notes: He spent five days in the hospital this past month. It was heartbreaking, but also a huge few days of growth for him. He learned how to crawl on his hands and knees, to pull up on things and just...became a different baby. Sleeping is hit or miss right now, both day and night. We've had nights where he sleeps through as well as nights where he's up all night. He has learned to use the pincer grasp to pick up small pieces of food, uses a sippy cup like a pro and enjoys crawling up the stairs and freaking me out. He's still nursing about four times a day and I'm so over breastfeeding, it's not even funny.

Oh, and he needed two outfits...more like two separate photo shoots.

One month old.

Two months old.

Three months old.

Four months old.

Five months old.

Six months old.

Seven months old.

Life lessons for my sons

For some reason, it's when I'm tucking Gabriel in at night that I realize how big he has gotten, how old he is. We play this questions game at night where we'll ask about our day, favorite colors, animals, what we like to do, etc. and he just gives such mature, wise answers.

It strikes me during these intimate conversations with him that soon, maybe not tomorrow, but soon he will be a man. And I'm going to have to mold this man into a thoughtful, compassionate human being. So I've been thinking a lot about who I am, what values Adrian and I hold on to, and what standards and morals I want to instill in both of my boys.

These are the things I lie awake in bed at night for, thinking about my actions for the day and what they teach them about me. Am I showing them what it's like to be a good and honorable woman? Am I giving them examples for how to be a person of solid character?

So, I give you my list...an ever fluid and growing list...a list and a reminder of what and who I want my children to be:

There are no chores just for women or just for men. I want my boys to know how to do laundry, do the dishes, sweep, etc. It's important to take care of your home and their wives someday will thank me.

To tell the truth. Always, always, always. Own up to your mistakes, it makes you human. Lying hurts people, families, and always makes a bad situation worse.

It's okay to play dirty. Physically, not figuratively. Figuratively is bad and makes for dishonest human beings. Physically, it makes boys more creative, burns energy and most of all, builds fun memories.

To learn by example but also to learn by trial and error. I want them to find their way by doing, trying, seeking, learning, growing, failing, falling and picking themselves back up again.

Be kind. Not just to be nice to people, but to be kind and gentle in their hearts. To really want to give their best to people and treat others with compassion.

Be competitive. That doesn't mean they always need to win, but to strive to do their very best in all that they do.

Really listen to people. Pay attention to the ways that people try to communicate with you. There is no better way to validate someone's feelings than showing that you care. And, you can learn a lot not only by listening, but by watching someone's body language.

Give a good handshake. This is so important. People (or only me?) remember a solid, firm, confident handshake; you can tell a lot about a person by the way they introduce themselves.

Follow through. If you say you will do something, do it. It's that simple. Let people know they can count on you.

Learn how to cook. Just do it. It's good for your body to eat real meals.

Be sincere. When you say something, mean it. If it's brutally honest, at least it was sincere and true.

Take care of your body and mind. Be active, eat well and care for your emotional state. You will be prepared to take on the world.

Give to people without expecting anything back. Some people won't give back and that's okay. As long as you give with your heart and with sincerity, you won't need anything in return.

What would be on your life lesson list?

Instagram Blog Hop

Welcome to week 28 of our Instagram Blog Hop! This is a party where you can meet new Instagram friends and be continually inspired by what you see in your IG feed! If you're new to the party...

Here are the RULES:

1. Follow your HOSTS on Instagram:

Ashlyn | @loveeashlyn of Let It Be Beautiful 

Emily | @mrsemshhh of The Pink Elephant 

Kimberly | @anightowlblog of A Night Owl

2. Follow your CO-HOSTS on Instagram:

Amy | @pinkofperfect of At the Pink of Perfection

You can find Amy here: 

Instagram :: Blog :: Facebook ::  Twitter :: Pinterest

***

Jess | @hijesssmiles of Jess and the Boys

You can find Jess here: 

Instagram :: Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Pinterest

3. Check out and follow a couple fellow IGers. 

Tell folks you follow that you found them through the Hop!

4. Spread the word! 

Tweet

Grab a button HERE for your sidebar!

5. Link up your profile from any Instagram web interfaces like these listed here: 

Followgram | Ink361 | Webstagram | Gramfeed | Extragram 

Just log in with your Instagram account, grab your profile URL and enter it in the linky below.

Now, on to the HOP! Remember, please link up your INSTAGRAM account, not your blog.

Brain dump

We had a wedding this past weekend. Not just anybody's wedding, but two of our very best friends were married. I can't convey in words how special this was to be a part of, not just because they did a fabulous job putting it together or because we had a ton of fun, we are both so emotionally invested.

Adrian and I actually introduced them to each other. I've known Nicole for over 15 years and even though we lost touch during college, we randomly reconnected the summer after I had Gabriel. They met, fell in love and got married. Makes me happy.

The four of us joke (but it's not a joke) that in 40 years, we'll be all old and wrinkly, playing checkers on each other's patios and drinking wine.

Seriously though, look how gorgeous she is:

So yeah. That was really amazing and wonderful and so fun, I probably can't tell you about most of it :) All of us bridal party peeps are suffering from PWD (post wedding depression), so basically I've sat around eating sugar cookies all day while browsing through the wedding photos over and over again and finishing up the Desperate Housewives' final season. 

And oh, by the way, my husband just mentioned to me that he's getting the keys to our new place tomorrow. This kind of blindsided me because I've been living in this blissful little land called denial. Reality really smacked me in the face today. You know what that means? We're moving stuff tomorrow. You know what else that means? I need to get my ass in gear because I STILL only have 3 boxes packed. I'm really, really trying not to freak out.

Finally, THANK YOU, all of you sweet people who sent me messages and commented about my brother. His doctor's appointment went well, he has strep throat right now which explains why he had a fever and night sweats, thank God. They are closing monitoring his headaches and have put him on a couple week break from football. I'm pretty sure they are going to be a scan soon if they haven't gone away by the end of the rest period.

That pretty much sums up my life today. How are you doing??

Cancer sucks

When I was a freshman in high school, a boy I grew up with was diagnosed with cancer.

During my sophomore year of high school, one of my very close friend's brother passed away from cancer.

In August of my senior year, the boy I was friends with passed away.

At the start of 2010, my youngest brother - a freshman in high school - was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.



Since then, I can count at least five people in my life who have been affected by cancer and it pisses me off. I'm angry that there is no real cure. That it doesn't matter if you are "cancer-free," because that sneaky little snake of a disease can slither it's way back into your life without notice.

This morning my brother, now a healthy, active senior in his school - is visiting his oncologist because he's having recurring headaches, night sweats and a raised temperature, very similar symptoms to his initial diagnosis.

I realize it could be anything...the flu, a coincidence, him working himself up because he's scared. This has happened before where he's gotten so upset about a possible symptom that he makes himself sick with worry, only to find out he's okay. On the other hand, I've done my research. I know the relapse rates for Stage III and that scares the living shit out of me.

He is my baby brother. I changed his diapers for crying out loud. I've watched him grow into a young man that I am proud of, who has potential to do great things. He's become one of my best friends and I love him, regardless of some of the dumb, idiotic stuff that weenie little teenagers do.

I hated hearing the fear in his voice this morning before his appointment, knowing that he's thinking the absolute worst. His nightmare is that it will come back again; he still can't even go to the hospital where he was treated without vomiting in the parking lot.

I despise the fact that every time my brother feels ill for an extended period of time, we have to worry that it might be back. That our worlds might be rocked again. That it could come back worse than before.

This post is morbid and I'm sorry for that, but I'm just having one of those pissed-off-at-the-world-and-all-of-the-shitty-things-in-it days. Next week, we'll probably get scans and blood work back that are clean and we'll all go about our merry way again...right?

Is there a 3 day grace period after a first (play) date?

We did it. We had our first play date with someone that we actually did not know. We sought them out and we went on a date and we did it. I know there are many of you who are thinking, "Whatever, no bigs, I make friends like they're going out of style."

IT'S A BIG DEAL.

We have lived in the Valley for over a year and I have yet to make a friend that was not handed to me by my husband. And that total is 1.

For those of you who have been reading a while, you know about my awkward encounter in World Market where I tried to be friendly but...well...that didn't work out. And you also might remember when I told you about Gabriel's preschool bestie and who his mom was.

Thankfully, I jumped to conclusions and was wrong. Turns out, his mom is NOT awkward World Market mom, but in fact an extremely nice lady, a transplant like me from the Midwest who happens to not know anybody out here.

I reached out to her last week because Gabriel is always talking about her son. We emailed back and forth a few times and decided to let them play at the Burger King play area. Because that's what people do for fun in this hell hole...play in fast food bacteria-fests. Thank God I'm not a germaphobe.

Dare I say, we've made some friends? It seemed to go well...we talked for two hours straight. No uncomfortable silences. Lots of laughing. The boys had an absolute blast and completely wore each other out.

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Am I allowed to tell her we had fun? Can I text her? Is that weird? Are we friends now or are we going to continue going about our business until I ask her if the boys can play again?

I'm totally over-analyzing this. We had a good time.

I will never understand men

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There are so many things I love about my hub. He's hysterical, incredibly intelligent, steady, blah, blah, blah. Seriously. He's great. But there are so many things he does that I will never, everrrrr understand.

That whole Mars/Venus thing? Seriously.

...like the fact that he asks me to make him a full-on deli sandwich at 10 o'clock at night because he wasn't hungry for dinner. 

...or how every night he brings a cup of water (and sometimes cereal) upstairs and doesn't bring down the cups until a. he has no more room on his side table or b. doesn't have any good cups to use.

...how on Tuesday, trash day, you would think it would be smart to take out all of the trash in the house and put it out front, but nope, that would be too much foresight.

...or how even though I've made it as convenient as possible to put his laundry in the basket/pile by putting it on his side of the room, he will stop and stand right next to the bed, pull off his socks, pants and shirt, and leave them 2 feet from their "home."

...like the fact that every day he will take off his work boots/drop his keys/lay down his wallet somewhere around the house, forget and ask me the next morning.

...and speaking of, how no matter how many times I put things in their "place," a place he is aware of, if I ask him to get me something, he will ask where it is.

...how he complains that I nag too much, yet it takes me asking him at least three times to get him to do something.

...or the fact that - empty sink or not - dishes always get put on the counter.

...like the fact that he has to nap during the day when he's home, no matter much sleep he's gotten the night before.

What weird, illogical, strange or annoying things

does your husband do?