A GROWING Family

Well my friends, it's Wednesday and the upcoming three day weekend is calling my name! Which means I've gone six weeks since my last day off and it is much needed! Oh, and the best part is, Lael and her sister are coming Monday and staying the night!! They're only stopping through as they head south and leave for New Zealand to live for, well, who knows:) I wish they could stay longer, but these days, I'll take what I can get with my sweet friends who are now scattered all over!

And in other exciting news that I've been holding onto for a few weeks...I am going to have another little sibling this Spring! That's right, my stepmom is pregnant for the fifth and FINAL time:) Sadly, I probably won't get to meet this new addition until next year, but I will see her prego when we go to Indiana (they recently moved from Chicago) to visit them in October! Yay! Can't wait for that trip. I wish it could happen more than once a year, but it's so worth it to see how much my brother and sisters grow each time we see them:)

I LOVE these kids!





And finally, by special request, I will post this crock pot recipe later today:) So come back and you too can try it out!

Happy Wednesday!

PS ~ 20 days 'til Fall!

Celebrating Mom's

Where do I even begin with how fabulous my weekend was? I guess I just have to say how much I appreciate all of the wonferful women in my life! This weekend was definitely full of celebration to them:)

On Saturday morning, we woke up at 6 to run the Race for the Cure. I am pretty sure the sun comes out especially for this event. It is always such a beautiful weekend. Definitely perfect for running. This run is especially important for my Mom and me because my grandma is a two-time breast cancer survivor!! We run in celebration of her brave victory over cancer and recognize how special she is to us:) I love you Gram!

Of course, the beautiful morning wouldn't be complete without Starbucks:)

In the afternoon I attended a baby shower for Chris' cousin. The theme was ladybugs and everything was absolutely adorable! I would like to share something I realized while I was there. I will admit that I have had a bit of the baby "bug" lately. We aren't planning on getting pregnant soon or anything, but it has definitely been on my mind the past weeks (or months). But while I was at the shower, it hit me that I have such a desire to wait for babies! As wonderful as it will be when Chris and I do start to expand our family, we are still newlyweds and I would like to savor every last ounce of being spontaneous with my husband!! It was a good reminder to not rush life and really enjoy the chapter we are in and not constantly look to the next. After all, we are in such a fantastic place! However, when the time does come, my husband is going to be the most amazing father:) I constantly get glimpses of him with kids and I just fall more and more in love!

And on Sunday we spent the day celebrating our wonderful Moms! We made a delicious lunch for them complete with gourmet sandwiches, fresh fruit, champagne and the most beautiful petite desserts you have ever seen (courtesy of Whole Foods!). After we hung out and chatted for a while, Chris took his Mom to see the new Star Trek movie and My mom and I went to see Ghosts of Girlfriend's past:) Perfectly fitting for each of us! I can't speak for their movie, but ours was so cute! Of course, we LOVE Matthew McConaughey!! Afterwards, the six of us (including the guys) hung out at my in-laws, where the men cooked dinner for us:) I think my favorite part of the evening was the fantastic margaritas! Oh, and the sunshine! And of course watching our cute pup play for hours in the pool.

After such a fun-filled weekend I am a little sleepy this morning, but it was so worth it!

I hope you had a great weekend celebrating your wonderful Mom!

A Soft Place to Land

I love to reflect on life. This morning, as I am doing so, I can't help but laugh. Life can throw some real zingers! The awesome thing is, if you are lucky, they are usually padded with some extra good moments.

This being said, I need to brag on my husband for a minute. Those of us who know him are very aware of his blunt nature and logical mind. You may also know that I almost always analyze with my emotions. I have always thought of the logical people as cold in a way. However, I think I have discovered their secret: They are actually just saps in disguise! I have felt down lately. I am just in one of those funks, you know? Being a woman, I have hormones to blame part of it on:) So Chris, in his non emotional way, has really picked me up this week (Always really, but especially lately!) I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am for a partner who can see my needs and use the tools he has to love on me. This is why I have titled this blog A soft place to land. I am thankful to have one.

Let me count the ways~
~He brought me home beautiful flowers for our 4 month anniversary. This is so not cliche-I LOVE having fresh flowers!
~When I got all of my music stolen from my car, he started finding all of these new artists he thought I would like and downloading the music for me:)
~When we were 35 minutes out of apple hill and I realized I forgot to pick up the ornament we bought, he turned around like it was not even a big deal. Even though gas is ridiculously overpriced!
~He tells me I am the most wonderful wife for doing simple everyday things so I know he appreciates them.
~He has committed and initiated waking up at 6:15 in the morning to go jogging with me!

Please don't throw up, I will stop the mushy stuff! I just think we should remember to thank our loved ones for doing all the special little things that make us smile!

With that said, We had one of the best weekends we have had in a long time. On Saturday, we went to Apple Hill! We decided to take Abby girl. She needs the socialization and exercise. She was so good, BTW! Apple Hill is a tradition for many people in Northern Cali. Basically, it is hundreds of privately owned apple orchards. You can buy the best apples, eat yummy apple treats and they have a bunch of vendors with crafts and other fun stuff. We really enjoyed not having any time constraints and nowhere to be. On our way home, Chris asked what was for dinner. I told him that I had planned on making halibut with some grilled veggies and couscous, but I didn't really feel like it. Chris and I got crafty and decided to make fish tacos with the halibut. They were so good! Excellent really. Here's the recipe:

Serves 4~
2 halibut steaks
1 packet Simply Organic Fajita seasoning
8 corn tortillas
2 avocados
1 packet guacamole seasoning
lettuce
salsa
reduced fat sharp cheddar

Marinate the halibut in the fajita seasoning for about 30 minutes, turning the fish half way through. Place Halibut in foil and place on grill about 4 minutes on each side. Flake fish and serve with warm tortillas and toppings. Enjoy!

We were so impressed with how yummy these ended up being, not to mention quick and healthy! I just wanted to share our new finding!

The last thought I will leave you with: Why is it that the moment you say, "I Do", the world starts asking about babies? Please hear me out, I CANNOT wait to have babies, but I can. Make sense? If up to us, kids will come in about 3 years. And when that time comes, we will be the most ecstatic, giddy couple. Trust me!! I just think it is really funny that every time I have been the least bit nauseous, someone says, "Are you pregnant?". Yikes, don't scare me like that! It doesn't help that I keep having dreams about being prego.

Okay, last last thing, while writing this blog I have been listening to Colbi Caillat and I just LOVE her!!

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Here we are in Apple Hill

Abby was so worn out from such an exciting day!