Guess who turned one?

& who got a little too excited & went a little overboard on pictures?

That would be Radar turning 1 & her mama & auntie Katelyn taking advantage of it. We were in Lake Almanor at the end of May and while the men were off fishing, we stopped by the dollar store, spent way to much money on 1st birthday decorations & took pictures by a cool barn outside of town!

These pictures are a little overboard but it was so much fun & she is such a photogenic doggie!!

Happy Anniversary Hubby!

(Not today, on June 5th... Im just late)

May 28, 2011

One year ago, I work up in a beautiful white home filled with my whole family and best friends. I got my hair done, put my makeup on & slipped into a beautiful white dress. With my dad by my side, I walked down the isle to my future. In the last year, Derek has been more amazing each and every day. He surprises me all the time with how great he is. I am lucky to have found him (& i'd like to think he's lucky to find me too).

This 1st year of our marriage has flown by. Together we have faced challenges and conquered them, ... together. Each day we create new memories and our love grows stronger. I love being married & feel so grateful to get to spend the rest of my life with my very best friend by my side!

How I love remember that amazing day!

June 5, 2010

Where has time gone?

What happen to March?? Im not too sure...

April is here ( & half way over)... We've been doing lots of spring cleaning around our house lately. Planting new flowers, finishing painting, putting in baseboards, ect. We very excited to being have Easter Sunday brunch at our house this year. It'll be great to see all our extended family...all 35... some I haven't seen since the wedding in June...

In other news... these two are...

ENGAGED!!

I am so happy for them.

This is my brother Brett & his fiance by the way...

They have already set a date for October 15, 2011.

I love weddings. I love planning & I love all the parties and celebrations before hand.

May is going to be a BUSY moth for us all.

With mothers day, my Mama's b-day, March of Dimes walk, Joe & Amy's wedding & Brett & Christine's ENGAGEMENT party...

That mean not only will our weekends be packed.. it means I'll be needing to go dress shopping soon!

It also means my 1st semester of GRAD school will be done in May...

Im looking forward to getting my house ready for Easter, our Uno de Mayo party (since Derek works on Cinco de Mayo) and Mothers Day. I also can't wait til school is out & summer begins!

Birthday

Just wanted to share some pictures from my birthday this month!

Spent having a yummy dinner & cake at my parents! Thanks Mom!

Derek took me to the Ocean where we enjoyed lunch, walking & playing with the pup!

Oh Radar LOVED the beach... she ran & ran & ran & ran.. can you tell she tired.. I think so! Plus she isn't very lady like with all her lady bits exposed.. oh well.. thats my pup!

With my hubby!

Derek also surprised me with flowers & a yummy steak & crab dinner when I got home from school one night. Oh was it yummy!

Horoscope

I've never been a huge horoscope follower but lately, horoscopes have really rang true to my life. I looked at my 2011 horoscope & it really is true so far.

"You're an upbeat person, and no matter what happens, you do your best to make the most of it - especially when it comes to acquiring knowledge. You'll learn more in the first few months than you did in all of 2010. Don't push yourself too hard, however. There's no hurry. Don't forget to take time out to relax and enjoy life."

My favorite part is " You'll learn more in the first few months than you did in all of 2010". I sure did learn a lot in 2010. I learned about friendship, marriage & owning a home. However so far in 2011, I've learned so much about myself. I've finally began taking the time to really understand myself and what I want. I've been dealing with some personal things that have lead to a lot of self-exploration. I also really like the part "Theres no hurry. Don't forget to take time out to relax and enjoy life". Anyone who knows me knows that I am a goal-directed person. I create a goal and rush to complete it, sometimes not really enjoying the ride along the way. In 2011, I've realized there is no hurry. That I must make time to smell the roses along the run. I've realized that everything always falls into place.... eventually. I am learning to be patient, especially in the areas I cannot control.

As grad school is another area that I must not push myself too hard. I have met so many great friends & am really enjoying my classes however I do get anxious that Im still in school. I love school & learning, but Im also excited for a career in counseling. I'm content with where my life is at the moment but Im very motivated to get through school & & get that Masters!!

To my Valentine...

Happy Valentine's Day to my love, my best friend and my rock! It's kinda crazy that each day we love each other more and more...

Hope everyone is enjoying heart day!

Somedays I need to remind myself just how lucky I am. I never did a recap of 2010 & I figured I needed too. I love reminiscing on all the memories a year can hold. I think all the way back to last January when Derek & I bought our home. As I sit here tying in our kitchen, Im thankful to have a home where Derek & I can grow as a family together. I love our home and I thank God everyday for it! As spring approached I was surrounded by all my family & friends, I got to enjoy all the fun of planning a wedding and all of the showers that come along with it! I was blessed to have 4 showers and an amazing bachelorette party. I really enjoyed the process of planning a wedding. I grew closer with my parents and I enjoyed all the great times we had together. I really did cherish them because soon I would be moving out tackling life as a married women. In spring, an email I had been waiting for also arrived with good news that I got accepted to graduate school for the fall. What a nice feeling when I read that news!!

As June drew closer, excitement in my body was even stronger. I was bless with an amazing wedding that was even more perfect than I could have ever imagined. Looking back, I cannot believe how awesome it really was. We enjoyed the property for 3 days and were able to have all our friends & family stay there the days leading up to the wedding. Derek & I went off to Tahoe for a few days to begin our lives as newlyweds. The summer was fun. Having a pool in a place where the average summer day is 90 degrees means pool parties and BBQ most days and nights. It was fun to be able to have our family and friends over & entertain in our home. Another 2010 day I'll never forget is July 19 -- the day Radar entered our family! Oh how I love her so much.

As the summer ended, school began. Im a nerd in the way that I love the 1st day of school... all decked out with new notebooks and binders. I truly felt like a freshmen in college showing up on campus with a map in hand trying to determine where my class was. (I no longer need a map.. Thank God). I really enjoyed my first semester of Graduate school... Ive made some great friends & I finally feel as if I'm learning information I will really use in the future.

The holidays rolled around and I love the new traditions that were started this year. Luckily Derek had Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve & Christmas Day off. I am so grateful to have gotten to spend the holidays with my family. December also marked the beginning of a new journey for Derek. He began his new job working for the City of Davis -- & I am so proud!

Remember all the amazing things that 2010 brought is such a great way to allow myself to remember how lucky I am. I have days where things just don't seem to be going my way however by doing this, I can remind myself of how blessed I really am. I thank God everyday for all that he has given me.. and for all thats to come :)

A few pictures from the end of 2010!

Thanksgiving Day

Tipsy Trolley in San Francisco in November

Christmas Eve 2010 at my parents (with my new haircut)

Radar in her modeling shoot in our living room :)

My Police Officer at his Swearing in Ceremony

Its kinda crazy that SOO much can happen in just ONE year. Im kinda excited to see if 2011 can top 2010... It might be hard to beat... but why not try? :)