Nine Months

I am back and I promise: To update frequently and To blog for myself.

And now may I present my (almost) year in review...

October 2009

*After a long process Nick finally closed on his house! I could immediately see the change in Nick once he moved in....this house makes him so happy, and therefore makes me happy.

*Halloween

Jackie and I dressed up as “Black Eyed Peas” and were super comfy all night in our lovely green sweats (as we worked it on stage and won 4-ish place in a costume contest) :)

November 2009

*I made it through my first parent/teacher conferences without puking, although I did get very nervous before. My kids are 1.5-3 years old, so the idea of conferences may seem silly, but trust me they're not.

*On a very sad note, my wonderful Grandma died in November...actually on the last day of conferences. She was an amazing woman, stubborn as they come. And it was evident that she loved all of us all very much.

*Nick’s band asked me to take photo’s for their upcoming album. Nick has amazing connections and somehow got us on top of a 10-story building overlooking the highway. Ridiculous. Here are a few favorites. I want to save the rest for another day.

December 2009

*A group of us had our annual Christmas party before the holidays. Jackie and Lydia's apartment was beautifully decorated and there was some amazing food. The night was fun, as always.

*I had a reunion with my best friends from high school. Two of them live out of state now, so it’s very rare to have the entire group together in one place. I love how easy it is to fall back into our friendship like we've never been apart.

*Merry Christmas!

*My New Years Eve plans consisted of me, Nick, sweatshirts, a bottle of champagne, and a TV to watch the ball drop. Exciting stuff, right?

Wanna know a secret? It was probably my favorite New Year’s celebration ever.

January 2010

*I began the Day Zero Project. A list of 101 things I must complete in 1001 days (approximately 2.75 years). Thanks to (Jackie’s) Nick for helping me complete my first task, “Eat sushi,” which was absolutely delicious.

*I saw Owl City with Jackie, although we were totally bummed our third sister couldn’t go with us. The concert was great...it’s hard to find live music we don’t like. And as an added bonus, I was introduced to Lights, who is great to listen to while running or Shredding.

(Note to Jackie: "Look, my owl can dance!" "Yeah, and it can fly too!" ....owl gets thrown off balcony)

February 2010

*My parents both celebrate their birthdays this month, so my sisters and I planned quite the surprise celebration. It started out with bowling, went on to a delicious lunch, and ended at a dueling piano bar. Happy Birthday M&D!

*February began the tradition of “Triple H” aka “Hump-Day Happy Hour.” Triple H equals me, Nick, Jackie, Nick, sometimes Lydia and Ben going out for drinks and food on Wednesdays after work. It very soon became the highlight of my week.

March 2010

*Saw Train and Butch Walker in concert with Nick and company. We went for Butch, but I quickly fell in love with Train.


*Art Show at my work. Beautiful artwork, beautiful families, one of my favorite nights ever.

April 2010


*Happy Easter!

*Out of my three best friends from college only one lives in the same city as me. So it was decided that a reunion must take place. We celebrated Minnesota’s birthday (the girl, not the state. And no, thats not her real name) and had a fantastic time! I adore these girls!

*Since Kenny decided not to tour this year, we knew we had to see him in 3D at the movie theatre. Lydia, Jackie, Kathleen and I attended with 3D glasses and CPC waterbottles in hand. It was actually really cool...beach balls flying at us, hands in the air...not as good as the real thing, but still a rockin’ good time. The highlight of the night was when we got tired of sitting down and got the whole first row to stand up and dance with us. Life is meant to be fun, right?

May 2010

*My nephews both had birthdays this month.

Now may I introduce....

Four year-old Shane

and Two year-old Nate

Their birthday party was a dinosaur pajama party (the pajama part wasn’t planned until the birthday boys changed into them a few minutes before the party began). I love them.

*Nick, Jackie, Nick, Lydia, Ben and I attended dime-a-dog night at the Clipper’s baseball game. How can life get any better than ten cent hotdogs?! I ate a total of SEVEN! Woo! Stomach-ache....

June 2010

*June marked the one year anniversary of me working full time in my toddler room. June also meant that most of my kiddos would be moving up to the preschool room. It was incredibly sad to see them move up. After spending 8 hours a day with them for a whole year, how could it not be?

*Jackie and Nick got engaged! Details and more photos to come soon!




*I celebrated my 24th birthday!


And let me just say...my family, friends, and Nick are too good to me. I had a small celebration with Jackie, Lydia, Kathleen, and Katie (food, wine, cookie cake, and Remember Me), surprises at work (iced coffee from Jackie, banner made by the kids, flowers brought in by one of my favorite two year-olds ever, ice cream for afternoon snack), family dinner (subs, potatoes, watermelon, cake, and ice cream) and a night out with Nicholas (mexican food and sketch comedy).

On my very first day of being 24 I learned that I am surrounded by the world’s greatest people, who truly care about me. I also learned that my family is the most important thing in the world to me (Quote from my mother that only a few of us can truly appreciate: “I’ve got booze!”)

So, thank you to everyone who made my birthday special...I’m determined to make this my best year yet!

*Erin, whose birthday is also in June, and I usually do a joint birthday “celebration.” This year’s did not disappoint. Color coded markers, checklists, bonus challenges, shark week conversations, piggyback rides, and big plans for the very near future.



There it is...NINE months of good living wrapped up into one gigantic blog post.
And I must say...it feels good to be back.