Ehllo to 2012!

Hi all,

So I hate when I wait so long to write a blog that I have so much that I want to talk about and don't know where to start.

Let's just start by saying that so far 2012 has begun amazingly. I have clear goals in mind and I am more motivated and determined to accomplish them then I ever have been before. I have felt very peaceful and happy recently and I think that only breeds positivity.

With that being said, this year I want to run 2 half marathons, GIVE more (time and money), stick with school, learn to meditate, watch tv no more than 3 days per/wk, cook more, eat healthier and the list goes on... OH! And blog more, duh.

One thing that I've realized lately is that yes, I have been married to the MR for over FIVE years, but I haven't been the most domestic wife and I'm not afraid to admit that I have lacked in the maturity department (at times!). What can I say, I like the jokes! (insert the "am i saying too much" face) However, If I'm ever going to be a Mom and raise a family, I'm going to need to make some changes; like get myself out of bed in the morning and learn how to cook something other than a bowl of cereal...my fav! And I would do ANYTHING in the world for the MR so I guess I better get my ass in the kitchen more, eh?? (insert winky face)

Now that I've brought the classiness to my post I should probably sign off (winky face)

I hope you have your goals written down and get to 'em, 'cause it's 2012 BABY!!!!!!!!! (insert game face)

Nice chat!

CW

Ps: notice anything creepy about my collage? Anything? Other than the entire collage? Bueller?

Autumn in NYC!

The MR and I just recently took a trip to NYC to visit friends and see the city...and we couldn't have picked a more beautiful time of year.

We hit the ground running the moment our plane landed at 5:30am. We went straight from the airport to breakfast with our NYC friends and my brother and his wife who got there around the same time from AZ. We were all so excited to be there that we couldn't wait to go explore. After breakfast we visited the 9/11 memorial. Although i didn't lose anyone on that tragic day, the memorial left me speechless, teary-eyed and completely heart- broken. It was a beautiful way to pay tribute everyone affected by that day.

As the day progressed we saw more and more; the Statue of Liberty, rode Staten Island Ferry, saw Times Square, and rode the Subway all over! Until 4pm...zZZZzzzZzZZZZzz.

We slept for an hour or two then were back at it again. No more time to sleep!

Our friends took us all over the city and were amazing hosts!

Here is a list of everything we did / saw:

Statue of Liberty, 9/11 memorial, Staten Island Ferry, Top of the Rock (amazing!), Serendipity (Can't say no sundae, to die for!), Battery Park, Ate water dogs, Times Square, Ice Skating in Central Park (so fun!), Grand Central Station, Brooklyn pizza, Shopping (a little), ate super delicious food, and randomly connected with an old Navy buddy of the MR's (love when that happens!) I'm sure there's more but I can always make changes later on.

We had an amazing time and are so grateful that our friends opened their door for us.

Xo - CW

The MR and I at Rockefeller Center

9/11 Memorial

My beautiful sister-in-law

Dinner at Pinto, an amazing Thai restaurant in So ho

One of our great "Navy" friends that just so happened to be in NYC at the same time.

The MR looking handsome as always :)

In case you didn't know...

Yes, I had the "Can't Say No Sundae" and it was TDF! (TDF = To Die For)

Thank you to my sister-in-law for getting this amazing shot of the MR and me at the Top of the Rock. <3

Cartwheels in Central Park...no big deal.

The guys waiting for us ladies to get off the ice rink in Central Park. 

A little 12 o'clock booze to get us started for the day.

Ground Zero

Subway entrance.

Just hanging out under this magical tree in Central Park.

Autumn in NYC!!

HAD to visit the Apple store :)

The Statue of Liberty.

The guys at the Top of the Rock.

Hold me tight because we're goin' to Grand Central Station.

Saw it with my own eyes.

View from the Top of the Rock.

Grand Central Station (Choo Chooo)

9/11 Memorial Reflection

My brother being his funny self.

9/11 Memorial - In case you haven't been, this waterfall is a huge square with a square hole in the center that you can't see down. My interpretation was that it represents infinity. Really neat. A bitter sweet moment.

Flags in Rockefeller Center

Ice Skating in Rockefeller Center. Where's Al?!

My sister-in-law, her beautiful sister and me.

Times Square - Lit up as always :)

NYC Church

View from the back of the Staten Island Ferry. Did you notice the bird?

Photo shoot in Central Park, irresistible.

Two loves just being loves.

The Top of the Rock -- Rockefeller Building

Not So Cut and Dry.

Have you ever needed to have such an important conversation with someone you love dearly, but know just how fine that line is between pushing them away and actually being able to help them? I have one question that has been looping through my head all afternoon, "what is the best way to approach this conversation?" If I knew the one thing to say that would fix it all, I would be one happy, thankful sister. If there really was one cut and dry answer that would fix it all, all the problems in the world would be non-existent. I guess that's what makes the world go round but makes life so complicated at times. Sometimes no matter how much you want the best for someone, they've got to want the best for them self. And sometimes, we have to learn the hard way. The word of the day: helpless.

On the flip-side, it's Friday and I am so thankful for that! A weekend of rest and relaxation. Just what the doctor ordered.

Have a wonderful weekend!

CW

5 YEARS!

The MR and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary this weekend. We rented a boat this morning and are keeping it until tomorrow. We love the "boat" life and have dreams of someday owning one and possibly living aboard.

Of course today has been filled with lots of love, sweet surprises and romance. We sailed for several hours then anchored to have snacks and sun time. Snacks: cheese, crackers, chips, fresh strawberries w/ whipped cream and champagne to toast our 5th. Don't worry, we are documenting every moment...obviously.

After dinner we set sail again to finally pull into our home port. We've been listening to sweet tunes, playing cards, eating/drinking rootbeer floats, telling stories and learning even more about each other. I always learn something new from the MR about his life, and I fall even more in love with him with every story.

A moment came when I thought I was sooo clever and made up a card game where we would flip a card and talk about what ever thoughts spiraled from the suit or number. At first I got a sarcastic answer and eye-roll from the MR but then guess who was sharing allll of his life stories by the 3rd card?? Yep, you know it.

All jokes aside, I am truly thankful for my life, family, marriage, friends and job...especially when I'm out on the water, peacefully reflecting on life and loving every minute of it.

I believe in being who you are deep down inside no matter what anyone thinks of you. I know sometimes it's hard but, rid the negativity in your life. It's all nonsense and not worth your energy. I get so tired of all the judgement and what certain people or groups think is right or wrong. All that matters is that you love, laugh, smile, follow your heart, think for yourself, be active and think of others often.

Until next time...

Yours truly,
CW

Whoa Black Betty!

Who has two thumbs and has to climb through the passenger side of her car to open the driver side door? This girl (CW)!!

Black Betty's age is starting to show... not only is my driver side door handle shot but several people who I have driven around in my car have mentioned "weird" noises, such as; "it sounds like I'm in an airplane", "did you just start the lawn-mower", "hello?!", and "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?!".

Time to either get Black Betty a face-life or buy a new car. I'd rather not go the Flinstone route.

CW

I Have No Arms!

I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't find my arms, so I started to panic, nudged the MR and said "FIND MY ARMS!!" He found them and returned them to me. Apparently I had them above my head and over time lost all feeling. Thank goodness I didn't shoot out of bed looking for them. I could've really hurt my rotator cuff. Hope that doesn't happen again.

Have you ever lost your arms in the middle of the night? If so, did you tear your rotator cuff looking for them??

CW

Surprise Flies!

Wow, getting my hair caught in a fly strip definitely was not on my agenda tonight. And of course this happened in the tall narrow cabinet; hands full. I fought my way out like a champ, but now my hair has an odor that will do one or all of these things; 1) repel the MR. 2) Attract more flies 3) cause me to pass out. Gonna have to be a l-i-t-t-l-e more careful here in the "fly hunting" war zone, aka our apartment.

HELLO summers in San Diego! Damn flies.

CW

What a Rut?!

Ever feel like you're stuck in a rut; want to get started on a project or activity but don't actually start? Me too...but I'm back at it again!

Now that I'm getting back in the game, I might as well make a list of all the other things I've been putting off in the past year and a half, and start tackling them...tomorrow :)

Until then, sweet dreams.

CW

Oh how I miss you

Dear Blog,

It's been TOO long! Maybe we can visit again some time soon??

CW

My birth-day

My Mom's first 3 pregnancies were boys. She and everyone else in the family wanted a girl sooo bad that she convinced my Dad to try again. When she got pregnant the 4th time, the doctor told her it was a boy.

In the delivery room, she gave birth to what she thought was a baby boy. The doctor said "well, don't you want to see what it is?" She said "I already know it's a boy" and he replied..."it's a girl." Everyone in the delivery room wept and nearly fainted. My Mom scolded the doctor for misleading her but he said he couldn't identify the exact gender during her pregnancy so he didn't want to get her hopes up.

Now, in that moment, had I known the hell I was about to endure being the only girl out of 9 grand children/boys, I probably would've crawled back in the womb. And people wonder why I'm so weird? It all makes perfect sense :)

What it was like being the only girl out of 9 boys:

• Waking up to a face full of permanent marker and if I had a friend over she was lucky enough to be my twin.
• All the windows and light bulbs shot out of my doll house with BB guns.
• Boot camp (need I say more?)
• Tortured babysitters
• Spitball/food fights
• We owned every animal known to man (rabbits, hamsters, rats, turtles, frogs, dogs, cats, a rooster, fish, snakes, ferrets, tarantulas, lizards, birds and the list goes on and on)
• Tortured baby dolls
• Slingshots
• Dart guns
• And all the accidents that happened along the way

I could go on and on but I think you get the point. Thank goodness we all survived! I'm sure some things could have been avoided but overall, I think I turned out pretty good and I wouldn't be who I am today if I had it any different.

Today is...drum roll please...

MY BIRTHDAY!!!

I've had so many calls and messages today so thank you, thank you, thank you <3

Several people have asked if I have any special plans today and I think they might have been a bit shocked when I told them I didn't.

First of all, I am SO grateful for all of my family and friends. I have a lot of people that love me and I have so much love in my heart for all of them; I feel extremely lucky and fortunate to have them in my life. Second of all, February has been an all around awesome month for me/us! I've been completely spoiled and let me tell you why...

Three weeks ago I passed real estate school and now I belong to a real estate company here in town. My sister-in-law and I decided to become a team which is nice because we're both new to the business. I am so excited to get the ball running. You may think I'm crazy for going into real estate right now, but I think there's no better time than NOW!

Valentine's Day was wonderful! Dave and I went to dinner, drank wine and really enjoyed each other's company. We had our celebration early because I was out of town for the actual day.

After our Valentine's Day I flew to California to visit my family. My brother, his wife, their two kids and my Nana met me at my Mom's house. We had an awesome and much needed time together! I ended up getting sick a couple days into my trip but what's new?! I am guaranteed to get sick every time I travel...every time. It's really pathetic. We spend most of our days at the beach. We took a trip to the Americana in Glendale, CA which is beautiful and I recommend you see it too. My Mom, sister and I drove to San Diego to have happy hour with my old work peeps. I loved seeing everyone, especially my Mom. She is so special to me and I just think the world of her. If you've met her, you understand what I mean :) Sadly, I had to leave everyone but I was so excited to see the MR! So I jumped on a plane and 7hrs later I was jumping into his arms (ahhhh).

Our puppy was born while I was in California. We are going to meet her on Saturday but we can't bring her home for another month. The breeder has been sending us pictures and video footage. We feel like adoptive parents...well, we kinda are. When we finally bring her home, don't worry, you'll see PLENTY of photos and video. It will be a joyous event as long as she doesn't peeuoop everywhere.

On Monday night, 10 of us piled into a limo and we went to the Black Eyed Peas concert. It was the boom boom pow and had an absolute blast! A great night with lots of dancing...and drinks!

And, last but not least...(are you ready for this???)
On Saturday, we're leaving for 7 days on a cruise ship to the Bahamas!

What an amazing end to the month!!!

I'll keep you posted! Lots of exciting news to come.

Less is more

Do you ever feel like you want to throw your phone out the window? Well, I do.

I thought the concept of blogging from my phone sounded amazing, however, I'm starting to see that it's not so amazing after all :(

I often try to blog from my phone but I get lots of error messages and sometimes lose my posts, which can be very frustrating. So, to fix the problem, I've decided to only blog from my netbook at home. This means that you might be hearing from me a little less, but hang in there because I always have more to say ;)

CW

In stitches!

Dave had surgery on his wrist two weeks ago and they did this:

Both pieces of the broken bone (scaphoid) were healing seperately which is bad because that particular bone has a blood supply running through it. So, they scraped off the healed parts, collected bone marrow from another bone in his wrist and sandwiched it between the two broken pieces, put a screw in it and wah-la!

Today they took off his splint and this is what I saw:

The nurse removed his stitches and we received nothing but great news from Doc!

He was put in a cast on Nov 23rd. After 8wks in a cast, 2wks in a splint, surgery, 2wks in another splint, 6wks in a splint and a bone stimulator post surgery, we can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel!

He's so excited that he doesn't have to do the cast thing again...and I am too :) <----they stink bad. Peee-yew!

CW

Froot Loops Anyone?

We ran out of bowls :(

Snow, snow and more snow!

I know it's been a while since my last post so here's a little of what I've been up to:



I spent most of last week studying and stressing about my final exams. And, guess what!! I passed them both :-) All that stressin and I did great! The hard work paid off. Now I must take the state exam (nail biter).


When I found out that I passed the exams on Friday, I finally felt like I could relax. So we went to a MMA competition with Kim and Tim. I have to admit, it's not my thing. It was fun to get out and experience something different but I'm not into watching people inflict pain on other people.


Saturday morning, we woke up at around 7:30am. When we opened the blinds we saw snow everywhere! It was so peaceful and beautiful! We were shocked the the weather men were actually right. We invited Kim, Tim and our niece and newphew over to play in the snow. They came fully equiped with all their snow gear and we had a blast! We built a snowman, had snowball fights, lunch then cozied up next to the fire and watched a movie. Well, I slept through the movie but that's norm for me :-)


Saturday night we had a sleep over with our n&n. We played cards, wii and watched another movie. Oh, and we blew up a picture of the "statue" on 25-30 pages, pieced together and glued each piece on the back of our old closet door, preparing for our next teaser.


Today, we played more cards and wii, baked sugar cookies from scratch and decorated them for valentines day. They were delicious! While we were decorating the cookies, Dave snuck the statue/closet door out of the house, drove it to Kim and Tim's house and unloaded it by their garage. 5min after Dave pulled away he was getting funny texts from Kim about the statue/closet door. I think we're at a turning point with the statue. We've done the hiding then stealing thing. Now we're doing little teasers. Any ideas on what our next move should be?


Time for bed - Peace,


CW


PS: I had Golden Grams for breakfast and dinner. Don't judge!

The Family Statue

For the past two years there's been an ongoing joke between Dave's sister Kim, brother-in-law Tim, Dave and myself.


Tim and Kim found a statue in the attic of a house they use to live in a couple years ago.

Yep, that's him!

When we visited them a couple years ago on the east coast, they hid the statue in our bed...Creepy. Then we hid it in their shower. And they hid it in our room again.Before we went home, we hid it in their camper knowing they wouldn't find it for a while but when they did it would be GOOD! And it was.


The following Christmas, they contacted my Mom, got her address and mailed it to her house and told her to give it to us to open on Christmas morning. What a surprise! They got us.


Six months later we were in San Francisco with them. We knocked on their hotel room door, left the statue outside and RAN! They did the same thing back to us and we decided to keep it.


I left San Francisco before Dave, Tim and Kim, with the statue in my suitcase. They got to our house in San Diego a few days after me and of course, since I hadn't unpacked yet, they got in my suitcase and stole the statue. AHHHHH! Sneaky, sneaky! Dave was coming home early the next day so he and I had to start planning our revenge. Through emails we decided that I would sneak into Kim and Tim's room which was next to ours and search their luggage for the statue. They were down stairs watching a movie so into their room I went! I didn't find the statue :( We had a good feeling Tim and Kim hid it in their car so my next move was to sneak back into their room and steal their car keys. Back into their room I went and wah-la! I hit the jackpot; the keys were on the night stand. I emailed Dave to let him know I found them and here's where plan B comes into play... I kept those keys with me all night, and because I couldn't sleep from excitement, I was thinking of every possible situation. What happens when they realize the keys are gone? How are they going to get revenge? I knew they would watch me like a hawk if they realized the keys were missing. I just couldn't wait for Dave to get home in the morning to help with our next move, plan B.


Plan B: I woke up early the next morning to open our balcony door because they wake up early, and I didn't want them to hear the alarm beep when I opened it. Dave called when he pulled up in front of the house; I went on the balcony and threw the keys down to him. While he was in their car searching for the statue I went down stairs to entertain Tim and Kim. They were confused because they saw Dave walking up to the door, bend down to pick up the keys I threw to him (they landed on the grass) and turn around. They said, "Dave was walking up, then he dropped something and turned around to go back to his car." Little did they know! Dave found it in their car hidden in a back compartment. He replaced it with two care bears holding a sign that said "got ya, sucka!", and then put the statue in his truck. When Dave got inside, I eventually got him to come up stairs and he passed the keys back to me. I smoothly put them back where I found them while Kim and Tim stayed down stairs. They didn't realize the statue had been taken out of their car. They drove around for a day or so thinking it was still with them but when they found out it wasn't, they were shocked! They turned our house upside down looking for it the next day while we were working, but didn't find it. We've had it ever since!


After Kim and Tim left the joke continued. Dave opened his locker at work and you'll never guess what he saw...the care bears! Tim and Kim somehow got the number of Dave's co-worker, met up with him, gave him the care bears and asked him to hide them on the ship where Dave would find them. Crazy!

Today, 1.5yrs later, Kim asked me to scan her a drawing of a poster we're creating for work, so I sent her a picture of the statue. I just wanted to refresh her memory and make sure she didn't forget about our little joke. She sent me a text message that said “okay, it's a little different then I remember us talking about on Friday (the drawing). Do you think a big poster would work or is it a little creepy?!" I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt!


Stay tuned for more of my statue diaries...


Dun dun dunnnnnn,


CW

The official meeting

As you may know, Dave and I decided to try and conquer our front yard situation Saturday. Once we started raking leaves, all of our neighbors slowly started coming out of their homes. It was neat because we got to meet each of them and their kids. The couple who live directly across the street from us are retired. We only met the man and he use to be in the Navy. We also met two other families; next door to us (marines) and a couple down the street. I'm so glad we were outside that day. Our neighborhood really came alive! Two days after meeting the retired couple across the street, the man brought us some brownies with a note that said "Welcome!" We thought that was really kind. I'm going to bake cookies to fill their container and return it to them with a note that says "thank you!"

Remember when I said I was waiting for our "baked goods welcome?" Well, ha! Told ya it would happen! They just had to meet us first, decide they liked us and...wha-la! Brownies! And, boy are they yuuuuummy!

I hope we have more days like Saturday. It was great meeting and getting to know all of them and to know we're all here for each other. I have to say, we picked an awesome neighborhood!

Gotta run!

CW

Not this one

Dave is on his way to the hospital to have surgery on his wrist and I wish I was with him. I have to be at school within the hour and I'm hoping I'll get out of school in time to see him before they do the operation. I'm sad that I'm not with him especially since their putting him under.

On a funny note, when he left this morning he had "not this one" written on his other wrist to make sure the Dr's get the right one. He makes me laugh :)

Must turn off American Idol and finish getting ready for school. Have a wonderful day and I'll update you soon!

CW

Dining Room Table

We got a new dining room table and we love it! Our house is finally starting to look like a home, yay!

Crazy Time

So I wish I could give you an interesting update on the last few days but I just don't think it's gonna happen...sorrrrry. However, I did have a wonderful weekend with Dave. Here's the update minus the interesting part:

I am busy, busy, busy! Between school, studying, homework, work, house / yard work and all of my wifely duties, I'm trying to make sure I set aside at least 1-2 hours of down time per/day; a little in the am and a little in the pm. I have one week left of school then it's time for tests. Crazy!

I am so grateful that I am busy right now! It's just the way I like it to be on the weekdays. School is overwhelming at the moment but it will get better and I will conquer! 

I'm off to read other blogs now. I hope you had a nice weekend and I'll catch up with you again soon :-)

C doubleya