flashback fridays

1997 - at a photo shoot that she was doing make up for

Flashback Fridays is back! This post is dedicated to my bff of 20 years. We've been through it all together (hair colors, hair styles, death of a parent, pregnancy, break ups, make ups, etc.) and even though we may have our moments, she gets me and I get her. We've never once judged one another because what's the point, everyone makes mistakes! That's real friendship right there! Three years after I moved to California she followed in my footsteps and did the same. I'm sure it had nothing to do with wanting to go to make up school and it was all about being closer to me. All kidding aside, she's always been a 20 minute drive away and now she's moving an hour away. An hour too far if you ask me but I'm supportive of her newest adventure in her life. 

2006 - Lauren visits and we go to Disneyland

2008 w/our "other" half Jessi

2008 - First day of Warped in Pomona
(So hot. So gross. Thank god buses have ac!)

2008 - after party on top of the music box w/Lauren's new friend Curtis 

2008 - end of warped tour drinks w/Mike 

2009 - before we saw Snoop Dogg w/Jorie and Jessi

2009 - typical 

2010 - having a little too much fun 

2011 - fun aunt Lauren holds Charlie for the first time
(this picture makes me melt every time)

and so it begins

We had Charlie's first birthday theme picked out for months now. I've been prepping his invites for the past three weeks or so. Party supplies started being bought last week. I treated myself to my first pumpkin spice latte of the season yesterday. To be honest, I almost forgot about pumpkin spice lattes. I can't remember the last time I had one of those (pregnancy). If you know me, you know how pumpkin obsessed I am so this was a real treat. Oh, did I mention the delicious pumpkin cupcake I also treated myself too? I see daily coffee consumption starting shortly and maybe a daily cupcake too? Some may say I'm going a little overboard with Charlie's first birthday but he deserves it and nothing makes me happier than planning a party and seeing it come together!    

a peek into today's photo shoot 

Sewing the bean bags. 

a weekend in pictures

My yummy view on my morning run 

cotton candy sunsets

Jack is my friend's dog who only has three legs. I fell in love with this little guy.
If he goes missing I probably just kidnapped him :)

Read Me:

This book has been living in my amazon shopping cart since it came out. It was a nice surprise when it randomly arrived on my Kindle (thank you, mom!) last week. I'm the first one out of my friends to have a child so I've looked towards the Internet to find people who are in similar situations. This book is comforting, inspiring and very helpful.

 - LAbyrinth by Randall Sullivan
A detective investigates the murders of Tupac and Biggie. My friend Lindsay lent me her copy of the book tonight. I got so excited that I rushed home to start reading it. I'm only in the first chapter but I already have a feeling that I'll be up till 2am reading it.

 - 71toes (I love this family oriented blog) gives a little reminder that life isn't always perfect but there's always something to be thankful for.

 - Antiquaria (love love this blog/shop/etc.) shares their autumn wardrobe essentials.

 - Raising Colorado (one of my favorite bloggers who is hysterical, loves squirrels and enjoys a good rap song or two) shares a homemade cheddar cracker recipe but instead of bunnies she's using squirrels!

http://www.amazon.com/Mom-Inc-Essential-Successful-Business/dp/1452101213/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348466937&sr=8-1&keywords=mom+inc

life lately

I miss this blog. Friends and some readers have sent me some sweet messages asking me to keep writing and blogging. I'm not sure I can promise daily updates but I promise to try and pay a bit more attention to this little blog. 

In the midst of the chaos of cleaning/organizing/packing I found my flip cam. I finally scrolled through it and found several videos I forgot about. Several of my dog/cat Rilo (he lives in PA) from Xmas 2010 (nerd status!) and a video from when I was in labor. I don't remember it being filmed. It was one of the sweetest (& slightly funny) things I have seen! I've made it a point to take more videos of Charlie. I also carry my good camera around in our diaper bag. I've become super lazy with my photo taking since owning an iphone (that is now outdated - thanks iphone 5!). Looking into getting a SLR for my photography habit. I had one at one point but I lent it to a friend and while in their care it got stolen (no bueno!). So I think now (especially now) it makes sense to invest in one. School was put on hold while the next moves are planned. I'm enjoying this time with Charlie. He'll never be this young or old again. When I was working there was so much I felt like I missed out on. When I was pregnant, I was so nervous about the future and I was afraid of missing work while on maternity leave. I've always been a dedicated worker who took pride in their hard work so not working for a few months seemed overwhelming. At first I enjoyed returning to work but then it slowly faded. I missed my son more. I missed putting him down for a nap, feeding him, changing his diaper, etc. No amount of money can buy back that time I missed out on. Just because a mother doesn't work outside the home doesn't mean they're sitting around watching TV or wasting their time away. Motherhood is a tough gig. I am looking for a job and even though funds are tight, I'm enjoying this extra time with him. We're so blessed. He's very healthy. You can't even tell he has Barth Syndrome. His doctors are very impressed with him. This is one of the biggest blessings. I pause each and every day and thank god for him. He's my alarm clock in the morning (he's an early bird) and he accompanies me on my morning runs (big thanks to the grandparents for that stroller!). I make all of his food (this isn't as easy or hard as it may seem) and I'm getting to be a pro at making finger friendly meals. We keep the TV off during the day. I'm anti TV for the little ones. Unless it's a rare occasion or a Giants game is on. We spend a lot of time listening to music, reading books, making music (pots and pans are a favorite), trips to the beach, etc. Come 6pm I'm exhausted and I'm beyond thankful for when the other swoops in. I'm also very thankful for friends like Auntie Hope and Auntie Lindsay who are always an extra set of hands and are always down for a beach trip or a walk. Nap time is almost over and I still have 1st birthday invites to finish up. Enjoy the pictures!  

My football inspired 7 layer dip for the Giants game. 

We're going to try and grow our Christmas tree this year. Let's see how this works out haha. 

I feel that life has been just flying by. One day I was pregnant and the next I have a 10 month old. This weekend was just what I needed. Stress free and filled with my favorite people, favorite visitors, reading, relaxing, art projects, laughter & lots of yummy food. Not once did blogging come to mind. In the past I'd start stressing about what to write, trying to find an even balance between over sharing or not sharing enough and coming off as "fake", checking stats, etc. Looking back it was just silly. So I think it's best if I take a much needed break from blogging. My family (especially Charlie) requires more of my attention along with all exciting things that are coming up, etc. I know I'll miss writing. Maybe one day I'll be back but right now I want to really enjoy everything that makes me happy. :)