2011 --- getting up to speed

Started off this year celebrating the New Year with Jim's brothers and sister in Fountain Valley... fun time! Sarah made the AYSO select soccer team, Shawn is bummed to be off soccer for a bit due to a foot injury but excited to have gotten his drivers permit recently...although I find it a little scary!!! The kids were in the road show this month and it was very entertaining. Natalia was beyond hilarious with Jersey accent! Nicky got her Young Women's Medallion at church and she continues to set a great example for the whole family. Cliff is working on getting prepared to go on a mission. And Jim and I are just working away... Oh - and we got 2 new kitties...they are a complete joy. They are supposed to be outdoor kitties, but we got them young so have kept them inside for a while and they don't' seem ready or willing to go outside - this is driving Jim nuts while I am loving it!!!

Misc Photos From Our Wedding

2010 --- a blurrrrrrr.

So, we all moved in together in November 2009...Me, Shawn & Sarah and Jim, Cliff, Nicky and Natalia. We spent Christmas Eve at Jim's moms in Diamond Bar and had Christmas together back at our house. The next six months or so was a huge adjustment period - the whole blending families thing was about a million times harder than i ever expected. Nicky saved us all when she had some kind of spiritual breakthrough and single-handedly became a beacon of hope and light for everyone...it was a total miracle and she's just an amazing young girl! I got a new job as Staff Accountant/HR Administrator at Tradition Golf Club in February...this was a great blessing during this crazy economic crisis. Its a beautiful place and I work with some wonderful people. Shawn was excited to make the high school soccer team. Soccer is his biggest love for sure :) Sarah's playing AYSO soccer and she's hoping to make the high school team as well when the time comes. Summertime - Shawn went on a roadtrip from Auburn to Canada with his Grandpa David.... they had a fabulous time and Shawn got to meet some family in Canada. Sarah had a fun time with Grandma Dianne. Jim took a few trips to Tunisia for work --- he loves it and is working on learning Arabic. The next school year rolled around... Shawn made the high school soccer team again and played AYSO and club soccer --- it was exhausting - he loved it :) Sarah is in 8th grade and playing AYSO soccer again and having a fun time in Young Women's group at church.

Mitzi - our cat of 16 years died this year and so did our outdoor cat Bruce... boo hoo...big time bummers : ( I miss them both a bunch...

Sometime during the year our church had an adult night talent show...it --- I cannot remember a time where I laughed so hard. The bishopric's act was the highlight of the night... they did some kind of riverdance skit that had me rolling on the ground! I hope they do it again sometime. Jim and I celebrated our 1st anniversary and ate the huge piece of coconut cake I froze from our wedding. It was unbelievably delicious even after being in the freezer for a whole year!!! Yummmmmmmmm : ] The kids and I went to Monterey for Christmas... they loved seeing the family!!! We celebrated Christmas with Jim and the kids before we left and they went to Jim's moms for Christmas Eve. The logistics of the holidays are a bit of a challenge too, but we are getting it all figured out to work for everyone : )

Got Married ---- November 2009!

My how time flies... I have not posted in about a year and a half... so I'm just going to do a little recap here so I have something to look back on. November 2009 - Jim and I got married in the Redlands Temple and had a ring ceremony/reception at Gerald and Jessica Hamptons house. My friend Sara came out from Illinois a few days before the wedding and helped me do all the running around that needed to be done... it was a major help to have her around and I thought it was great fun doing everything necessary to get ready for the wedding... the whole weekend was wonderful. We were married at the temple on Saturday morning November 7, 2010... it was a lovely event and we had some wonderful friends and family join us. Jim and Nicky and I stopped at Taco Bell to eat on the way home to get ready for the reception. So many of our friends helped with everything it was incredible. Jim selected a Hawaiian theme for the dinner/reception. I wore hot pink shoes with my white dress and Melanie made me a sweet necklace out of shells and crystals. Nicky and our friend Laurie took pictures. Gerald and Jess did so much to get their yard ready... it looked beautiful... and they helped with the Kahlua Pork and a million other things too. Jackie Orduno made this amazing macaroni salad with some secret fish ingredient - a few of our other friends brought rice and helped set up, arrange flowers, plants and centerpieces and prepare the rest of the food - fresh fruit and rolls and Jim's girls made pigs in a blanket for appetizers... everyone loved them. And then there was the coconut cake made by Brook Homec - this is the best cake I have ever had in my entire life and I sill have vivid taste-flashbacks of this moist sweet better than any desert in the world cake and I think I need to order one for our anniversary every year!!!!! We stayed at La Quinta Resort the night of our wedding --- great room --- great night!!! Love that place :) Then went to LA area/Dana Point/Laguna Beach for a quick honeymoon. It was great... we ate, went to movies, shopped and lolly gaged around...nice relaxing alone time with no responsibilities ---- wonderful :)