Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The Note





After tucking Lauren in the other night I pulled back my covers to climb into bed and I found this cute little note hiding under my blankets. The note said "Dear Heather, Thanks for inviting me." How cute is that! What a precious girl. It made me tear up. Thanks Lauren :)

ICE

This morning I walked out to my car and found the whole top half of my car covered in a thick layer of ice. I spent ten minutes scrapping it off. Who would think that I would need an ice scrapper in Monterey.

Birthday Sleepover with Lauren

As some of you might remember last year for Violet's birthday I invited her to a special birthday sleepover. A few days before Lauren's birthday she asked if she could also have a special birthday sleepover. Of course I said yes. Honestly I can't say no to those precious Holdridge girls :)

Sunday night was Lauren's special sleepover. We started of night off with dinner at Chevy's, Lauren's favorite place. After dinner we went to my house, put on our pajamas, played a game, watched a video, and had some hot chocolate before bed. In the morning Lauren and I had some cozy time in bed watching a video and drinking our coffee and hot chocolate. Next we went to Tuckbox, in Carmel, and had waffles for breakfast. Yummy! After breakfast we went for a short walk around downtown. It had been raining so there were puddles everywhere. Lauren had to jump in each and everyone of them. After our lovely walk we went back to my house to bake gingerbread men an women. We ended a great sleepover with picking up Violet and June and taking them out to lunch at the Bagel Bakery.

I love the Holdridge girls and I am so blessed to be able to spend time with each week. These three beautiful girls bring such joy and happiness into my life. When I am around them all the worries of the day go away within minutes. The make me laugh. Thanks to Nate and Christina for letting be apart of these girls lives. Also, Lauren thanks for a great sleepover. I had so much fun and can't wait to do it again. Here are a few photo's :)

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Christmas Tree 2009

Yesterday I purchased and decorated our Christmas tree, with the help from a few of the Bridge guys. This is the first time in three years that I have had a real Christmas tree. For the last few years I have lived in an apartment on the second floor and the idea of having to brag a tree up and down stairs seemed way to hard. But this year, with a new ground level apartment, it was time for a real tree. What a beautiful tree it is. I love the smell of pine. Christmas is favorite time of year but it can be extremely stressful. This year it has come way to soon, however the moment the tree went up and the decorations were complete I forgot all about the stress that this time of year can bring. Now I am just absolutely ecstatic and can't wait for Christmas. Here is are a few photo's of our tree. Merry Christmas!

I am back!!!!!

It has been awhile but the time has come for me to start blogging again, with a little pushing from some friends. So, for you faithful readers I am back. Thanks for putting up with me and I love you guys :)

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Another Great Date Night

On Tuesday I had another fantastic night with the girls. While Lauren, Violet, and I were in the great room playing a computer game I turned around to check on June Bug and she was standing at the glass door, face pressed into the glass, and blowing. She was getting a kick out if it. When I decided to get my camera and take a few photo's the other girls thought it would be fun to do it too. Here are a few photo's. I absolutely love these precious girls :)

From Another Date Night with the girls


From Another Date Night with the girls


From Another Date Night with the girls


From Another Date Night with the girls

Hanging with the Hoppe's

Last Saturday night I got to spend sometime with my good friends Michael and Sarah Hoppe. Sarah made a fantastic dinner and yummy gooey brownies. After dinner we went downtown to watch fireworks. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk was celebrating some anniversary and had a great firework presentation. The best part was that we got to watch the fireworks from the balcony of Hoppe's Inn. Everything was perfect :) Thanks Hoppe's for a wonderful night. I love you guys :)

Monday, June 15, 2009

My new Apartment

Today make it a month since Sara and I have been living in our new apartment. Everything has come together and for the most part the place is done. I need to make some accent pillows for the living room and my bedroom and I need to get a new mirror or picture for my bedroom and dinning room. Other then that the place is completed....for now :) Those of you who know me well know that I love changing colors every three to four months (basically a different color theme for the different seasons) so I have a feeling that I will be posting some more pictures in a few months.

Up to last week we have had table clothes as curtains in our bedrooms and no curtains in the kitchen. On Monday I made curtain for the kitchen and on Thursday our friend Noah came over and hung up curtain rods and curtains for us. It was the final touch. Sara and I have been so excited ever since. Our apartment actually feel like a home. It is amazing that curtains would do that. Anyways, Sara and I are loving our new place. Thanks again for all the help. Here are some photo's for you to enjoy.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Riley Manzo






Yesterday when I was leaving the church I saw this. Riley just looks so natural on a unicycle.

Zada Saleh



This is my friends Zach and Aide's daughter. She is so stinking cute.

Date Night with the Holdridge Girls

Last night was another one of my special date nights with the girls. I do love my sweet girls...they make me laugh. Last night we went to Cold Stone for some ice cream. These girls sure love ice cream, just like Nate. Here are some photo's to document the night. Enjoy!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

I HAVE MOVED!

The move is over....kind of. We are unpacked and living in the new place. We have a few small details left, hanging up pictures, curtains, pillows, and overall organization of cabinets and closets. This weekend I am going to go and clean the old apartment. We hope to turn in the keys next Wednesday which will make the move officially over.

Last Saturday was the big move day. Everything went fantastically. We had tons of help and it was amazing how fast we got everything done. By Saturday night we were about 95% unpacked. I finished on Monday. I am loving the new apartment and all the new neighbors. I also love Sara! It has been an easy change. I even had friends over for dinner on Thursday and we are planning on having a BBQ on Monday.

Thanks everyone for your help! I could not have moved without all of you. You are the greatest friends every. I will post pictures of the new place in a few days. That is it for now, I have to go start cleaning the old place now :)

Gym Update

It has been a few weeks since I updated you guys on the gym. I just finished my tenth week of Dimensions. The time has gone by so fast. I feel like I just started but I only have two more weeks left. Crazy! I am still learning tons and I am losing weight. I now weigh, as of yesterday, 223lbs. That makes a grand total of 41lbs lost since January. AWESOME! I am feeling good and my clothes just seem to be getting bigger and bigger. I still have at least 73lbs more to lose to meet my goal. So, I still have a long way to go but I am getting a good start. I am so thankful for all of your guys support. Thanks :) Of course I can't do it without my great trainer. He is a big pain but I love him and I am so thankful for his pushing, harassing, and encouragement. He is worth every penny :)

With all of that said I have decided to keep up the training. I am going to be committing to another three months and evaluate after and see. My goal is to keep the "three days a week training" for a year then go down to either two or one day a week for a few months and evaluate after I have hit my goal weight. To start with I will commit to at least three more months. Truly exciting. I will keep you guys posted as I move along. Love you and thanks again for the encouragement and support. You guys rock!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Big News

Today I weighed in and I lost three ponds this week. That makes a grand total of thirty eight pounds lost. SWEET!!!!!!!!!

I also bought my first new pair of pants the other day, all of my pants are too big for me. Anyways, the new pants are four sizes smaller then my old ones. I am so excited. I am now wearing a size eighteen. I can't believe it! People say that they can see that I am losing weight but I can't see it myself. The only thing I am noticing is that my clothes are getting bigger. I had no clue that my clothes were now four sizes to big, and this is my proof that the weight is coming off. The time has come for me to go shopping. I am so blown away and happy about my progress. I have a lot more weight to lose but this new development is the motivation I need to keep working hard. This is definitely the best birthday gift :)

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Holdridge Girls Art

On Tuesday the Holdridge girls came over to my house for date night. Violet started drawing and before you knew it all all of the girls joined in the fun. Here are there awesome pictures :)

From Holdridge Art Work

Lauren's picture of me

From Holdridge Art Work

Violet's picture of me

From Holdridge Art Work

Violet's heart...awesome!

From Holdridge Art Work

June picture

Friday, May 1, 2009

Gym Recap

Mike has been keeping me busy at the gym the last few weeks. I am slowly progressing and have been able to lift heavier weights and do more reps of my exercises. I am even getting the techniques down so Mike doesn't have to repeat himself as much. He only has to correct my posture a few times each workout. That is a huge improvement. The best news is that all the hard work is still paying off. My last weigh in, Friday, I had lost a total of 35lbs since January. Let's see how I do tomorrow. This weekend is going to be a hard one due to the fact that I plan on blowing my diet for my birthday. All that means is Monday's weigh in will suck and I am going to have to work extra hard next week.

I am so surprised that I have actually stuck it out this long. This is the first time I have ever committed to a "diet" and have stuck with it longer then two weeks. Now that I have been working out and doing the trainer thing for a little over 3 months I can't imagine not doing it. It has become a major put of my everyday life. I get up work out and watch what I eat. I never really have to think hard about it. It is just what I do. I am not saying I don't have my days of hating the gym and struggling to get out of bed. There is just not as many of those days. This is my new life style and I am happy. I love having Mike, who is faithfully kicking my butt at lest three days a week, and all my awesome friends who have been so encouraging and motivating. Thanks you guys!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

New Exercises

As I mentioned in my last post things at the gym are going good. Mike the trainer has been switching things up a little. I have taken a short break from leg curls and leg lifts for a week or so. In there replacements I have done two new exercises. One of them is the “One Legged Leg Press.” It is a lot harder then it sounds, especially with my left leg, also know as the non-dominant leg. After my third rep I am usually sore and have jello legs. The second new exercise is called the “Skydiver.” This one took me a little to get down. It was so frustrated at myself at first. My body just would cooperate with me. For the “Skydiver” I get on my knees, plant my feet firmly on the wall, and then lay down on a ball. Once I am stable I walk my fee up the wall and stand on my tippy toes, lock my knees so that my legs are completely straight. I then arch my back and with my palms down and arms at my side I squeeze my shoulder blades together. I hold this position for a minute and then rest for a little and then do it again. The more I do it and the better I get at it the longer I will need to hold the position. The toughest part of this exercise is having to balance myself on the ball not using my hands or feet. It is a difficult task but it is worth it.

Half Way Mark

Yesterday I completed my sixth week of Dimensions training. The program is twelve weeks long so this is the half way mark. The time is flying. I can’t believe it has been six weeks. I am enjoying it for the most part. There are those days that I am lazy and fight going to the gym, but I have not missed a day yet. There have been a few days, especially this week that I have picked up my phone to call my trainer and make up some excuse of why I did not want to come in. Each time I chickened out. The power of guilt!

I weigh in every Monday and Friday. This past Monday I gained a pound, I blame it on Easter. I seem to be losing about two to three pounds a week. Yesterday, the finale day of my sixth week, I weighed in and I lost three pounds last week. Here is the big new, my grand total of weight lost since January 12th, 2009 is THIRTY POUNDS!!!!! I am can’t believe that I have lost thirty pounds in three months. Absolutely crazy! I am so excited and am now extremely motivated to keep getting up, pushing myself, and sticking with my diet an and workouts. I have lots more weight to lose but this is not bad start.

With all of this said it is now time for me to get up and go to the gym. Have a great day everyone and I will post again soon :)

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Date Night with the Girls



This week we went to Starbucks.

The Hamster Wheel

I think I’ve mentioned this machine before, but it deserves a little more blog time. First of all I have to admit I can’t stand this machine. A fifteen minute workout on this contraption produces a ridicules amount of sweat, tears and pain. One of the reasons why I hate this machine is because it is very similar to “The Sled”, which is another crazy exercise I am forced to do. Both of these excises are supposed to build leg strength and burn calories. I believe it is all a lie and just a way to amuse my trainer. There is no power to “The Hamster Wheel”; you make the belt move by grabbing hold of the metal bar and pushing for dear life. It is extremely difficult and absolutely tiring. I can go about six minutes before I need to stop to breathe and wipe myself off. I sweat so much that by the end of my workout I have sweat dripping off every part of my body. Absolutely nasty!

Last week Mike, my trainer, told me he wanted me to start doing “The Hamster Wheel” twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday. Reluctantly I said yes, not that I had a choice. Here are a few pictures for you. I have to remember the final result is worth all of the hard work.


Thursday, March 26, 2009

A Gift from Lauren



Last night, after church, Lauren gave me this picture that she drew for me. She told me it said "Heather being a friend is the sweetest thing Love Lauren". How stinking cute is that! Once she told me I could see it. I can't believe how grown up she is. She is an amazing five year old. The girl is so smart and absolute adorable.

Thank you Lauren for my picture. I love it :) I love you too!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Date Night with the girls!



Last night we decided to bake some cookies. The girls were all on board because they got to eat one. I love my Holdridge girls!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Hoppe



HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY HOPPE!
Love you and I am blessed to have you in my life.
Have a great day :)

A Gym Update

Today I started my seventh day of Dimensions, also known as the beginning of my third week. Things have been getting better. My first week was tough but all the hard work has paid off. Last week, my second week, and today have been great. Most of the soreness is gone, it is easier to wake up in the morning, and for the most part the exercises have been easier. I am doing most of my normal exercises, of course I do more reps and lift more weights. I even did "The Sled" last Friday. That is one intense workout.

The good news is that I lost 2.5 ponds last week. That makes a grand total of 21.5 pounds lost. Sweet! Tons more to go but it is a start. Mike is going to start weighing me on Mondays and Fridays. Now that Mike will be standing over me as I jump on the dreaded scale I fell like I have to work a little harder and stick to my diet even more. I don't want to see a disappointed Mike :)

That is it for my gym story for today. I will update you again soon.

Friday, March 13, 2009

I DID IT!!!!

Today Mike the trainer made me do "The Sled". I mentioned this exercise in an earlier post but basically he strapped a belt around my waist that was a attached to a wooden sled and then added weights on to the sled. I then walked up and down the driveway hill pulling the sled (see the pictures below for a visual). The first time I went up Mike only put one weight on and called it the warm up. The next two times he added another weight. By the third time I was sweating like crazy and I had snot everywhere, sorry for that detail but I have been sick so it was bad. Mike is aware of my fear of "The Sled" but he has heartless and made me do it anyways. Even when he knew that I have been sick and that I was still soar from Monday. What an awesome trainer. I do have to admit that after I was finished I was doing a little Rocky fist pump inside, but it ended quickly as we walked back inside and Mike made me do crunches and leg lifts. Even though I conquered my fear of "The Sled" I still don't want to do it again because next time Mike will make me do more laps and add more weight. I am not looking forward to that.

Deminsions Day 3

Today was the the last day of my first week of Dimensions. Is was a horrible week with the time change, me house sitting in the boondocks which makes my commute to the gym thirty minutes, and being sick, but I did it. One week down and eleven more to go. My body has been soar all week and I can't wait until it's over. At least this week is over. I will deal with week two when it comes.

Riley's Water Polo Game

My friend Riley had her first home water polo game yeaterday. James, Abby, Wesley, and I went to cheer her on. She is a freshman on the CSUMB girls team. She go to play for a few minutes at the end. They kicked Notre Dames butt. The final score was 8 to 7. The Otters lead most of the game but Notre Dame got a few goals towards the end of the game. I glad that we were able to go a support our girl.

Water polo is one intense and violent game. I thought someone was going to drown. Girls were pushing each other down with their legs and arms. I would never to able to make it as a water polo player. I could not be in the pool treading water for an hour and then catch and throw a wet, heavy ball. I don't know how they do it.

Congratulations Riley on a great game! Love you!

Another Date Night





Here are a few cute photo's of the girls from last night date night. I love them :)

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

I AM IN PAIN!!!

After yesterdays workout I was soar but it was bearable. Today SUCKS! I woke up this morning at 5:15am and could not walk. I decided to push through the pain and go workout this morning. My legs were soar but the pain dulled down a little. After my workout I jumped back in the car to drive home. That is when it went down hill. I could not get out of the car. My legs hurt so bad. This is a pain that I don't think I can explain or I have ever felt before. It is not the worst pain ever but it is in the top five. I just want to go to bed and not move until it is gone. I am not a big fan right now of my trainer Mike. Maybe tomorrow will be a different story. I am trying to remind myself that this is a good thing. It is going to be a tough day!

Dimensions Day 1 (yesterday)

Today was the first day of my Dimensions program, which is actually the name of the twelve week training that I am doing at GHF. It was a hard day. My new schedule has me working out Monday through Fridays, making Saturday and Sundays my days off. It was hard getting started today. I am not sure if it was due to the fact that I met with Mike at 6:00am on my day off or that I was getting back into the swing of things after two days off. Whatever it was I hated it. Mike had me do squats instead of leg presses. I put on a vest that had weights clipped on to it. I had to do sixty of them. My legs felt like jelly when I was finished. Next I did forty five leg curls, then fifty four leg lifts, and thirty crunches. I then ended my workout with thirty minutes of cardio. I am soar and exhausted. But day one is officially over. That makes me happy!

Monday, March 9, 2009

The Gym Part I




I started this blog to show you, my friends and family, what goes on in my life. So I wanted to spend sometime telling you guys about a change that I have made. I have been hesitant on writing this post because it is quit embarrassing. I have decided to get over myself and let you know what’s going on with me.

It all starts back in January when out of the blue I decided to weigh myself. I have never been a big fan of scales, they usually tell me the same thing and I know that I don't need to see that number over and over. The idea to weigh myself was a little abnormal for me but I was curious. I kept seeing all these Weight Watchers commercials and then I watched the last episode of The Biggest Loser with some friends and I was motivated and inspired. I have been at the same weight (give or take a few pounds here and there) since I was in high school so I really did not expect a major change. Oh boy was I in for a surprise. I pulled my old, and I mean really old and unused, scale out of the bathroom cabinet and jumped on. The number that I saw was horrifying. It was about fifty pounds more then my normal weight. I was appalled. It's not like I was slim to begin with but now I was just extremely overweight. It was time for me to lose weight, what a scary thought.

I have tried a few diets here and there but honestly I don't have the will power to say no to my sweet tooth so they never last long. I also have joined a few gyms and I have never had a great experience. I always have to fight for a machine, a parking spot, the gym hours don't work with my schedule, and I even was part of a gym for a little were the owners were creepy and the staff was just horrible. After that experience I decided that I had had enough with the gym. Now I was needing to get serious and decided who I was going to lose all this extra weight. I have not had luck in the past so I needed something different.

My first step was to start Weight Watchers the second week of January. Instead of joining a gym I was going to walk from my house to Lover's Point five days a week. The first week I lost seven pounds. The second week I lost four pounds. The third week sucked! The diet stayed the same but it rained all week long so I only walked two days. Because I was not getting the exercise I needed I only lost a half a pound on the third week. I was so disappointed. It was time to look for a gym. After a conversation with my friend Zoe, who told me her sister-in-law Christine, was going to Garden Health and Fitness and that it was under new ownership, I decided to check it out. GHF was one of the gyms that had attended in the past but the owners were creepy and the staff was horrible. I did not have high hopes for this gym. However, to my surprise, from the moment I walked in I loved this gym. The staff was great, everything was clean and there were tons of machines. It also helped that there were great signing bonuses. The registration fee was half off, the first month was free, I got five free visits with a personal trainer, and a free hour facial. So I signed on the dotted line and now am a member of Garden Health and Fitness.

I started working out immediately. I have just finished my five free sessions with my trainer Mike. I have lost a total of 20 pounds and dropped two dress sizes since January. My sessions with Mike have been interesting. I have learned a lot and have truly made an overall life change. Mike has me working out five days a week for about and hour and fifteen minutes. Mondays and Thursdays I do thirty minutes of leg weights then forty five minutes of cardio. Tuesdays and Fridays I do thirty minutes of arm weights and forty five minutes of cardio. Saturdays are a full cardio day. Mike has changed my diet and eating schedule. I eat every three hours, increased my protein intake, and cut back on sugars and carbs. Mike is teaching me how to work out properly so that I burn fat not muscle and how to lift weights so that I am using the right muscles. It is not easy and I feel bad for Mike at times. My body doesn’t like to cooperate at times so poor Mike has to repeat himself bunch.

Mike has me doing some interesting exercises. He is always telling me “stick your but and chest out”. One of my favorite exercises, being sarcastic of course, is when I straddle a big ball, stick my feet on the wall, place my hands on my hips, and roll up sticking my chest in the air and then roll down sticking my but in the air. So attractive! I am glad that I am ok with looking like a fool in public places. My second favorite exercise is when I hurdle myself up on a padded table, hold on to two bars and lift my legs as I arch my back and squeeze my but. Again, another absolutely attractive exercise! Other than those two charmers I do a lot of normal weights and crunches. I know that Mike has a bunch more in store for me and it is a little frightening. One thing that he is going to make me do is something called “The Sled”. I have seen a few people do it and I am freaked out. They strap this wooden sled to me and then put weights on the sled. I then run up and down a hill. The end result is me running all the way to the airport and back. CRAZY!!!!! I am not happy with this and I fear it with all my heart. We will see what happens.

Overall things are going great. They are going so well that I have just decided to continue on with the personal training, now that my free sessions are over. I have signed up to do a twelve week program where I will be meeting with Mike every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:00am. I am excited! I will try to post an update every week so you know how I m doing. This is going to be quit an experience. I can’t wait to see the end results. I think that is it for now. Love you guys and I will keep you posted.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Sanchez Wedding



Yesterday, Saturday, March 7th, one of my dearest friends Rachel Moose married the love of her life, Christian Sanchez. I have known Rachel for many years and she is such an amazing woman. I love her dearly and am so excited for her and Christian. The wedding was a blast. It was fun to catch-up with all my old work friends for Kinkade, Christian work for the Kinkade now, and the food was fantastic. Everything was perfect.

Love you Rachel and Christian! Congratulations :)

I am working....

Just wanted to let you know that I am working on a new post. I should have it up but tomorrow. So stay tuned :)

Friday, February 27, 2009

Dinner with the Edwards

Last night I had dinner at the Edwards house. It was a blast. Greg and Sarah completely out did themselves. Greg made this amazing salmon dish with rice. He even made pizza. SO GOOD!!!! I was blown away. Who knew, Greg has some righteous kitchen skills. Sarah also has got some talent. She made these yummy green beans that had a little kick to them. They were gooooooood!

Besides the food, which was AMAZING, I had such a wonderful time fellowshipping with this great family. Greg and Sarah have two kids, Elam and Edie, who are a so much fun. I got to read them a bedtime story. It was a great night. I absolutely adore this family and am excited to have this chance to get to know them. Thanks Edwards family was a great night.

Here is a picture of the main dish.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Date Night with the Holdridge’s

Last night Lauren, Violet, and I played dress up. Lauren decided at one point that I was going to be the king. She said I looked like a boy….what do you think? These girls crack me up.

Another Date Night Photo

Valentine’s Surprise

My good friends John and Jennifer Billings decided to surprise me on Valentine’s day covering my front door with tons of little red hearts that the cut themselves. It was a great treat and I was blessed. Thanks Billings! I love you guys!

Valetine's Suprise

Birthday Date with Violet

For Violet’s third birthday I decided to invite her over for a slumber party. Just her and me! It was a blast. For her birthday I bought her a Minnie Mouse night gown with matching slippers, her own Hello Kitty sleeping bag, a Hello Kitty travel bag, and a little stuffed Minnie Mouse doll. I picked her up on a Sunday evening and took her out to dinner at Islands. She wanted a burger and fries for dinner so what better place to go, beside In-n-Out where her family was going to go that night. After dinner we went to the store where Violet got to pick out a color of fingernail polish, stickers for her nails, and a new toothbrush (she picked a Hello Kitty one). We then went back to my house, got our pajamas on, watched a Handy Manny video, and painted our nails. Then it was off to bed.

On Monday morning Violet wanted to eat at First Awakenings, her choice. Then we went to the new and improved MY Museum. They did such a great job re-vamping everything. Violet had a blast. We played restaurant, picked vegetables, rode that tractor, played in the giant dollhouse, dress up, went down all the slides multiple times, and even played on a boat. It was a full day but so much fun and a day that I never will forget. I love you Violet and thanks for spending the night.

My P.O. Box

I have finally decided…..I HATE HAVING A P.O. BOX IN PACIFIC GROVE!

Yes Nate, this is the moment you have been waiting for. Once again, after a few years of nagging, I have realized that you were right and I was wrong. Going to get my mail is a waste of my time, especially when it can be delivered to my door.

For the last six years I have had a P.O. Box in Pacific Grove. The only problem with this statement is that I don’t live in Pacific Grove I live in Monterey (I am probably going to get busted by the post office police for saying that). I opened my P.O. Box when I moved back from Belize. For the first few months I was staying at different friends houses and I decided to open a P.O. Box so that no matter where I moved to my mailing address would not change. At the time I opened my P.O. Box I was living in Pebble Beach so I qualified to open a P.O. Box in Pacific Grove. I moved seven different times in two years so I was excited that I never had to change my mailing address. It is such a pain to have to change your address every time you move, especially when you move as much as I do. Four of the seven moves that I made were in PG so it was always easy to check my mail because it was never out of the way. Even when I did not live on Monterey I did not work that far from the post office so I kept it. I also never felt like I was going to be in open place for all that long. When I moved to downtown Monterey, about four years ago, I was tempted to close my P.O. Box but I didn’t want to lose the PG address, and I also did mot want to share one mail box with four people.

I have now lived in Monterey for about four years and I drive to PG once a week to get my mail. It really has never been that bad. I look at it as a little piece of the past and a type of “security blanket.” I love PG and there are many perks about having a PG address. One of them is that I get all kinds of information, schedules and discounts to all the local fairs, parades, and festivals. It is also a small post office and it kind of reminds me of the show Cheers. The same people have been working there since the beginning and they know who I am.

After this last week my opinion has changed. It started on Saturday when I went to get my mail and I received two cards that were postmarked October 2008. Each card had a red stamp on it saying “Left in Empty Bin.” What does that mean? One of the cards was a thank you card and the other was an invitation for a baby shower that happened four months ago. Stupid!!!! Then yesterday, Monday, I had the craziest experience. I went to the bank and Blockbusters and decided to check the mail. First of all I could not find a parking spot. They had the normal Monday Farmers Market traffic but they were also filming a commercial at “The Red House.” They had two blocks barricaded off with about 20 different types of trucks and trailers. There were tons of cops and people everywhere. The thing that got me was when I was walking out of the post office and was getting ready to cross the street to my car the director screamed action and the cops made everyone every car stand still. Why I have no clue. I was not even near the the place they were filming. Why I needed to stand on the corner for five minutes for no reason was completely stupid. Checking my mail, which would normally take me five minutes max took me about twenty minutes yesterday. It was ridiculous! Then today I hear from a friend that she sent me a wedding invitation, her wedding is next week, and I never received it. My mail is getting lost in some “empty bin.” So frustrating!

That is why today I am proud to say that I will be cancelling my P.O. Box at the end of March, when my six month lease is up. It is going to be hard to let go of my one foot in PG but I think I am ready.

THANKS NATE! You always know best!

Here are a few photos of the craziness in PG yesterday.


Thursday, January 22, 2009

June Bug



Nate and Christina took their two oldest kids, Lauren and Violet, to Disneyland this week and I am helping Aunt Bryna with June. She spent the night last night and this morning I took June with me on my morning walk. For the fist twenty minutes June was talking up a storm. I was listening to music so I could lightly hear her. She all of a sudden stopped talking. I decided to take a quick look and she what she was doing. The girl was out. She slept the whole rest of the way. I had to grab this picture. June is such a joy to have around. She is the happiest baby. I love her tons.

Costco Mania

Once a month I round up a few Bridge guys and we do a massive Costco run. It takes at lest three hours. It is true madness! It has been about six weeks since the last Costco run so yesterday we had to stock up big time. Here are a few photos of Scott and Joseph loading up the truck. They are awesome! I could not do it without them.






Saturday, January 17, 2009

The Best Christmas Gift Ever




This Christmas I got the best gift ever...........an IPHONE! Can I just tell you that I was shocked. Never in a million years did I think I was getting one of these. I was speechless. It has been a good three weeks now and I am still amazed at this sweet phone. It does everything. I am still learning and I know there is a ton other thing that my iphone does that I have not seen yet. I can't wait to discover them.

THANK YOU!!!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS AND AM SO BLESSED :)

Friday, January 16, 2009

I Stink!

I AM SORRY THAT I STINK AT THIS BLOG THING. PLEASE FORGIVE ME!

It has been a crazy season. The time just flew by and I think I lost a few weeks. I can’t believe we are in January already. Anyways, here is a wrap-up of the month of December.

* December 11th: The 5th Annual Gaily Christmas Party
I absolutely love Aaron and Adrienne and there two adorable kids Ella and Evan. They are great friends and a major blessing to me. Aaron is also the best chiropractor in the world! He has magical hands. Now let me tell you they know how to throw an outrageous bash. There is always lots of amazing food, friends, and even Santa stops in to pass out gifts to all the kids. Here are some pictures of the festivities. Thanks for a great party Gaily family!




* December 20th and 21st: Phil Wickham Concert
The church hosted Phil Wickham and his wife for a special concert. I was responsible for the Wickham’s transportation, meals, and all around comfort. It was a busy weekend but I had a blast getting to hang with the Wickham’s. Phil did an amazing job. We had a great turnout and tons of people were blessed.

Phil Wickham



* December 25th: Christmas
Even though the Christmas season is busy and usually hectic it is still my favorite time of the year. I love all of the decorations, lights, the smell of gingerbread and pine, even the crisp and cold weather. This is a holiday that is all about family and friends, which happen to be two of my favorite things. This year was no exception. I had a wonderful Christmas. My family came over for dinner on Christmas day. I tried a bunch of new recipes for dinner and to my surprise everything turned out fantastic. It was a nice day. Very relaxing.

* December 31: New Years Eve
I don’t think I have ever been a big fan of New Years Eve. Staying up until midnight is hard. I am big fan of the 10:30pm to 11:00pm sleepy time. However this year I had a great time staying up with a houseful of friends. I even made everyone go outside to watch fireworks that I thought Monterey did. We say a few here and there but nothing to write home about. It was a disappointment but I will get over it. Here are some pictures of us ringing in 2009.




That is about it for my December. I can’t believe that it is 2009. I am excited to see what this year has in store for us. It is going to be big year. I can feel it. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has for me this year. Last year was a good year. It had its many ups and downs but over all it was a good year. I hope and pray that 2009 is a wonderful year for each of you. I love you guys!