Looking Back on the Year That Was

I actually meant to get this post up on the 21st, but with having to finish up my Christmas shopping and running errands to help AJ out with his secret santa gifts for work the days just went by a whole lot quicker than I had planned.

This time last year AJ and I were moving and settling into our house. It's hard to believe that it's been a year already (seriously - where does the time go?). We closed on our house at 4:30 on Dec. 21st and then I picked up the keys the morning of the 22nd (from the shadiest real estate agent I have ever known). It was so completely overwhelming at the time to think of ourselves as homeowners...and I guess if I'm being completely honest, it still is an overwhelming feeling. We joked at the time that this was our Christmas gift to each other for the next 30 years (yeah, there's a lot of truth to that statement). I was as big as a house (literally) and really frustrated with how little I could actually help with the whole moving process. My sister Val was a rock star and made sure that we were packed and ready to actually move in...not to mention helping me paint Keegan's room, along with painting his bathroom all on her own (and yes I painted even though I was only a month away from delivering) and the members of our ward we totally amazing. The youth helped paint our bedroom and they had us moved and ready to go in no time a few days later.

Home ownership brings a whole new set of worries, problems and issues that we never had renting. There's also a whole lot more stress over plumbing problems and utility bills and mortgage payments, but it's pretty rewarding as well. I recognize that AJ and I are pretty lucky even owning a home at this particular stage in our life, and we feel really blessed that we were lucky enough to even get into a house, let alone one that is as big as ours is and in San Diego nonetheless.

I looked for pictures of our house from when we were moving in and I couldn't find any (I think my sister Val has them somewhere since she was really the only one who had the foresight to take pictures). Not too much has changed from when we moved in...there's a little bit more furniture now, and some of the windows have changed, but essentially it's just like the day we moved in...and yet there's a different feeling to the house every time I walk through the door. Maybe it's because there is more furniture, or because there aren't boxes everywhere, or because we now have a year's worth of memories, good and bad, to look back on...but the house just isn't a house anymore. It's our HOME, and I have to admit...it's pretty amazing.

Let's Go Surfin' Now...

While the rest of the country deals with snow, floods, rain and ice, San Diego gears up for MASSIVELY BIG SURF. I'm talking HUGE...like 12+ feet waves. The funniest thing about this...people don't get scared about the waves. They get excited for it. Granted, they board up windows if necessary and put up sandbags, etc., but the beach is almost as crowded when the surf is huge as it is on a warm and balmy summer day. Seriously...people love this stuff. So, I figured I would go and check what it was all about (and get Keegan out of the house while I was at it)...and take some pictures to document it while we were there.

If you look really closely at the top of the following picture you will see a bunch of surfers out in the water (no AJ isn't one of them...although he did go out earlier in the morning with our bishop). I personally thought they were all nuts, but I guess with the lifeguards in a boat right in the middle of them all they figured that they were relatively safe.

Most of the day was actually beautiful and sunny and clear, but towards the end of our little walk the mist and the fog started rolling in. It was actually kind of pretty.

Welcome to winter in San Diego!!

Christmas in San Diego

Sometimes with all the hustle and bustle of this time of year, it's hard to remember why we are doing all that we are doing. While we haven't had any snow, and the weather is actually once again unseasonably warm, it's still nice to have little moments throughout the day to remind us about Christmas and what we are really celebrating this time of year.

Last night AJ, Keegan and I met some friends at the Temple in order to enjoy the musical performance that they had going on there last night. For the third year in a row the San Diego Temple is having a musical performance of some kind on the temple grounds every night for the month of December (maybe all the temples do this now, who knows...but I think it's really cool). Last night's performance was a bell choir. It was so fun to go and listen to the different Christmas Carols played on bells while sitting with friends and family and drinking hot chocolate. The best was when everyone in the audience sang along to "Away in a Manger".

And while it wasn't quite like the lights display at Temple Square, I think the temple looked beautiful.

So, Merry Christmas from our little family to yours.

Here's hoping that this time of year brings you all that you are wishing and hoping for.

10 months and going strong...

Keegan has now officially been out of my belly longer than he was in it (what with the whole actually being pregnant for 10 months and not 9, and him deciding he wanted to come a few days late). I can't believe that it's been 10 months already. Seriously, where has the time gone (and why do I still look like I'm pregnant?)?

I can't believe how much he's grown and changed and developed in the past 10 months. He definitely has a personality and he's not scared to share it. He's learned the fine art of temper tantrums (already, at 10 months...are you kidding me?), and his favorite past-time seems to be head-butting anything, anyone, and everything. He actually gave me a fat lip the other day because I wasn't quite fast enough and didn't get out of the way when he decided to head-butt me. He loves to say "Dada" and "Go" (although I'm not sure he really knows what he's saying on that last one) and loves to cluck his tongue on the top of his mouth. He's not walking yet (THANK GOODNESS for small miracles) at least not on his own...he'll stand up behind his diaper box and walk all over the house while pushing his stuffed animals and some random toys in his "train" (AJ always pushes him in the laundry basket, which Keegan loves, so apparently he's decided his monkey, bear and Boone the dog need the same treat). He loves to throw his toy balls (and daddy's volleyball and basketball), along with pretty much anything he can, around the house. He gets his whole little body into it, since he knows that's how he can get them to go the farthest distance.

Yesterday Keegan and I needed to get out of the house, so we went to the bay for a little playground fun.

It was so much fun to watch his face light up when he would go down the slide. He didn't want to wait long enough for me to get to the bottom to catch him half the time and would launch himself forward...thankfully, I was fast enough to keep him from face planting on the slide or tumbling down the slides rather than sliding down them.

He was not happy when I put him back in his stroller for our walk back to the car (hey, I have to get some exercise in somehow...so I walked the mile and a half to the playground and then the mile and a half back).

Thankfully, he calmed down pretty quickly and actually fell asleep for a little while in the stroller.

Busy Busy Busy

It always seems that this time of year brings so many things that need to get done that I have the constant feeling that I will never complete it all. There is shopping to be done, decorating to do, cards to get sent out, stockings to make, not to mention the normal day to day tasks of cleaning, laundry, bill paying, cooking, and taking care of my family. It's a good thing that Keegan is starting (finally) to sleep better at night because I'm so exhausted I'm not sure I would hear him if he did wake up.

So now I get to do a lot of catch up...

Thanksgiving was great. It was spent with AJ's grandparents, Mom and Dad, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Ross, his sister Des, and her daughter Maddie. I cooked my first turkey (and tried my hand at brining it before it got cooked), and I have to say it didn't turn out half-bad. I meant to get a picture of it before it was all consumed, but I never actually got around to getting the photo taken. I think AJ's Aunt Kathy did manage to get one of AJ and his dad cutting it up, but since she hasn't made the change to a digital camera yet it could be a while before I see the photos.

The next day, there was definitely no time for a turkey coma. There were windows that needed to get put in:

and letters to get put up:

and it's only just begun. AJ wanted to wait until December before we got a tree to put up, so that's coming this weekend, which means more decorating and rearranging and chasing after Keegan to keep him out of everything.

Here's to the season!!

Been a long time...

So, I know it's been some time since I've blogged, but it's been a little crazy lately what with AJ's sister Tiffany's wedding, housing a ward member's family of 8 at our house for 2 days (craziness I never care to repeat...unless of course it's family) and then having a great visit from my sister Cynth, my brother-in-law Ryan and their 2 totally adorable kids, Finley and Berlin (seriously, Berling singing is the cutest thing ever). Oh yeah, and we've been busy enjoying the unseasonably warm, 80 degree weather the last few days.

We had a fun 3 days of visiting the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, shopping at Seaport Village and just hanging out here in San Diego (despite the yucky and overcast weather), and then another fun-filled day at Disneyland (they spent 2 days...I only made it up for one). I think that everyone was definitely worn-out by the end of their trip, but it was so much fun to have them here. I really wish that I lived closer to all of my siblings so that we could do stuff like this on a more regular basis. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait for Cynth to post pictures because I was lame and didn't get any taken with my camera.

In the meantime here are a couple of pictures of my little monkey, who has taken to climbing all over everything he can possibly get up on and who is so close to walking it's ridiculous (and somewhat scary, seeing as how he is already into everything!!!).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Love, Lil' Stinker

(P.S. and a GIGANTIC "thank you" to Grandma Leach for my fantastic costume. It was a big hit!!)

"This is Halloween....

Everyone hail to the pumpkin king"*

Today took us to the lovely Bates Nut Farm with the hopes of continuing a family tradition started by AJ's parents years ago. I'm so glad that this place didn't suffer any damage (at least not the we could see) from the recent fires, although it was very sad on the drive up to see just how much damage there was. We drove past numerous places that still had a ton of tents up for the firefighters and rescue workers that are still working on putting the fires out, not to mention actually seeing homes from the freeway that had been burned completely to the ground.

My parents were down for the day, since they were originally coming down for the BYU vs. SDSU football game. Even though it was postponed, they made the trip anyway, so they could drop off Keegan's costume and just spend some time with us. It was so much fun...tiring, in a way, but really, really fun. I can't wait to carve the pumpkins that we bought. Halloween is quickly becoming a favorite holiday of mine! :)

Keegan enjoyed the straw more than the pumpkins, and wanted to share it with everyone...

and he definitely didn't like the goats (even the really timid one)....

but I think he had a pretty good time, as did his mom and dad (even though I was dealing with a broken baby toe...but more on that another time) and he even managed to sleep the whole way up, and the whole way back. YIPPEEE!!!

Happy Halloween!

*Song lyrics from "This is Halloween" from "Nightmare Before Christmas"

An Apple A Day....

...helps keep Mom's worries (sort of) away.

Keegan still isn't eating much other than his Cheerios and Goldfish, these days, but I was able to get some Mac 'n Cheese in him last night, and he's usually good for about 4 bites of baby food before he's done. Thank goodness for formula to help ease some of the worry. The other night, however, he decided he wanted to help me eat my apple, and promptly claimed it for his own. I'm not sure how much he actually got down his throat into his little tummy, but he was for sure having a blast sucking all the juice out of it and gnawing away (which really makes me think more teeth are on their way in, but that could just be me grasping for any sort of logical explanation as to why his appetite has changed so suddenly). Last night, we "shared" another apple...although this time, he really was a very good sharer. He would take a bite or two and then hand the apple over to me and watched as I took a bite and then he would take it back and take his next bite. It was pretty stinkin' cute, I'm not going to lie.

On a side note...he's learned to blow kisses and does it quite frequently, although it's with a closed fist, and off the back of his hand and not the palm, but he totally makes the "muah" sound as he's doing it. SOOOO CUTE!!! I love this little kid! :) He just makes me smile (even when I'm worrying about him and what he's NOT eating).

So, here's a big, fat, MUAH of a KISS, from us to all of you!

F-I-R-E

( this isn't our house...it's just an image from the newspaper)

So, you might have heard that quite a bit of San Diego County is currently burning to the ground. AJ, Keegan and I are fine....there really isn't much threat to us right now, other than the ash and smokey air. We are watching the news just to play it safe, since we have a canyon just across the street from us, and it has been a dry year so far, but really, I don't think that there is much of a chance that we will have to leave.

It's so sad to watch the news and hear about the 250,000 people that have had to be evacuated thus far. Let's just hope that the winds don't change and that the firefighters can quickly get a handle on things so that we don't have anything to worry about. We have a really good friend who is a firefighter for CDF and so right now our thoughts and prayers and with him, and hoping that he (and his fellow firefighters) are safe.

I really hate this time of year.

Inadequate

WARNING...this is going to be kind of a long, "woe is me" post, but since this is one of the few ways that I have to get out my feelings, it's the only option I have...you can totally skip this if you want. I won't be offended, I promise.

Have you ever had the feeling that you just don't quite measure up to those around you? That while you might be giving it your best effort, your best will still not be good enough in the end and that you should just quit while you are ahead, relatively speaking? That's kind of how I've been feeling the past few days...well, weeks, if I'm really being honest with myself.

I'm constantly looking at the other moms in my ward, that I just randomly run into while I'm out running errands, or that I find online through their blogs, and I'm constantly finding myself falling short. You would think after almost 9 months I would have a better handle on this whole mother thing. That I would be able to understand more what Keegan needs, instead of having to try 5 or 6 different things before I finally get it right; that I would be able to handle more than just taking a shower everyday and that I would be able to actually do my hair, put makeup on and look presentable every day, instead of just on Sundays which is the way things stand right now. You would think that despite the fact that I gained 50 pounds with this pregnancy, I would have managed to lose more than just the initial 30 pounds that I lost immediately after Keegan was born, and yet I haven't (and I even think I've managed to put back on a pound or two, which makes it even worse). You would think that I would be better at getting Keegan and I dressed and out of the house every day, and for more than just running to the store to get milk, or to the bank to deposit a check; that we might actually be going to the park, or the beach, or the zoo, or a million and one other things that this city has to offer, and yet, day in and day out, it doesn't happen. It seems like everyone I know with kids manages to do these simple things, and yet I can't seem to pull it together and do it myself, and I can't help but wonder "Why not?"

As I write this, Keegan is sitting in his high chair in the other room watching one of his "Signing Time" videos and munching on his 10th batch of Cheerios, because I have finally given up the struggle of trying to get him to eat anything else. For the past few days, all I've managed to get in him are a few bites of a pancake, a lot of dehydrated fruit, a couple of cereal bars, and a ton of Goldfish and Cheerios (along with formula and milk from me, when he's willing to nurse, and not bite me). Even though I know, deep down, that this is normal and ok, and that he will be fine (thanks Cynth, again, for reassuring me and making me feel a little better), I can't help but worry about him. Keegan gained a ton of weight right after he was first born and he had grown quite a few inches right at the beginning, and now that he's almost 9 months old and sitting at just over 20.5 pounds, I'm worried that he doesn't weigh enough, and that he's not "thriving" like he should be (and like I want him to be) and that I'm a total failure of a mom. He fights going down for his naps, something he didn't use to do, and he now fights going to bed, and once I do get him to sleep, when he does wake up again 5 hours later, he fights going back to sleep which results in an hour long struggle of me letting him cry, and then feeling guilty because he's crying and I'm not comforting him, so I go and get him and nurse him for a little while until he falls asleep, then I try and lay him in his crib, and he wakes up and the cycle starts all over again, until I finally give in and just let him lay in bed next to me, which doesn't exactly help me sleep soundly, although it does seem to let Keegan, which I guess should be good enough for the time being. I want to be able to change all of that, and yet I don't know how to.

There are so many moms that I know, who just seem so calm and relaxed and sure about this whole "parenting" thing, and I find myself so envious of that fact. Why can't I be that way? Why do I feel like I'm the typical comedic parody of a "mom" who's walking around looking like she is always stressed out, frustrated and half-dazed, with her bathrobe on, and hair ratted and snarled because she hasn't had the time to make herself look more presentable. This is not who I want to be...I never wanted to be the woman who was 25 pounds overweight, who barely makes it out of her pj's most days and who never seems happy, and who gets frustrated with her kids and her husband for seemingly no reason at all. This isn't the type of mom I want to be. I want Keegan (and any future children that we have) to have a mom who is fun, who plays with them and takes them to fun places, and explores with the, and who has it way more together than I currently do (although at this point, there really doesn't seem to be any place for me to go, but up). I know AJ worries about me and the fact that I don't get out of the house every day, and that I'm not as sociable as the other moms in the ward, and that I don't totally feel comfortable hanging out with all of the other moms in the ward (but really, I've never been super-sociable so I'm not sure why it bugs his so much now), which makes it all that much harder, because I feel like I'm even more of a failure.

Deep down, I know that I'm fine, or at least that I will be fine (kind of like Cristina and Meredith on "Grey's Anatomy" are "fine"), and that hopefully these feelings of inadequacy will pass, but I don't want to wait for that time to come. I want it to be easy now, and I want to stop feeling like I'm failing at this whole "mom" thing. I want my husband to not have to worry about me, and my son to get the sleep and nutrition that he needs, without putting up such a fight (and who knows, maybe it's because he's teething, AGAIN, and his mouth just makes it too painful to eat or sleep comfortably), and I want to be the calm, cool and relaxed mom, who has it all together. Is that really too much to ask for?

Catch of the Day

The end of September brings a fun and exciting time to our household...LOBSTER season. For roughly a 4 or 5 month period AJ can go and catch up to 7 "bugs" (as he calls them) each night. He looks forward to this time of year with almost the same amount of excitement that a little kid looks forward to Christmas. He seriously starts counting down the days right around the middle of September.

So, on Monday he went out...and didn't catch a thing. Needless to say, I think that he was a little frustrated. Tuesday night he went out and brought home these:Yes they were still crawling around my driveway at 10:30 at night...not really something I was too excited to see. It was kind of creepy...I'm not going to lie. Here's a better picture of the bigger lobster:

I think this lovely 7-pound beauty more than made up for Monday night being such a failure. I'm just glad that I'm not responsible for cooking the darn thing!

Your Hair Is Everywhere

I loved, loved, loved Keegan's hair from the moment that he was born. I couldn't believe how much he had right off the bat, how dark it first was, and the fact that he totally had a tail (which I fully expected to disappear, but alas, it never did). Unfortunately, the little man's hair was getting a little long and starting to curl (YAY!!!! I love boys that have curly hair, and I'm glad my son got some of my curl, even if his dad isn't quite so happy about it) and it was constantly in his eyes. The worst part is, since Keegan's been sick for the last few weeks, when he would get really tired, he'd rub his face and inevitably pick up some snot that had miraculously shown up since the last time that I had suctioned his nose 2.5 seconds before he rubbed his eyes and he would end up rubbing said snot in his hair, you know, to go with the food that he'd managed to wipe in his hair from his meal earlier in the day. Anyway, AJ and I decided that it was probably time to cut Keegan's hair, especially since I was sick of people asking me how old my daughter was (yes, I can't believe it either...Keegan just doesn't look like a girl)...even though I really wasn't all that sure that I was ready for it. I mean really, what 8-month old baby has enough hair to need a haircut?

That having been said, yesterday I did a little research and found a cute little place that specializes in cutting kids hair, called up to see how busy they were and then put Keegan and myself in the car and went on our merry way. Keegan was really good the whole time we were waiting, even to the point of playing in the different "speciality" seats that they have for the kids to sit in (my personal favorite was the airplane), but the minute they were ready to cut his hair, he wanted nothing to do with it. I ended up having to hold him in my lap while the girl cut his hair, which trust me, was not a fun experience....I think I ended up inhaling half of the hair that she cut off of his head. He was such a little wiggle-worm and he would not sit still, other than the 5 minutes that it took him to inhale the 3 animal crackers that she gave him. But in the end...his hair was shorn and there is no way possible that the old ladies can mistake him for a girl anymore. Thankfully, they took a picture for me during the experience and they saved some of his hair for me to put in his baby book, and Keegan even got a red balloon to take home with him (which he played with the entire 20 minute ride home).

So, here's the little munchkin pre-haircut:

and here he is after:

Is it just me...or does he look totally different? Maybe it's the clothes, or something, but he just doesn't look like a baby to me anymore, and I'm really not ready for that yet. Good thing hair grows back. I can't wait to have his longer locks again.

Rub a Dub...

three babies in a tub (although I guess that Aiden and Reilly aren't really babies any more...they are, however, two of the cutest toddlers around).

Being in Arizona this weekend, and having the chance to hang out with Becky, Doug and the twins made me wish that we lived closer to more of Keegan's cousins. It's hard when he doesn't have a lot of little kids to play with, and while I love some of the little kids in our ward, there really is no substitute for having family to play with.

Now I'm even more excited about being able to see Cynth, Ryan, Finley and Berlin when they come down in November. It's going to be a fun-filled week of playing and amusement parks and visiting with family, and I really can't wait.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes....

when you're fast asleep...

As you can tell from the above picture, Keegan was a little underwhelmed by his first trip to Disneyland. Although, things did get a little bit better later on.

He wasn't overly impressed with "It's A Small World", although it did keep him entertained for a little bit.

And he really liked the Astro Rockets over in Tomorrowland.

We can't wait to go back in November with Cynth, Ryan, Finley and Berlin!!!! It's going to be a good time for all.

Naptime and Temper Tantrums

Keegan doesn't always like to take his naps, and sometimes it's quite a battle to get him to go down. As sad as these pictures are, they are kind of cute too.

Granted not every day is like this, but there are some days when the only thing that I can do is let him cry in his crib for 10 minutes and then he's calm enough to eat and go to sleep.

My Next 30 Years

I think I'll take a moment to celebrate my age. The ending of an era and the turning of a page. Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here...Try to forget about all the crazy things I've done. Maybe now I've conquered all my adolescent fears, and I'll do it better in my next thirty years...Cry a little less, laugh a little more. Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear.
- Phil Vassar (courtesy of his song "My Next Thirty Years")

So a couple of people have recently posted about how quickly time seems to go by, and how they can't believe that it's already September and that the year is almost over, or that they have a daughter starting kindergarten. Inevitably, with the start of September, I start thinking about my upcoming birthday. I'm turning the big 3-0 this year, and it's really hard to believe that shortly, I will no longer be "in my 20's". I'm passing over to a new age bracket on most applications/surveys/random age groupings that do nothing more than allow people to categorize you in some way.

Needless to say...I've been doing some thinking over the past few weeks. One of the blogs that I read on occasion celebrated her 30th birthday by listing 20 highlights of her 20's. It was actually pretty cool to read, but I have to be honest...I'm not sure that I could come up with 20 highlights for the past 29 years.

There are definitely things that I am proud that I have accomplished, and that I am glad that I experienced. Some things haven't necessarily been highlights, per se. In some instances, I would categorize them more as LOWlights, but they are experiences that have helped me discover who I am, what I believe in and have definitely taught me some very valuable life lessons. So, in honor of the fact that I will soon be celebrating "The Big One", I'm going to take a moment to celebrate my age (and some of the things that I have done), and then focus on where I go from here for "my next 30 years".

Here are, in no particular order (since I'm writing this while taking care of Keegan and watching my visiting teacher's twin girls at the same time), Shauna's Top Moments from the past 29 years:

#1. Graduating (FINALLY) college: hey, after 10 years (yeah, I know pretty sad) I feel like I really earned that degree. Granted, I had some times of not being in school (*cough* Vegas *cough*), so I wasn't really in school for 10 years straight, but still...definitely a top moment of my life.

#2. Finally getting a passport (and actually using it).

#3. Traveling for 3 weeks with Cynthia through England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Honestly, 3 weeks was not enough for this trip, and I would willing do it all over again. Cynth and I didn't always get along growing up (not really a surprise to anyone I think), but I wouldn't have wanted to do this trip with anyone else. Taking that time off of school was totally worth it, and I really feel like we got to know each other on a totally different level. Plus, as an added bonus, I got to see her at the beginnings of her relationship with Ryan (I loved looking for "Alice in Wonderland" postcards for her to send him, just to let him know that she missed him) which has made me appreciate the relationship that they have even more.

#4. Visiting Valerie in Paris for a week. Spending 3 days at the Louvre (well, a part of 3 days), eating crepes from a street vendor, sipping the BEST hot chocolate at Angelina's (Angelina's African hot chocolate) that was literally melted chocolate bars with whipped cream, visiting Versailles, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night, having the best personal tour guide ever!! (thanks Val), and pretty much just being in Paris was a definite top moment...especially since it's right around the time that AJ and I started dating, so it really holds a special place in my heart.

#5. Living in Vegas. Granted there are a lot of moments during my time in Vegas that are really more LOWlights than highlights, but this was truly the first time I was on my own, and I learned a lot about myself, and made a lot of mistakes, but I survived and lived to tell about it.

#6. Marrying AJ...granted, I'm sure that this is a given, but honestly, marrying him was the greatest blessing in my life. He has made me want to be a better person, simply because he is such an amazing person. I still can't believe that I was lucky enough to find someone like him who amazingly, loves me despite all of the mistakes and stupid things that I have done in my life. I'm truly lucky to have him as my husband.

#7. Having Keegan...again, another given, but this little boy challenges me in ways that I never thought possible, and I love him more completely than I knew that I had the capacity to do. He brings so much joy and laughter and tears into our home and our life that it's hard to remember what it was like before he came along.

#8. Becoming a homeowner. Granted, this wasn't going to happen until I was married, since there was no way I could afford a home on my own, but I love having a place that is all our own. We can do whatever we want to it and don't have to worry about landlords, or contract violations or eventually having to change it back to the way it was. And I love that someday we'll have a yard to play in and enjoy.

#9. Buying my first car. It might have been used, but it was all mine. And it's held up pretty well. I don't get to drive it as much now, since there's no way I want to deal with taking a car seat in and out of a 2-door car every day, but that car is still *mine* and I still love it and get excited when I think about it.

#10. Surfing in Hawaii. I haven't done it since, and I probably won't ever be a surfer, but it's nice to know that I can still say that I've surfed, and actually gotten up on a board and stood on it before I fell off.

So...what's up for my next 30 years? Well, I definitely want to add more kids to our little family. What can I say, I grew up with a lot of siblings, and while I know that there is no way we can afford to have 7 kids, I know that I want more than just one. I want to grow old with AJ, and spend time traveling the world with him. I can't wait to go back to France, or England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales with him to show him the places that I have already seen, but also I can't wait to discover new places with him as well (and maybe on occasion, our kids as well). I look forward to getting completely out of debt, and paying off our home. I want to continue learning and expanding my horizons. Most of all, I just want to keep on loving, laughing and living.

Here's to my next 30 years!

Why I love AJ's job...

There are a lot of things that I hate about AJ's job...the long hours, being on call, high maintenance patients (including our annoying neighbor) who call/come by and ask medical related questions at all hours of the day, the limited amount of time he gets to take off, etc.


But, there are some perks to his job as well, like getting to go to the X-Games in Los Angeles this past month (and meeting some of the riders, and getting to go places where the public isn't usually allowed), and (even though I'm not really one to get "star struck")...getting to meet Tony Hawk (and watching him and a bunch of others skate on his personal ramp at La Jolla Cove), and...meeting the "Flying Tomato" (before he got that nickname and won a bunch of gold medals), and...

getting to meet Jeremy McGrath (finally)...SO COOL (even if he is super short), and getting to watch guys do this over the grass area at La Jolla Cove...

and...

getting to meet a lot of the San Diego Chargers, including the one above who is my all-time favorite...seriously, he's the coolest, most personable player I have ever met, #93, Mr. Luis Castillo. I'm telling you guys...he's good. Expect great things from him (and the whole team) this season (and no, I didn't get paid to say that!!!).

I have to admit...it's pretty cool. It's a good thing none of this really affects AJ.