Picture Extravaganza Post #1

Coming off a long weekend with Pat home, I feel like I finally am able to catch my breath.  So while I have time between naps, I thought I'd start posting some pics taken the week Cami was born.  Here's some belly shots taken by my personal photographer, my mom, the day before Cami's birth.

7 Months Later...

Hello out there!

I just got home from spending almost 3 weeks in Montana with my family.  Unfortunately, Pat was unable to come, as he's hoarding vacation time and was on a little vacation of his own with his family.  (Sidenote: I haven't seen him in 3 weeks.  He gets home tomorrow and I.cannot.wait.  I'm counting down the hours at this point.  I love the fact that even after 9 years together, including 5 years of marriage, I still get butterflies about seeing him when we've been apart.)

While I was at home, I was perusing photos on my mom's computer, and ran across a couple that were taken over Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving was our first trip back to Montana after losing Virginia.  At this point, we were 3 months out from her birth, and it's evident from the way I look in this picture that I was not in a very good place at that time.

I wanted to post these pictures not because I'm a glutton for punishment and feel the need to show the world some of the worst pictures I've ever taken, but because it's a good reminder for me of how far I've come in the 7 months since these pictures were taken.  At this point in time, I couldn't slap a genuine smile on my face if someone paid me a million dollars.

These days, I have a much more genuine smile.  I smiled and laughed more in the last 3 weeks with my family (especially these 3 boys) than I have in 10 months.  It felt pretty damn good.

What a difference 7 months makes.

Survival and Graduation

After an extended hiatus from the blog, I have an important announcement to make. It doesn't feel quite right saying that I graduated (been there, done that, twice), so I'll say this instead: I SURVIVED grad school, and lived to tell the tale!!! Here is proof:

All of my biggest supporters came over to celebrate, and it was an absolutely perfect day. That time immediately following any sort of graduation is so precious, full of hope, excitement, and a sense that the world is your oyster.

My biggest supporter of all is my incredible husband, without whom I would have given up and thrown in the towel a long time ago.

_______________________________________________________________
Three weeks after my "survival celebration", we went home to Montana to celebrate someone else's achievement.

My little brother, Trevor, is now a high school graduate (an honors graduate, at that, woot woot!)

With 2 out of 3 of my brothers.  Cody wasn't able to make it to Trevor's graduation because of work. **This is where we really need my mom and her expert photography skills to Photoshop him in, maybe peaking his head up in the background (because that's something he'd so do anyway).

Being back in Montana was a nice chance for Pat and I to reminisce about the memories of college, and the place where it all began, Montana State University.

So these, my friends, were the wonderful days that came and went. Days of perfect sunshine, cold drinks, and making memories of celebrating big achievements with those that mean the most to us. Pretty great way to start the summer.

Fall in Pictures

Every ounce of writing energy I have is going toward the first 2 chapters of my thesis, so you all are going to have to put up with a post of mostly pictures.

Labor Day Weekend in Ventura & Santa Barbara:

{Crushcakes in Santa Barbara=best cupcakes EVER!}

The late summer wedding of our friends Robyn & Phil:

The Montana State vs. Sac State football game (In case there is ever any confusion among our friends and family, my loyalty will always be with Montana State above Sac State. Go Cats!):

{Tailgating}

And last, but not least, a weekend trip to Montana to watch my little brothers play football:

Ty (the younger of the two)

Trev & I. His team is undefeated right now. :)

Nothing says fall like a little Friday night high school football. Oh, and windstorms and terrential downpours if you live in Sacramento.

This post ought to tide you over for awhile, right? I can't promise I'll be back to blogging in full force anytime soon, but I'll at least check in once in awhile.

My Dearest Mother

Today, August 11th, celebrates the anniversary of the day my mother was brought into the world. This year is a particularly important birthday for her (although I won't mention specifics), so I thought it fitting to mark this momentous occasion with a post dedicated to my amazing mother, who's always been my role model for what a great wife and mom looks like. (She's also one hell of a strong woman!!!)

Allow me to clear my throat.

:: ahem ::

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Mah-ahm, Happy Birthday to you!!!!!"

I love you Mom!!!!!

Summatime Take I

Hey-Ya!!!

Summer is a busy time around here, as I'm sure it is for our family and friends who regularly (or maybe not so regularly) read this blog. All of a sudden, it seems, things went from 0-60 just like that. We had my dad in town last week for a few days, and then Patrick won tickets to a concert over the weekend, so we had a whirlwind week or so. Things have slowed down just long enough for me to get a few errands done around here before our next adventures begin. I will be headed to Portland this weekend to visit my best friend, Jess, and then off to Montana on Monday, where I will meet up with my hubbs to spend some time with friends and family. Poor Pat is driving up here all alone, which I would feel bad about, except for that this whole arrangement was his idea. He suggested that I spend a weekend in Portland and then fly directly to Montana, so as to avoid that hellish 14-hour drive.


[As a sidenote, I must say that one of my absolute favorite qualities about my husband is that he is far and away the most considerate person I have ever met. He always put other's needs (okay, mainly mine) before his own. There is no questioning what is going to happen, he just does it without a second thought and without complaining. Somewhere along the line, someone ::cough cough Lori & Lynn:: taught him VERY well! And for that, I am very grateful. He's an amazing husband, and I cannot wait to see how great of a father he will be one day (not anytime soon though).]

Without further ado, here are some pics of my dad's trip to Sac, during our drive up to Tahoe:

CA with the MT Folks

We had an absolutely wonderful weekend with my family! It's always amazing to me how long I spend looking forward to visits from friends and family compared to how fast those visits fly by. I love the anticipation of knowing people are coming to see us, but I cannot express in words how much I hate the feeling I get when our visitors leave. And even more so with my immediate family. Watching my family drive away in the suburban with those oh-so-familiar Montana license plates was heart-wrenching. Not knowing when we will see my family again seemed to make the pain multiply.
On a brighter note, we had so much fun showing my family around the area. On Saturday, we did a lot of shopping and driving around. T & T (the younger bros) were in hog heaven after visiting an all-baseball store nearby, and there is no doubt in my mind that they could have spent hours cruising through every sports store in the greater Sac area (even being the non-shoppers that they are). On Sunday, our plans to visit the Hearst Castle in San Simeon were quickly derailed when we realized that it was going to take six hours in the car to get there. My loving hubby came up with a great idea of where to go instead, so we made the trek down to San Jose to tour
the Winchester House.

I can't even begin to describe how creepy and eery this place felt. This really is a unique house with a very interesting story. Here's the website: http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/

Otherwise, things around here are going quite well. I'm starting to get into the swing of things with my new job. There are so many things that make this job so much more enjoyable and fulfilling than any other job I've ever had (and the pay doesn't hurt either). I'm still on edge, waiting to hear back from Sac State about the status of my MSW application for grad school. I should be finding out before April 1st, so the countdown is on. Talk about waiting until the last possible minute! I have an upcoming procedure on April 1st to remove a lump that has formed on my left shoulder blade and is growing at a rapid pace. The surgeon seems largely unconcerned about it, so that's a huge relief.

Pat is doing well, his company has been telling him for quite some time that they have "big plans" for his future. If only we could pull out of this dang economic recession, maybe we would finally see those "plans" come to fruition.

In the meantime, we're just enjoying this beautiful weather and eagerly awaiting springtime in California. I think my parents would agree, after their visit last weekend, that it really is a beautiful time of the year here. We are truly enjoying our time here and can't wait to have more friends and family come to visit. I hear there are some killer deals on airfare right now! (hint hint).