The Jaeggmeyers

We're Moving!!!

2011-05-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

You heard it correctly...the Jaeggmeyers are gettin' outta Dodge! The sun has set on our years in the condo, and after much deliberation, saving, and planning, Tony and I have found a place that is perfect for this next phase of our lives. Almost serendipitously, a frriend of mine from work announced that he was going to be renting his home. The location was perfect--Granada Hills, which is as close to the Santa Clarita Valley without actually being IN the SCV--, the price was right, and the size was great (3/2.5 PLUS a pool/spa...yippee!). We jumped at the opportunity, and we'll be moving in first weekend in June.

Our current home, not surprisingly, is a total disaster and life is a little bit chaotic right now. Being that this is the end of the school year, I am also frantically trying to tie up loose ends here as well. On top of which, I am also trying to pack up my classroom for the big move to the new campus (for those of you who don't know, I am moving to a brand new campus this coming fall. I am a member of a pilot school design team and will be teaching history at the new school. Exciting stuff! More on that later). Thankfully, Tony is almost finished with his first semester back at school, so he will likely get the lion's share of the final packing and unpacking for the move. Lucky for me, he's amazing and is just as excited as I am about the big move.

To tide everyone over until I update again (and we all know how often that is!), here's a shot of Sophie helping me move...

~To be clear, she's reading books to her mimi (blanket) and the bucket. Everytime I pack a box, however, she insists on sitting in this one. Cute.~

Time Flies

2011-03-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today, Tony and I met an incredible little individual. Over the course of the last two years, that little someone has blossomed into a bright, bubbly, and beautiful little girl. We fall in love with her every day, over and over again, and never stop being amazed at this person we have the privilege of calling our daughter. Two years seems like such a small chunk of time, but I keep marveling at how much has happened in these last two years. I look at my baby, who's not a baby, now and can't believe that that little person is the same baby I brought home from the hospital two years ago. Each day, Sophie learns something new, says something hilarious, and is forever adding to and developing the her that she is becoming. And what's best, is that Tony and I get to watch it happen!

I can go on and on. My baby is 2...that's the bottom line. Happy birthday, my sweet Sophie Bean. Mommy and Daddy love you so much.

Pavlova...

2011-01-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

...except that Lydia isn't Russain. In any case, she certainly has the talent. To be clear, my niece is only 7, AND this is the piece that she's practiced "only a little bit". She rules....

Jumping Beans

2010-12-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...I haven't posted in ages. Trust me its for a moderately good reason...busy with work, busy with studying, busy with family. Holidays and whatnot.

Until I finally find the time to bring everyone properly up to speed, here's a lil' somthing to tide you over...

She's a Maniac, Maaaaaniac...

2010-11-19T11:36:00.000-08:00

It's important that everyone knows what a talented dancer Sophia has become...

Bean to English Dictionary

2010-08-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

There are about a thousand other updates that I need to post, but this is an entry that has been swirling in my brain for months now. Sophia talks so much now, and her little voice and baby lisp just kill me they are so cute. Some of her words are so funny to hear that they need to be shared with everyone. Sadly, a person can't get the full effect of the cuteness unless you hear it first hand, but I figure a little translation guide would be the next best thing...

1) "mommeeeee": aka, "mommy". When she's really tired or fussy, she'll scrunch up her face and then say "ooohhhh, mommeeeee". It's pretty adorable.

2) "daddheee": aka, "daddy". Dad is pretty much the coolest thing in the world lately. He's the go-to guy for all things fun.

2) "puhpeee" or "Loolee": the dog. She follows poor Lucy around the house all day every day looking for an opportunity to sit, lay, ride on, or in some other way torture the poor creature. Lucy, thankfully, is pretty patient.

3) "kihee" or "titty" or "Saffooo": that'd be the cat. Sappho is far less patient than the dog. On another note, I'm pretty grateful for the fact that Sophie doesn't say kitty much outside the house. I just imagine lots of raised eyebrows when my 17 month old is yelling for her "titty".

4) "boobee": depends on where we are. She's big on birds lately, and "birdy" usually comes out sounding like "boobie". Unfortunately, birdies are only outside, so there are quite a few "boobies" that the neighbors end up hearing. Sophie also really likes identifying body parts. In this case, I think the translation is pretty self explanatory. :/

5) "copper": no, she's not a fan of police shows. A couple weeks ago, we had a fire nearby and there were helicopters that kept flying by. She LOVES pointing out airplanes now. Almost all planes end up being coppers, however.

6) "oggee": not a ganster, although that would be pretty rad. This would be yogurt. Sophie would eat her body weight in yogurt.

7) "ermeal": oatmeal. If she's not eating yogurt, she's eating oatmeal. There are days where she eats it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

8) "dee doh": that would be her ding dong, otherwise known as her belly button. She's big on pulling up her shirt and showing it to you at various points during the day. She also has a book that she calls her tummy book where she likes to find the dee dohs on the monsters in the book.

9) "caca": before you start making poop jokes, let me clarify that "caca" is cracker. Crackers are anything small and crunchy, from cereal, to actual crackers. I popped a mint one time and she asked me for a cracker. :)

10) "cock": probably my favorite and most embarassing. This means clock. She likes to find them in various books, and she frequently asks to borrow ours (although she more frequently knows that the ones on our wrists are called watches).

11) "Suffee": she just started saying her own name. She usually will point to her chest when she says it, just in case the listener didn't originally know who she was talking about. :)

There are a ton more, but I wanted to give everyone my top 11. Being that I haven't blogged in about a century, there are lots of other updates. To tide everyone over until that long awaited day when I actually am completely up-to-date, here's a little taste of the cuteness that is my kid...

~enjoying a pretzel during our beach day with Jana and Ryden~

In Memory of...

2010-06-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, our nephew, Tyler Sikora, died just recently. He was an amazing individual with a beautiful spirit, and he will be missed by everyone who's life he ever touched. Whatever you might believe, Ty is in a better place now, and can play sports the way he always wished he could.

The day after Ty's death, he and his bother's friends organized a candlelight memorial at Crescenta Valley High School (where Tyler was playing basketball when his heart gave out). The pictures are a few from the vigil. The outpouring of support and emotion was extraordinary, and again a testament to how special Ty truly was...

Tyler Matthew Sikora

2010-05-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

In memory of our son, brother, grandson, nephew, and cousin. We will all love you and miss you.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local-beat/15-Year-Old-Collapses-and-Dies-During-Basketball-Game-94661194.html

Call of the Wild

2010-04-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

I think this one speaks for itself...

...she's going to hate me for this one day...

Interior Designer for Hire.

2010-04-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

She's a Gourmet...

2010-04-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

To be clear, Sophie dumped all her cheerios out of the bowl onto the living room floor. She proceeded to place them one by one back in the bowl and "drink" them individually.

525,600 Minutes--Part Deux

2010-03-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

One year. One year! How is Sophie already one year? I know every parent says it, but I really, really mean it. I can't BELIEVE that it's already been a year since Sophie was born. I've been playing the 'one year ago today' game for about a week now (I feel like play that game a lot...). One week ago yesterday , Tony and I undertook the task of walking all the way to the dog park in hopes of encouraging Bean to make her debut before my induction date. One week ago last Tuesday was the first day of my maternity leave. One week ago this Wednesday, I had my first panic attack because I realized I was about to become a parent. You get the idea. Now my baby is about to become a toddler. Exciting, but a little sad at the same time.

Since Thanksgiving (seriously, I'm the worst blogger ever. Who waits 4 months between entries?), there have been lots of exciting updates. Bean started walking New Years weekend. Just stood up and toddled from Tony to his mom like it was the easiest thing in the world. Granted, she looked like a drunken sailor at first, and there were plenty of crash and burn moments, but at this point, she looks like she's been doing it all her life! She even can squat down and pick things up without having to hold onto anything anymore (that's a skill, for those of you who are thinking, "big deal, I do that all the time!"). Sophie is also talking up a storm. Her favorite word is "hi", which she says to everyone and anything. You are usually greeted with a cheerful "hhhhiiiii" when you walk into her room to get her out of the crib. Strangers are persistently greeted as well on the streets. "Daddy" and "doggy" are interchangeable, and she will frequently repeat "dahdeee" until either Tony or Lucy appear. She's picked up a few signs also. Actually, she's known the sign for "light" (opening and closing your hand at the ceiling, although she kind of just twists her wrist back and forth) for awhile now, and is starting to finally remember the sign for "all done" (waving open palms face down back and forth), too. She can show you were her (or your) nose is, and pretty consistently can show you her belly and eyes too. Her other new trick to put the phone (or remote control, or calculator, or anything really with a keypad) next to her head. Not always her ear, but she seems to know that phones (or phone like objects) go next to your head. My kid rules. :)

We're doing a small bbq at my mom's house this weekend to celebrate her birthday. Mostly, we want to celebrate the fact that we made it through the first year unscathed, and that we managed to keep her alive. Go us! Some carne asade, some beer, and family and a few close friends is the perfect way to celebrate our amazing little girl.

I'm sure there is more I should be talking about, but I'm a little too nostalgic to be thinking much past Sophie right now. Stay tuned, and I might even update on Tony's and my happenings as well!

Three months (I don't have a younger pic available!)

Eleven months. How does that happen?! (P.s. She was having an interactive experience with some cottage cheese)

Blessings

2009-11-22T10:02:00.001-08:00

In light of it being Thanksgiving week and the baby shower I attended yesterday and all, I've been doing a bit of reflecting. In my musings, I reminded again how truly blessed I am in my life. I have a job that I (used to) love where I know that I am making a difference in people's lives everyday, a roof over my head, an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, the best friend a girl could ask for in my sister, great parents...my list could go on an on. I have friends that inspire me and challenge me everyday. I have friends that I have known since I was 7 (Jana), 9 (Erin), 12 (Andrea, Jamie, Christina). I have reconnected with dozens more over the last six months thanks to the magical world of virtual networking. I don't think many can say that their group of friends--the ones that are invited to all the major events of their life and their kids' lives--consist of people that they've known since you were in elementary and junior high school. There's not a day that goes by that I don't smile at the idea that Sophie and Ryden will grow up together the same way that Jana and I did, or that I can get parenting advice from Kristen, who was in my preschool class, or that Sophie's aunt was also one of my good friends from high school.

I am a bit ashamed that I complain at all about the things that I don't really like about my life, as my worst day is the best day that someone else could ever aspire to. So in honor of it being Thanksgiving week, I am just going to enjoy my blessings, and be glad for all the amazing things I have in my life. :)

Pictures

2009-11-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

Because I STILL haven't uploaded anything to snapfish (I have like 4 months of pictures. Ugh)...

~I'm 7 months old!~

~Modeling her new hoodie. She's pretty fired up about it.~

~Rocking the excersaucer~

~The early stages of a toothy grin. There's 4 teeth in that little mouth of hers. She's cutting 2 more as we speak!~

~Do you love the tights as much as I do?~

~Checking out the view from her tummy.~

Cruising and Ladybugs

2009-11-03T08:16:00.001-08:00

Bean and I are playing last night, which is pretty typical for a weekday evening. The dinner has been had, the jammies are donned, and really we are just enjoying ourselves until it is time for bed. Lo and behold, what does my daughter do, but hitch herself up, and start crawling across the living room floor (it might not have been quite as effortless as that, but that's pretty much the gist). She looks like a drunken sailor right now, and it takes some time to move a few feet, but crawling is crawling, and my kid is officially mobile!

In other news, Bean had a great first Halloween. Tony and I drove down to San Diego on Friday night, and actually got to spend an ENTIRE weekend with his family (I should probably clarify that Tony FINALLY has weekends off! It is amazing what two days off in a row can do for a person!). Anyway, the drive down was a little bit rough. For those of you familiar with SoCal, and the area known as "the crush", you know how terrible the traffic can be. Minimal lanes, no median, and everyone and their brother is all trying to travel through about a 17 mile stretch of freeway. But I digress. In this section of freeway, there is also a huge costume store that is literally spitting distance from the freeway (my SoCal people, I'm sure, all know which store I am talking about). Apparently, Friday was the single best day in the history of the world to buy a costume, and the entire population of Orange and LA counties were piling into this establishment doing a little last minute shopping before heading off to whatever party was planned for the weekend. The only reason why I mention this is that Tony and I were caught in this poop storm. We spent over an hour trying to make our way past this store. From Dodger Stadium to the store is about 20 miles...it took us well over an hour to drive this stretch. I mention this only because Sophie has never been much of a fan of traffic. Thankfully, she slept through the worst of the traffic, leading Tony and I to believe that we were in the clear. No sooner had we passed the exit to the store (literally, hundreds of cars and people spilling out into the parking lot...it was ridiculous), then we started hearing the first squeaks and murmurings from the backseat. After a 10 minutes of fussing, she fell back to sleep again, only to wake up 20 minutes later and cry. For at least 40 miles, she cried, wailed, whimpered to be let out of her carseat and be put to bed for reals. She was pretty miserable by the time we reached Tony's parents' house, but after a bottle and some cuddling, she was sound asleep.

I bought her a costume over a month ago, even though I knew how silly it is to take a seven month old trick or treating. She isn't going to last for more than a few houses, there were no guarantees on the weather (which was beautiful, by the way), she's an armful which would make carrying her a challenge after awhile. At any rate, I bought the costume anyway, because it was too stinking cute not to. I dolled her up after dinner, with this as the result...

...Seriously, how CUTE is she? Tony and I went to maybe 3 houses with her, just so I could feel like I got some miles out of the costume, and then took our niece and nephew to another half dozen before we headed back home. I'm pretty sure that she'll be a ladybug again next year so I can feel justified in buying her costume in the first place.

The rest of our weekend was lazy, relaxing, and much needed. Our nephew, Max, celebrated his first birthday last week, so we had a small family party for him on Sunday. Max, by the way, was a lion this year...

I hope everyone else had a great Halloween. I can't believe that we are a little more than three weeks from Thanksgiving! Where does the time go?! Stay tuned for more updates!

Half a Year...

2009-09-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

Sophia is 6 months old (well, truth be told, she's almost 6.5 months old, and I am just slow on the pick up...). I can't believe my little bean is already a half a year old! Tony and I marvel constantly how much she's grown and developed since March. Truly, when we look at pictures of her from when she was first born, we hardly can recognize that baby! In 6 months, Sophie has:

* learned to roll front to back, and back to front.
* decided that tummy sleeping is the greatest thing in the entire world.
* started eating cereal (rice and oatmeal)
* started eating pureed yams, squash, green beans, peas, apples, and avocado. She LOVES the yams, apples, and squash. The jury is still out on the other stuff.
*cut three teeth. She has two on the bottom, and one on the top. We think the second one on top is moments away from making its debut.
* learned to drink from a sippy cup. She drinks water now like her life depends on it.
*started hitching her back legs into a crawling position. Tony and I are going to be in for it when she goes mobile...
*learned to sit up on her own. She also thinks playing while laying down is for babies.
*learned that standing is the greatest thing ever. She balances herself (with help still) against the coffee table, the couch, us, and gets the biggest grin on her face when she does so.
*started saying "dadadada", "mamama", "cahcahcahcah", and "dahdahdahdah". The last 2, I think, are "cat" and "dog". It might be my overactive imagination, but she seems to say those only when Sappho (the cat) and Lucy (the dog) are nearby. Our friend, Julie, is also convinced that Sophie says, "ok, bye bye", but I haven't heard that one myself.
*gotten this close to sleeping through the night. She has a night every 10-14 days when she makes it all the way through. Unfortunately, I started back to work 3 weeks ago (I am SO NOT a fan of working mommyhood), and hanging with various babysitters has thrown her off her game a bit. I'm sure once her permanent nanny starts (a week from today), she'll work it all out. Getting a full night's sleep again is a dream that Tony and I feel like is still too good to be true.

6 months. I think its going to take me at least another 6 months before I am going to be used to this!..

6:15

2009-08-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

That's what time Sophie woke up this morning. 6:15. Am I complaining? Heck no! She slept for the entire night! 6:45-6:15. The end might be just around the corner! Cross you fingers, everyone!

Milestones...

2009-08-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

It seems that I have proved myself a liar. I find that it is almost a month (longer???) since my last entry, and I still have not posted new pictures, let alone keep anyone current on the life and times of Sophie Bean. The highlights from the past month are:

1) We had Sophie's four month check up on July 14th (jeez! Can I be any later in my blogging?). She's healthy as a horse, according to her pediatrician. She is in the 95% for height, and 80% for head circumference (her body is FINALLY catching up to her noggin. I was afraid I had given birth to a bobble head). My little dumpling also came in in the 100% for weight. The doctor assures me that there is nothing to worry about, and she will burn all of her thighs (I mean, weight) off once she's more mobile. He also said that the reason why she wasn't rolling all the way over yet was because of her weight. Well, I never!

2) Sophie is slowly stretching her night in hour increments. Now, she pretty consistently makes it until 4-5 before she's up and ready for a feeding. Tony and I can ALMOST see the light at the end of the tunnel. Sleeping the entire night might not be a distant memory after all!

3) We definitely have a talker on our hands! Sophie has about a million interesting things to talk about now that she's found her voice. She babbles to Tony and I, the cat, the dog, the trees, her feet...pretty much anything within her sight line is going to get an ear full. Now, if we could just understand what she's talking about!

4) In the last three weeks or so, Sophie is also much more interested in standing. I think buying her an excersaucer might have had something to do with it (practicing being vertical or something...), but she LOVES standing on laps. She gets a huge grin on her face...she KNOWS that she is the smartest one in the room.

5) Just this past weekend was a virtual trifecta of important events. As we sat on the floor and played on her mat on Friday afternoon, low and behold, what does my little girl do but flip herself over onto her tummy. She looked up at me as though to say, "what's the big deal?". Now that she's figured it out, she won't stop, even though she still hates to be on her tummy. it seems as though I've officially become the baby flipper until she works out how to turn from front to back. By yesterday, she seems to have decided that if she was going to roll over to the right, she might as well learn to go left as well...so she did. On Saturday, Tony walked into our bedroom with Bean and announced that she had cut her first tooth (seemingly overnight, as there was no tooth on Friday). She is moderately more fussy as a result, but I have to say that the first tooth wasn't too bad (I hope I can say the same when her molars come in!). Finally, on Sunday, Tony and I gave Bean her first rice cereal breakfast (her doctor wanted us to start at four months, but I felt like that was too early). Her first attempt was, well, messy. Since then, however, she seems to really take to it. Last night, she was even leaning forward to get to the spoon sooner it seemed. Cute!

In other news, I have about five weeks left before I am officially a full-time teacher again. Tony and I were this close to having the perfect nanny. Terisa started last Monday, and worked last Wednesday as well. She unfortunately called this past Monday to tell us that her engine blew up...and she has no way of getting to Santa Clarita otherwise. It was like glimpsing Paradise and then having the doors shut in my face. So now we are back to square one. *Sigh* Its stressful knowing that we have to have someone sorted out in the next few weeks, as after September 8th, Bean will have to hang out at home by herself. Wish us luck!

Otherwise, we have been laying low and trying to stay cool. Two of our very good friends from San Diego are both due to become parents shortly (actually, our friends, Brian and Laura, already did. Now we are just waiting for Brian's sister, Becky, to have her baby). We both couples give us the word, we'll make another trek down to San Diego to welcome the new babes. The beach weather in Carlsbad will be a nice change from the Hades-like conditions of living Mojave adjacent. :)

Well, there are literally a TON of pictures that I need to post now, and I will make no promises anymore of when that might be. Stay tuned!

Where Does the Time Go?

2009-07-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ah! Sophie is almost four months old already! I can't believe it! I also can't believe that I missed posting anything about her three month milestones entirely. What kind of mother am I?

Well, as of this Saturday, my baby girl is going to be 16 weeks old. July 14th marks her actual four month birthday. I keep tabs on both because I think I might be a little bit crazy. Ce la vie. But where to start? We had a great first Mother's Day. Tony made a great picnic and we headed up to the local park for the afternoon. Sophie loved sitting in the shade and watching the trees in the wind, Lucy sniffing at the grass, the clouds, everything. She is so observant and never seems to miss anything. Father's Day waas equally wonderful. Tony's awesome parents drove up the Saturday before and surprised him so that they could be there to celebrate Tony's first Father's Day with him. Sunday was spent visiting with his brother and wife. He also bought an Iphone, which has pretty much changed his life. :) Tony wanted to spend his day just hanging out with his family, so we stuck pretty close to home. He gets so few opportunities to just be with his daughter, that he couldn't think of a better way to spend Father's Day. I think he was in heaven all day!

Not too long after Mother's Day, we reached another big day...well, night, to be exact. We put Sophie to bed at her normal hour, fully expecting to be up with her at 10-11 like usual (which would be about 4ish hours of sleep...). Low and behold, we wake to hear her crying at not 11, but 2 am! Yay! The difference of sleeping for 7-8 hours instead of 4-5 is like night and day. We almost feel human again! And aside from a pretty hairy week while we housesat for some friends of ours (Sophie did NOT like sleeping at Diane and David's...AT ALL!), she has pretty consistently stuck to her new schedule. What is even better is that my amazing husband has been taking the first night feeding with her since she was five weeks old. Now that there is only one feeding, momma gets to sleep pretty much all night! We might work out a rotation, as Tony is still pretty tired when he gets up for work, but he loves the private time he gets with her each day.

What else? During our housesitting week, she also started laughing. Baby laughter is one of the sweetest sounds ever, but when its coming out of your own kid, and its the FIRST TIME you are hearing it, your heart just melts. She still only laughs when mommy or daddy are being REALLY (I mean REALLY) goofy, or she's loopy-tired, but its certainly a start. Last Monday we also snapped this photo...

...of her. I can't believe how quickly she's growing! She's also moments away from rolling over. Coordinating her arms to get out of the way when she makes her move is her biggest hurdle, but with a little help from Tony or myself, she can pretty much work it out.

In other news, Tony and I had a great Memorial weekend (except for the almost 4 hour drive we made down to San Diego...Sophie was not a fan). Tony also finally took a five day "paternity leave" last week which was awesome. He was able to stay home with Sophie last Monday while I went back to work for one day. He had a great day, and LOVED getting to have one-on-one daddy/daughter bonding time. We are also in the process of interviewing nannies, which is stressing both of us out. We've met with six women, and 2.5 of them are contenders. We have another interview this afternoon, and we are hoping to have a decision by this Friday. While (almost) all of the interviewees are nice enough, with varying levels of experience, both of us are realizing how very much WE want to be the ones staying home and raising our daughter. Currently, that doesn't seem to be an option, but we are DEFINITELY looking for opportunities that would allow one or both of us to be home with Sophie all the time. We are headed down to San Diego for the fourth, and are looking forward to some QT with his family. Our good friend, Nicole, will be in town from Texas so that she will finally get to see Sophie, and her husband (also Tony's best friend), Tim will hopefully be making an impromptu trip to meet up with us as well. In the midst of the driving and visiting, we'll also be celebrating our nephew, James', fourth birthday. Talk about time flying!

Photos will be up on snapfish in the next week. There will be TONS, as I think there is half of May and all of June to post! Hopefully, I will learned a lesson about procrastination from this! Probably not... :) Happy 4th, everyone!

A little preview, to tide everyone over...

Keeping Faith

2009-06-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

I've been following a blog for the last month about a little girl named Faith. Her mother, Shelly, is a friend of my friend, Andrea. Both Faith and Andrea's son, Drew are heart kids...that is, they were both born with very serious heart defects. Both Faith and Drew have had numerous heart repairs, the most recent for both kids being the same surgery. Drew had his surgery last May, and Faith had hers just this past March. Drew is a remarkable five year boy who for the first time can run, jump, and play almost like any other five year old. Faith, however, died just this past Monday morning after an extremely long and arduous hospital stay.

I've never met Shelly, and I never knew her daughter either. I only heard about their situation through Andrea, who had posted links to Faith's blog on her blog and facebook site. I read Shelly's updates on Faith almost daily, however, as Shelly's candor and honesty about her feelings over her daughter's situation were incredibly touching. As I read about Faith's passing, tears streamed down my cheeks. I felt her loss, and what is more, I felt Shelly's. Sophia is only three months old, and the impact her little life has had on mine cannot be described unless you actually are a parent. She is inextricably tied to me. Whatever pain she will feel in life I will feel also. To lose a child has to be an uncomparable devastation.

Shelly is a remarkable mother. Her daughter's passing, while painful, has touched her mother deeply. Faith's short life was a testament to loving unconditionally, making her loved ones feel special and unique, and finding beauty everyday. As a result, Shelly has committed her life to doing the same. Her journey is truly inspiring. In the end, the life that Faith lived, and the message that Shelly has shared with hundreds of strangers, is the life that each of us should strive to live everyday.

Life IS precious, and a gift that should be cherished. Each of our loved ones should know how important they are, and that their presence in our lives is a blessing. However fleeting an impact it may seem to be at the time, we should learn to appreciate the positive influence it has had in our own lives. Like Faith, and Shelly, to love unconditionally and to value the blessing that life is is a quality we should all embrace. I know that I am going to remember to appreciate all the blessings that life has to offer, as they are fleeting and temporary. A little girl who I never met reminded me to always keep faith.

Two Months!

2009-05-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

~Two Months Old~

I can't believe that its already been a month since my last post! My days don't seem busy, but then again, when you are watching a two month old, the time kind of flies.

Can you believe that Sophie is already two months old?! Checking into the hospital seems like yesterday, and a lifetime ago (I think I keep saying that...). She is getting SO BIG, and the doctor confirmed that today at her two month well baby checkup. She is in the 95% now across the board for height, weight, and head circumference (she's totally her mother's daughter...). She coos and babbles, which is the CUTEST thing in the entire world. She holds her head parallel to her body when we pull her forward by her hands (that isn't usually until 3 months, according to the books, by the by). Hmmm...what other marvels can I share about my daughter? As much as Tony and I are hoping a dreaming for the day, Sophie still isn't quite sleeping through the night. Her bedtime is around 7, and Tony take the first feeding about 11 (altough the last few nights were closer to 1...maybe the start of something new and great?!?!). I get up with her about 2ish (again, lately its been around 5 though, after the 1 a.m. feeding). We are assured that sleeping through the night (or close to it) is just around the corner, so we are waiting with baited breath.

~Cute Foot!~
Sophie had her first round of immunizations today, and took them like a champ. Only a few minutes of crying, and then it was over. She was fussy in the afternoon, which everyone has told me to expect, and she went to bed EARLY tonight (well, I hope she did, I just put her down and its only 5 pm...I hope I don't live to regret that!).

~Little bit of Momma love...~

New pictures for May are on Snapfish, so take a look when you get a chance. I hope everyone is doing as well as Sophie is! Have a great Memorial Weekend...I know we will!

~The only picture where I think she looks like me...~

Happy Birthday!

2009-04-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

My baby was one month old yesterday!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-14T09:50:00.000-07:00

Happy belated Easter, everyone! We have had good couple weeks, and an whirlwind Easter holiday. There is not much to report as far as our day-to-day goes. Between eating, sleeping, and pooping, Sophia's schedule is pretty booked up. In between those activities, I find time for showering, reading, napping, and catching on reruns of Desperate Housewives on Lifetime. My days are pretty major. We've had visits from Jana and Ryden pretty much every week, which is awesome. What Sophia and Ryden may not understand is that they are betrothed, so Jana and I figure that they should hang out a bit and get to know one another. :) Sophie also had a cold last week, which wasn't the worst thing in the world. That is, she wasn't too fussy or miserable, but the amount of snot that can come out of that little nose is pretty impressive. She makes mommy so proud... The worst seems to be over now, and the booger sucker is almost a thing of the past.

Easter was fun, but quick. We took a chance and decided to risk the car trip down to San Diego to visit Tony's family. His parents hadn't seen Sophia since she was born, and his grandmother hadn't seen her at all. The trip down wasn't too bad. We made it all the way to Mission Viejo (80+ miles of the 120 mile trip, for my out-of-staters) before we had to stop for a feeding and a quick diaper change. The rest of the trip was a breeze, and Sophia was sleeping soundly 40 minutes after we arrived. Unfortunatley for her adoring fans, she also slept most of Easter, so most people didn't get to see her until about an hour or so before we started packing up to leave. The trip home was awful, and the traffic was MUCH worse than either Tony or I had anticipated. Thankfully, despite the fact that she usually wakes up if the car isn't moving, Sophie slept for the ENTIRE almost 4 hour car ride home. My daughter rules.

There are, of course, pictures to post, but I have a kid that needs to be fed pretty soon. Check back in shortly, and expect a new installment of April photos to be put up on snapfish.

Parenthood

2009-03-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

My baby is officially two weeks and two days old today. It is such a small amount of time that has passed, but I can't believe that it has already been two weeks since Sophia was born! On one hand, it seems like only a moment has passed since Tony and I checked into the hospital. I keep playing the "two weeks ago" game...two weeks ago, we were getting ready to leave for the hospital; two weeks ago, I was finally getting induced; two weeks ago, Sophie was born.... You get the idea. On the other hand, it seems already like a lifetime ago that she was born. I can't imagine what life would be like now without her being a part of it. Amazing how such a little person has such profound impact on my life.

We had our two week check up today. My first and most immediate observation is that pediatricians are freakishly perky. I guess its an occupational hazard. Secondly, Sophie received a clean bill of health, which is reassuring considering she was practically starving her first few days. She has gained over a pound from her birth weight, and two pounds over what she dropped down to after she was born. According to Dr. Perkypants, Sophie is in the 80th percentile as far as her weight goes (which is hard to believe, because she still looks SO LITTLE). I missed what her actual length is now, but she is just above that average. Doesn't really surprise me, considering Tony and I are both tall kids born to short parents. Her head size is in the 90th percentile, which also doesn't surprise me...I've been told that I have a rather large cranium. :) All in all, Sophie is a healthy and vital little girl who is growing like a weed. Exactly what a new parent wants to hear!

Otherwise, our little family is doing well. Tony and I spend countless moments watching her make faces, and marvel at her adorable little features. Sophie is sleeping pretty well, and we are taking advantage of the three to four hour stretches of sleep we are getting a night. I am enjoying my time off, and am SO GRATEFUL that I will have a full six months at home to be with my daughter. Tony is still hard at work, and unfortunately can't take a paternity leave until next month, but for the most part is making sure that he is home by 7 to enjoy some time with Sophie every day. We have lots of visits from my mom and sister, and Tony's family have all made separate visits over the last couple weeks to see the new addition.

I suppose that's it for now. Our lives are pretty tame for the time being, and we are just enjoying being a trio. Hope everyone is finding themselves as happy and satisfied as we do lately. Stay tuned for more to come!

Things That I Have Learned in a Week...

2009-03-23T09:26:00.001-07:00

~Meet Sophia!~

~The first, albeit extremely fuzzy, picture of the new Jaeggi family~

1) That knowing the delivery date of your first child is enough to send you over the edge of sanity because of the unbelievable nerves, anxiety, and suspense.

2) That pitocin is the ENEMY, and no matter how much a girl might be against an epidural later in the labor, it will suddenly become her best friend.

3) That lying in a hospital bed for 29 hours is not as fun as one might think.

4) That SAYING that your labor/delivery lasted 42 hours sounds impressive, but when you are the one actually experiencing it, it feels like only 5 minutes actually passed.

5) That the first moment of looking at your child is priceless and will change the person you are, the way you look at the world, what you deem valuable and important in an instant.

6) It is possible to love someone more than you love yourself, more than you love your spouse, and you can't describe that kind of love to someone who hasn't experienced it themselves.

7) Even though you don't think you can love your spouse anymore than you already do, the love you have for them AFTER the birth of your child increases that feeling by at least tenfold.

8) It is possible to function on 3 hours of sleep, and not look like an absolute zombie.

9) Having a child is miraculous, scary, awe-inspiring, gut wrenching, powerful, and empowering...all at the same time.

10) That my daughter is the most beautiful, incredible, and amazing accomplishment that I can ever take credit for.

That's right, everyone. The big day has come and gone, and at 9:26 a.m. on March 14th, Sophia Diane Kampmeyer Jaeggi was born. She weighed in at 8.3 lbs, and measured a loooong 21 inches, and is perfect in every way. Our first week has come and gone, and all things considered, things have gone pretty well. The first couple nights were pretty rough, as it turned out that my milk was not coming in readily, and Sophie was hungry pretty much ALL the time. After a few lactation consultations, many of the kinks have been worked out. She needs to take a supplemental feeding here and there, and I have to be VERY rigorous about her feeding schedule to make sure that I am making enough milk (which it seems that I am...finally). We have had my mom and sister here almost every day alternating baby help duty, and Tony's and my good friend, Tim, flew out from Texas last Thursday to stay with us, help me out, and bond with his new pseudo-niece for a few days. He has been pretty much a God-send.

I've included a few of the pictures from our first week here, but otherwise, check out the snapfish site to see all the pictures that we have taken so far. I will try to be better about posting, but I'm sure you can all understand how busy the life of a new parent can be. Tony and I want to thank you all for your love and support, and all the well wishes we have received this last week, and over the last 9 months. We are incredibly lucky to have such amazing friends and family, and can't wait for Sophie to meet all of you!

~Sophie Diane, minutes old~

As Promised...

2009-03-11T18:54:00.001-07:00

~Enjoying the rad glider that my husband put together. No nursery is complete without one!~

~This is what a completed Bean room looks like. Pretty cute, huh?~

~More Bean room. Apparently, we never took pics of the other side of the room. Guess we wanted to leave something to mystery!~

~Month 9. Not my finest moment. Wish I had thought of taking picutres during the day, instead of right before I went to bed...~

~Beware of the cankles!~

~Kickin' it with Ryden. 'Cause he rules.~

~Ryden is blowing raspberries because he's mad that Bean is taking so long to hang out with him.~

~Tuckered out from hanging out with Auntie Laura and Uncle Tony. We're pretty major. I think the anticipation of waiting for his future BFF got to him as well.~

~Term. I'm friggin' HUGE. There's nowhere to go anymore but out, Bean!~

I know that month 8 is MIA, but I can't find the file. You get the idea though. THe belly grows, the chest seemingly shrinks. I look like a homeless woman in every picture. Yada yada yada. I also know I promised sonogram pics also, but the scanner is at my mom's house, and I keep forgetting to take the pictures to the scanner. Its almost anticlimactic to post the sonogram photos AFTER Bean, seeing as how the real thing is probably going to be much more exciting. We'll see what the future holds. Stay tuned, folks. The next post will be announcing Bean's arrival! Yay!!!

Quick and Dirty...

2009-03-11T16:36:00.001-07:00

Ok, I'll post more in a bit. I just wanted to give everyone a heads up about what the low-down is.

1) Bean isn't here...yet (that's why there is a profound lack of cute baby pics).

2) I'm scheduled to be induced tomorrow...so the end is in sight.

3) Someone (more than likely Tony or Amy) will start spreading the word when there is word to be spread. Check back in here, stay close to your phones, check your email a lot in the next 36 hours or so.

Until then, hang tight! I'll really for realsies post the missing pics later this evening. I have backup meals to make still and I'm starting to realize that I am just about out of time to get everything done!

Update on the Update...

2009-02-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

Just quickly popping in to let my nearest and dearest know I haven't forgotten all of you. I'm well. Tired, but hanging in there. I'm two days into week three of second semester (huh?) and starting to wonder why I thought teaching second semester at all was a good idea. I'm also nine days from my due date...which completely blows my mind. My doctors seem to be hinting that I might not make it until the 5th, which I think would be FABULOUS, but early labor remains to be seen. Tony and I are both incredibly anxious and excited to meet Bean and start working on being a family, instead of just a couple!

There are pictures to post (new belly shots, finished Bean room, new 3D sonogram...), but those are at home, and I have a TON of sub notes that I need to finish typing. Stay tuned, and remember that patience is a virtue! Pictures and a more interesting blog by the end of the week.... I promise!

Belly Updates!

2009-01-22T19:54:00.001-08:00

Alright, folks, you asked for it. Here's the up-to-date on the belly!

~month 7, post christmas tree decorating. that's my excuse for looking so scaggy. :)

the rest of the photos are being a little tempermental. i'll see if i can work out the kinks and get the published in the next couple days.

T-Minus 6 Weeks and Counting...

2009-01-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? Six weeks?!?!?! It hardly seems real to me that in 6(ish) weeks, Tony and I are going to be parents. I feel like I am only just getting used to the idea of being pregnant, and now all of sudden, Bean is practically here! Crazy!

The holidays passed in a blur (like they always do). Tony and I hosted Christmas Eve dinner again, and then had Christmas Day breakfast at my mom's house. We had an impromptu dinner at my best friend's parents' house that night, which was wonderful. When I was a teenager, I spent many a holiday with Erin's parents, but being a grown up seems to get in the way at times of my childhood traditions. Erin's family is like my second family, and so its just...appropriate...that I spend the holidays with them. You know? We also went down to San Diego the weekend after Christmas for the Jaeggi celebration. We had the BEST white elephant gift exchange of ALL TIME! What is even better, is that Tony's family has decided to make it an annual tradition. Yay!!

~me and my mountain belly~

New Year's week started out with promises of catching up with some work, watching some movies, and maybe even catching up with some friends. Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men.... What my New Year's week turned out to be was getting a car accident on New Year's Eve eve. An over-dyed 19 year old in daddy's BMW rear ended me. I was near my mom's house, so after I got the information from the girl (she was poo), I took myself to my mom's to check in with Tony and let him know that I was ok. He insisted that I go to the doctor, which I hadn't even thought about, and frankly was kind of annoyed at the thought of. My mom drove me to the doctor's office, and to make a long story short, I found myself at the hospital later that afternoon. Initially, it was a precautionary measure, but after being told by one of the nurses that I had been having contractions for I'm not sure how long, it finally clicked in that Bean might have been seriously hurt!! THAT'S when I started to get really mad...and worried. The whole thing wasn't about me, it was about Bean, which was kind of a huge revelation for me. It was a total "I'm going to be a mom" sort of moment. I spent the night in the hospital (sooooo not fun!), but that was again purely precautionary. Everything turned out fine, and besides some extra sonogram appointments, neither Bean or I are no worse for the wear.

Luckily, Tony and I have AWESOME friends, and our good friend (Tony's best friend), Tim spent the entire weekend after New Year's painting Bean's room and putting up crown molding. Seriously, Bean has the best room in the house, and the best uncle in the world to make such a good looking room for our kid. Thanks, Uncle Tim! Tony and I have spent the last few weeks since the room painting doing a major overhaul on both our closets, the storage cupboard, and our carport storage making room for Bean. Its amazing how much crap a person (or 2) can accumulate!

Well, that pretty much brings us up to date. Bean's shower is a week from this Saturday, and all three of us can hardly wait! Tony and I (read: I) decided to have a Jack and Jill shower instead of a traditional baby shower. Our male friends are just as important to us as our girl friends, and Tony had SOMETHING of a hand in the making of Bean, so I figured he should probably be allowed to be around to celebrate as well. Now, everyone will be able to celebrate without the traditional baby shower games. So...there will be no smelling of the baby food, or making diapers out of stuff, or measuring of the belly, or anything else. Just mexican food, beer, and DELICIOUS cuppy cakes. Not to mention a crap load of our nearest and dearest. I'm really looking forward to this, by the way!

Hmmm...pictures are to come. I have to dig out the cords for the camera, which have gone missing since the room overhaul. Stay tuned for updated belly pics, AND a new 3D sonogram of my kid's adorable mug. You can hardly wait!

How Cute is this Baby?

2008-12-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

...I know I have to say that, because I'm the mom and all, but seriously, how cute is that little face? I'm convinced Bean has my nose (the Kampmeyer tradition carries on), and Tony's chin (because that is not my chin). My kid is finally cute!!!!

Thanksgiving Shenanigans

2008-12-03T12:26:00.000-08:00

Holy cow, its almost Christmas! I came back from my long Thanksgiving weekend and put a countdown on the front board of how many days there are until the start of winter break...according to my sources, there are 13 (school) days. That's nuts!

~'Cause he's an intergalactic superhero~

~Lydia, being goofy~

On a completely different note, Tony and I had a great, albeit REALLY hurried, Thanksgiving. We drove down to his parents' house on Wednesday night, after we figured the traffic would have died down. Tony hung Christmas lights with his dad all day Thursday while his mom cooked delicious yummies, and I did some reading for my class. Dinner was around 4-4:30, with about a dozen guests (including our adorable new nephew). All in all, it was a fantastic day, with great food, and even better company. The only bummer was the fact that we had to turn around and drive back to L.A. on Friday morning so that Tony could work all day. Bleh! Such is the life of working for "the man", I guess. The upside was the all day opportunity I had to work on my final paper for my grad school class. I guarantee all of you, there are NO distractions sitting in someone else's empty office on a holiday weekend. Now all I have to do is finish writing the stupid paper....

Not much else to report. Tony and I will be having our 5th annual holiday party this Saturday that we are both really looking forward to. After that, its Christmas shopping and Charlie Brown specials as far as the eye can see.

To make up for a rather dull post, though, I am including a really cute video of our nephew, James, providing a monologue about...I'm still not sure what. In any case, it was REALLY stinking cute to listen to his schpiel.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Growing Beans and Santa Sightings

2008-11-18T12:10:00.001-08:00

Greetings folks. Well, its been a month, and I have yet to post the ever-promised five month belly pics. What's even worse, is that Tony took the six month belly pics last night. Can you believe it?!?! Six months! Its going to be the start to the holidays in a week, and before we (well, mostly I) know it, Bean is going to be here! Yipes!

Speaking of Bean, s/he is doing swimmingly. Kicking up a storm now, and within the last few weeks, I have taken to turning on the TV when I get home from work, and then spending hours watching my belly move, allthewhile ignoring whatever is on the tube. It is the WEIRDEST thing watching your tummy move as if by magic, knowing that in no way are you the one making yourself twitch and jump. Bean has also taken to what I think is stretching as long as possible, and pressing him/herself into my diaphragm when I sit too long in what apparently is an undesirable position (this usually occurs about half way through my CSUN classes on Tuesday nights...I'm the student shifting like a four year old at my desk). Taking a complete breath is almost impossible, and I end up panting--for lack of a better phrase--like a fat kid. Totally hot. Aside from the respitory malfunctions, I am doing great. Still lots of energy (well, compared to the first trimester, and considering I never seem to have a moment to sit and relax...ever), and doing my best to stay up and active. Tony and I started Bean's registries this weekend (what else were we going to do when everything south of us was going up in flames?!?!?). We have starter lists and Babies R Us and Target, for those of you who have been asking, or who might be interested. My growing belly is very reminiscent of Santa Claus, although at my last doctor's appointment I was charted as having gained only 7 lbs, and my doula insists that my limbs are shrinking (maybe I'm imploding...everything is being sucked to my middle...that would be weird...). In any case, if anyone knows of any malls in their area that are a Santa short this year, send them my way! :)

*Lydia~Tony~Baby Max. Seriously, SUCH a cutie!*

*I'm not sleeping, in case you are wondering. How can you not melt at this though? Look how sweet!*

*Baby Max. He looks like his brother, James...only the pirate version. I want to smoosh his face!*

Tony and I are looking forward to the holidays. We will be spending Turkey Day in San Diego this year with his family, which is very exciting, due to the brand spankin' new nephew we have waiting for us down there. I have three weeks after Thanksgiving before Christmas break, and then about six weeks of work before I start my maternity leave. Like I said, time flies when you are baking a Bean!

*Bean-month five. I'm not so much a fan of this phase...mostly, you (well, I) just look thick...and REALLY tired.*

*Bean-month six. Whoa, momma! I'm soooo totally pregnant here!*

Bean, Doing a Headstand

2008-10-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

Hi folks! Here's the 5 month sonogram as promised. Not the cutest yet, and I'm pretty sure that I am going to eventually give birth to Skeletor, rather than an actual human that looks like either Tony or myself. Hmmm...maybe Skeletor is a distant cousin of one of ours that I just didn't know about. That would be weird...

I apologize for the wackadoo position for the picture, but my computer refuses to let me rotate the picture. Apparently, Mac seems to know more about picture posting and saving than I do. Whatever.

To talk you through this a bit, Bean is on his/her head, with both hands tucked up next to the left side of his/her face. The two big dark spots are the eyes, and the smaller spot is the nose. Cute, right???

Month five belly pictures are still pending...stay tuned!

Yogurt and the Traveling Freckle

2008-10-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a pregnant lady named Laura who woke up one day and couldn't keep her brain straight anymore. After some time of getting used to this pregnancy, however, Laura thought that maybe she had the whole pregnancy thing wired...she had told all of her students that she was pregnant, and was even getting used to her growing belly. Enjoying it, even. Then, out of nowhere, a young girl stopped Laura when she was in the office of her high school one morning. Laura carried her lunch bag in one hand, some letters to be mailed in the other, and her burgeoning belly poked out a bit from beneath her top (but not in a tacky, white trashy sort of way...she was at school, after all). "What are you having?", the girl asked, pointing to Laura. Due to her unstraightened brain, Laura had a hard time processing the difficulty of the question. She thought about it for a bit, thinking it was strange that the girl would ask her about her lunch bag (because what else could the girl POSSIBLY be asking her about???). Without another thought, however, Laura confidently replied, "I'm having yogurt". The girl looked at Laura like she was a crazy woman with an unstraightened brain, for obvious reasons.

Ok, enough with story time. On a completely different note, I have a deep and meaningful observation that I wanted to share. I have a freckle. Not just any freckle, mind you. This freckle, for as long as I can remember, has lived in the deepest, darkest depths of my belly button. This freckle was the keeper of my belly button, I suppose, as there is very little else in this world that has had such an up-close and personal relationship with this particular part of my anatomy. Low and behold, however, sometime last week I noticed that Mr. Freckle (I don't know how I know that the freckle is male, but it is) was no longer residing in the depths of my belly button. Over the course of the last couple weeks, Mr. Freckle has been taking a little road trip, and now lives just outside and to the right of his former home...belly button adjacent, if you will. Isn't that weird? Pregnancy is strange. It even makes belly button freckles jump ship and find new homes. Interesting...

The Much Anticipated Belly, as Promised...

2008-10-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

Alright...my camera and laptop finally made up and I am now able to post the pics of my ever-expanding belly. Woo hoo! Be warned...I look a little skaggy in some (well, most) of these pictures. They were always just before bedtime. Well, without further ado...

month one...I want to qualify that I had only just started back to the gym at this point!

month two...although I think I looked more pregnant last month!

month three...bean is maybe starting to make a cameo???

month four...there's no denying it! there's a bean in there!

P.S. From the looks of these pictures, I need to buy a new tank top! It looks like I've worn the same clothes for 3 months. Always the fashionista...

Updates!

2008-10-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note for those of you who might have been curious. Tony and I went to our (almost) 5 month sonogram appointment on Friday, and everything looks great! It took FOREVER, and the doctor was very thorough making sure that all of the Bean's bits were present and accounted for. After over and hour's worth of scanning, we've got 2 hands (with 10 fingers), 2 feet (with 10 toes), 2 ears, 2 eyes, 1 brain (with all of the relevant parts), and 1 heart (with 4 chambers). Yay! Bean was nestled into my pelvis, and lying on his/her left side, so it took awhile to see everything. Bean also had his/her hands up by his/her head, and the legs were politely crossed for the entire appointment. If Bean turns out to be a girl, I think daddy will be pleased at his daughter's modesty! And if Bean is a boy, then mommy is thrilled to see he is already such a little gentleman! In any case, there was no money shot, which is nice, because then I couldn't be tempted to sneak a peak at the screen.

I will post the latest picture once I scan it. Stay tuned!

Lots of Big News!

2008-10-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Ugh! Where does the time go? It was August like 2 days ago and I was letting everyone know about the Bean, and now its already October, I am half way through my pregnancy (holy crap!), and my first term of fall semester. Gheesh! Talk about sleeping on the job!

Hmmm....where to start? Let's start with the raddest news first. Two weeks ago, Mike (Tony's boss), pulled Tony aside and let him know that he was going to be promoted! Tony is now officially the manager of the shipping and receiving department! Yippee! Mike was also promoted, so Tony is taking over some of Mike's old responsibilities (I think...). He'll be trained on the other side of the warehouse business (he was the supervisor for shipping, so now he'll be taking a crash course in receiving). Tony's also training two new hires, both of which will be working Saturdays. Translation? In about a month, month and a half, Tony won't be working on Saturday anymore! Its like Christmas in October! Needless to say, we are SOOO excited about the news. I love that all the hard work Tony puts into his job is so appreciated and that the powers that be take notice of all of it. On another note, his raise is going to make me staying home with the Bean next spring a little easier to manage.

Which brings us to the Bean. Like I said, I am (almost) half way through my pregnancy already. About two weeks ago, I started feeling tiny flutters. Kinda like gas bubbles, kinda like someone is tickling me from inside. For all the mommas out there, you know how weird/amazing the feeling is. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, trust me, its awesome. My belly is quickly expanding, although the scales tell me I've only gained 4 pounds. I was getting away with a hair tie holding my pants together (SUCH a fashion statement), but I'm quickly losing the battle. My best friend, Jana (we'll get to her in a minute!), turned me on to the most amazing invention of all time--the belly band. I can leave all my pants unbuttoned (and unzipped), pull the band on top of the open waistband, and voila! It does my ego a world of good that I can keep wearing my regular pants for a little longer before I have to give in to maternity jeans. Probably about the same time as the flutters did any of my students start noticing that Mrs. J might have been keeping something from them. I walked past one of my freshmen the other day, and Cynthia takes a long, hard look at me (well, my belly) and asks, "Ms. K...are there maybe some congratulations in order??". Not that I was trying to hide it from them, I just felt like it was weird to announce it to them on the first day of school. Aside from my ever expanding belly (which I LOVE, by the way!), I feel great. Lots of energy, sleeping much better than I was during my first trimester, and I am trying to get myself to the gym 2-3 days a week. I have an insatiable sweet tooth lately (I could eat a planet size portion of ice cream!), but I am trying to satisfy my urges by eating lots of fruit instead. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't... Ce la vie.

And my last bit of news, which in my opinion is the BEST news to date (aside from the promotion...nope, its even better than the promotion), is that my best friend, Jana, gave birth to the most BEAUTIFUL baby boy on Tuesday night. She was (almost) two weeks overdue, and after her checkup on Monday, her doctors decided that she should be induced on Wednesday morning. Low and behold, I get the call from her Tuesday morning to tell me that her water broke at 2:30, and that she and Mike were admitted to the hospital at 3:30. Poor thing had a pretty rough labor all Tuesday; spent about 15 hours with a baby in her pelvis and only half way through her progression. She made it to 6 cms by maybe 6 ish that night (it took an hour to get there), where she got stuck again for another couple hours. At 8-8:30, her doctors decided that either her pelvis was too narrow (information that would have been useful hours ago, I expect), Seamonkey's head was too swollen from the contractions, or that he had grown too big during his extra week and a half of baking time, or a combo of all of them. In any case, Jana had a C-section at 9:30, and at just after 10, Ryden Phoenix Onori appeared! He was 8 pounds, 8 ounces, and I think 21 inches long. Dark(ish) hair, almost lavender eyes because they are so blue/grey. He also has the most adorable dimple in his chin. He's perfect (which his pictures can attest to), and Jana and Mike are doing great. I can't BELIEVE that my best friend that I have known since 2nd grade has a baby! Talk about time flying!

I'm sure there is more that I am forgetting, but now that I started talking about Ryden, I am having a hard time focusing. I'll keep everyone posted. I have a sonogram tomorrow, I'll let everyone know the updates soon!

A Good Cause

2008-09-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

My good friend Andrea is participating in the Heart Walk to support her son, Drew. As many of you already know, Drew was born with a congenital heart defect, and recently finished his latest stint in the hospital for his third open heart surgery. The exciting news is that Drew might be able to complete the entire walk with his family with his new, improved, oxygen-pumping heart.

The Heart Walk participants are looking for supporters to help fund continued research for various heart related diseases. Consider donating, as this is completely a good cause!

The Time has Come, the Walrus Said...

2008-08-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

...to talk of many things. Of shoes and ships, and sealing wax, and the fact that Tony and I are going to be parents!!! (How was that for subtle?)

That's right, everyone. You heard me correctly. Tony and I have a bun in the oven, due in March...March 6th, to be perfectly precise (for those of you without your calendars nearby, that's my birthday). We are SO excited (but I think every couple is expected to say that), and are trying to adjust to the idea of having a bean running (well, crawling at first) around next spring. Who would have thunk it???

To answer the next barrage of questions, I'm feeling pretty good now. The first four or five weeks (I knew almost right away), I felt great. I was going to the gym five or six days a week, had lots of energy, was sleeping great. A girl couldn't ask for better. Right around the sixth week, though, the dreaded morning sickness (who calls it that, anyway? Morning sickness? Try all day nausea!) kicked in and I was a pretty sorry site. I spent something like a month or so on our couch, feeling sorry for myself (what every self-respecting woman does, I'm sure), and wishing for my own demise. Nothing I ate sat well (although I only actually threw up twice), I was never hungry, and to top it all off, I couldn't sleep to save my life.

...That's all behind me now though. Tony and I have been to two ultrasound appointments, and everything is progressing swimmingly. I feel great now, the bean (the name of our future child...) is growing at what seems an astronomical rate, and we are well on the way to month four. That's about all we have to report for now...as soon as I can figure out how to crop the ultrasound pictures, I will have those posted, along with pictures of my diminishing waist line (is everyone excited now?). Stay tuned for monthly updates, because there is certainly more to come!!!

~a two month old bean...you understand now where s/he earned the nickname!~

~three months old! less beany, now kinda alieny. s/he still has time to human up!~

Some time later...Tony and I are thinking of signing this kid to our future family band (a la Partridge Family). He'd give the bean a run for his/her money!

One More, Super Important, Thing

2008-08-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

If you guys have a minute, please please PLEASE check out my friend, Andrea's blog. She is doing a raffle for another little girl who also has heart problems (Andrea's son, Drew, just recently finished an 8 week stint in the hospital for his most recent heart surgery). Anyway, this family that Andrea is fundraising for could REALLY use some help and support. If anything else, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks, everyone!

The Dawg Days of Summer

2008-08-18T12:28:00.001-07:00

This is what dog sitting in Echo Park looks like...jealous much???

Hello faithful readers! I know that I have been noticeably absent the last few months, but since the beginning of summer, my days seem to just slip by. As I sit on the couch (in not my house, Tony and I are dog sitting in Echo Park this week) I'm realizing that I have only two short weeks left before I am heading back to work. Sigh...you blink and before you know it, summer is gone!

I wish I could start updating everyone about the wild adventures that Tony and I had this summer, with trips abound and whatnot, but that was not really the case. In the words of whatever kook came up with the new phrase, Tony and I enjoyed a lazy "staycation" in the lovely SCV. While it sounds oh-so-exotic, it was far less sexy in reality. Probably our highlight in the last few months was 4th of July weekend that we spent with Tony's family in San Diego. It was our nephew, James', 3rd birthday (who is SO CUTE!), so we celebrated with a bbq for the birthday and the 4th at his parents on the 4th, and then ANOTHER bbq at Tony's sister's on the 5th as well (it would be a sin not to take advantage of the beautiful San Diego weather). I also spent some time by our pool working on my Vitamin D/skin cancer intake, keeping up with my TiVo programming, and reading lots of books that weren't assigned to me by a professor of some sort. I LOVE reading books that aren't part of classwork, or need a paper written about them, or anything even close to that vein. My two favorites so far this summer have been Ahab's Wife and The Virgin Suicides. If you're looking for a good read, both of these are HIGHLY recommendable. I'm hoping to get to The Glass Menagerie and/or A Prayer for Owen Meanie before my new CSUN semester begins. I'm also plugging through The Count of Monte Cristo, but its sooooooo not as good as I was hoping it would be.

Tony just celebrated his one year anniversary with Razorgator, and is going strong there. His work anniversary is pretty synonymous with his move back to SCV anniversary (both are within the next week or so). I can't believe its already been a year since he started at Razorgator and moved up here, but then again, I also said I couldn't believe that it had been a year since our wedding. Anyway, he's as busy as ever with work, and is going into his "busy season" again, which means 16 hour days and high stress. It seems that this year is slightly less crazy than last summer was, but I've probably jinxed myself now that I've said that out loud. I can kiss my husband goodbye now for the next two weeks!

Hmmmm....what else? We're still kicking it in Saugus, and laying low in the condo until 1) a miracle happens and the housing market picks up again, 2) a bag of money falls into our lap and we can afford to move with selling our souls to do it, or 3) we can finally work out the logistics with my dad and MAYBE move back into the house where I grew up (this is no small feat...organizing with my dad--however much I love the man--is remarkably similar to herding cats). It works for now, and when Tony and I are supposed to move, we will. For the time being, now is not the time, and we're (mostly) ok with that. On another note, I start CSUN again in a couple weeks (although I couldn't for the life of me tell you what day...) and will be taking a class in Literary Criticism. I've decided that two classes while working full time is INSANE, and that I don't actually have to finish my master's program in some sort of super-human amount of time. Finishing in 2-3 years is fine with me, and whatever career opportunities that will be available post-Literature degree will still be there when the time comes, you know?

See? Like I said, we've had a pretty low-key summer this year. I'm sure there will be more to report once the school year starts up again. Stay tuned!

Connections to the Man Upstairs...

2008-06-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

I got a call from my sister-in-law, Ellen yesterday afternoon. Apparently my niece, Jessica (Ellen's stepdaughter) had a pretty big scare yesterday. Dacodah-- my new grand-niece, Ellen's grand daughter, Jessica's daughter--stopped breathing twice yesterday. The kind of stopped where her little face was blue, and her body went limp. Scary. Jess was airlifted to UCLA Medical Center, and the doctors ran a gauntlet of tests to see what the deal was. At the end of it, they couldn't find anything really wrong, and Jess and Dacodah went home yesterday evening. So my request is for those of you with connections to the Powers That Be, if you wouldn't mind throwing in an extra prayer or two to make sure that Dacodah is okay, that would be great. Two week old babies shouldn't have to worry about whether or not their breathing apparatus is working correctly. That should be a part of the warranty, you know?

The phone call got me to thinking though. On a completely selfish level, Jess' experience made me concerned about my own future. Tony and I are not all that far away from starting our own family. When I think about having kids, I always think about the good stuff. I remember the moments of absolute sublime sweetness of holding one of my little cousins, or one of my friends' kids and rocking them to sleep, smelling their head, their little hands and feet. My heart melts, my uterus contracts, and I can barely stay inside of my skin thinking about how badly I want to be a mom. What I don't usually think about is all the scary stuff. The things that can keep a girl up a night, drenched in a cold sweat from the fear and horror of something (anything) going incalculably wrong. S&@t happens, and while I'd like to think that I am a 'roll with the punches' kind of gal, I'm usually not. What is more, is that I COULDN'T be if something as terrible as what might have, could have, happened to baby Dacodah. I've been a spectator into my friend, Andrea's life with her son, and she's SO calm and collected most of the time that you would hardly know that Drew has any problems at all. She is the kind of mom I would like to be some day.

I'm not really sure where I am going with this one, to be honest. Just some general musings that have been swirling around upstairs that I needed to expunge. I am thinking that this has turned into my new journal, a sort of virtual catharsis, and so in keeping with tradition, I needed to make my entry for the day. Keep Dacodah in your thoughts, as well as her mommy. While you're at it, send a shout-out for Drew and Andrea as well (he's on day 21 of his hospital stay....its starting to be REALLY not fun anymore). Happy Friday to everyone, and I will talk to you next time around.

My Norma Rae Moment

2008-06-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

So its Friday, 8:30 in the morning. I am sitting in my classroom feeling a little bit like poo BECAUSE I am sitting in my classroom while some of my fellow teachers (the good ones) are outside with picket signs and sandwich boards, donning their union red, and informing the general population of Schwarzenegger's latest brain trust moment.

Let me back up a bit. For those of you who aren't in the loop, or don't live in California, or don't give a crap (I tend not to, don't feel too bad...), our Governor has proposed a $4.8 billion (that's right, BILLION) cut to the education budget. This means TONS of teachers are at risk for losing their jobs, our benefits are being threatened, there will be no new books, this list becomes more depressing the longer it gets. Just think 'sucky ad nauseum'. In an effort to protest these potential cuts, LA Unified teachers across the board instituted a one hour job action for this morning. We will sign in one hour late as a way of letting the district and the State know what these cuts would bring about. New strikes, higher teacher turnover (who wants to stay when we hardly get paid decently as it is???), less effective instruction, blah blah blah. Its pretty bleak.

I'm not normally a go-getter social activist. I have plenty of friends who are, and while they are more than inspiring, I never really found my moment were I was inspired to stand up on the table and cry "union!". And quite honestly, I am still not sure that I agree with the action that is going on right now. I'm not sure I see how a one hour walk out, which ultimately puts a few million dollars back in the district's bank account (all the teachers not being paid right now and all...), is going to solve this problem. I do know, however, that I would much rather be walking today than standing in a strike line next year. And like I said, I feel like poo because at the moment of crisis, I was informed that due to my part-time status last semester, my contract would be in jeopardy for walking today (how anti-climactic).

What I do know is that it is going to take MANY voices if there is going to be any resolution to this. I've put my two cents in (here and to the state), even my students are writing letters of protest to Schwarzenegger, and now I am hoping that a few of you might feel inspired as well. Consider taking a moment to either email or post your own letter protesting these detrimental cuts to the education budget. This is not about me, in the end. Its not really about any one of the teachers, quite honestly. This is about what is right for the future of our kids, effective and meaningful education, and lazy/rash decision making at the state level. If anything, thank you for taking a moment to listen to my rant.

525,600 Minutes...

2008-06-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know. Totally cheesy. In my defense, that is my favorite song from one of my favorite musicals, so I figure that I am entitled to a bit of cheese every once in awhile, as long as its Tony-winning.

So what year would I be referencing, you may be asking yourselves???? What could have possibly happened one year ago today (well, yesterday, if we're being precise)? One year ago yesterday, I was eating breakfast with Tony in a Starbucks on the corner of Manchester and Chapman, right near the Ayers Hotel. About an hour from now, one year ago yesterday, I was heading up to Downey with Amy and my good friend Kirsten to have our hair done together. One year ago yesterday, I got married to my best friend.

I can't BELIEVE how quickly this year has gone. All of my fellow smug marrieds have all told me how quickly the first year goes. They were also the ones to tell me that your wedding passes in a blur (I didn't believe them about that either). So much has happened in this past year! Tony and I were reflecting on it, and assessing our first year together. To make a not very interesting conversation for any of you short, we decided that we've got a pretty amazing thing going here, and that we pretty much rocked our first year together.

Tony and I both took a looooong weekend to celebrate our momentous occasion. There were other circumstances involved in our weekend plans, however. Tony's good friend, Brian, got married on Saturday (52 weeks from our day!), and Tony was a groomsman in the wedding. Between bachelor parties and rehearsal dinners, we managed to celebrate our friends kicking off their new life together. After the wedding-ness died down, Tony and I headed back to the Ayers hotel and stayed there on Sunday night. We had champagne delivered to our room, and we went out for a yummy sushi dinner to celebrate our first year of marriage. It was all very nostalgic, and I had more than one moment where I got a little teary eyed thinking about the events from a year before (ie. playing poker in the lobby until all hours, certain of my nearest and dearest breaking into the pool area at 2 a.m. and breaking toes, signing my marriage certificate in the lobby the next morning...). SO MANY memories from that weekend, and so many more that we have shared in this past year.

Thank you all for all of your love and support this past year. Thank you for being a part of our wedding last year as well (although I think I might have already thanked you for that...), and thank you for being the amazing friends and family that you are. Stay tuned for what year two will bring!

The Bloggiest Blogger in the Entire Blogosphere!

2008-05-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

...I just wanted to say that, as it seems I have really turned a corner when it comes to updating my friends and family. Its a veritable cluster of the carnal knowledge variety!

Anyway, I just HAD to share my Tuesday night with you all. As a part of my birthday, Tony bought us tickets to the Police concert (that's right...the Police). Last night was the show and IT. WAS. AWESOME. Next to U2, probably the best show I have ever seen (and for those of you who know me at all, that's saying A LOT). Every great song, I don't think there was a single one that I didn't get to hear (that's because Sting loves me and didn't want to disappoint his biggest fan).

The best part of this entire event however, was our location. Our original seats were somewhere in the far west valley (seriously, sooooooooo far away). My super rad husband, however, worked his job mojo and managed to score us seats at the last minute maybe, oh I don't know, 20 FRIGGING FEET AWAY FROM THE STAGE!! Sting could have spat on me if he wanted to. I think he did, and I might not ever wash that spot on my hair again. :-)

The 700000000000 pictures and videos that I took on my camera phone ('cause I'm that fancy) are pending. Just have to send them to my computer. Well, that's about all I have to share. Anyone jealous yet?

Dacodah and Drew...

2008-05-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not starting an online dating service. I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on our Memorial Weekend events. First of all, my friend Andrea's son made it through his surgery on Friday. He's doing pretty well. There have been some ups and downs, but from what I can tell, nothing cataclysmically major. He's still in the hospital at Stanford, and is still intubated, so Andrea's fam has a while yet before the big homecoming. For those of you with a relationship with the man upstairs, keep Andrea and her family in your thoughts and prayers, please. For updates, you can take a look at her blog. Andrea has been really good about keeping everyone updated.

In other news, Tony's and my niece delivered a BEAUTIFUL baby girl on Saturday evening (which, coincidentally also happens to be Tony's mom's birthday AND the new mommy, Jessica's, birthday...that's one hell of a birthday gift!). Tony, his parents, and I literally had just pulled up in front of the hospital when Tony's brother, Darryl (the new grandpa), called to say that Jessica had delivered. That's my kind of wait time! Jessica and Dakotah are both doing well, and went home today. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I am a great aunt before becoming a mom, but I guess stranger things have happened. :)

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial weekend.

Something that isn't About Me...

2008-05-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

So a very dear friend of mine has a four year old son. Big deal, right? Not so much. Aside from the fact that Drew is a pretty incredible 4 year old on a regular basis, Drew also happens to have a congenital heart defect. I could try to explain the details, although I would probably just end up confusing you and myself. If your interested in reading up a bit more on Drew you can take a look at Drew's slide show to get his back story.

The reason why I bring this up is that Drew is having his third open heart surgery this Friday. His surgeons are going to finish a repair on his heart so that it will, more or less, pump like a normal heart. His heart won't look like a normal heart, however, and he will need other surgeries as he gets older, so he certainly isn't out of the woods. Andrea and her husband, Dan, are two pretty amazing people. Drew is incredible, as well, considering what he has endured so far in his life. No one deserves to have obstacles like this thrown at them, least of all such a good friend as Andrea, and her incredible son.

All I am asking is that you check out either the American Heart Association website, , or the congenital heart defect site, and consider making a donation to one or both. There are SO MANY families who cannot afford the necessary surgeries for their children, and there is light years of research that still needs to be done to make defects like Drew's not nearly so life threatening (or even better, nonexistent). I know that many of you don't know Drew, or Andrea for that matter, but all of you can understand how serious heart disease and defects are.

Consider donating, please. Whether or not you know Andrea, or Drew isn't necessarily as important as working to find solutions and/or cures to these debilitating health conditions.

A Whole New Level of Ridiculous...

2008-05-20T10:11:00.000-07:00

I have to share this story, simply because it is the most RIDICULOUS experience of my entire life (seriously...I can't think of another moment to top this in my entire 30 years of existence).

So...I did a little moving this weekend. I was helping out some family, and extra muscle is always appreciated when it comes to moving. You guys know...you've all been there at some point, right?

Tony took Saturday off work, and headed out to house A at 7 in the morning (where the moving started). I took my time, and enjoyed my morning of freedom, which was my first since my semester started at CSUN. I met up with the rest of the posse at around 11:30-12 at house B (where the moving ended up) to help unload the 30 foot van. Keep that number fresh in your mind, folks. 30 foot van.

Tony and I and about 1/2 dozen others unloaded the van until maybe 3 that afternoon. The first point of note is that 2/3 of the 30 foot van (30 feet, remember?) was items from the movee's garage. Stuff sealed in boxes. Some (many) items that hadn't EVER BEEN OPENED. The group of us unloaded these boxes into a storage shed at the back of the new property and almost filled the space. With unopened, never opened, boxes.

We head back to house A to fill up again with the next load (that's right. 2 loads in a 30 foot van. For the mathematically inept, that's 60 feet of crap). I arrive, and find Stella (the names have been changed to protect the innocent), who is 9 months pregnant, standing in a sweltering 90 degree house wrapping items to pack. The poor woman looks like she is about to explode, or melt. It was hard to tell. What all of you might have missed in this so far, is that Stella is STILL PACKING for the movee. The rest of house A is not packed up yet to be put in the truck. So, we start hustling...what else can we do? We throw stuff into boxes. We ask the movee what items in each room are ready to be thrown out. Because, come on. Who DOESN'T throw out stuff while they are packing/moving? Its inevitable that we all find weird, useless crap stuffed into a drawer, or closet, or under a piece of furniture that has no useful purpose on the planet. And we throw it out, right? Francesca wants nothing thrown. Nothing. Everything is relevant. Everything is important. Everything is necessary. Down to the weird crap we were finding in the aforementioned spaces.

So we pack it. All of it. We pack it until 7:30 that night, when we realize that if we don't get back up to house B, we are going to be unloading in the dark. We hustle back up there (an hour drive), 2 men short, to unload the second vanload of stuff (60 feet). And we unload. We unload everything, in the dark (and its REALLY dark in the mountains), until 10:30 that night. We unload so much that a couple rooms are stacked floor to ceiling, wall to wall, front to back with stuff. Not just any stuff, mind you. The weird crap that has no useful purpose. By 11 we are back home, having a couple beers, eating cold rotisserre chicken, and trying to ignore the GOD AWFUL SMELL that is emminating from our bodies (to be clear, we failed at ignoring the smell). By midnight(ish), we have all crashed...

Cock crows at 6:30 Sunday morning. We are up and some of us are out the door by 7:30, others by 8:30 (I was a part of the 8:30 crew). With stars of idealism in our hearts and souls, we drive back down to house A. We believe that it will only be a matter of throwing the last of the boxes and the bedroom furniture into the van, pack up the movee and her cats, and ride off into the sunset. We were fools. Upon our arrival, we find the rest of the house STILL NOT PACKED (despite the fact that Francesca insists that she was up all night packing). So we pack. And load. And pack some more. We pack and load until 6:30. In 90 heat. Still 2 men (and pregnant Stella) short. We pack 30+ boxes of shoes. We pack 20+ sweaters still in their shipping packaging. We pack broken dishes. We pack 20+ large garbage bags of clothes.

We also argue this day. Argue and cry, actually. Argue, cry, and fume, to be clear. Argue, cry, fume, and scream, if we are really going to be honest. Argue, cry, fume, scream, and find our souls crushed. If you have never had a crushed soul, you should really look into it. Trust me. At 6:30, we are finally packed. Remember the van? The 30 foot fan? It is stuffed. Literally. The kind of stuffed where you have to throw bags of clothes over the wall of stuff, and hope it lands in such a way where it won't knock something else out, or over, or break an invaluable piece of crap. So what does that bring us to now? That's right. 90 feet. 90 freaking feet of stuff packed from a small 2 bedroom house and crammed into a 1 1/2 bedroom house. What should also be noted is that for this final trip, we have also (over)loaded 2 pick-up trucks with more stuff. Another 16(ish) feet of space packed with every item that Francesca has ever owned.

We unpack the van well into the night. We unpack so much that house B will have to be unpacked before Francesca can even begin to unpack. Seriously. There is not a single square inch of space to unload a single box. We unload load 3 until 11:45 that night. That brings our grand total to: Tony at 36(ish) hours, and myself at 31(ish) hours of moving. 106 feet of crap. 6 broken spirits. 5 new bruises (on just myself). 6 personal hygiene violations (seriously, we were FUNKY), 7 missed showers, and a partridge in a pear tree.

The moral of this story? I am not sure there is one. Run for the hills if ever you are asked to move again? Never make a bet with a Sicilian when death is on the line? Remember to lock the garage when your '61 Ferarri California is stored inside and Ferris is looking for a ride? Hmmm...that's a thinker. In any case, its been a pleasure sharing this experience with all of you. I hope your weekends were much more enjoyable than mine. Oh! And Happy Memorial Weekend!

Life in the Trenches

2008-05-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

So its May. Its been about a thousand years since I last bothered updating anyone on, well, anything. I don't know how my other blogger friends keep up (Andrea, Genna...this means you!). I have the best of intentions of keeping everyone up to date. But you know what they say, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Enough with the pity spiral. These last few months have been nothing short of BUSY!!! I might have experienced a moment of temporary insanity thinking that I could pull off two classes and still work full time. Life has consisted off working, reading, writing papers, and if I have time, sometimes I eat and sleep also. Whew! The upshot of all of this is that one of my professors asked me to submit my paper (an eco-critical analysis of TS Eliot's "The Wasteland"...I know, it confused me also) to a couple conferences. His request blindsided me a bit, as the night I had to present my paper to the class, my professor dissected the other two papers completely. I was sure that I didn't have a leg to stand on (I wasn't even finished writing the thing, not to mention I had NO idea what I was talking about. Who writes on "The Wasteland"?!). Anyway, I finish presenting, and my professor proceeds to tell me that he was impressed with my work, and would I consider submitting it to a conference that he heads up? Heck yeah, I would!!! To be honest, this is only partially intended to be self-glorifying. I've worked hard this semester, and its just nice to know that some of the hard work has paid off.

Tony is still plugging way at Razorgator. He's busy as ever, and is neck deep trying to find a couple new hires to relieve some of the work load for everyone. Hiring, apparently, is easier said than done. Many of the interviewees have nothing more than "respiration" as a job skill on their resumes, which makes Tony's job difficult, needless to say. Aside from the nightmarish hiring process, he's still liking his job. I think both of us are starting to feel the strain of his crazy hours, and his lack of weekends (He still works on Saturdays. Bleh.). Its hard to recharge your battery when you only have one day off at a time, and you are working 16-17 hour days. A new hire will hopefully alleviate some of Tony's stress, and he can start to function like a human again.

In the in-between-times, we have had lots of other exciting news to keep us busy. We are going to be an aunt and uncle again, as Tony's sister is expecting in October(ish). In addition, our niece, Jessica, is due any day now, which will effectively turn me into a great-aunt before I am even a mom. How weird is that? A old friend of mine gave birth in February to a beautiful baby girl, AND one of my very dearest friends in the world is also due in September. If there were ever a baby coming out of the proverbial whazoo, this would be it!!

Our families are doing well. Tony's dad had some heart work done earlier in the year (February-March ish). Dad is doing great, and is out riding 20+ miles on his bike again. My sister, Amy is starting the credetialing program at Cal State, Northridge and is intending to start teaching special ed as soon as she can find a job (the job market for teachers right now is a little squeezy, so she might have her hands full). The last bit of news was my 30th birthday, which I celebrated in March. I still can't believe that I am old enough to be 30. Your should need a special permit for that! All in all, its been a great Spring. Hope all of you are safe and well. Take care and I will talk to you soon (ish!)!

POW-MIA

2008-02-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

Alright, alright. I'll be the first to admit that I am not the best blogger out there. I have shirked my duties and haven't keep my nearest and dearest up to speed on what's been going on lately. That said, let's do a little updating...

Tony is doing well. He's busy as always at Razorgator. Its supposed to be their "slow season" right now, which apparently means that the employees work virtually the same hours as they do during their "busy season". Curious.... Actually, Tony has taken a couple mini vacations as of late. He and his good friend, Brian McDole, went to Laughlin the weekend of January 25th to work the races (I'm not sure what kind...) in the desert. They had a blast and were able to catch up on lots of boy bonding. Tony was also supposed to go the Pomona Drag Races the first weekend of February, but was called into work at the last minute (see what I mean about the hours?). We are heading down to SD again at the end of the month so Tony can be fitted for his tux for Brian's wedding and to hang out with his fam. In between all that, Tony also celebrated his 33rd birthday on the 23rd. Happy Birthday!

I'm back to work full time at Verdugo. It was a little touch and go as to what I was going to be teaching this semester. For awhile, it looked like 9th grade. Then, Life Skills (shudder...Life Skills is the punishment for murder in some countries). It even looked like I was going to teach off-season football for a split second (how funny would that have been?!?!). In the end, my extra class turned out to be American Lit, which couldn't be sweeter. I love American Lit, and the classes tend to be much smaller and more mature than 9th or 10th grade (no surprise there...). My other class, the one that I was teaching last semester, is in something of a transition right now. Originally, I was supposed to be teaching Reading Intervention (or something to that effect). Currently, I have no one in my last class, although there are 14 students on my roster. I know...it doesn't make sense to me either. I am also back at school as student. This is officially my fourth week as a CSUN grad student in literature. I'm enjoying both my classes, although I am convinced that one of my profs is an escapee from the cuckoo's nest. Thursdays are a REALLY long day, however, between the 6 hours of work and then 6 hours of class. I remind myself of what I am gaining in all of this...a really big brain and more student loan debt. :) Joking aside, I love being back in school. I have to start sorting through conference opportunities and deciding when and where I will be submitting papers. Yikes!

Well, that about covers January/February. Hope everyone had a lovely Valentines Day, and for those of you who are able, enjoying the BE-A-U-TIFUL 80 degree weather in SoCal. Being a Cali girl definitely has its perks. Until next time, folks...

2007 is in the Can!

2008-01-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

Tony's Christmas Decorations! :)

We made it folks! It feels like the holidays passed in a blink, and we are STILL trying to recover from the whirlwind!

Tony and I wanted to start some new Christmas traditions, so we started by hosting Christmas Eve dinner at our house. My mom, grandmother, dad, sister, and her boyfriend all came over for dinner. I finally had an opportunity to use all of the beautiful dishes and other paraphernalia that we received for the wedding. We did the usual pressies and dessert after dinner, and were joined by Tony's brother and wife, Darryl and Ellen. The next morning, we drove down to San Diego to celebrate again with Tony's family. We had dinner there with his parents, sister and her husband, their kids, Tony's grandmother, grandfather and grandfather's wife. Again, we never have enough time in San Diego, but it was certainly fun while it lasted. Tony spent most of time playing puzzles with our 4 year old niece, Lydia. Our nephew, James, is talking more than ever, and spent most of HIS time crawling out of/onto/through various pieces of furniture.

We spent New Years with our good friends, Tim (the best man), and his wife, Nicole. We went to a local bar/restaurant wife my sister and her friends, but made sure we were home in time to ring in the New Year. On New Year's Day we all went to our other good friends', Gavin and Julie, to watch the bowl games (don't ask me which ones...football isn't my thing).

The only downer is the nasty cold/flu that Tony contracted. He was knocked out for a good three days, but is slowly on the mend. I am starting back to work on Monday (goodbye freedom!), and Tony is gearing up for his next six months at Razorgator. All in all, we had a great holiday, and are looking forward to what 2008 will bring!

Back to School...

2007-12-18T11:33:00.000-08:00

Its official, everyone. It seemed that I was only talking a big game (heck, even I was starting to doubt myself...), but its finally happened. Starting January 22nd, I will start classes at Cal State, Northridge for Masters degree in Literature.

"What is this, Laura?", you may be asking yourselves. "Didn't you already do this? Are you mad?"

...The answer is, yes. I have already done this. Yes, I might be mad. The bottom line is, I LOVE being in school. What is more, I love learning. And after being soundly rejected from every, (yes, EVERY) school that I applied to for a PhD program, I decided that I needed to regroup and approach this from a different angle. Actually, to be perfectly honest, I took my cues from my friend Melanie, as I had not a clue how to pursue a graduate degree after having my ego crushed by the UC system.

So, I am excited. Very excited, actually. I can't wait to be back in school again. I can't wait to start feeling like I am actively working on this thing I had been so set on. I want to read, I want to write, I want to wax philosophical on a bunch of dead guys' writings. So in the words of the great Billy Madison..."Back to school, back to school, so my dad won't think I'm a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight. I hope I don't get in a fight!"

A Gobble-licous Holiday

2007-11-26T15:22:00.000-08:00

Can you believe how the time is flying? It seems like only yesterday Tony and I were donning our 80s paraphernalia and tripping off to Halloween parties, and now we are sleeping off triptophane hangovers. Who would have thought?

Our Thanksgiving was festive...and busy. We celebrated the day at my mom's house, California style. For those of you who are unfamiliar with that concept, it means sitting in the backyard and soaking up the 80 degree weather. Its rough being a California girl sometimes... Thanksgiving evening was spent at my best friend's parents' house, which has been a tradition of mine since I was in middle school. There was wine, there was pie, there was good conversation. Really, it was everything a girl could ask for for kicking off the holiday season. Tony was able to extend his day well into the evening, which is part of his tradition, and I was able to see friends who I haven't seen in a couple years. It worked out well for everyone.

Unfortunately, Tony had to work on Friday, so I spent the day lazing about and working up the energy to brave the shopping crowds. Because of his work schedule, we had to delay our trip to San Diego to see his family for the holidays. I took the train down on Saturday, and Tony met up with his family and I after work that night. Although short, our San Diego stint was fun filled. My sister-in-law and her family stayed the night, as did my brother-in-law and his wife (it took A LOT of convincing to make that happen...Darryl and Ellen were facing a 160+ mile drive back home in holiday traffic...no fun). My niece, Lydia was on her game and performed a song and dance act at dinner, and my nephew, James showed off his extensive vocabulary (he's 2). All in all, Tony and had a great weekend, and can't wait to make another trip down for Christmas and/our New Years.

I hope that this post finds everyone safe and well and recuperating nicely after Thanksgiving. Much love and hugs to everyone we didn't get to see, and for all of you who did celebrate with us, thank you for making our first holiday as a married couple memorable! Thank you, and good night!

Its a Jaeggmeyer Halloween, Charlie Brown!

2007-11-07T16:50:00.001-08:00

Greetings again, devoted readers. I know that it has been too long since our last post, but things have certainly been busy these last few weeks. In addition, my laptop is now possessed by Satan, and I can no longer log into our blog account at work. WTF?!

In other news, Tony and I are doing GREAT! He is loving is job (although his commute is nothing short of awful), and really seems to be making his superiors take notice of all of his hard work. YAY! I am loving working part-time. Truly, there is no other way to fly when it comes to teaching. My work load is a fraction of what it has been in years past, and I for the first time in a long time feel like I have time of my own again. A girl could certainly do worse.

October was eventful at our house. As many of you know (mostly because you were living it as well), there were about 13 devastating fires burning their way through Southern CA. The Buckweed Fire came within .6 miles of our house (we could see the flames cresting the hills North of our house--yikes!), and Tony and I were ready to evacuate at a moments notice. Thankfully, we are fine, and his family in San Diego (where some of the worst of the damage was) is fine as well. Thank God for miracles big and small! Speaking of San Diego, a friend of mine is raising money for disaster relief for some of the worst hit areas in SD. Check out the following websites for more details:
www.witchfire.etsy.com
www.witch-fire.blogspot.com

My sister, coincidentally, rang in her 27th birthday by watching all of the greater Santa Clarita valley burn. Goodie for Amy! :)

Halloween was also an adventure. Tony and I celebrated our friend, Jenno's 30th at an 80's party. I paid homage to the lead from the movie Flashdance, and Tony was a republican yuppie named Kip. We also made it over to our friends' Jana and Mike's 2nd annual Halloween Spooktacular (their words, not mine). There were ghouls and matadors aplenty, and a good time was had by all.

I've included some of the pictures from the past month, but be sure to check our our snapfish account for complete details. www.snapfish.com See everyone in two weeks for Thanksgiving!

The Invasion!

2007-09-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Ahh, how time flies when you are busy! Tony and I haven't seemed to be able to take a breath since he moved in. He really likes his new job--traffic not withstanding--and has definately been putting himself on the map with his superiors. He was working 16 hour days for about two weeks, which was beyond crazy, but things seem to have been settling down now. He's also looking into taking computer programming classes at Santa Monica College to continue his IT studies. As for myself, I am back in the mix at Verdugo as though I never thought of leaving. Part time DEFINATELY has its perks, although there is an adjustment to being in the wings as far as English department life goes. I am also back at school, slowly and surely plugging my way through Medieval poetry and L'Morte de Artur. Hot dog! In between Beowulf and Cantebury Tales, I am also dilligently practicing my downward dog (yoga class, that's it!). I love being back in school, but I am definately anxious to start my coursework for my Master's program.

In more recent news, Tony and I had guests this past weekend. My sister and brother in law, Dannie and Doug, came up last weekend with their two kids. Lydia and James are 4 and 2, and are the CUTEST kids in the entire world. We spent most of the weekend chasing the cats around our house and listening to James' sing-song "Hi kitty. Hi Sappho. Hi Pretri (he couldn't say 'Petri')". Needless to say, Tony and I loved every waking minute. We spent Saturday night at our friends, Gavin and Julie's, house. They also have two kids, so it was like a toddler extravaganza. Throw in our friend, Jen's, four month old and it was like being at the zoo.

I've included a couple picutres here, but definately check out Snapfish for the rest. I've also (finally) posted our honeymoon pictures for your viewing pleasure. See everyone next month!

P.S. Stay tuned for pictures in the next few days!

Domestic Bliss....

2007-08-22T17:03:00.000-07:00

Hello folks! Well, its been a whirlwind since Tony and I returned from the honeymoon. Probably the most exciting news is that Tony just recently--literally, last Friday--accepted a job working at a company called Razorgator. They are located in West L.A., and are a ticket broker for everything from concerts to sporting events. Thanks to the powers that be, and a little birdie named Jana, Tony found out about the job and interviewed on August 13th. By Friday, he was hired. Coincidentally, he will be working under our friend Mike Onori. Its not what you know, my friends...

That said, Tony and I are finally (finally, finally) cohabitating! Who would have thought?!?! I can't express how excited I am that I can finally share a living space with my husband. Granted, living with my husband also means that I am living with a boy, but I am certainly not complaining (at least not yet! hee hee...). We have moved most of his things up here from San Diego (in the matter of about two days...while still working). Like I said, its been a whirlwind. We are settling in, and just enjoying being a REAL married couple.

In other news, I am starting back to school next week. It is going to be a bitter slower of a process than I had originally intended, but I am starting to work on a second masters degree (this time in American Lit). which will eventually translate into a PhD in Post/Modern American Lit. It sounds fancy, but mostly I just want to sit in class and learn things forever. I will be returning to Verdugo part time so as to make sure I have enough time to devote to my studies. If all goes according to plan, I will do Open Enrollment as a full time student at Cal State Something in Spring.

Between jobs and school, honeymoons and moving, Tony and I spent most of July in San Diego. I lazed and enjoyed the sunshine while he worked, all the while reading the last installment of Harry Potter (fantastic...truly a great book). Tony started pursuing his IT studies again, and intends to do something computer-y soon enough. I taught three weeks of summer school to earn some extra cash and to keep myself out of trouble.

All in all, its been a busy two months. Its been great, and Tony and I can't wait to see what the next two months will bring. :)

Jaeggmeyers in Paradise!

2007-07-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hello folks! Well, we're finally back from our honeymoon. Tony and I have had a whirlwind adventure globetrotting these last two weeks. I make our trip sound a little sexier than it really was, although we did have an absolute BLAST. We left on June 24 and flew to Minneapolis/St. Paul. From there, we drove down to Ames, Iowa to visit one of my best friends, Ryan (who also had been gracious enough to officiate our ceremony...thanks Ryan!) and see his new digs. Iowa is gorgeous (despite the rumors to the contrary...hee hee) and Tony and I had so much fun hanging out with Ryan and getting to see his life at Iowa State.

The next leg of our journey took us to beautful Evansville, MN (population: 566). While small, Evansville is scenic, and is home to my mom's side of the family. Tony was a trooper and held his own while being bombarded with my extended family coming at him from all sides. No joke...at the reception my cousins Elaine and Char hosted for us, Tony met AND remembered some 60 relatives that came to meet and greet. That's no small feat! Between visting, fishing, more visiting, and the occasional relaxing moments, Tony and I stayed pretty busy for the five days we were there. It was great to see my family, and its always hard to say goodbye when I only get to see many of them once a year.

Our last stop was the icing on the cake. Unfortunately, good things sometimes come to people after a very (VERY) long wait. After spending six LONG hours in the Miami International airport, and consuming copious amounts of alcohol at the Jose Cuervo's in the airport terminal, we finally found ourselves winging our way to the sunny beaches of Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Jamaica is everything everybody has ever said it would be. Beautful, sunny, lush, tropical, beautiful some more. It truly is spectacular, and I am afraid our pitures hardly do it justice. In any case, Tony and I spent seven glorious days relaxing poolside and beachside, tasting the fare of the area, partaking of the local rum (well, Tony, not me. Rum and I don't get along very well). It was incredible, and the perfect way to truly spend our honeymoon. We had time to just spend with eachother and be...well..married. Between our tans (read: sunburns), the food, the site seeing, and the various wildlife that took up residence in our villa, Tony and I had a truly memorable week in Jamaica. We can't wait to go back for some soon anniversary.

It was sad to go, but its always great to be home. We have quite a few photos from our journeys (I'll be posting all of our trip pictures on snapfish), and lots of great memories for our adventures. Who could ask for better?

Pictures Galore!

2007-06-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

There isn't nearly enough room here to include all the photos that have been sent to Tony and I. Instead, I've uploaded various albums to my snapfish account. You can take a look there to see what we have!

www.snapfish.com

The Boy's Take

2007-06-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

I have to agree with my wife. Everything everyone tells you about your wedding day is true. It is surreal, a blur, and amazing. When I sat at the sweetheart table with my wife and ate dinner, I took a moment and looked around at all the faces there to celebrate our love. It is simply amazing to think we know as many people as we do. And more amazing that we have that many people in our lives that love us. I personally want to thank each and every one that was there for our special day. You all made it wonderful.

Laura was such a vision of beauty. We took pictures with the bridal party before the wedding and she was nothing short of picturesque. It brings tears to my eyes to think how beautiful she is. She stole the show as every bride should. I had it easy, all I had to do is show up in a tux, and not to brag, I can do a tux pretty well. I am glad we had that time before the wedding, so we could get on with the celebration with our loved ones. Our photographer was patient and simply amazing. We will let you all know when the pictures are posted on the web.

Our day has come and gone, and I want it all back again. I will give some sound advice to all those about to get married, or those that are thinking about getting married. Have breakfast together the day of your wedding. With the planning, people coming into town, and last minute details, it is easy to get lost. Laura and I had a nice quiet moment that morning that set the pace for the day. She and I both did our best to not let our emotions get the best of us. Those moments we had in the morning helped to calm our nerves. Laura and I are truly meant for each other. I know this like the sky is blue. We just fit and belong together.

Our friends and family have meshed so well, it is obvious we are meant to be. We are two worlds colliding to become one. Yet, I know we will sustain our individuality. I have shared the most wonderful day of my life with Laura, and I know there are many more to come. I love you all! And most of all I love you Laura Diane. Thanks for marrying me. Take care all, and please send pictures. We will be putting together a master slide show sure to make you laugh and cry.

Love always,

Tony Jaeggmeyer

Guess What We Did!...

2007-06-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

So, we've done it. After all the stress (which seems minimal now, in hindsight), the festivities (which flew by), and everything in between, Tony and I got ourselves hitched.

Everything that other marrieds tell you is absolutely true. The entire day passed in a blur. As I walked down the aisle with my dad, I looked out on a sea of faces. It didn't really register who I was looking at. And during the reception when everyone was congratulating Tony and I, I STILL couldn't believe that all the well wishes were for me. The dancing, the pile of gifts (SUCH a nice perk though...), the tears. I've been to plenty of weddings, but now I feel like I am a part of some secret club. You don't get it until you do it. It was...unreal. That's the best word I could use to describe the entire experience. Unreal and perfect.

I couldn't have dreamed of a better day. The location was incredible. All of our friends and family were there to celebrate with us. Tony looked amazing, and I felt uncommonly beautiful. When I was six and hanging toilet paper down my back, I had a vision in my head of what my wedding would be like. Granted, at the time, that vision involved something resembling a Barbie doll walking down the aisle with Kirk Cameron by her side, but nonetheless, a girl has expectations. My wedding day far (far) surpassed any of my childhood fantasies.

The best part is is that I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. Tony and I have this magical, amazing shared memory of one of the best days (if not THE best) of our lives. When we are old and grey, we will still be able to share that moment. I wish I could put into words what it feels like on the other side. I wish I could explain the high that you are on during the day, and the surreal calm in the days following. But, like I said, you can't understand it until you do it. And I did. And it was great!

Commencing Countdown, Engines On...

2007-05-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

So in eight days, eight days from this exact moment, I will be arriving at my hair appointment to start getting ready for my wedding day. That is so absolutely strange to me. I thought that at my shower, I was finally acclimating myself to the fact that I was going to be married in such a short time, but I guess I still need to get used to it. Does anyone really ever get used to the fact that they are getting married before they actually say the words, kiss one another, and are pronounced husband and wife? How could you? Its not something you can ready yourself for. Their isn't a prep class a girl can take to make sure she is 100% ready on the big day. This isn't the SAT's...

Its not that I am not ready. Preparations wise, no, I'm not even close to ready. But the kind of ready where I really, really want to do this...where I can't wait to be a Mrs. (more specifically, a Mrs. to Tony's Mr.), I'm totally ready. I was ready on August 12th when Tony was kneeling in the sand. I just wish that "prepared" could always equate to "ready", though. Because I will be honest, this last week has been something of a storm of the none-too-savory variety. Between flowers that are more than I expected (or budgeted for), my photographer being fired, my dress being lost three (yes, 3) times, my hair stylist double booking herself and about a thousands little things inbetween, I have had more than my share of wedding plan snafus. I am not a planner. I have never promised to be a planner, and having all of this thrown at me in the home stretch is enough to have me curled up in the fetal position in my bedroom.

I'm a trooper though. I know that eight days, eight days from this exact moment, I will be arriving at my hair appointment to start getting ready for my wedding day. What better thought is there than that? This week is going to be cake. Saturday is going to be amazing. And all of the snags that lead me to June 2nd are going to disappear. Flowers and photographers are nothing. Next weekend will make it all worth it.

Weather Forecast: Sunny with Occassional Showers

2007-05-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Its a funny thing about showers. Party showers, that is. I've been to what feels like hundreds at this point. Truly, between babies and weddings, there isn't a girlfriend of mine out there that I haven't celebrated in the past few years. But when its YOUR shower, the entire experience takes on a kind of surreal quality. The food is there. The punch, the cake, the women folk who chat amoungst themselves. Yet, there is something different, and I felt that difference the moment I walked into Jana's house. This was MY shower. I was the one getting married...finally. The pile of gifts...those are for me. The fantastic scrapbook everyone was busily working putting together...mine too. I think that Saturday was the day that it finally sank in that I am getting married--really married, not just school yard married--in less than a month. How rad is that?!?!

That being said, I have to gush about the shower for a bit. My bridesmaids, first of all, are amazing. They put so much work into making my day special, and they did just that tenfold. All of my nearest and dearest were there, if not in body then certainly in spirit. I feel spoiled these last few weeks with all the attention that is paid to me. What is more, is how absolutely foolish it seems to get SO excited about opening your gift of a crockpot, or a gravy boat, or a party tray, or pillow cases. But you do...at least I did. Each of the gifts is just another reminder of the life I am about to start with Tony, and I am almost jumping out of my skin when I think too much about putting our home together--beer mugs and all. There was nothing--not a single thing--that I would have changed about the day. The weather, which had been cloudy, sprinkly, and windy only the night before, was gorgeous. The food was great, the drinks were tasty, the flowers were beautiful, the company was the best.

I gush because I can't help it. I want to remember all the details for these last weeks before the wedding, because I feel like they are going to pass before I can blink. I'm getting married once, and each detail needs to be permanently fixed in my memory. There...I have another one to add to my collection.

Thoughts on the finding the perfect someone...

2007-05-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

So a friend of mine told me that I was supposed to write my own thoughts about my relationship, love, Tony, weddings, whatnot. I’m not sure what to say. Not so much because I have nothing to say about any of it, but more because I feel like now I am on the spot to wax philosophical. Sound smart. Make everyone weep with the eloquent things I have to say. But I digress. Back to the matter at hand…

When I was a kid, I had a picture in my head of what my wedding was going to be. There was a strapping man standing next to me. Muscles, stature, a sense of protection and security…the works. His face was always vague though. Something fuzzy and indistinct. Probably because I hadn’t found the right guy yet. Anyway, I wear some sort of huge white dress. Something with sparkles and ruffles, I’m sure…it was the 80’s then. Digressing again. The thing that I always knew though—really knew—was that the day, the man, and the choice we made to be together were perfect. Not in the puppies and flowers sort of way, but the deep down, body and soul this is the way it was supposed to be sort of perfect.

A person will have dozens of relationships time and again to replace those childhood fantasies. Some are gut wrenching, some are bittersweet, some are just simple mistakes of time and circumstance. But at 14 when I had my first boyfriend, or 16 when I had my first heartbreak, or 20 when I had my first true love I was still too young, too fresh, too naïve to really know what love was supposed to be. A person needs those experiences though to grow, to hurt, and to reach a place in their life where they can stand before that certain someone and know—really know—that the it is perfect. A person’s heart needs to swell and break a thousand times before the calm sets in. The tears need to dry, the wounds need to heal, and the soul needs to ready itself for that other. Only then is the moment amazing.

I wish I could say that I felt the light turn on the moment I saw Tony across a crowded room. I wish I could say that I knew after my first relationship, or my second, or my third. But I didn’t. And neither did he. We needed that growing to come to this place, at this time to make our stars align and our paths cross so incredibly. The wait is long—interminable at times—and the pain of all the other lost “loves” is indescribable to anyone who hasn’t felt it themselves, but what I feel now is so completely worth it, and unbelievably amazing.

I feel…quiet. My heart and soul are quiet, however trite that might sound. The confusion, the frustration, the fluxing of a relationship that was not meant to be is gone. Simply and purely without pretense or circumstance I know that I love completely and unaffectedly someone who feels the same for me. I can look into his eyes and see a future stretching before me and I am excited and anxious for that future to begin. My rough edges are smoothed away. My fears are calmed. My pain is eased. I am complete. I am whole, but its not Tony that makes me whole. What I realize now is that instead of finding that feeling outside of myself, Tony helps me to make myself feel complete. Love isn’t a puzzle. It’s not a matter of using someone else to fill in your gaps. It’s a matter of filling in those spaces yourself, and having someone to support you in that process. I am better when I am with Tony, and I know that the feeling is mutual.

Maybe its fate. Maybe its luck. Maybe its kismet. Maybe it doesn’t matter. What I know is that I have found my match. In all the people in all the world, the man who is supposed to be with me, is. So I can wax philosophical forever, but in the end, I have found my end.

The boy blog

2007-05-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

As stated in Laura's blog, I am new to this sort of thing also. I just wanted to say at this time that I am very excited for our up coming changes. We will finally be living in the same zip code, and area code for that matter, after a little more than a year of dating and engaging. We are definitely looking forward to our honeymoon, and starting a new life together. Laura and I are in a very unique situation. We have been friends for 14 years, and just figured it out last year that we were meant for each other. Amazing how the one you are supposed to be with is right in front of you.

Laura and I share an amazing bond that will never be broken. We are in a fortunate situation that true friends are getting married. I am very lucky to have Laura in my life in any capacity. Those that are reading this know what an amazing person she is. Now to switch gears.

My best man and one of my groomsmen are steadily planning my bachelor party. It looks like we will be attending an Angels game and doing some sort of boy fun earlier in the day. That may consist of paintballing, go carting, or darts and pool. Any which way, I am looking forward to the time I will share with my comrades. Laura and I will also figure out some other type of social events for the time surrounding the wedding. I know that many of you will be in town for a number of days, and you would like to maximize your time with us. I also know that many of you are traveling thousands of miles to be with us for the wedding. We will do our best to make ourselves available, as the wedding will be pretty much a busy time for us. Please stay posted here, as Laura and I will continually update this site for our upcoming social events. I love you all and can't wait to share time with you.

The Dealy-O

2007-05-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

We wanted to make sure that our wedding is as action packed as humanly possible for all our guests. To ensure that your time is well spent, Tony and I (with the help of our wedding party...actually, this is mostly their doing...) are planning food, outings, alcohol, more food, and more outings to keep everyone entertained. Here's what the calendar is tentatively looking like right now...

*Wednesday, May 30th--White Trash BBQ at the Jaeggi Manor
Think beaters and Keystone Light, corndogs and jello salad. We will be having a potluck sort of deal at Debbie and Tony Sr.'s house in Carlsbad, for anyone who is the area. Potluck details will follow shortly, so stay tuned! In addition to the bbq, Tony and I are asking that everyone bring two things: 1) a picture of you and (one of) us as you best remember us. Dig through all your old photos to find the gems from high school! 2) a piece of marriage advice. We will provide index cards to write down this advice, and we will compile it together into a book for us to keep!

*Thursday, May 31st--Bachelor/ette Parties
From Anaheim to Fallbrook, Tony and I are taking over. The boys and girls will be assigned to their respective locations for one final hurrah to celebrate the happy couple. Regardless if you are blue or pink, there will nothing but blue skies, tasty grub, and great friends as far as the eye can see!

*Friday, June 1st--Descending on Orange County
-Late Morning/Early Afternoon--possible brunch happening for the wedding party and bachelor/ette guests who are still
around. This is still to be determined, so stay tuned.
-Rehearsal, 3 pm--Wedding party and family will be finalizing the big day at The Hacienda from 3-3:30.
-Rehearsal Dinner, 5 pm--Dinner celebration for the rehearsal attendants at ??
-Lucky Strike Bowling, 9 pm--For any and all who are interested, we are making a trip to the Lucky Strike Bowling alley at
The Block at Orange. Be there or be L7!

*Saturday, June 2nd--The Big Day
Its the wedding day, duh! The girls will be indisposed bright and early, and there's talk of a boyz only breakfast for those who would be interested. Details are to be determined, so stay tuned.

*Sunday, June 3rd--The Wrap Up
-Final brunch--Anyone who is still around the hotel might be interested in getting together for brunch with Tony and I to
see us off. There is a restaraunt attached to The Ayres, so we'll see you in the lobby!
-Disneyland!--Who wouldn't want to celebrate the newlyweds BUT at the happiest place on earth? We're planning a final
hoorah after brunch and going until whenever. Join us!

Whew! If this doesn't keep everyone busy, I don't know what will. Keep you eyes peeled for updates and whatnot for the logisitics, but I hope that all of you can join us for (all) the festvities!

In the Beginning...

2007-05-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hello all. I figured that now was as good a time as any to start a blog page for Tony and myself. We are in the midst of so many changes and plans, and we know that all of you will want to stay informed of what is going on. Tony and I are so excited about everything that is coming up. The wedding is in 29 days, I have seven weeks of school left before I am officially done teaching (well, at least temporarily), and we are going to be leaving for our honeymoon before we know it. What's more, is that I will be moving down to San Diego in the beginning of July. Like I said, lots going on right now.

I'm new to the whole blog site movement, as is Tony. I know that I love reading about the happenings of my nearest and dearest, and I know that Tony and I are lucky enough to have such supportive friends and family who are curious about how we are doing. It is hard to keep in touch with everyone all at once. It's difficult to maintain our long distance friendships with people who are miles away. My hope is that Tony and I will be able to keep everyone informed and maintain those vital links with everyone special in our lives. So, without further adieu, let's get started.