Carmel Mission

California has its own history, like any place, I love history and since I come from New England it has a special place in my heart. The boys didn't learn much about the New England history growing up here in Cal but in four grade they had to create a mission.

I lived near Mission San Jose for 10 years and never really visited, I attended Mass but didn't really think it was more than a church. After helping the boys with their projects I got a new understanding of Missions. I hope to visit as many of them as I can before leaving california. This mission here is in Carmel, it was very moving to walk around this mission. I really like the spanish style. So rustic and distressed!

It was a great place to visit!

What happened to November?

Yet another month has gone by way too fast.
The saying the grass is always greener on the other side, I'm feeling it now!
I can barely remember that I use to complain that I had TOO MUCH TIME...

The job is going good, I LOVE the 10 minute commute, it really works for me.
I have cleaned up the accounting mess and stream lined some processes so things have slowed down. There is even down time I can get in a little homework, that really helps when I get home and all I want to do is suckup all the time I can with Kaitlyn.

Kailtyn has changed so much, she is a regular chatterbox. She is my little shadow and helps me with everything. Its so much fun and she has an amazing personalitiy.

Sean's back is getting better, he rushed being back to work but he making progress.

Thanksgiving Day was quiet, and my mom arrived the next day for a 10 day visit.
We took an overnight trip to Carmel/Monterey. We stayed at the Monterey Plaza Hotel, it was awesome, just LOVE that place. It was right on Cannerey Row. Have a great weekend of shopping. I will post some pics soon.

Next weekend we hope to get the Christmas decorations out and up .

October Happenings

I can't believe its been a month since Iupdate my blog.... I rememeber the days I would search out my favorite blogger and be just a little miffed it there was nothing new! So now I'm the guilty one of what getting a life? Yes now my life is SOOO full my head hurts.....

We got thru Kailtyns 5th birthday this weekend, she was so into it , very excited and very aware of everything going on.... we held the party off site at Party HEarty.. a warehouse with five blowup jumpy the kids go wild on.. they ran themselves crazy and sweaty, we fed they cake open presents and went home 3 hours later to a quiet clean house!!! LOVED IT!!!

Included the family shot for those of you asking about Sean's back surgery... he had out patient back surgery to remove a bluging disc in his lower back. Last friday after hours at the hopsital waiting I drove him home at tem pm all drugged up . The doctor wants him out of work for a month, not sure if he'll last all month or not. He as been recouping slowly by sitting and standing while working on his latest RC Airplane and new gas engine for this huge thing.

The job has become very chanllenging cleaning up the mess from the prior accountant. The companies fiscal year end was 9/30 so the hours of auditing and correcting is starting to make me cranky! Thankfully there is left over birthday cake to relieve the stress..... which leads into the next update.... the diet... ahh tried today Monday to start backup.. after an icrediable stressful day at the office I caved and ate some mash potaotes and cake for dinner while trying to catchup on my homework.. which has slipped a little.. coupldn't catchup with the amount of weekend activitites I had this weekend.

I hopefull i can catchup and keep my sanity even if I have three birthday parties in two days to cart Kailtyn around too!!!
whewwww....

I'll try to update sooner , I'm also realizing I'm not taking as many pics as before.
And a BIG special THANKS to my buddy Shauna who took all the pics at Kailtyn party so I could be in some of them ;) Thanks so much!!!

Pink Poodle for an early Halloween

Kailtyn found her Halloween costume last weekend when we were out shopping on Sunday.

A poodle for Halloween? AHHHHH Hmmmm maybe you should be something else I suggested. We walked the store trying to get her to possibly change her mind.... needless to say the mind wasn't changed and the costume will probably be worn out before Halloween. At least tis not getting just one night of use. She has fallen alseep in it more than once. Its such thick fleece and probably very cozy for her even in 85 degree weather!

getting back in the groove....

Oaky so I'm in the NEW PHASE.... I am so trying to get adjusted to working outside the home, the laudry and the dishes pile up and I feel so far behind in the housework when I come home from a whole day at the office...

Kailtyn is adjusting well, most of the time when I pick her up from extended care she doesn't want to leave.... what a relief... she goes there for about 5 minutes in the am so I can get across town by 8am for my job. She runs right in and doens't even look back....

I am in LOVE with the commute and driving my new car makes it even that much more enjoyable. I leave at 7:30 drop the kids off and I'm at my desk by 8am...LOVE IT.

The job is going well, I am learning the ropes . Their yearend is the end of Sept so I'm sure things will get busier soon.

Not much else new.. just learn to get back into the groove of working 8 hours a day!

The next phase....

Ever feel like life is lived in stages? I feel that way. You have the stage of HS, then college, living on your own with your first REAL job, relationships, marriage/newleyweds, motherhood ( although you never grow out of this one/ mothering is a life long commitment), raising little ones, then ..... you slowly start to get YOUR identity back.....your not the Mommy.. slowwly you get to complete a project without interuptions from the little ones, then they learn to entertain themselves and form friendships.....

The place I'm going with this is I have been soaking up or embracing a new phase in my life.

Kailtyns in Kindergarden, matt's learning to drive ... and I got a new job!

Yes I got the job I wanted and interviewed for last week. I start tuesday. I am so excited!

It's a tax/accounting software company right here in Tracy. Its 10 minutes from my house.

They offered me great money and is a job that will utilize all my accounting skills. I have been walking on cloud nine since thursday!

With this new phase and after drive Kaitlyn and Matt to school the last two weeks in the Mustang, I was beginning to feel confined and it was a pain to get Kailtyn ina nd out of her car seat in the back of the Mustang. Sooooo..... driving by a car lot on the way to the Mall to get some new clothes for the new job .. this car caught my eye. Last november we test drove one but wasn't ready to let go of the Mustang then... I stopped and test drove the CHarger for 2 hours... I ended up bringin it home for Sean to checkout because its used.. only 9k miles!...

long story short we brought it home last night! I absolutely LOVE it.... its my first Car ( other than the convertiable in almost 10 years! We did the minivans, the jeeps, the suvs ( yes we still have the excursion.. the xlarge SUV) so now I have this beautiful car.. and its so luxurious inside I am sooo lovin it.. gotta get my homework done so we can take a drive .. maybe to the coast or the City, althought the Bay Bridge going into SFO is closed this weekend.....

Will I miss the convertiable? Yes there is a pang in my heart as I drove away... I'm trying to focus on the moonroof, the dvd for Kailtyn and all the room we have to stretch out..... and oh yeah the cooler color here in the 104 temps of late.

Not any slower....

This last week flew by.... I had grandous plans of projects I would complete around the house before going back to work... none got accomplished.

Monday started with an interview with an Employment agency that two of my friends recommended. So I pulled out and dusted off my suit and selected aconservative top that Matt and Sean approved. I scheduled a haircut just before the interview so I wouldn't stress figuring how to use the hairdryer and flat iron... did they still work after a 5 year hiberation?
The shot of it... the interview went well and my refernces were glowing.. I secured an interivew with a accounting software company right here in TRACY!!! AHHHHH no commute over the hill was that possible to make decent money without commuting? There is hope....

Tuesday I went to the Galt Flea market with my friend Gloria. It was SOOOO hot but got some great deals on things I didn't know I needed. ;) We stopped at the only scrapbbok store left in Lodi and got inspired by some new papers which I purchased and they are still in the bag on my desk, maybe this coming week I'll get the time...after school I took Kaitlyn to the gym's pool and she had a blast going down the water tubes by herself. She has really excelled in swimming this year.

Wednesday I went to Walmart/ Costco and the Mall ALLL by myself!!! in record time!
I pickup Matt and took him off campus for a quick lunch. Then preceded to waste the rest of the day ;(

Thursday I cleaned my living room put on the new couch slip covers and did a major dusting. Then I pickeup the kids and got ready for my 5:30 job interview. The interview went well, not your tradition corporate interview but then again we're talking a small farming family going corporate. So some of the question were over the line in accordance to HR ediqutte but I really like the owners... I felt like I was back east.. not a Silicon corporation.

Friday, Sean and I drove to sacramento after dropping the kids to school for this neosurgon appointment. Our thoughts were confirmed, Sean will have to have surgery to fix his back pain. He has a herniated buldging disc. So now the preparation/planning mood begins. I also got feed back on the interview from Thursday night... they want me back for a second interview on Wednesday afternoon. pls keep your fingers crossed for me on wednesday ;)

Saturday, yesterday, I bought Matt a new computer for his room at a liquidation warehouse. A friend of Matt's is a computer guru and guided Matt with his suggestions. We got an awesome deal. Matt was so happy... he was cranking the tunes out of his iPod thru is new $25 speakers and subwoofer and enjoying his own internet connection in his room.

Sunday today.... hmmm got a paper for school to complete and lot of household chores that are screaming for attention.... hopefully I can get some done.

I realize this is not the most exciting post but as I mentioned before I also use blogging to document the passing of time for my scrapping. ;)

Lots going on....

There is never a dull moment and for this I feel I am blessed... tired but blessed.
The last week we have survived the ups and downs of life rather well.

Kaitlyn had strepp throat and very high fever. The doctor visit included strepp culture, blood work and a pee sample.. The last was the worst. Then the issue with the Amoxacillin.. we did not get the pink stuff... we got orange.. it took both Sean and I to hold her down to take the orange stuff... we both felt like horrible parents. The next day I DEMANDED the pink stuff.. so a few more days of that...

Matt has completed his first week as a Junior in a new high school and was ontime EVERYDAY... now thats something to celebrate!!!

The Toy recall put me in a tail spin, I scoured the house for every polly pocket piece.
Although Kaitlyn doesn't put anything in her mouth I wasn't going to take any chances with the daycare kids... not to mention our two retrievers who greet us with toys in their mouths everytime we come back to the house. I boexed up all Polly stuff and sending them away!!!

I gave my notice to my last daycare family. I am ready to go back to work. The job search and getting back in touch with old contacts has me on an emotional roller coaster. So many possiblities. I'm excited , nervous and anxious. I am looking forward to getting out of the house and using my brain. I feel good that Kaitlyn is in school and enjoying it.

The diet plan has been derailed because of the emotional rollercoaster of this past week, however getting on the scales this morning I still lost 2 lbs without trying... is worrying a fat burner? I thought stress makes you retain weight. Anyways I was thankful as this weekend I need to shop for something to where for interviews....

School is going great. love this Marketing class I'm taking. Iam hoping to find a local job so I won't need to use valuable school/study time to commute. I WILL complete my degree in 2008 its a must!

Anyways the ranting is done, documenting is done.. its time to move on to the weekend.
Saturday I am going to go scrapbooking from 10 am to midnight!!!! I am so excited I haven't done this in a couple months. I usually don't get much done but the soical aspect is soo much fun!

Rock n Roll girl....

There she is our new musical protege....

okay thats what Daddy may wish but her interest in music has really picked up in the last 6 months. Saturday in our travels we 'found' this barbie guitar.. it was love a t first sight. She even said... "look Mommy we can plug in OUR iPod right here and I can play my songs!"

Not sure when MY iPod became OUR iPod unless it was when she was enjoying Justin Timberlakes Summer Love song for the 40th time ( no kidding theres a feature on my iPod that shows the number of times a song is played!)

Good thing the Christian Academy has a STRONG music program that starts in KINDERGARTIN! And I think she'll soon give her brother a run for his money on his guitar hero video game! Watchout Matt!

Remodeling progress

Progress is being made..... with Sean off last monday and tuesday he made some significant progress on the shower.

In fall 2004, we added on to our house a two story addition. We got two additonal bedrooms down stairs and extended our master room into a suite with a much larger shower and a two person jaguzzi jet tub.

The master bath took a back seat to Sean'ss job changes and long hours working and of course the family trait of procrastination....

so almost three years later , fall 2007 we might have at least a completed shower.. next the is the tile around the new tub that is buried underneath all that construction 'junk'...

the long two sink vanity was completed in summer 2005 when we had relative visit and we needed the sinks to be installed in our room...

Sean is a perfectionist so every four or five tiles that are laid they are then checked with a level.. so of ocurse as with any project its taking longer than expected.

Back to normal.. as normal can be ....

Sean got done with the jobsite in Yuba City, that north of Sacramento.. its about 2 hours away.

This job site has been going on since the beginning of June. THe company rented a furnished apt for the guys to stay in during the week. Sean would go up Monday am and come back mid week, usually Wednesday night to get his Kailtyn fix and Kailtyn got her Daddy fix. Then he'd come home for the weekend. This was very rough for Kailtyn, she sooo missed her Daddy.

Last thursday was the last day on the job, they got all the piling installed for the huge solar panels that will be placed on top of them.

He has been home the last two days... a little break.. he's taken Kaitlyn to school and picked her up. This afternoon he has his MRI on his back and tonight we have Kailtyns Open House for school. With the two days off Sean has been working on our shower tiles.... Can't wait to use that shower... our bathroom has been in a remodel stage for the last 3 years!!!

On our way back from Slycreek we stopped to see Sean's job site and I took some of these pictures.....

Going going gone....

Its been three weeks and 17 pounds later.......

progress is making the food taste better, not that its THAT bad . I have changed up some flavors of the shakes by adding Cystal Lite and my treat is a diet soda.. choice of the week is rootbeer.

the last 7 pounds in the last two weeks have been harder because of the camping trip. Yes I cheated but with good choices.... a baby belle cheese (one) and a hand full of almonds. I also broke down on stressful days and got a sugarfree vanilla SOY latte. I was happy just to know I didn't gain anything back with those few cheating moments.

My goal is 50 lbs so with vacations behind me I plan on cracking down this week and starting up an excerise program. ...36 to go scale wise... I have lost inches because clothes are much looser

I have been taking a multi viti and my iron supplements and I have SOOOOO much more engery I feel like a new person!

I have learned normal portion sizes and when I shed my remaining 36 lbs I will switch over to weight watchers to maintain. I have used weight watchers in the past but I needed something more ridgid so I'd have some rapid results to keep the motivation going.

And she's off....

Wednesday , 8/1 was Kaitlyn's first day of Kindergarden. She was so excited about going. She loves school , not sure which she likes best the learning or the soical interaction. She is the soical butterfly like her father... I am soooo glad she is not as shy as me....

The house has been SOOOO quiet without her. She's gone from 8-3pm.

Tuesday night is back to school night so Sean and I are excited to see what that entails.

Doesn't she look so cute in her uniform.... I love it, she picks the outfits out .. can't go wrong with Kakaki, navy, red and white huh? Too cute.. just love it!

I also LOVE that she only has 18 kids in her class verse 28-32 in public school here in California!

Our Four Day Camping Adventure

Off to Slycreek again for a four day camping adventure. This time we had 6 adults, 3 teenage boys, 2 dogs and Kailtyn. The newest thing for me this trip was towing a boat. I should have taken a picture but I didn't. I towed it approx 400 miles AND backed it down the LONG boat launch. It was an EXPERIENCE. It boosted my confidence and also gave me COOL MOM status with the boys.

The 3 boys were awesome, again they did most the packing of the camping equipment

They hitched up and washed the boat,packed it and did a great job. Very proud of them.

We got a late start on the road thursday afternoon due to a frantic seach for Kailtyn meow AGAIN.. after an hour we gave up and she was so excited to go camping she settle for one of the many alternative stuffed cats of hers. I was nervous that later in the trip she'd have a meltdown for the orginal. She faird well and only had a minor melt sown the last evening.

The water was awesome, I just love this lake. So natural no house around it and the water is SO clean. In a busy day on the lake you might get 3 othe boats out there.

The boys were busy with wakeboarding, fishing and bike riding. The boys even talked me into trying wake boarding. I tried four times to get up but gaveup because my hands/arms were so tired from holding onto the tube a few hours earlier when Kailtyn went tubing and I was dragged be hind the tube around the lake. I could only hold on by three fingers to leave room for her hands on the tube handle. Make next time, the boys said I walmost had it ;)

Sean was not there on Thursday night, he had to work friday and Monday ( hence the boat towing was left to me ) I also had to setup the tent for Kaitlyn and I thursday night in the dark with the headlites . It was a liberating expereince to realize I could do it all if I had too. I even help the other couple who had never set up a tent se tup their and the boys borrowed a hotel size tent.. but forgot their pool table to move in .. the tent was HUGE. By 1:30am friday we were all setup. There were only three other site occupied in the 23 site. It was a full moon and so pretty under the stars. Next time we have to bring a telescope, it would be awesome to setup off the Dam and view all the stars.

No fish were caught by our boys but some one caught a GOLDEN TROUT? ok.. GARY CUTTER never refered to them as GOLDEN TROUT so is this a California name or something? Brown and rainbow okay but Golden? hmmmm

Anyways were now home safe and sound and exhausted.

One great guy!

Lovin this kid lately, we had a great four days in Slycreek!

Its coming off....

Ten pounds came off in the first seven days!!! I'm shooting for 50lbs maybe a little more for growing room.

The Medifast diet has no supplements involved its a strict low calorie soy based diet. 5 of the Medifast prepackage meals and one meal of a 5-7 oz lean protein and two cuts of greens and 1 cup of low carb veggies ( no carrots,corn or peas).

Honestly the food takes some getting use to but the weight lose with motivate the tastebuds. The shakes ( 2 a day) and the bars (1 a day) are good, satifys the chocolate craving. The oatmeal wasn't so great, I've learned to make muffins by adding splenda and bakingsoda. The soups are okay.. cream of brochholi and chicken and rice are better.

Crystal lite and Diet soda's are my treats... I add the crystal lites to the shakes to intensify the flavor in the shakes and pudding.

Everyone is telling me its water weight that I have lost ... but I DON"T CARE.. its 10 LBS less off the scale.

Once my goal weight is reached then I will whean off the Medifast meals over a month adding in the fruits and other items that are now off limits. Its been hard... I LOVE tomatoes.. they are ok for the diet and tast like fruit! no sugar no salt though. can have 2 tbsp of low cal dressing on my salald at night.

Its been hard to stay on but getting on the scale daily and see almost 2 lbs everyday! But I have learned food is everywhere.. shopping , tv, social... but with focus and determination I have over come weak moments.

The biggest moment will be this coming weekends 4 day camping trip. I have my food packed and I'm going to try really hard. Wish me luck.... I just keep thinking TEN pounds and I can feel it in my clothes.... so exciting!

No 3 Finished... OHHH SO GOOD

This is the third book of Jodi Picoult I have read... the best one yet for me.I really enjoyed it. The book was good from the first page to the last. LOVED IT!

Don't want to say much more incase you read it!

Reading or Memorizing ?

DO you remember the book you thought you could read?

Mine was the Twas the night before Chirstmas.. I can still recite most of it from heart.

I KNOW that for Kailtyn it will be Cat in the Hat. We read it eveynight and if I'm not reading it Sean is. She can read along with us, and she's very good at it. I hear her singing it to her doll and animals as she plays. Its so cute. We're excited that she will be learning to read in Kindergarden which starts Aug 1st.

Cool n Refreshing

The water at Slycreek is cool and refreshing.

Just love it. Kailtyn has no fear of jumping off the boat, she is working on perfecting her cannon balls. I HAVE to remember to bring a water camera so I can get some of her practicing.

Going up again for four day, next weekend. Can't wait.. its been keeping me going....

Matt and his gang are going to be coming along again, they had such a good time last weekend.

Slycreek Camping

ohhh how I love this place! Our friends called us at 11am on friday to see if we could join them for the weekend camping at Slycreek. AHHHHH SURE! So Matt, his two friends and Kailtyn were all packed up and on the road by 5:30pm Friday!!! Can you believe the excursion wasn't big enough? 3 tents, 7 sleeping bags, 3 coolers , 7 duffell bags, 2 totes with camping gear, 5 bikes and 6 passengers the Excursion was freighted!Just hated to leave Sunday afternoon! Love being on the water in the boat and just love the lake and landscape.Plans are developing to return in a couple weeks until then I will have to close my eyes and dream I'm on the lake.Had lots of fun snapping shots of the teenagers wakeboarding. We had 7 teenagers and Kailtyn what a blast!