From Us to You

Only have one kid, I haven't really established holiday traditions yet, but I found a list of some fun traditions that I might try in the years to come.

1.Put out a Christmas puzzle the first of December. Invite everyone who comes over to help complete in by Christmas Eve.
2. Eat at least two meals illuminated only by the lights on your Christmas Tree.
3. Call a nursing home or hospital and get the names of five people who don't often recieve mail or visitors. Send each one a beautiful Christmas card.
4. Take one evening, gather your family around your Christmas tree and tell your children about Christmas when you were a child.
5. Buy Christmas mugs for each member of your family.
6. Wrap your child's bedroom door with gift paper and a ribbon so it looks like a gift. Let them know that they are your favorite gift.

What I have been up to

You may know that I have been addicted to photoshop for a very long time, and have spent much of the year practicing my photo-taking skills. I have been taking others pictures for free to get more experience. I know the picture below makes me sound like some totally legit pro-photographer, but it's just a website I created to show my work when I get referrals. I've been doing a few families lately, and others.
Next year, I am looking to get practice doing graduations pics, newborns, and possible engagements, so if you need one of those done, I will do it for free. you can click on the picture below and it will take you to my site. The photos above are of my most recent shoot.




I've also been doing a bit of reading......................

BOOK REVIEW

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society -by Mary Ann shaffer and Annie Barrows

I did enjoy this book, not an all-tim favorite, though. I like the clever way it is written, .....it is all letters, but still easy to follow the story. The story takes place during 1946(post WWII) on Geurnsey Island and helps you understand the effects of the World in places outside of Germany. It was interesting to see how this occupied island was effected. The story was nice, sort of predictable, although the author tried really hard to make you think otherwise, you still kind of figured it would end the way it did.

Sarah's Key-by Tatiana De Rosnay

I like this book more. It seemed to hold my attention better, in that I didn't want to put it down. It also had a clever writing pattern. Each chapter switched character. One Character being a 40-year old woman in modern day France, and then the next chapter would be about a young girl in France during WWII. Once again it was so interesting to hear how the war effected the people in France. It specifically describes the horror of the Velodrom d'Hiver in which hundreds of French Jews were rounded up by FRENCH police to suffer in a stadium for days and then continuing on to camps and some on to Aushwitz(sp?). I enjoyed the two overlapping, intertwining stories and I like the ending as well.
The author really stresses how nobody ever remembers this incident because the French tried to keep it locked up. Now there is a monument to remember these people, but for so long it was kind of a secret.

The Cut

If you didn't already know, K took scissors to the right side of her hair, and boy did she go to town with it. Thanks much to my friend who does hair out of her home, she was able to help fix it within minutes of the said crime. Serioulsy, thankyou so much for helping so quickly, especially being thanksgiving and all.

ok, so this first picture doesn't look so bad because A) she has a headband on (which doesn't stay on long) and B) this is NOT the side she cute, so it looks fine.


I will have to post a pic from her right side view, that is when it looks pretty bad. You can see her right side is still shorter then the left, but we didn't want to cut it all off.

See what a difference without the bow.. a little boy, right?

Who needs a diamond anyways? Trip to Sedona

We spent the weekend in Phoenix and Sedona visiting our good friends, the Lowrys and Schmidts. We let K tag along with us.

At one point in our day, I was super hungry and tired and wanted to go back to the hotel to rest up, but the rest of the group wanted to go see Montezuma's castle right then. I said, "I already saw the pictures, I don't need to go in person." And now they won't let me live it down saying things like, "Hey, Ashley, I know you wanted a new diamond for Christmas, but I'll just take a picture of one and that will be just as good, right". Oh brother.

thanks Bamma BO

We love having visitors. We were really sad to find out Heidi and Abi couldn't visit us this month. Heidi was not feeling well, poor thing. But we did get a visit from my mother, who kennedee calls Bamma Bo (grandma Bo).

We went to underwood farms for corn maze, lots of shaved ice (HOT HOT DAY), animal petting, pig races, and a hayride. Kennedee didn't nap allday and fell asleep in the car at 5:30 pm, Halloween NIGHT!! We let her sleep for 30 minutes and it took a little effort to get her to wake up to go trick-or-treating. She was SOOOOO out, but luckily after 10 minutes started to get into it. Who ever heard of parents forcing their kids to go trick-or-treating.

Grandma Bo brought Kennedee a bunch of dress up cloths, which we really NEEDED because last week I caught K in her room with her dolls clothes on. Actually this aloha shirt she is wearing is for my build-a-bear. Thanks Gramma Bo.

She deserves a Post

K has been such a funny little girl lately, I need to give her a post.

She loves TRI-TIP and asks for hamburgers all the time. And she downs them.

She is loving her MARKERS and PLAYDOUGH

She won the costume contest at the YMCA Halloween Carnival.

She loves being NAKED. It is hard to keep clothes on her.

We just gave her a full size bed, set about 3 feet off the ground and she loves climbing up it and jumping. She is so proud to show people her big bed.

Although she acts like she hates it, she really loves wrestling with daddy, and especially dancing to Daddy's music. She says, "fast song" and goes crazy.

She loves dress up. Ryan's aunt Carrie just produced a film. So when she was visiting we had a 'premeire night' and got dressed up RED-CARPET-STLYE. Kennedee loved dressing up with the two grandma's and two aunties.

CLIENT-Succes Story

I haven't ever posted much about my work. I have had some incredible clients in my years as a trainer and I just happen to have these photos handy and thought I would post them. This woman is amazing. Her husband died, and her best friend in a very short time period. Her son suffers from mental handicap and she is such a dedicated mother to him. The "fat" picture is from January this year. She happens to be at a volunteer children's program in that picture. THe other picture was taken today. What a fabulous attitude and a big heart.

BOOK REVIEW-the book thief by Markus Zusak

Liesel Meminger is only nine years old when she is taken to live with the Hubermanns, a foster family, on Himmel street in Molching, Germany, in the late 1930's. During her years there, Hitler becomes more powerful and life becomes more fearful. I love reading this perspective of this time era. This is told from a German families perspective who help hide a Jew in their basement. This story is of courage, friendship, love, survival, death, and grief. It is so cleverly written. The narrator is "Death" and I love the personality the author gives to the narrator. Very good, I reccomend.

Really ?

Dear 'Daily News',
*********If you are going to send out a collection notice, you might want to make sure that the amount you are trying to collect is less than the amount you are spending on the POSTAGE!
Really? A collection notice for 35 cents. Give me a break.
and P.S. when I call to cancel, I want it cancelled that very day!

********K has been potty trained for 2 months and now just out of nowhere she is just going in her pants. And here's the kicker, while she is going, she actually says out loud, "No poo poo in panties". Really? We have to start this whole thing over again.

********I swear I woke up this morning with a parenthese on my face. You know, a smile WRINKLE. Really? Am I starting to age. Ugh.

********On a good note. Yesterday I spent way too much time photoshopping, when Ryan asks when I might be done. I simply said, "Hey, you go surfing every Saturday morning for 4 hours. This is MY surfing." And he said, "OK, we'll go for a walk". Now it wasn't until this morning when I went to get in my car, I realized that when he went for a walk, he really washed my car.
Really? Without being asked, just out of the kindness of your heart? Oh, I am in love today. What a great husband. Oh, and I forgot to give him his Birthday shout out. Happy 32nd, baby!

flashback to L-Town, Hawaii

Ryan and I met in Hawaii in 2001 and lived there for a year. We got married on the mainland 1 year after we left Hawaii. (well, actually Ryan still lived there for half a year before we got married).. Then after we got married we moved back to Hawaii for 1 more year for him to graduate.

I will never forget how special that place is. You live with nothing and it doesn't even matter. Everything is run down, rusted through and moldy, but It is such a neat place to live.

We had some of the best friends ever, who I am so glad we still keep in touch with.

I threw a Christmas Party for all the couples who didn't fly home. Here are some of our friends on our patio that was literally right on the ocean.







Here is Ryan and I Christmas morning in our humble little student studio. Ryan wore his hair long in hawaii and I went really dark.

More friends

Ryan and My boss from the PCC

Whenever anyone moves away from Hawaii, all the wards to something special. After the closing prayer, they always play and sing Aloha o'e and everyone comes up and puts leis on you. It is actually quite emotional, but very unique and special. Oh, I will cherich those days.

This is from Ryan's graduation in 2004 (yes, he took the long route) with L. Tom.

I HATE this blog SONG---goodbye already!

When I made a slideshow of disneyland pics from April, slide.com added a randon song to that post. I am so sick of hearing it anytime I go to my blog. SO I have been posting a lot lately to get it bumped down so that post is no longer on my home page. I hope this works. If you are reading this and still hear the song, then I guess I failed.

(yes I do realize that I could just delete the post.....that would just be too easy)

As long as I am posting, let's post something that I LOVE. If you know me, then you know I love getting my J.Crew Catalog. They totally define my style with how they put outfits together. And there kids stuff "crewcuts" is to die for. I couldn't say no to picking up something for Kennedee when I was in their Pasadena store last weekend. How cute are these outfits.?

Lying to get out of work???

So a week ago, the surf was really good during mid-week. So Ryan decided it was a good day to call in "sick". Then yesterday at work he went into his boss' boss' office to get a document signed. Now this particular boss also has a passion to surf. He mentioned to Ryan how good the surf would be at tressles (a surf spot 2 hours South) and said to Ryan, "What do you think?"

So today he is taking another 'sick' day to go surfing with his boss. I guess I can't get too mad at him when his boss practically gave him permission. Actually his boss drove him down there.

K started Preschool
Well actually it's a mommy-and-me preschool one day a week for 2 1/2 hours. We do inside activities, then outdoor time with a parent discusssion, snack and then circle (singing time). She loves going to "school"

The Waiting is over!

The New CD is out today and so is Pearl Jam on RockBand. So sad, because we have the 'Guitar Hero' version of a rock band. 10 mor days until the concert. So Excited. They are SO good live.

You already know from previous posts what I was watching last season. I'm gonna try a few new things this season. I've watched House from time to time and think Hugh Laury is fantastic, but I fell off and haven't watched it for a while. I think I might give this season a try again, Mondays 8am on FOX.

FLASH FORWARD looks promising as well. ABC, Thursdays 8am.

I'll check out Community as well. I like Joel McHale (sp?)

The Dinner Cruise

I am on the activities commitee and we threw an out-of-this-world event thanks to my amazing Commitee Leader, Marcille. Here she is "in character" as our Cruise Director.

We turned the entire cultural hall into a "cruise ship". We pretended to sail to Morocco, Italy, spain, and Greece. We had fabulous food from each country.

ITALY

SPAIN

GREECE

MORROCO

AMERICA (the ice cream)

The Bar (Shirley T's Bar)

For entertainment we had a vocalist and Greek Zorba dancers. We had young singles come and serve all in matching bow ties. We also had chefs who were "in character" with italian, greek, spanish accents. They were hilarious.

It was set in the 1940's with 1940's props including carboard cutouts of Humphrey Bogart. We played clips of old B & W films (muted) during the dinner. The decoration was like a wedding reception, we even got white chairs, rather than using the church plastic chairs. We completely covered the basketball hoops made a chandelier and draped white from the cieling to the floor and made a huge starry window backdrop behind the Captain's table.

Everyone was assigned to a table (i.e. the Majestic, the Altantic, the Lido, the Empress, etc.)

We made a 1940's band stand and got a DJ to play music throughout the night.

And of course, we had our ships photographer, Jenna (below with her hubby), with our fun bon voyage backdrops.

We worked SO HARD on this, and stayed up so late setting up and taking down. Thanks again to anyone involved in helping. This event needed lots of ladders and lots of helping hands.