Nine Years

I realize I have not blogged in a REALLY long time. No excuse really- I've just been super busy lately with traveling and work and just haven't felt inspired in my spare time to spend more time on the computer. I'd like to keep this blog up, so I hope I still have my few loyal followers! :)

While having a very quiet and relaxed Friday evening (hubby's in Vegas), glass of wine in hand, I started to think about about tomorrow. Nine years ago tomorrow, the world as we all knew it changed forever. On September 11th, 2001, we all watched in shock as terrorism hit our homeland like we'd never seen it before. I'll always distinctly remember that day with utmost clarity, as I'm sure most people do. As a first semester freshman at the time- I remember being in shock, with all my dorm mates, not really knowing for sure what all of this meant. It took years for it to really hit me. In a sense, a lot of people my age, and I suppose of all ages, lost a lot of innocence that day. I had no idea such a thing could happen. Although it is important to remember that day, I always find it difficult to watch the footage. It was a day that far too many people lost their lives for no other fact than for simply being American. It was also a day where we all came together and ordinary people did extraordinary things to save each other's lives.

As I drove home from work today, I cruised along La Jolla Blvd noticing many more American flags out than normal. I thought of my husband, family and friends that I'm so blessed to have. I thought of the brave servicemen and women who put themselves in harms way to defend freedom.

I know I am grateful and proud to be an American everyday, but I will especially feel that pride tomorrow.

Baking with Kara

Tonight I thought I'd try something a little different....I decided to bake! We had a ton of bananas left that we needed to be eaten before they went bad, so banana bread it was! I wanted to try a healthy recipe so I found one that looked healthy AND yummy. It turned out GREAT! Here's the recipe if you want to try it out:

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend
• 3/4 cup flax seed meal
• 5 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
• 2 teaspoons egg whites
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar blend, flax meal, bananas, milk, sour cream and egg whites until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the banana mixture until moistened. Spoon into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the crown of the loaf comes out clean.

I also added in some walnuts, but not too many!

Baking was pretty fun, I especially liked using my big Kitchen Aid mixer! Don't worry, I don't forsee this turning into a recipe blog.

Off to the Races!

Happy Sunday to all! Mike and I had a great weekend, trying something new we have not yet done since we moved here to San Diego- going up to the Del Mar Races. We went with our neighbor and his girlfriend and a couple of their friends that were in town. It was a fun time!

As most know, I'm not much of a gambler (or one at all) so I haven't spent too much time at horse racing tracks. But from what I can tell, this was one of the nicer ones! It has a beautiful showing area, where they showed each of the horses before the race so you could see which on to bet on. I had a pretty good feel on this and actually picked the winning horse one round, named Laura Beasely, just from looking at it! Unfortunately we had not placed any bets that round, but if we had, we would have won.

Later, Mike followed Albert's lead and placed some bets and I must say, the races were pretty exciting when you had money on the winner. I can ALMOST see how some people could get addicted to that kind of thing. It was a fun experience and I'm so glad we went but I'm not sure if I'm going to be spending a lot of time there. We didn't end up winning any money and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the horses. Everyone was cheering and yelling as they ran their hearts out.

I forgot to bring my camera and I'm bummed because I could have gotten some cute pictures! Plus, Mario Lopez was there (yes, AC Slater) and I was like 10 feet from him and his girlfriend! I wish I had gotten a picture. I love celebrity sightings!

After a long day at the races we spent the night in. I slept in pretty late this morning and I woke to a clean kitchen and living room (which was TRASHED the night before) and flowers on the table. I have such a sweet husband....

A Snapshot of Our First Year

I'm no multimedia whiz, this I know. It took me freaking forever to put this slideshow together and it isn't terribly impressive. It does, however, show a great representation of mine and Mike's first year as husband and wife. I plan to do this each year (and I hope I really do!) for our anniversary, so we can always have a fun, concise documentation of our adventures and how we've grown together.

For some reason it looks a little blurry on YouTube...but it doesn't look like that on my computer, I swear. Hopefully I'll get better at this over the years.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbNLmzlwa1c

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Wow. I really can't believe it has been a full year since our amazing wedding day. I feel like I blinked my eyes and the first year our marriage had gone whizzing by. What a year it has been- full of love, laughter, exploring, traveling, fun times, perhaps a few minor arguments and adjustments.... yes, lots of adjustments! We've grown a lot together this past year and I'm grateful for Mike being my support system all along the way.

I've definitely learned a lot in this past year on how to be a good wife and partner. I've learned to be more patient. I've learned that little gestures go a long way. I've learned that it is ok to argue as long as you can to some compromise and end with a kiss. I've learned what it is like to be a family of two.

I couldn't ask for a better husband than Mike. He never fails to make me laugh or smile, he has a way of calming me down like no one else can, he takes time every day to make me feel beautiful and he's my bestest friend in the world.

Happy anniversary to us!

I'm finishing up a slideshow of our first year as the McDermotts...finishing it up tomorrow, hopefully!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Wow. I really can't believe it has been a full year since our amazing wedding day. I feel like I blinked my eyes and the first year our marriage had gone whizzing by. What a year it has been- full of love, laughter, exploring, traveling, fun times, perhaps a few minor arguments and adjustments.... yes, lots of adjustments! We've grown a lot together this past year and I'm grateful for Mike being my support system all along the way.

I've definitely learned a lot in this past year on how to be a good wife and partner. I've learned to be more patient. I've learned that little gestures go a long way. I've learned that it is ok to argue as long as you can to some compromise and end with a kiss. I've learned what it is like to be a family of two.

I couldn't ask for a better husband than Mike. He never fails to make me laugh or smile, he has a way of calming me down like no one else can, he takes time every day to make me feel beautiful and he's my bestest friend in the world.

Happy anniversary to us!

A slideshow of our first year as the McDermotts to come...finishing it up tomorrow, hopefully!

And I'm Back...

...From a wonderful vacation to Bermuda! We had so much fun with the whole Valluzzo clan (minus a couple of the little ones)!! It was so fun hanging with all of my brothers and sisters and needless to say there were many laughs shared this special week.

Bermuda is my parent’s favorite place in the world. They went there on their honeymoon and have been coming back steadily for 40 years. My dad, in particular, is a Bermuda nutcase. He truly believes for that one week a year he is a Bermuda native, loving “his” island for all its glory. He loves the beaches, the clear water, the drinks, the family time but most of all he loves to ride his scooter (i.e. mopad). I’m quite certain that “Born to be Wild” is playing on repeat in his head as flies like the wind around the curvy, narrow roads of the island for hours at a time, each year clocking his mileage and keeping a record to try to beat every visit. This year, early Sunday morning a bunch of us took off to navigate the WHOLE island, a feat that takes about 3 hours to complete. My butt was numb and I was a little sunburned by the end, but I loved to see my Dad so happy! His love for Bermuda is contagious and has obviously been passed on to me.

There were too many funny stories and happy times to share in a blog post so I'll keep it short. Mike and I couldn’t thank my parents enough for sharing with us this beautiful island experience. It was an amazing time with family!

While being at home before and after the Bermuda trip, it was also such a pleasure to hang with the McDermott family, especially for the 4^th of July. In true McDermott fashion, they were able to throw together an amazing spread of food and drinks the morning of deciding to host a BBQ as if it was nothing. If that was me, I’d be so stressed out hosting people with such short notice or planning!

It was also nice to enjoy the top layer of our wedding cake about two weeks early at their house, remembering our amazing wedding day that took place almost a year ago. I can’t believe on Sunday Mike will be my husband of ONE YEAR…but that is a post for another time …

Counting down the days...

...until I have my toes in the light pink sand of Bermuda! It is my absolute FAVORITE Valluzzo tradition- spending the week in the paradise that we've enjoyed so much over the years. These next three weeks can't go by fast enough! :)

It's A Boy!!

No, Mike and I are not becoming parents. We are, however, becoming an aunt and uncle to our very first nephew! Chris and Char found out the sex of the baby and we couldn't be happier. We have been so blessed with our four beautiful (and I mean BEAUTIFUL!) little nieces that we adore, and we are so excited to welcome a little boy into the family.

Izzie will be an awesome big sister. She really is such a sweet and caring little girl. I have a feeling that between her affinity (or obsession?) for playing dress up and the sheer amount of princess dresses/high heels from Grammie, this little guy is in for it.

Can't wait to meet him!!

I foresee a little tiny Yankees or Giants onesie in his future...

Birthday Weekend!

I'm going to attempt to keep this somewhat short, because I'm sure I can ramble on and on about my fun birthday weekend! It was great! Mike and I took our first trip to San Francisco and we both absolutely loved it. Why I loved San Fran/my birthday weekend:

1.) We stayed at an amazing hotel in the middle of everything! They sent me wine and cake to wish me a happy birthday....that's a good hotel in my book ;)

2.) I loved those freakin' sea lions at Pier 39. We have seals in La Jolla, so its not like I've never seen these funny creatures (although I still don't know the difference between a seal and a seal lion) but they were just so cute- and SO big!

3.) Alcatraz was really cool and totally satisfied my inner history nerd- the audio tour was really interesting and the boat ride to and from was breathtaking...check out my awesome pic of the Golden Gate bridge below.

4.) We got to see so much of the city and did a lot of walking just taking it all in (oh and being lost on one occasion). It was so neat to just to explore a new city and see how people live. When we were walking through this cute neighborhood park, we stumbled across a giant neighborhood picnic. It was the most innocent, All-American looking scene I've ever laid eyes on!

5.) Mike made my birthday super special! Between the subscription to my fav mag, filling every space of our wine rack with wine (a personal goal of mine), the roses he gave me when I met him in San Fran and the whole San Fran trip-- He really outdid himself! What a special birthday- I'm a very lucky girl!!

Fisherman's Wharf

Pretty Shot

Trolley Car

By the way, thank you all for the birthday wishes! I felt very loved on my birthday!

Home Is Where the Heart Is

They say "home is where the heart is." While I think that sounds like a sweet sentiment, it is a little vague. With my travels back East last week, I realized that my heart belongs to many places, each for different and special reasons.

I started off my travels off on a red eye into Raleigh and to my parent's home in Apex, NC. I never lived in this house, so it is a bit peculiar that it would feel like home to me. It is a place where my whole family has gathered, and this time it happened to be Ms. Emmabelle's 3rd birthday. Having my whole family together (minus my hubby, which was a bummer!) is something that I truly cherish the most in my life. It is LOUD and always seems a bit chaotic with four little girls running around each wanting the other's toy, but the sheer volume and activity makes my feel right at home.

From there I headed up to Northern VA. Obviously this place feels like home since I lived there for 26 years of my life...even more so because I stayed with my brother who now owns the home I grew up in. It was nice to be back in the old house, able to walk across the street and into the Aceto's house to chat with Katie, like I've done countless times in the 15 + years we've been friends and neighbors. With my work training in Arlington, I managed to drive by Mike and I's first home together- the little white house on 19th street. While we only lived there one year, it will always have a special place in my heart as our home during our engagement and preparing for our marriage.

Next up was Radford to watch Mike's sister, Katie, graduate. It was so nice to be there with the McDermott family for this special occasion. This was my home for 4 of the most fun years of my life. I was surprised by how sentimental I got while I was there- remembering all of my favorite places during the time I spent there and the amazing people I met along the way- Mike, of course being the most important. I went by all the old spots- my dorm, 1101, the Delta Zeta house and immediately felt how special this home was to me in that time in my life.

I flew home Sunday, exhausted from a long week. I caught a cab and took the familiar ride from the airport, as I've done many time either flying out or picking up/dropping off visitors. As I chatted with the cabbie, we talked about all the things we loved about San Diego- the weather, the people, the variety of things to do, the beaches. It felt so good to be home.

The next night I picked Mike up from the airport. We'd hadn't seen a whole lot of each other in the past two weeks between business trips and travel and it was so great to be back together, just the two of us. While my heart belongs to many places I've called home in my life, I know that as long as Mike is by my side I'll truly feel at home and at ease.

I'm feeling a little sentimental today, if you couldn't tell.....

Sunday=Farmer's Market Day!

Now I'm no expert on farmer's markets- its not like I've been to a lot of them- but I'm pretty sure our local market in La Jolla is one of the best out there. Every Sunday dozens and dozens of vendors gather on the black top at La Jolla Elementary with all the freshest fruits, veggies, flowers, honey, breads- you name it, they've got it. It is such an amazing atmosphere and has become a part of mine and Mike's weekly routine. I genuinely look forward to Sundays just to go to the farmer's market. The sun is shining, people are in great moods and its nice to get very fresh food that is grown locally!

Not only do they have great produce, there are also lots of vendors selling other stuff like pottery, jewelry, clothes, etc. They've got lots of yummy booths for lunch too. My favorite is the Greek one selling gyros...they are the best I've EVER had--to die for!!!

Another plus- contrary to what I've always thought, it really isn't that much more expensive than shopping a normal grocery store. In fact, sometimes it is cheaper. There are definitely some things that are over priced, but we've gotten to know which vendors have the best deals. I love my strawberry man!

The best part of the farmer's market is that it is close and easy. It is probably a little less than 2 miles away so Mike and I have gotten in the habit of riding our bikes there. It such a nice Sunday morning routine to wake up together, drink some coffee then ride up to the market.

Here are some pictures of our beloved market :)

So bright and cheery!

So many tents set up!

Mike's fav- his honey lady!

Mike checking out some asparagus.

Beautiful, fresh flowers!

Spring Break '10

About a week or so ago, we had Mike's sister, Kelly, and her boyfriend out for a visit. It was Kelly's spring break from her first year of teaching so we hope she had a great time being away from work and exploring a new city. How I miss the days of having a spring break! Why can't all jobs offer a spring break!? I honestly think it would help everyone to have that time off, recharge and come back to work super productive. We should all have spring breaks!

Anyways, I've been really bad about taking pictures lately, but here are a few from their trip that I stole from Kelly:

Kelly and I outside The Prado at Balboa Park! This restaurant was so yummy and had the cutest atmosphere. We ate there after we watched an IMAX movie about surfing in Tahiti. Cool movie, but it made us all nauseous because of the huge screen and the surfers bobbing on the waves.

Nick and Kelly on the beach :)

The four of us at Karen and Randy's in Thousand Oaks for Easter. They have THE coolest backyard, complete with a koi pond!

Kelly introduced Mike and I to this healthy treat- an acai bowl. It basically soy milk or apple juice with acai berries and tons of other fruit. Super delicious and nutritious!

San Diego Rocks!

Literally. As you've probably heard, there was a rather large (I think 7.2?) earthquake near San Diego this past Sunday on Easter. Mike and I didn't feel a thing, since we were up North for Easter lunch with Aunt Karen, but we heard from people still here in SD that it was quite strong. On Monday night we were sitting in the living room when we felt what must have been an aftershock. It wasn't anything big or too terribly scary but how weird to all of a sudden feel the earth shake under you.

That brings us to today. I'm at work and about an hour ago, I start to feel some shaking! Again, nothing too big or scary but needless to say, my client site building doesn't seem to be the most stable of buildings so I was a little freaked out. I think I heard someone say that it was a 5.5 earthquake that hit somewhere in Mexico.

I've decided after the last few days that I should brush up on my earthquake safety tips- especially considering the extent of my knowledge comes from that Saved by the Bell episode where there was an earthquake and Zack is stuck in the elevator with Mr. Belding's wife and ends up delivering the baby in the elevator. Was there anything that Zack Morris couldn't do?

Anyways, I guess this just shows that San Diego rocks in many ways and for many reasons! :)

Reunited and it feels so good

I’ve been just a bit behind on my blogging lately! Oops….

On the weekend on March 12 and 13 I had the great privilege to spend some real quality time with three of my best friends- Kathleen, Charlotte and Nikki. The four of us lived together our sophomore year in college and dubbed ourselves Chi Kappa Nu- our sorority girl mentality coming out with Chi= Charlotte, Kappa= Kara/Kathleen and Nu= Nikki. I know, we were awfully clever.

What a great reunion it was! I don’t think there was a moment that we were not laughing, teasing each other or reminiscing about our glory days at good old Radford. I love that although the four of us haven’t gotten to spend time together just the four of us in years, it was like not a moment had passed as soon as we were together.

We had tons of fun in Hollywood, but had the most fun impersonating Jimmy Fallon’s skit of “Robert Patterson is Bothered” (http://www.robertisbothered.com/) …in a tree…in the middle of a posh lounge.

Other highlights from the weekend:

- Going to the top Mulholland Drive to look down on the LA skyline and of course the Hollywood sign.

- Watching Kat trying on wedding dresses. I think Martin might just fall over when he sees how beautiful she will look coming down the aisle. Definitely brought a few tears to my eyes (shocking, I know!) to see Kat preparing for such an important and special day.

So glad we could reunite, Chi Kappa Nu. Can’t wait for next time!

Oh and you may be wondering where my hubby was for all of this?? Don’t worry- he was doing it up big in Vegas! :)

Three of the greatest friends a girl could ask for!

It took about 15 shots to get this one...and Char is nearly cut out! You can see the very teeny, tiny Hollywood sign in the distance.

This is our sullen vampire look.

So Hollywood

Last weekend, Mike and I celebrated his 28^th birthday in style. On a whim, we decided last minute that his b-day celebration was going to take place in Hollywood, and that we were going to do it up right. And so we did, and Mike had a birthday that was just so….well, soooo Hollywood.

We stayed the W on Hollywood Blvd. Amazing. The hotel was gorgeous- modern and super posh- and we couldn’t help but notice all the beautiful people. The wanna-be actors, models, singers, ect…SO Hollywood!

We went out to dinner at the Geisha House. It is a trendy spot a couple blocks down from the W. It had a great vibe and the place was packed. The food was delicious (although a bit overpriced in my humble opinion) and we had a great dinner and enjoyed sharing some sake as well. The best part was the dessert. Crispy wontons with some sort of cheesecake-type filling and a fried bananas dish. We loved it!

Our next stop was to The Kress- another trendy place where we stopped to get some extra dirty martinis. We lounged and enjoyed people watching; especially when we saw what we thought was a prostitute with some little geeky guy. Kind of weird/gross…but SO Hollywood!

Our last stop was back to our hotel. The lobby turns into “The Living Room” at night and is essentially a chic lounge and bar. As we walked up to the door there was a guy holding a clip board and had just turned away a group from going in, for no apparent reason. We promptly showed him our room key and after apologizing for the wait and welcoming us back, he removed the velvet rope to let us through. WE were SO Hollywood!

The next day we checked out and went to the Lakers vs. the Nuggets game. Of course the birthday boy enjoyed that probably a little more than I did- but we had a lot of fun. After that, we returned to our not-so-glamorous (but still super cool) lives in La Jolla.

I loved celebrating Mike’s birthday in a special way. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LOVE!

All You Need Is Love

As John Lennon and the Beatles once said, “all you need is love”. I don’t think there could ever be a truer statement. Whether it is love of a significant other, love for your friends, family or even the unconditional love from a pet. Love is what makes the world a brighter, more beautiful place.

That song has a special place in my heart because at our wedding ceremony, just over 7 months ago, Mike hand fed nearly our whole reception our wedding cake. I think that was his way of showing his love on our special day :)

Mike and I spent our first Valentine’s Day together as husband and wife this past weekend and had a wonderful day. We found a new path in our neighborhood that lead us directly into the La Jolla farmer’s market. It was awesome. We ate a romantic dinner of chicken parmesan, made by Chef Mike, drank champagne and just enjoyed each other.

The following day, February 15, I received some bad news. My Grandma Zanzal had passed away. While I know it is for the best and was relieved that she didn’t have to suffer anymore, I still couldn’t help from being overwhelmed with grief. Until her dying day, my grandmother spoke openly and often about wanting to be with my grandfather, her love for over 50 years, in heaven. If that isn’t true love, I don’t know what is.

I leave for Connecticut on Thursday to be surrounded by the love and warmth of my family as we say good-bye to the beloved matriarch of our family. I’m positive that my Grandmother will be looking down on us and hopefully realizing how loved she is and how much she’ll truly be missed.

I decided to be crafty this weekend and painted this sign, which now hangs on our balcony!

Martinis for All

It is always so much fun to have visitors, and trust me, we’ve had A LOT in the last 6 months that we’ve lived here in San Diego :) I was especially excited for the Peterson’s to come because I knew it was a special trip for them. This was the first time they had left their adorable 13 month old baby, Lily, for more than a night or so. Although I would have loved to have Lily to visit, it was an exciting time for the new parents to have a strictly adult vacation. Not surprisingly, we had a ridiculously good time. We always do with the Peterson’s- that is just the type of people they are. I think Lauren and I giggled and laughed more than 90% of the time that they were here and her husband Mike was living up his vacation to the fullest, as he should. He proved to be an amazing martini maker (extra dirty) and my Mike enjoyed his first “mart”, proclaiming it “made his body feel all warm”. I guess that meant he liked it!

Not only did we enjoy some amazing food and drinks but we did a lot of outdoorsy stuff throughout the WEEK. Yes, a whole week….yay for “snowtorious BIG”, “Snowbe Bryant”, “Alexander Snowvichken” and the others for making them have to stay! Anyways, we went to Torrey Pines and did the beach trail, climbed the 6 miles Iron Mountain, enjoyed the sunset with champagne, walked around downtown and did some bike riding.

I’m going to keep this short, because really I could go on and on about the funny things that happened and the good times we had. I’ll wrap it up by just saying we are so very blessed to have friends like Lauren and Mike. We’ve have so many great memories with them and we are looking forward to making more as the years go on!

Check out some double Indo boarding action...after some Super Bowl drinks:

Adventures in Snowboarding

Last weekend was another first for Mike and I in our new home in California: snowboarding at Big Bear Mountain. We joined the snowboarding experts and our good friends, Kat and Martin, for a winter wonderland weekend that promised to be.....well, an adventure. We hit the road and after a couple hours got to the mountain and had to put the snow chains on our tires. Apparently, this was a HUGE weekend for snow up there- 4 feet in about 4 or 5 days!

The trek up the mountain was nerve-wracking. Mike stayed cool and didn’t seem to care that people were stuck or skidded out on either side of us. We chugged along. I texted Kathleen, who was behind us by about 15 minutes “This is such an adventure!”......then we got stuck. We somehow skidded out because the people in front of us stopped (you can’t do that going straight up a mountain!) and our back tires just could not get out of the snow. Luckily, Martin/Kat saw us and stopped to help. As did some other poor souls stranded like us. Thanks to them, and Mike’s tireless efforts, we got out and victoriously made our way to our house. Martin and Mike called their inner manual laborers and worked hard to shovel our drive way. We were in our cute little cottage and ready to get settled in!

The house was quaint and cute- but the owners clearly had a crazy fetish with bears. They were everywhere! I get it, “Big Bear”...but come on, it was nuts.

After a good dinner and couple drinks, we hit the hay. Not far into the early morning hours, we heard an alarm. We didn’t smell smoke. Martin investigated and realized it was the carbon monoxide alarm going off. Great. The silent killer. Not the way we want to start our weekend! We took the batteries out and plugged it back in and it didn’t go off again. Still, I couldn’t help but image that my chest was feeling tight and my breathing was out of rhythm. When morning broke, we realized we made it through the night, sans carbon monoxide poising.

Putting our somewhat rocky night behind us- we were ready to hit the slopes. It was gorgeous! I loved the trees covered with snow! I was going to drag Mike to a snowboard lesson with me but it didn’t start until later that afternoon. We decided to just go for it; keep in mind I had NEVER snowboarded before in my life. It was rough. I fell get off the lift as I was getting off and almost got hit in the head by the chair, it took me about 45 minutes to get down the bunny slope and I did that basically in a crab crawl because I couldn’t get up. After my lesson it was much better! Mike was really pretty good at “shredding” down the mountain and I think this may become yet another sports hobby of his.

After some soaking in the hot tub, and delicious dinner made by Kathleen (that only took 2.5 hours to make!) and some wine we put our tired and sore bodies to bed.

So despite some adventures, we made it through our first snowboarding weekend and had an amazing time. We definitely had a good time laughing at some of the mishaps, but that’s what makes life interesting :)

Oh, and the best part of the weekend- Kathleen asking me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding! I'm so excited and honored to be a part of their big day. Can't wait!!

Torrey Pines is more than a golf course

Turns out it is a whole lot more! The other weekend Mike and I went to Torrey Pines State Park for a hike. It was amazing! It has great paths, lots of uphill walking (or running) and gorgeous views over the cliffs to the sparkling Pacific. A place where you can go hiking in short sleeves and shorts in January? Sign me up!!

For your viewing pleasure...

Mike and I have really enjoyed playing with our Mac (sorry Dad!!!) and all the cool things it can do. Most recently Mike has gotten to playing around with iMovie and Garage Band. Below for you viewing pleasure is the cinematic tour de force known as Valluzzomas 2009.

Enjoy!!

Publish Post

East Coast Christmas

Although we’ve settled in quite nicely in our new home in San Diego, we lived in Northern VA for our whole lives so I was so excited to head “home” for the holidays. It was great to get to spend some quality time with both our families and our friends. We planned it so we could be home for a good long time, work a little and not have to be rushed to see everyone that we miss so dearly.

We started our trip by heading down to North Carolina for Mike’s godparents daughter’s wedding. It was our first wedding since our own and I really enjoyed it. Diana actually read one of the readings that was read at our wedding and boy did that bring on the tears for me. It made me think of standing up there that day, in front of all of our loved ones, taking our vows...I was beyond excited for Stephen and Cari because I knew what an amazing night they had ahead of them. The wedding was a blast!

Ready for the wedding :)

Christmas Eve and Christmas at the McDermotts was a great time- very relaxed and cozy, spending a lot of time by the fire. In a McDermott tradition we made Krumcagga (sp??)- a Norwegian cookie that Diana’s mom and grandmother used to make. She actually still has the sheet of paper with the recipes handwritten from her grandmother. Very neat. Of course we all got wonderful gifts and the McDermotts were far too generous, as always!

The whole McDermott gang!

It was so nice to be back to celebrate Lily Peterson's first birthday! Here is our fake family photo with Lily as our prop baby! :)

We rang in the New Year with a close group of friends over at Jaime and Pat’s house. Thanks for hosting guys, it was exactly the type of NYE I was looking for! A little champagne, some cupcakes, Wii, and watching Jersey Shore...a great time! I can’t believe it was the end of a decade. I can’t wait for what the next decade may bring!

Next up was “Valluzzomas”, or Valluzzo Christmas. It was quite entertaining having all the little ones together, and with Abby mobile now too- it was pretty much utter ciaos (in a good way.) The 3 older girls were hilarious wearing their high heels and switching out dress up outfits everyday. Mike and I really loved the time we got to spend with our siblings drinking, eating and testing our trivia knowledge at Time’s Up. Thank you to my parents for also being far too generous!!

Here's some pictures of my favorite girls:

Abby aka the drunken sailor- she is still very wobbly on her feet! She is super tough, especially when her big sister is too rough with her!

Josie wearing the Tinkerbell costume over her footie PJS. So cute.

Izzie playing when we went to the Sports Bounce

Love that they are making sweet music together. This was a few minutes before Josie shut Izzie's fingers in the piano.

Emmabelle was VERY excited for present time!!!