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.....