It was huge, it was bright and I felt like it was shining down on me, patiently waiting for me to get my shot. Here it is, the Super Moon. Happy Weekend!

The last few days have been a little challenging for me but being able to sit in my car deep in thought while I stared at the sky was nice. For a moment it felt like God was peeking through the clouds to shed just enough light to make things ok…. and they are. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Up the street from the office there is this tiny, hidden, little park with great views and trails all around. When I used to work at the office every day this was my favorite lunch spot. I would take my lunch, sit at the blue bench and just stare into the distance. It is so peaceful and breathtaking, even on foggy, overcast days. When I was there last week I decided to stop by and it didn’t disappoint. I noticed this guy sitting on the fence just staring, the same way I used to do, for what seemed to be an eternity. It’s a great place to be alone with your thoughts… and just be. Happy Monday!

My husband became aware of this town called Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California so we decided to try driving there instead of Big Bear or Arrowhead. After a storm they get a lot of traffic and we just didn’t want to fight the crowd trying to see some snow. The drive up to Wrightwood was beautiful and no winding road, perfect! After that we drove. Drove for miles upon miles, felt great to be on the road again. Hopefully this will be the beginning of many more awesome road trips. Hope you have a great week!

I started training to run a marathon after my almost 4 year old was born. My husband had already run a full marathon and thought it might be a good idea for me to run to get back in shape and have something to do together. The last part didn’t work out so well, we run at a different pace and he’s way more dedicated than I am so I’m back to running alone. Long story short, I threw out my back and couldn’t continue to train for a while.

Fast forward to September 2011. My friend Nancy, who is one of those crazy people that run just for fun, came to visit from Seattle. I was in a rut and shared with her how I felt out of shape and how I had wasted all the progress I’d made a few years ago. Nancy went home but continued to encourage me to take one day at a time and slowly get back in the swing of things. And then she had a bright idea, sign us up for a half marathon. I said “suuuuuuure, I’ll run a half marathon” because how many people take that as an agreement and register you right away? So that’s how I got here. She called and said “we’re all set, registration done and airfare is booked to run it with you”. How do you get out of something once money has exchanged hands? I had no other choice but to start running again.

So I ran. A little at a time and a lot on weekends. I was doing well until I ended up in the hospital with kidney stones. I’ll post about that another day, still not ready to talk about it. The hospitalization and health trouble cost me a good three weeks of training, and right before the event. I worked very hard to get here so I decided to just do my best.

I ran the most I’ve ran ever, and even when my knee started to hurt and the last 2 miles were the longest, most excruciating uphill miles I’ve ever encountered, I kept going…. and FINISHED!

I know a half marathon may not be much to some but it’s something I can now scratch off my bucket list. I didn’t do as well as I would’ve liked but I definitely ran it in less than the goal I had set for myself. Let the training begin for next year! I’m happy to share with you my pretty, shiny medal.

My brother sent me a picture that he wanted me to edit and it was one of those great moments lost because of distractions. Here is the original:

Here is the edited version:

It was great to see them today. Their love and respect for each other is infectious, you can’t help but want to be a better friend and partner to your spouse when you’re around them. They make “to have and to hold ’til death due us part” look even better than it sounds. Love you guys.

I was on my way to the grocery store yesterday and I just had to stop, the view took my breath away. It’s like God splashed the sky with colors to make a perfect sunset. This morning again on my way to take my daughter to school I had to stop and take in the beautiful landscape uninterrupted by tall buildings and horrible traffic. What a beautiful way to start off the new year. Happy Thursday!

He called me the other day and said he was coming home with a surprise…. and SURPRISE it was…. I think this one is staying. Allow me to introduce you to Lulu, welcome home girl.

Lulu is still a little uncertain around the little one and I don’t blame her. She loves her so much but wants to hold her a little too tight. So until she’s a little more gentle she has good ‘ole Bandit to play with and take for walks

If you were here a year ago, you will remember this post and my little house too small to host a Christmas tree. Well, we have plenty of space this year and the girls couldn’t be happier. We finally got a Christmas tree! Now the challenge this year has been keeping the candy canes on the tree and away from the 3 year old. There are only about half of the candy canes left on the tree and empty candy wrapping papers hidden all over the house.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas. Happy Thursday!

Having a little brother as young as he is is a challenge.  I wish I had more time to spend with him, I wish I lived closer to him, I wish it didn’t take for something like this for me to call him every single day to tell him that I love him.   As a wife and mother life can be hectic within my own family unit, add a feisty teenager to the mix and things get interesting fast. When I went to see him at the hospital I was pleasantly surprised, he was having the time of his life.  Who doesn’t like being catered to all day.  Of course, mom won’t be doing that so I’m sure he’ll begin to miss the hospital staff very soon.  I was impressed at how fast he learned to count his carbs and how much he needs to be consuming along with his insulin shots.   For someone who doesn’t like math he sure caught on quick.  We joked about who really needs this math in real life, well… he does, so now it’s beginning to make sense to him.

I was able to get a few pictures of my little brother to document the day his life changed, but  I was only able to get his approval to post a few.  So here they are, my big baby brother.  I love you with all my heart little man, never forget.

Make your days count, make your love known today for tomorrow is not promised to us. Have a great Tuesday.

Back to what matters, Boston. I have been traveling to Boston for the last 7 years and never stayed long enough to see the town. I only got to see the inside of the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center and my hotel room. This year I made some changes and decided I needed an extra day to sight see and be a tourist with a camera attached to my hip. I have a new friend in Boston and she graciously offered to show me around, good friends rock!

The trip started off a little rocky. Boxes were lost, attitudes were given. It was pouring rain, and just because things weren’t interesting enough at that point, the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate the conference center out into the rain… fun! Good thing we got all the madness out of the way because by the time it was time to play, the skies had cleared and the sun was shinning.

I love the history of the city, the old buildings are amazing! We even did a history tour with PhotoWalks. But don’t ask me about the history part, I only store information I need to survive.

I hope to be back to Boston next year. If you’re ever in town take some time to enjoy the scenery, photo tours are a great way to see the city. Click on the picture below to see more.

My husband hates the mess the leaves make in the fall while my love affair with it continues. I tell him I will rake up the mess as long as I can watch them pile up in the front yard for a little bit. I don’t know what it is but there’s something about the the leaves floating down as they fall from the trees that captures my heart.

The route I take to my daughter’s school is along a beautifully tree lined street. Every morning the city is out there cleaning up the leaves and every morning it looks exactly the same way it did before they began… too bad for them… great for me. Happy Thursday!