Happy New Year!

Here is to 2009 being better than 2008... if that's possible!

2008 has brought so many wonderful memories.

January was the start of another amazing year full of so many things

March 14th was a day we will never forget, Krystina was officially adopted and a Smith

April 14th was her 4th birthday. We had so much fun celebrating with her and all her little friends

June 7th was Ryan and Susans wedding. Weddings are so much fun, even though I have other feelings about it a wedding is a great moment
Receiving the title of Mrs. Orange County International. I have worked so hard with this title and have used it to make a difference in the lives of others... at least I hope so.

July 24 & 25 came my 29th and my grandma's 79th birthdays. I love celebrating with her every year

August 11th I competed for the title of Mrs. California International. even though I only placed int he top 8 I will hold those memories close.

September 15th was our first Anniversary. We enjoyed a night at The Melting Pot for some fondue and Grant made me this beautiful poem for our wall
27th we celebrated Ryan's 30th birthday AND our first Angels game as a family. Krystina wasn't very into it but it was fun to do

October 11th Grant celebrated his 29th birthday

December 5th was our 2 year anniversary of Krystina. With it brought me so much joy and so many wonderful memories of that day. Picking her up with all of her belongings, going to lunch with Grant and her meeting my mom. I loved every moment of that day and will never forget it.

Here we are at the end of an amazing year. I can only hope that 2009 leaves such an amazing and lasting impression as the last 2 years have.

Christmas

Christmas was awesome! I love having my family around, it's been an amazing two years. Grant got a puppy, Kona, she is 1/2 black lab and 1/2 German Sheperd... not a small doggy. Krystina got a bike and mommy got a GPS... all in all it was awesome to get the gifts but amazing to spend time with the family.

Krystina has grown up so much over the time into a big girl. She got her first bike from Santa, took her about 20 minutes before she had the hang of it but now it's official she is growing up and I am not so sure if I like it. It's so funny to see her get bigger, watch her little jeans fill out and then become to small... her little shirts start becoming belly shirts. The little girl with the mullet is becoming my big girl. I don't know when it happened exactly or where I was or if I missed the moment when she was no longer a toddler... but I see her becoming a little girl in front of my eyes. Now, she will ALWAYS be my baby, but I know she will grow up too.

Christmas Eve was spent with Grant's family, such great people. We hung out, ate and opened some gifts. My Grandma was there too, helping in the kitchen and enjoying just being around everyone. It would have been her and my grandpa's 60th anniversary however he passed away 20 years ago. It was so heartbreaking to know that... I hope that Grant and I make it to 50 years, I can only pray for 60 although I don't know if I want to live to be 90. ha ha. Then Christmas was at home, my mother and father in law came over to open gifts and we went out to breakfast then home for some bike riding and shortly thereafter came NAPS! I was beat as was Grant and Krystina.

Wow... it's been awhile!

it's been a few weeks since my last post and that is mainly because there has been a bunch of stuff yet nothing going on at the same time. With the Christmas approaching I feel terrible saying I am not really in the Christmas spirit... usually I get all giddy and excited but it hasn't hit me yet. WEIRD! Hopefully I can get into it with the wrapping of presents and my crazy family in town next weekend.
Unfortunatly I was part of the 570 California people that Washington Mutual/JP Morgan Chase laid off on the 1st. Yep, my second layoff this year! SUCKS but at least it's a working layoff so we technically have jobs until January 29. Helps with the holidays a bit but does add some stress of finding a new job along with several thousand other people! It never fails when I find something stuff like this happens!
I have found a new love in life, I really am enjoying my charity work. Now I am not wealthy so I can't be a great philanthropist but I can donate my time. Right now my garage looks like a warehouse with the amount of stuff Ihave. Kids clothes, adults clothes, toys... Christmas gifts. It's crazy and wonderful. Maybe someday we will win the lottery and I can quit my job and just volunteer and sit on boards and enjoy that aspect of life BUT until then I will settle for my few hours a week. I did take on a new responsibility, I am the Orange County Director of the Queen for a Day program. This program goes into pediatric cancer wards in hospitals and have a dress up day with the kids. Beauty Queens come in and crown the girls and fireman/heroes come in and dress up the boys. It's a fun day for the kids to be kids and not be sick. I am looking forward to the new year and getting this program off of the ground. I am also collecting items for my Personal Place Project, giving pillowcases with items in them to kids entering domestic violence shelters. Something that is all theirs and allows them to keep something safe and comforting with them. YEP.. I am WAY too busy. I am also going to speaking to a group of pregnant homeless women about the positives of adoption. That should also be a lot of fun.
Life gets so complicated yet is amazing at the same time. There are days that I feel like the biggest failure and others that I am on top of the world. Sure, I have an amazing husband and daughter (that informed daddy that he was 'in her heart' last night while he was at work), a nice apartment in a great area... I have a job (ok, so this is only applicable for another 50 days but whatever) and a great extended family... but sometimes I feel like i don't deserve it all, like that shoe is going to drop and everything will come crumbling down. AHHH. I hate PMS!