Category Archives: Flashbacks

Flashbacks, Friends, Fun

6 Months And Counting

In exactly 6 months from today I will be forty.

GULP!

Ten years ago I celebrated my 30th in Vegas. Man, 10 years ago!

A lot has happened in that time…lots and lots of major life changes:

Traveled lots for work, met Jay, bought a house, got 2 dogs, got engaged, got married, had a baby, moved to Nor Cal, sold a house, bought another house, had another baby, moved to LA county….

Looking forward to what the next 6 months bring before I hit the big 4-oh.

Lord only knows what goodness will come in the next 10. Excited to find out!

Here are a few shots from my 30th in Vegas:

{Me, Alisah, Noreen, my sister Becky & Shannon}

Funny thing…about 4 years after this pic was taken, Jay bought me the same cheetah cowboy hat while we were in Vegas at a company function. How I would love the zebra cutie now, too. I wonder if it’s still there at The Rainforest Café almost a decade later? Adore animal print ~ but in moderation!

Anyhoo, in 6 months I look forward to celebrating 10 more years in some capacity like I did in Vegas in ’00.

The countdown has begun…..

Flashbacks, Friends, Fun

10 Years Ago

Dublin, Ireland

In mid-March of 2000, I met 2 friends, Noreen & Shannon (my sister’s college roomies) over in Dublin for several days. They were doing a little European tour after their Master’s program and I decided it was a good excuse to see Ireland while they were there. They rented a room from some young guys for a couple months and utilized their work permit to make a little money to live off of.

They showed me a great time…pub crawls, beautiful parks, picnics in the small seaside town of Bray, wonderful food at “The Beast”, a train trip to Galway on Ireland’s gorgeous west coast, cozy bed & breakfasts, pints, pints and more pints. It was a fabulous trip. I met their friend, Michelle, who is pictured below in the Cookie Monster tee and who I am thrilled to have reconnected with on Facebook! Michelle was a superb hostess and I hope to be able to go back, visit and have our kids frolic together in the beautiful Irish countryside someday.

I am always renewed and have a different outlook on life after a big, international trip like this. It is just something about being in another country, partaking in their everyday life, sitting back evaluating your own life, returning feeling so rejuvenated and looking at it in a whole new way and then wanting to turn around and plan the next excursion! There is something so addictive about traveling.

Travels seem to be out the question these days, and I am totally OK with that, but in the meantime, I will relish in looking at old photos, relive these beautiful opportunities and dream of the big trips to come in our new life with our two new little travelers.

Where are your travels taking YOU this year?

{Here are a few pictures from my stay in Eire}

Hours after arriving on the Red Eye:

On The Ha’Penny Bridge over the River Liffey:

Ticket to the Hurling Match:

At the match clueless about the sport:

Having a pint (or two!) after the match:

The Ladies with a random Irish lad:

Family, Flashbacks, Fun

Cover To Cover

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This is Elliott’s baby book:

It was a gift from our friends Leah & Bryan.

It’s full of all sorts of information…her vital statistics at birth and over the past few years, our family tree, a list of all the wonderful gifts we received before and after her arrival, photos of her first bath, first holiday, first trip to Disneyland. The date of eruption of all her little teeth is recorded in here. Her “favorite” things when she was a baby. What she ate along the way and her sleep patterns. It highlights her first four birthdays and even holds the news worthy events that took place on the day of her birth. It is chock full of beautiful memories and I can’t tell you how many times I have read it since her birth and relived all these beautiful moments.

There are only 2 pages left ~ one waiting for the black pen to glide over it and document one LAST milestone as far as this little book is concerned, and one page waiting for a photo to be affixed to it with double-sided tape. I can see it now…Elliott in her new school clothes, carrying her new lunch box, with a BIG smile on her face. My baby is going to kindergarten!

“My First School Day”

This page will be filled out in only 5 short months and then this book will be complete. I can hardly believe that this little yellow book that once was stiff and empty, pages pristine and smooth is now a keepsake for Elliott, seams expanding from all the pictures and other little special documents like copies of her birthday invitations and a notebook page with the journal entry made by my 96-year old “Gam” the day Elliott was born.

This book is filled with beauty from the past 5 years.

I cannot wait to see what memories and milestones the next 5 years bring…..

Feathered Nest, Flashbacks

This Little House

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March ’03 was a big month for Jay and me…

We made an offer on our first house.

It was a darling mid-30s Craftsman in an old neighborhood of San Diego called Talmadge. This little, almost 1500 square foot house was full of character & charm and had LOTS of potential…Jay and I were both working full-time and all we had time to do was some interior painting and tile the entry way. We lived here for 2.5 years before Jay took a job in the Bay Area and we put it on the market.

This little house is still very special, though….it was our first place together, we got engaged in it, celebrated many holidays in it, and brought our first born daughter home here.

This little house enabled us to get into a brand new, upgraded home in the Bay Area.

This little house holds a lot of memories.

We figured we’d get more “lookers” (and more offers!) if we painted it a more neutral color on the outside. Whoever bought it must’ve not been afraid of a little color on the inside!

Our time on 46th Street was short lived, but the memories are fOrEvEr happy in this quirky little “turquoise” house!

Family, Flashbacks

Vital Statistics

3 years ago:

Today:

Thursday, February 25, 2010

25 pounds & 35 inches tall

(exact same weight, but 2 inches taller than 6 months ago)

I won’t go into the percentiles, but let’s just say that he’s still LIGHTWEIGHT and SHORT so he’s well proportioned!

Today he had his blood pressure taken for the first time…

80/42…normal

And here he is with his “friend”, Dr. Yen:

He was such a good patient ~ letting Dr. Y look for “buggies” in his ears and checking out his eyes and his mouth.

No shots.

Just a high five, a couple sugar-free lollipops, some animal crackers, a Spiderman AND a Buzz Lightyear sticker.

Next scheduled visit in 1 year…

We LOVE Dr. Yen, but he’s not a person we like to see a lot of.

Family, Flashbacks

Happy 3rd Birthday, Holden!

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They say kids grow up fast, and now I know this to be true!

Where does the time go?

My “baby” is 3 today…seems like he turned 2 yesterday and 1 last week! Sigh…

Holden was due on Monday, February 26, 2007. I guess he decided he wanted to be a Sunday baby like his big sister, Elliott, so there we were, driving the 30+ miles to Los Gatos from Gilroy on a Sunday morning @ 1:30 am. It was POURING down rain and I remember telling Jay to “take your time. I’ll be OK.” I told him not to talk to me so that I could breath through the contractions.

We arrived at Community Hospital and had to go through the Emergency Room since it was after hours. I sat there in a wheelchair while Jay parked the car…the woman could not find my chart. What? I pre-registered AND the doctor sent over my records from her office!!! NO, I was NOT going to fill out all the paperwork AGAIN while breathing through contractions every 3-4 minutes. Figure it out people…so, I begrudgingly signed my life away on all the forms and told her that Jay would fill them out!

I was wheeled to a room, changed into the standard issue hospital garb and requested an epidural STAT. The nurse explained that she’d have to page the anesthesiologist since there wasn’t one on staff at the moment. Huh? OK, whatever. Dr. Clark strolled in about 45 minutes later – in street clothes, hair a mess, NO badge, NO white coat, nothing! “Hello, I’m Dr. Clark and I’ll be doing your epidural.” Me thinking, “Um, OK….can I see a hospital issued badge? Your white coat? Anything that indicates you know anything about inserting a needle into my spine? Anything?” Well, I must’ve trusted him because he wheeled the cart in, oh the beautiful epidural cart, and went to work. Fortunately the nurse came in during the process and said, “Oh, Hi Dr Clark!” So then I knew I was really in good hands!

Dr. Clark worked his magic and I was a happy camper. My dear friend, Melanie picked up Gramma Kathy and Elliott and drove them up.

We were ready!

Things were going great until baby’s heart rate dropped…a nurse called for anyone and everyone to come into the room. She panicked. I panicked. Fortunately a nurse that was calm, cool and collected came in, and took my hand and said that everything would be OK.

Sure enough, I soon was ready to push. I was afraid of this stage because Elliott was “sunny side up” and I pushed for over an hour and a half. Well, this time baby #2 was coming full steam ahead and they told me NOT to push because we had to wait for the on-call doc! So, I just laid there with my oxygen mask on (something I didn’t have with Elliott). She finally walked in, with coffee cup in-hand, took one look and said, “Wow! We’re going to have a baby!” Two pushes and there HE was. I think she assumed I knew what I was having because she went about her business – suctioning and unwrapping the cord THREE TIMES from around his neck – Holden was a “triple cord” baby. That explained the sudden drop in heart rate. Finally she yelled, “It’s a BOY!” I remember crying out with joy…I was totally on the fence and still had NO feeling one way or another. I was ready for a little “Sloane” if she were a girl or “Holden” for a boy.

He was just perfect and resembled his big sister at birth – but again, he had his own precious little look. Less hair. A little cleft chin. Beautiful “pink” color. And gorgeous clear lungs. Those first cries are so special. I can never tire of those squeals. I now had a boy. A sweet son. This was one of the best days ever.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

8:46 am

7 pounds, 4 ounces and 20 inches in length

Holden Oliver Aspiras came into this world.

You were a mama’s boy from the start.

Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!

May you have many adventures, discoveries, giggles and good times on your way to FOUR.

You’ll ALWAYS be my BABY….I LOVE YOU!

Family, Flashbacks

No Brakes

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Jay shot this picture yesterday…

It’s symbolic to me in a couple of ways.

The red bike symbolizes Valentine’s Day.

Yesterday was gorgeous…we sat outside and enjoyed Chipotle for our V-day lunch. It made me long for warm (not HOT!) Summer afternoons…they will be here before we know it!

The words “No Brakes” are also ironic to me.

I look at Holden riding Elliott’s “big girl bike” and I feel like LIFE has NO BRAKES!

Wasn’t my baby boy just born last week? Now he’s riding a bike?

The countdown is on to his 3rd Birthday ~ 10 days from today.

I guess I’d better hang on because I don’t see things slowing down anytime soon!

May your week go by fast, but may you cherish all the special moments that come along with it.