The Duarte Family

Love. This. Kid.

2011-12-18T22:41:00.000-08:00

Clearly the most adorable kid on the planet (in the world according to me, of course). We are having so much fun!

Matteo's First Halloween!

2011-12-18T21:02:00.001-08:00

Halloween is my husbands favorite holiday of the year. I think he likes that our wedding anniversary is the following day because there is NO way he will ever forget it! This year was so much fun picking out something for Matteo to dress up as for his first ever Halloween. Per usual...Tigo and I had VERY different ideas about what his first costume should be. So we each decided to throw in the towel and Matteo got to dress up twice!!

Of course he also had to have his first pair of Halloween jammies. Could this kid be any cuter??

Mommy's costume choice:
Pretty sure he wanted nothing to do with this outfit. He cried, tensed up and barely could look at the camera for two seconds before totally freaking out.

Daddy's costume choice:
Need I say more? I guess I was overruled this time. :)

Weddings!

2011-12-18T19:21:00.001-08:00

The Duarte Family are seasoned pros when it comes to weddings. We have probably been to over 50 weddings together since we met 10 years ago! This year was no different (6 weddings between the two of us in 2011)! Here are some fun pics from our wedding adventures this year:

The last weekend of September Tigo and I were invited to not one but 2 weddings...in 2 states! Tigo was asked to be in his cousin Carlos' wedding in Flagstaff, AZ and one of my dear friends from Purdue was getting married in Chicago. I agonized for months over whether or not I should go to her wedding by myself, and traveling with a 4 month old totally freaked me out. My mom happened to be coming to Phoenix the same weekend of the weddings and offered to watch Matteo so that settled it. I headed to Chicago and Tigo headed up north for the weekend.

My first time away from Matteo...I was totally freaking out. But I am SO glad I went. It was the coolest, most beautiful wedding I have ever been to. Ayesha and her husband Neil made a gorgeous couple and it was an affair to remember. This was my first time attending a traditional Indian wedding. I will never forget it! And to spend the weekend with my college friends who I haven't seen since my wedding reception 2+ years ago made time away from my boys a little easier to handle.

Getting Henna done for the very first time at one of the wedding events!

Seriously..how awesome is this?!?

This is the very first friend I made at Purdue, Elizabeth. I got to stay with her and her hubby for the weekend and she borrowed these gorgeous sarees for us to wear to the wedding ceremony. LOVE!

Meanwhile...Tigo was hanging with the extended Duarte Family for wedding of his cousin Carlos and his new wife Brooke. His dancing partner for the evening...our niece Courtney!

Next up was another Duarte family wedding (I thought the Tice/Tate family was big...that was before I met the Duarte's). The wedding was for Tigo's little cousin Christopher and his wife Shelby and it marked my first time visiting Morenci, AZ which is where Tigo's family is from and both his parents and grandparents grew up.

Cousins! (Can you guess which one these people married into the family? Hint, hint...the blonde one!) :)
Matteo's First Wedding! I'm sure there are many more where this came from!
Three generations. One of my favorite pics ever!

Last but not least...my dear friend Shelly's wedding Thanksgiving weekend at the http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifamazing Royal Palms Resort in Phoenix. Gorgeous wedding and such a fun weekend!
Beautiful bride!
Love this guy so much!

Have baby, will travel.

2011-12-17T08:07:00.001-08:00

Whoever said having a baby was going to slow us down?!? I think my husband has been annoyed since the day he met me about my packing skills, or I should say my OVER packing skills. Little did he know my personal packing habits were no match for the amount of crap we have had to haul from coast to coast on our trips with this little guy.

We went to CA to visit my mom in San Diego and headed to Palm Springs for the third annual weekend of outlet shopping and fun! The last two years have been "girls weekends" with my mom, sis and friends. In fact it was on this trip last year that I first found out I was pregnant! This year we decided to invite the hubby's and kids and we had a great time! So great in fact that I barely took any pics!

Here is one pic of Matty in his new outfit from the Adidas outlet. This sparked the idea for his Halloween costume (more on that in a later post!) Can you tell how much he loves wearing this? :)

And of course his very first visit to Grandma's work! We put him in her chair and he was a total ham. Hmmm...future President on our hands??

Next trip on the list was a visit to New York City! I go on a trip with my mom, aunts, grandma and cousins every year for a fun girls weekend. NYC was chosen as 2011 location before I found out I was pregnant. Since my sister lives there and we have some very dear friends nearby Tigo and Matteo tagged along so we could introduce Matteo to some of our East Coast "family" (and of course all my family was looking forward to meeting him).
This is pretty much the best picture I could get of the three of us. Little guy is not so cooperative with pictures.

Hanging with Daddy in Time Square. Matteo LOVED looking at all the lights. So fun!

He loves his Nina!

What a trooper....we had him in cabs, subways, trains and he barely made a peep. He was such a good boy!

Matty's first trip to Yankee Stadium! Tigo has a friend that works at the stadium and gave us the grand tour. (I think Daddy was more excited than baby but it was a fun adventure to say the least)

Getting to sit in Grandpa Corallo's new sports car. I think he's hooked!

We had a blast on this trip! I was so excited for Matteo to meet all his extended family and our dear friends who made the drive up from Virginia to hang for the weekend. We can't wait for the next trip!!

4,5,6,7 months!!

2011-12-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

Wow I have been a blogging slacker!! This year has gone by so FAST! I can't believe our sweet little Matteo is already 7 months!! So much has changed in our lives but its hard to even remember what life was like before he was with us. Here are his monthly pics that I haven't posted over the last few months. Stay tuned for more posts about the latest and greatest happenings in our little family.

Cousin Time!

2011-09-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

Matteo got a special visit from his Auntie Joni and his cousins Jayana, Justine, Jordan and his Nino (Godfather) Devan! Now that he is starting to be more aware of what's going on around him he loves all the attention he gets when his cousins play with him! Our nephew Jordan and Matteo are the closest in age (just over a year apart) and we can't wait to see what kind of trouble these kiddos get into when they get a little older.

Tigo sent me some pics from the day since I had to work and here is what I missed...

LOVE those slobbery baby/toddler kisses. These two are so cute!

This was waiting for me on my fridge when I got home. A beautiful picture of yours truly drawn by niece Jayana (age 8). I'm thinking I must have been wearing my push up bra (or she doesn't remember that my pre-Matteo chest is not nearly as busty as it is right now.) Either way I was definitely had to smile when I saw that. And on the fridge it will stay!

Tigo is known for always giving his nieces and nephews treats (candy, ice cream, popsicles, etc) whenever they come over. So naturally Justine asks Tigo if she can have one of the "popsicles" in the freezer. Only thing is...I don't have any popsicles.....but I do have this:

LOL!!!! I could not stop laughing when Tigo told me. Once she realized what it was the poor girl couldn't get away from the fridge fast enough. Too funny!!

Overall, I would say fun was had by all. We love some good Cousin Time!!

First Time Swimming

2011-08-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated our niece Courtney's 15th birthday with a BBQ and pool party. Since we haven't had water in our pool all summer (more on that another time) we have never taken Matteo swimming. Tigo has been DYING to take this little guy in the pool and he finally got his chance. He loved it! He didn't cry at all and was totally in his element in the water. And of course Daddy loved it too! (Thanks Mom for the cute outfit from Australia!) Could these two be any cuter?? :)

3 Months Old...and other happenings.

2011-08-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

Ok ok...so Matteo will be 4 months old on Friday. BUT I never posted his 3 month pics so I thoughts I better do that before I get ready to take the new pics later this week. This last month or so has gone by way too fast! I am back to work (ok so I've been working the whole time I've been on maternity leave) but now I actually have help with the addition of our nanny who is at the house 3 days a week. She is AMAZING and it is such a relief to have someone take such good care of our little sweetie when we are not able to be here. Tigo and I are both crazy busy with work so between Matteo, work, house and trying to get in a word edgewise to each other there hasn't been much time for much else. Here are few pics...

Slacking....

2011-08-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Yes...it has been over a month since my last post. And my kiddo passed his 3 month mark almost three weeks ago. And I haven't posted any pictures of him with his 3 month onesie on. And I haven't sent out my birth announcement yet....yeah I am pretty much slacking on all fronts. Promise to get caught up this week!!

2 Months Old!

2011-07-11T21:21:00.001-07:00

Our little man is 2 months old already! How fast time flies!! Everyday this kid gets bigger and more alert and more aware of the world around him and it is SO much fun to watch. We are already in size 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers! Matteo is such a sweet little boy with tons of personality already. He is holding his head up so well and smiling and cooing all the time. He has discovered his hands and is constantly putting them in his mouth. He loves staring at his mobile and when we take him outside he instantly calms and just stares at everything with such amazement.

Here are the 2 month stats:

13 lbs 6 oz (80th percentile)
23.5 inches (67th percentile)

We love our little Matty so so much!!

BIG boy!! We started putting him in this chair a few nights ago and he loves it! We put him on the counter and talk to him when we are eating dinner or cleaning the kitchen and he really loves to be in the center of the "action."

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-05T21:58:00.001-07:00

From our little All-Star!

Strong Boy

2011-07-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Our baby is getting so big and strong!! He is holding himself up so well and will be on the move before we know it! Love this kid!

NKOTBSB!!

2011-07-05T21:46:00.001-07:00

Nothing says "30" like spending the evening watching the New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys together in concert! Let me tell you IT. WAS. AWESOME!!!! I felt like a teenager all over again. I loved watching them sing all the songs I grew up loving and all their signature dance moves. And the best part is...no more rat tails or mullets or crazy outfits. They looked HOT (who knew Donnie Wahlberg was so hot!) and the outfits were awesome, and they sang live and they danced their hearts out....again...AWESOME!! Such a great time! I only wish I had splurged for some better seats so I could see them up close and personal. Maybe next time.

Of course I brought my camera but seeing as how my child has completely sucked out every brain cell I currently have I left it right on my car dash. :( Boo! Here is one of their promo shots....

If they ever come back to town I will DEFINITELY be going again!!

30

2011-07-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

I turned 30 last week. Yay 30. I really didn't feel weird about the milestone the whole last year and then the day came and I was feeling a little ho hum about the whole thing. It probably didn't help that the day itself was kind of depressing. If anything could go wrong that day...it did. My baby was in a terrible mood and cried all day (my friend said maybe he is sad that I am turning 30...ha!), my phone was broken and I didn't realize until half way through the day so I was bummed thinking that no one call me...then I was annoyed that I had missed everyone's calls and texts because of my lame phone, I was trying to get a little work done and it just wasn't happening (see above), Tigo got me a present from Matteo...an "M" charm for my bracelet and when I opened the box it was an "N" instead (seriously!). It was overall just kind a blah kind of day. I was really starting to think that maybe this is a sign of things to come for the next decade of my life...then I realized all I really needed to have a much better attitude about the whole thing was a little nap and some caffeine! Life couldn't be better....I have an awesome husband who is my best friend and who has been such a help to me in taking care of our sweet little Matteo, our baby is happy and healthy and perfect in every way, we have awesome family and friends that we get to share our lives with, we both have great jobs that we enjoy and a house to come home to every night. Life really is sweet.

I'd say 30 is looking pretty good and I am excited to see what the next 10 years will bring!

Special Delivery

2011-06-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

Any guesses what this might be??

What about now?

Early Father's Day Present = One Very Happy Daddy.

Meet Santiago's second child...his new guitar!! Seriously could he be any cuter?? He's like a kid in a candy store. He has been teaching himself to play the guitar on an old acoustic since before I met him. The old guitar is very worn and doesn't have great sound and he has been DYING for a new one for probably 2+ years but we always had other things we needed to do with our money. But I think think his very first Father's Day is the perfect time for an extra special present for our favorite Daddy. He never buys anything for himself and he is so selfless in taking care of me and Matteo and he totally deserves it!

Escape Artist!

2011-06-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

This kid is too funny! He wants NOTHING to do with being confined in his tightly swaddled blanket. He falls asleep and we put him in his bed looking very content...or so we thought! He starts wrestling with the blanket making crazy grunting noises (all the while his eyes stay totally shut) until he gets at least one arm free! Then he lets out a big sigh and...ahhh fast asleep again. So funny!! We almost woke him up we were laughing so hard just watching him. I totally get the Queen song stuck in my head watching him squirm out of that blanket..

Can't you see this running through his head??

"I want to break free...."

"...I want to break free." :)

Literally flipping out 2 seconds before this picture was taken...finally freed both hands and he was out!
I love this kid!

Guess who is 1 month old!

2011-06-10T14:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe a month has flown by already!! We have had a wonderful, crazy, stressful, amazing, unforgettable month with our little guy. We knew our life was going to change with his arrival but I don't think we realized how much. He has been so much fun and we are really enjoying having him.

Here are his one month stats:

Weight: 11 Lbs 1 Oz (Up 3 Lbs 7 Oz) 73rd Percentile
Height: 22 1/4 inches (Up 1 3/4 inches) 68th Percentile

Who would have thought he would gain so much weight in a few short weeks! Clearly not me as I was still putting the poor kid in newborn diapers (which are only for up to 10 lbs)and I was wondering why I was changing his outfit every few hours because of peeing out the top of every diaper I put on him. Duh! So we are officially out of size newborn clothes and newborn diapers.

Other fun things from the last month...
- Went on our first trip to San Diego to visit Grandma(Car ride there..total nightmare. Car ride home...not bad at all)
- Lots of visits from friends and family (my sister got to come stay with us for 2 whole weeks which was AWESOME!)
- Holding his head up really well!
- Getting more and more alert every day
- Lots of smiles and starting to coo when people are talking to him
- Overall just being totally cute and adorable. :)

Here are some of my favorite pics from the last week or two:

Loves being in the water (just like his Daddy).

Hanging at Grandma's house.

We caught this "almost" smile on camera...are still trying to catch the real thing in photo form.

Our blue-eyed boy. Definitely think these eyes are going to turn brown before too long!

Tummy time!

Love my ducky bathrobe!

One month old!!

Newborn Pics

2011-05-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

We had some professional pics taken of Matteo when he was about 10 days old. They turned out soooo cute and I just had to share them.

I wanted to find something cute for him to wear to cover his diaper or a cute hat...turns out they don't really make much of that kind of stuff for boys and finding a hat in Phoenix in May is pretty hard!! So we decided we would take most the pics with him wearing just a diaper...or nothing at all! :) We made sure to get him nice and full before the shoot and we thought he had gone potty..but of course as soon as we got the diaper off him he started spraying. Luckily daddy was holding him and he just held him up and let him pee on the nearest tree. Of course Tigo was telling everyone that Matteo peed on his first tree. Ha!

Here is a link to the pics:

http://gretchenwakeman.zenfolio.com/matteo

Password: Duarte

Twins

2011-05-24T14:30:00.000-07:00

We are still waiting to get some baby pics of Tigo from his parents but based on these pics I think he is looking like my little mini-me. :)

3 weeks old!

2011-05-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Matteo is already 3 weeks old! Time has gone by so fast!! We are settled here at home and I have enjoyed having some much needed time off to spend with our little guy. My mom was here for a week after he was born, then Tigo took a week off to hang with us and now my sister is here for 2 weeks!! It has been so nice to have the extra help as we all get used to what our new life looks like.

Some highlights of our time so far...

Getting ready to go home!

My first bath.

Matteo's first casualty...(many more have followed in the few short weeks we've been home)

Loving swingtime in my MamaRoo!

Ramsey checking out his little brother.

Hanging with Dad before bed.

Caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I couldn't stop staring!! :)

Hanging with my Auntie Joni and meeting my cousins for the first time.

We are having a blast! Can't wait to see what this little guy does next! :)

Birth Story

2011-05-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

I've had a few people ask about Matteo's birth story so I thought I would share the story. I had gone to my 38 week appointment on Tuesday, April 26, and I was so disappointed when they told me there was no progress. I was SURE there would be something...but nope! The Dr. said she was almost positive she would see me the following week. The rest of the week I continued to work per normal and tried to stay as busy as possible for the sake of not going totally stir crazy waiting for this little guy to arrive!

I was still showing property up until Saturday the 30th and didn't have so much as one contraction. Sunday the 1st we went to the grocery store in the early evening and around 7pm while we were there I started to feel a little crampy. It wasn't painful but definitely made me stop what I was doing. About 30 minutes later I had a similar feeling. I asked Tigo to start keeping track of when I felt the cramps and as the night progressed they started getting closer together and much more painful.

By 1030pm I figured I better call the after hours line at my Dr.'s office and they told me if the contractions were 5-6 minutes apart for an hour then I should go to the hospital. By 1130pm I started getting a little uncomfortable and by 1am I thought it was time for us to go to the hospital.

We got checked in at the hospital and when they checked my progress they told me I was already dilated to 4. 2 hours later I was up to 5 and 1/2 and I decided it was time to get the epidural. Within minutes I was feeling NO pain and was totally comfortable and relaxed. I tried to get a little sleep and the next time they came and checked me I was over 7cm and my water had broken on its own. By 7am I was at 9cm and by 830am I was ready to start pushing. An hour later he was out and we finally got to meet our sweet little boy!!

I am SO grateful that my pregnancy ended in an overall easy labor and delivery and a healthy baby. The experience was pretty wonderful for both Santiago and I and we feel very blessed to have Matteo in our lives!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!! I am lucky to have some amazing mom's in my life that are great role models to me as I take on this new adventure of Mommyhood. I am especially grateful for my mom and everything she does for us and for all her help with the baby over the last week.

I had a wonderful first Mother's Day. Flowers from my dad and brothers and my sweet husband surprised my mom and I with very special charm bracelets from Pandora. My first charm is one that said MOM and my mom got a charm with Matteo's birthstone in it. My husband really is the best and I am so lucky to have him!!

We spent a pretty chill day at home with family. My mom made dinner and Matteo got to meet his Uncle Caleb and Alex. Later we got visits from more family and my mother in law who spent her Mother's Day cooking TONS of amazing food for us for the coming week. So thoughtful and very much appreciated. It was a perfect day!

Introducing...Matteo James Duarte

2011-05-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

He's here! Matteo James Duarte arrived ahead of schedule yesterday morning, May 2, at 9:39 am. He weighed 7 lbs and 10 oz and was 20.5 inches long. We are all doing great just a little tired (to be expected I guess).

More details and pics to come but here are a few from yesterday!

We are in love!

Maternity Pics

2011-04-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

We had some photos taken a few weeks ago at the Montelucia Resort. Beautiful resort, great weather and a really awesome photographer. I am SO happy with how the pics turned out.

Here is one Gretchen posted on facebook that we really like:

More pics here:

http://gretchenwakeman.zenfolio.com/emilymaternity

Password: Duarte

She is going to come take some pics of Matteo a few days after he is born. Can't wait!!

One project finished!

2011-04-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

We are slowly, but surely, putting this house back together and finishing up on all our little projects. One I had been working on the past month or two was getting a framed picture for above the fireplace. This fireplace is HUGE so finding something big enough that had the right colors was quite the task. I finally found something I liked online and they offered framing services but of course the picture I wanted with the extra matting was too big for them to ship!

So I ordered the print and when it came I took it to Michael's since they were having a 60% off custom framing special. I about died when the lady told me that to get the picture framed it would cost me over $600..INCLUDING the 60% off discount! You have got to be kidding me! I went to Hobby Lobby on a suggestion from my mother-in-law and I am SO glad I did because their custom framing was less than half of what Michaels' is and I think they did an awesome job!

So all it took was 2 months, one website, 2 frame stores, one awesome sister-in-law to pick up this 5' monster, a cement hammer and a very patient husband who put up with me critiquing his every placement of the nails but its DONE!

I promised my Mom and Grandma I'd put a pic up of the finished product so here it is!

Baby's First...

2011-04-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

Music! Is this seriously not the coolest thing ever??? I saw this at Buy Buy Baby and decided this had to be the first CD for Matteo. (I also got him Lullaby Renditions of No Doubt and The Beatles). I listened to them while folding piles of laundry and they are awesome! I hope the baby thinks it as cool as I do! :)

Feeling the love (continued)...

2011-04-07T08:15:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday four of my dearest friends put on a wonderful shower at one of my all time favorite lunch spots Arcadia Farms. Western was the theme so of course I wore my cowboy boots (although I will admit I could barely get them on my feet!). Loved getting to spend the afternoon catching up with friends and enjoying some yummy food! I definitely have the best friends EVER! Thanks so much to everyone who came out to celebrate Matteo's arrival with me and I can't wait to introduce him to all his special "Aunties". :)

I haven't gotten everyone else's pics from the day but here are some of my favorites:

Love these girls! I am lucky to have had these girls as friends for the better part of my life. Thanks so much for such a beautiful day!!

Matteo's future best bud, Pearse!

I love this! Flower arrangements in cowboy boots and western theme cookies. (The cactus cookie had sugar pieces that made it look like thorns). So cute!!

Feeling the love

2011-04-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

I just have to say how blessed we have been with the generosity and support of our friends and family over the course of this pregnancy. Of course we were excited when we found out we were having a baby, but its been such a joy for us that we have had so many people send us well wishes and gifts for the baby and genuinely share in our excitement over our pending arrival.

The last two weekends have been no exception and we have gotten to celebrate with family and friends at my baby showers. Two weekends ago we had a shower with family and a few friends at our home. My Grandma and Grandpa came to stay with us for the week and it was SO nice having them here and getting to spend some quality time with them. My mom and sister were able to come out as well and I definitely appreciated having all the extra hands to get this house out of the construction mode we have been in the last few months and "party ready."

I WISH I would have gotten some pics of the food. Take my word for it...it was GOOD!! Love that my talented sis-in-laws and mother-in-law know how to make some amazing food!! We had leftover tacos and beans and rice for almost a week. Yumm!

A few pics from the day....

Love this one! At one point during the day I looked over and saw my mom, sister and Grandma all leaned over the counter talking in the very same body position. Made me smile. I think we might be related. :)
Seriously how cute is this! Tigo leaves loose change ALL over the house...now we have a place to put it. :)
I love this picture! My niece Justine really wanted to help by bringing me all the presents and helping me open the ones that were large or heavy that I had trouble with. I think after about 5 she was regretting that decision (especially after the cake was starting to be passed around) but she helped me throughout the whole thing. (We made sure she got a big piece of cake when we were all done!)

I guess this means I am almost done?

2011-04-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

It's official! My fingers and toes have officially crossed over into "sausage" territory...looking more like pudgy little stumps than actual fingers and toes. My wedding ring no longer fits and my feet start hurting in most shoes after about an hour or two...even my flip flops are making indent marks on my feet. Hey I almost lasted to 35 weeks...not so bad I guess.

This is what you get....

2011-04-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

when you let the pregnant girl help paint but her husband will only let her use a very long roller and won't let her get on a ladder (even the first step)...

Clearly I wasn't a painter in my past life...

Precious Boy

2011-03-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

We had our 3D/4D ultrasound appointment on Friday. So fun! We got to see the babe moving around and making lots of funny faces. Kinda crazy how much you can see and how you can make out the features of his face. The ultrasound tech said the way the nose catches the sound waves always makes them look bigger and flatter than they end up being in real life but that the other features are usually really accurate.

Look like we got some chubby cheeks and big lips to look forward to in a few weeks. Here are some pics from the appt....

Baby Shower Fun!

2011-03-16T16:05:00.001-07:00

Last weekend my mom and I flew to Salt Lake for the weekend for a wonderful baby shower with family. It was so nice to have a weekend away and get to catch up with family that we don't get to see very often.

Thanks so much to everyone who was able to make it (and to those who were there in spirit). I am so very grateful to have such wonderful family and I can't wait until everyone gets to meet our little man!!

My camera ran out of batteries (of course) so I didn't get a ton of pics but here are a few from the shower:

Baby boys due only a few weeks apart!

This was officially my last trip before baby. The countdown has officially begun!!

Little Cowboy

2011-03-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

I have had a lot of people ask me recently about the baby's room and I realized that I haven't posted much about what we are planning to do as our "theme" for the nursery. Even before I found out we were having a boy I came across this toybox at one of my favorite stores Holland Boone and I immediately loved it!! I wanted to do a theme that wasn't too "babyish" or use the typical boy colors so once we knew for sure it was going to be a boy we decided Cowboys would be the perfect thing to do for his very first room.

He has no toys yet...but when he gets them he has this adorable little toybox to put them in. My favorite thing I have bought for him so far!!

One of the pictures I bought to put on the wall...

We are working hard on his room this week and new carpet and furniture is scheduled to go in next week!! More pics to come and I can't wait to put it all together!!

Newest Graduate!

2011-02-27T21:12:00.000-08:00

Now at least one person in our house is ready for baby to arrive. :)

Lots to do...

2011-02-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned we have been a little slow in the progress department in getting ready for this baby's arrival.

Case in point...this is where all his "stuff" is currently residing. Yes, piled up on his stroller in the back corner of our workout room (soon to be guest room).

And here is the future nursery..currently home to our guest room/laundry drying and folding area/luggage storage area/random junk catch all room.

We are starting to move furniture around this weekend to prep for ceiling scraping and painting extravaganza that is sure to follow. I hope to have new, exciting pics to share in a week or two.

Making Progress...Kinda.

2011-02-23T15:09:00.000-08:00

Finally some progress on getting ready for baby! Nevermind that his "room" is still looking like a tornado hit it and still has popcorn ceilings, carpet that desperately needs to be replaced and a closet full of mom and dad's clothes (more on that later). At the very least when this little boy arrives he will have a very beautiful crib to sleep in and a dresser/changing table so I can start to put away all the adorable little things we have started to receive from our wonderful family and friends.

I'm soooo excited to see the furniture when it gets here. Is it crazy this kid hasn't even been born yet and he already is going to have nicer furniture than we do?

Happy Birthday!

2011-02-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

Sunday was Santiago's 34th birthday!!

Even though he really hates celebrating his own birthday and likes to avoid the attention, I still try and squeeze in as much celebrating as he will let me get away with..maybe because his birthday always brings back good memories. My first visit home after I started at Purdue was to spend his birthday weekend with him...that was 9 years ago!! He is my best friend in the whole world and I can't imagine what life would be without him. He has been SOOOOO good to me during this pregnancy...making me whatever food I feel like eating, helping me around the house, scratching my back at least 10 times a day (my skin has never been itchier in my life!), and just overall being a huge support and great partner.

We both worked most the weekend so his awesome sisters made him dinner and cake Saturday night and his whole family came over to celebrate. A few pics from the weekend...

And what did my birthday boy really want for his birthday?? When we were in Hawaii we stopped by a little music shop. I look over and see his eyes light up like a kid in a candy store. We chatted up the store owner for about 5 minutes and he already has his sights set on a little Ukulele made out of mango wood. Needless to say I think he is in love. Happy Birthday!!!

Baby Morpher

2011-02-15T21:01:00.000-08:00

According to thebump.com when you take THIS:

PLUS THIS

you get THIS:

Bunny outfit and all! I can barely contain by laughter!! I don't know whose kid that is but I have a feeling that is not what mine is going to look like. Ha!

Babymoon Part 2...

2011-02-10T18:38:00.001-08:00

For the second half of our trip to Kauai we decided to spend a few days on our own at a hotel on the North Shore of Kauai. The North Shore is so beautiful, very quaint with few stores and restaurants but absolutely breathtaking views of the Kauai mountains, valleys and of course the ocean. Our hotel room opened to the Golf Course at Princeville and we could see the ocean from our patio. It was a perfect way to spend a few days of R & R before heading back to the hustle and bustle of our lives.

Yes...those are chickens. Almost 20 years ago there was a hurricane in Hawaii and all the chickens got loose from the farms. Now they run free ALL over the island and I have to say they are not the smartest bunch of birds. Most annoying thing of the week?? Hearing them crow at all hours of the day and night. A nice pair of ear plugs helped solve that problem and I was back to sleeping peacefully. :)

How cute is this little guy? Monk Seals are seen a lot on certain Kauai beaches. They apparently like to eat all night and then creep up on the beach and sleep all day. They have some locals who partition off the area where the decide to take their naps so no one bugs them and they just lie there flipping from side to side sleeping the day away.
Yes...this is what we look like after 8 days at the beach. Me? White as a sheet with of course a little red (even though I wore 70 SPF all week and stayed in the shade most of the time)....My husband? Beautifully tanned and olive skinned. Not fair at all! That is definitely one thing I am hoping our baby inherits from his dad's side!

Babymoon Part 1...

2011-02-10T18:13:00.001-08:00

My dear friend from college and her husband moved to Kauai 4 years ago for his job and we have been trying to make it out there ever since. With our wedding, then our reception and the home remodel we just never were able to make the trip. We were so excited to find some relatively cheap tickets and we decided we better do it before the baby comes or we may never make it out there.

I am SO glad we decided to go. It was such a fun, relaxing week. The weather was perfect and it was such a nice change of pace.

We spent the first half of the week staying with our friends at their home on the South Shore of Kauai. Lori, the ever gracious hostess, made sure we got to see all the sights....we went to the beach, saw the waterfalls, drove up the canyon to see the beautiful mountains of Kauai, and of course had some yummy food along the way. The slow pace of life there was exactly what we needed after how busy our lives have been the past few months.

Here are a few pics from the trip....

Beautiful Waimea Canyon.

View from the front porch. Not a bad way to wake up every morning.

Aloha from Kauai!

2011-02-02T23:58:00.000-08:00

Tigo and I are spending all week in Kauai, Hawaii for our "Babymoon." Beautiful weather, nothing to do but be lazy on the beach...what could be better. Perfect way to unwind before this little guy comes in a few short months.

Here's what we did today...

Typical....Tigo in the water...me on dry land (with my SPF 70 under the shade of a beautiful tree of course.) That's pretty much what I can see from my view these days...few more weeks and my toes are going to likely disappear completely. I will enjoy it while I can.

More pics to come later...

Meanwhile back at the ranch....apparently cold like we haven't seen in some time in AZ. So cold in fact someone decided our little furbabies needed some sweaters to keep warm (thank's Auntie Bonnie). Friends in the Midwest hit with the "Snowpocalypse" and my dogs in AZ are wearing sweaters...guess I should feel guilty its been a beautiful 75 all week...but I don't. :)

Adios! (And good riddance!!)

2011-01-25T10:19:00.000-08:00

Finally the day has come!! We are no longer the (not-so) proud owners of this lovely Honda Accord. This car has been the bain of my existence for at least the last year, probably longer. It's not that this car hasn't been a good car...it was...that is until I drove it to Vegas 5 years ago for the weekend and the day I brought it home it got broken into and all Tigo's stuff and stereo equipment was stolen. Since then it has been a total curse! Someone hit the bumper, the transmission has pooped out and the list goes on. I have been been bugging Tigo for MONTHS to get rid of this thing and for some reason he just couldn't let it go. So it sat...and sat...and sat in our driveway for far far too long. (Did I mention we already have two cars that are currently in working order so there was really NO need for this car whatsoever!)

I finally convinced Tigo to put the darn thing on Craiglist this weekend and he sold it within probably an hour. All I can say is I slept really well that night! :)

Adios "White Lightning" you will NOT be missed!!

Tackling the Beast...

2011-01-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

We finally got going on registering for baby stuff in the last week. We decided to register at Amazon.com (because the prices seem to be pretty good and shipping is free on most stuff) and also at BuyBuy Baby (mainly because its close to our house and we like that you can use Bed Bath and Beyond coupons at the store!). I will admit we have been putting off the registering process for some time, mainly because of our schedules but partly because the whole thing really intimidates me.

I mean seriously....17 different kinds of activity mats, 25 different cribs, an entire room of strollers and car seats??? I mean this place is the size of one and a half Costco's and is floor to ceiling with products I have never seen or heard of before...does a kid really need all that stuff?

We got about half way through the store and I looked at Tigo and said I was ready to go. I could tell he was ready to go too when he started scanning every blanket on the wall and we hadn't even looked at a monitor, baby bottles, breast pump, etc, etc, etc. So at this point we know our kid will be warm...but we may not have any way to feed him. Ha! Needless to say it was overwhelming....and I'm not a novice shopper. Take me to the mall and I can pick out an outfit for anyone but this baby stuff is harder than I thought it was going to be.

Luckily I recruited a good friend (and experienced mom of 2) to go back with me this week and help me pick out the stuff I am really going to need. I told Tigo he didn't have to go back with me because I had a friend to help and he said "God Bless Her". :) I agree....wish me luck!

Getting bigger...

2011-01-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

Can't believe I have passed the half way point and am inching closer the finish line every day! I haven't been very good about taking belly pics (mainly because before a week or two ago I was feeling more like a fatty than a pregnant person). This one was take about a week and a half ago and I think based on the large amount of comments I am now getting from strangers I must have popped out a lot since then). We didn't get very good pics that night, especially since the dogs were following me around the house and wanted to be in every shot so I'll post some more soon..

Boilermaker in Training??

2011-01-17T20:04:00.000-08:00

...or future Colonial swimmer like Daddy?? I see a rivalry in the making...

(Thanks Auntie Shel and Uncle Stu for the presents! Can't wait to put them on him!)

Wedding Season 2011....

2011-01-05T13:09:00.000-08:00

has officially started!! Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Alex Salas: January 1, 2011.

Betcha can't guess which one of these two is related to Santiago? :)

Our nephew Devan...he turns 16 a few weeks before our baby boy arrives! When I first met Tigo Devan was only 6...now he's a sophomore in high school and is nearly a foot taller than his mom! :)

Moya Family Cousins!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T21:51:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011! Here's hoping things slow down a little in 2011..although from the looks of it I'm thinking that is probably not likely.

This is how we rang in our new year...celebrating the upcoming marriage of our friends Shelly and Stuart. What an awesome way to bring in the new year...lots of fun and good times with great friends!

Happy New Year from Baby D!

Hope you all had a safe and healthy new year and are looking forward to all the promise of what 2011 will bring....I know we are!!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-29T19:44:00.000-08:00

I seriously can't believe Christmas is over! This year has really flown by so fast. We had such a great time for the holidays this year...hectic but a lot of fun!!

The holiday festivities started the weekend before Christmas with our annual Christmas dinner at Santiago's mom and step-dad's house. All the kids (Rose and Al's kids...they have 7 between them), spouses, grandkids and a few additional friends and family come over for dinner, drinks, presents and good family time. We always have such a good time...Al makes Clam Chowder every year (along with whatever yummy menu my mother-in-law comes up with) and we love watching the kids open their presents all at once. Total chaos and I love every minute of it.

Even Baby D got his first Christmas present...of course Grandpa Al couldn't let him be born without his very own Camouflage PJ's! Rose said he went straight to Bass Pro's Shop the day we found out we were having a boy and found him his Christmas present. I think Grandpa is excited to have another camping/hunting/fishing partner soon.

Present Time!

Our nephew Jordan...didn't care about the present, just wanted to eat the paper.

Baby's First Camo Gear!

The next day I went to an Annual Cookie Exchange Brunch my dear friend Jen throws. Good friends, yummy food and all the baked goods you could eat...what more could a pregnant lady ask for! Tons of fun and can't wait to do it again next year!

Yummy!

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent with family. We had Christmas Eve at our house with my mom and I cooking. My siblings and Tigo's sister Bonnie and her family came over for dinner. We spent Christmas morning with my siblings and Grandma at my Dad's house. My Grandma is one of the funniest people I know. She is getting pretty feisty as she gets older and I love it! She was shooting one liners all morning and I couldn't stop laughing. I think she might have had one too many sips of Kahlua in her coffee (or "Koala" as she called it all day)...it was so much fun to get to spend some time with her.

We spent the rest of the day with Tigo's family and got to see all his siblings and our nieces and nephews and hear about the treasures that Santa brought them. Can't think of a better way to spend our holiday. Completely exhausting but totally worth it!

Can't believe this is our last year as a twosome and next year we will get to celebrate the holidays with our little guy. Can't wait!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas full of family and joy. Sending lots of love from our home to yours!

Déjà vu....

2010-12-19T21:49:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it is VERY hard being a sports fan in Arizona...really, really want to love the Cardinals but this picture really captures the current sentiment...

Is this the SAME team that went to Superbowl only 2 years ago???

C'mon Kurt....retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be....is it??

It's a......??

2010-12-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

BOY!! We found out a few days ago that we are indeed expecting a baby boy! I was anxious for the appointment to finally know for sure but I have to admit, it wasn't a surprise to me at all....I have been feeling almost from Day 1 that it was going to be a boy. No basis to go on at all just my own gut instict. Whenever we have talked about baby names I never really thought too much about the girl names because I always knew it was going to be a boy. And I was right!! We couldn't have asked for a better ultrasound, all we were hoping for was for the baby to be healthy and be growing normally, which he is...so finally finding out the sex was just an added bonus.

We got to share the good news with our family and I think everyone on both sides couldn't be happier. My brother Alex's response is probably my favorite so far....I told him he was going to have a nephew and he texted me back..."Better be. Haha." If you know my brother you can totally hear him saying this and I laughed out loud when I read it. On Tigo's side there are already 14 grandkids (but only 5 are boys and our baby will only be the second with Duarte as his last name) so I think pretty much everyone in his family had secretly had their fingers crossed it was going to be a boy.

I think there are going to be a lot of people anxiously awaiting this little guys arrival come May. We are very lucky.

Nassau!

2010-12-01T19:27:00.000-08:00

After the last few years of having no less than 5-6 weddings a year...many we had to travel for...it was kind of a weird feeling to only have 1 on the calendar for 2010. And what a wedding it was! We got to spend the week in Nassau, Bahamas for the wedding of my dear friend and Alpha Phi sister from Purdue, Debbie, and her husband Scott. Debbie and Scott met in the Bahamas 5+ years ago working for a travel company so it was only fitting that the wedding be held in the spot where it all began.

What a blast! I will take any chance I can get to spend time with these girls (and I guess having the boys come along isn't half bad either) :). Living in a house with 80college girls can sometimes be a little overwhelming and a LOT annoying....I don't know what I would have done without these 5 girls. We are living in 6 different states now and our lives have taken us in many different directions but it always feels like home everytime we get together. I never laugh so hard as when we all sit around reliving our days at Alpha Phi. I can imagine we will be doing trips like this when we are 50 and beyond and loving every minute of it.

Daily trips to the Daquiri Shack were a must! Look at that fruit! I got a virgin Pina Colada with fresh pineapple and coconut. So yummy!!

Dinner at the Atlantis. Absolutely beautiful hotel! Fun night with good friends.

My fave Phi's...minus the bride of course. (Bull, me, Jannotta, Becky and Kinder...and we may still be calling each other by our last names into our old age.)

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Coleman! Beautiful wedding and so happy for these two.

Can you imagine a more perfect place to have a wedding? Beautiful pier overlooking the water, it was awesome!

PS...2010 has 3 weddings on the calendar so far and at least 5 babyshowers...all before May. Next year is going to be a busy one!

Baby on board!

2010-12-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

For those that haven't heard the news yet...we are expecting a baby in May 2011! Kind of a funny story how we found out...I had gone to my regular MD to have a checkup and he decided to do some bloodwork I was due for. I casually mentioned he might want to check to see if I was pregnant. He told me I could pee in a cup and he could know in 5 minutes but I had him check my blood instead because in my words to him "There really is no way that I'm pregnant." I should have known it was a sign when I happened to see that Dr. and his wife on our trip to Palm Springs that weekend...and sure enough he called me first thing Tuesday. I have to say we were both fairly shocked by the news but are extremely grateful for the surprise and are looking forward to the exciting changes in store for our family!

Our next appt is next Thurdsay, Dec 9 and we will hopefully be finding out what we are having. Can't wait!

We're Alive!

2010-11-30T18:51:00.000-08:00

Let's just state the obvious...I suck at blogging. This is a simple truth I'm sure is lost to no one who "reads" our little blog. I really do have the best intentions, but work gets busy and life gets busy and then I forget and before I know it it's been months since my last update. So to everyone who has patiently waited for us to finally update this thing..thanks for your patience and I'm sorry! I decided over the weekend when my mom pointed out...again...that I hadn't updated my blog since Thailand that I was going to make an effort to get everything updated and back up and running and if I can't do that by the end of the year I should probably just delete it!

That being said....here a little bit about what we have been up to the last few months...

Golden Birthday
This year was a birthday I was looking forward to for a very, very long time! It was my GOLDEN BIRTHDAY....turning 29 on June 29. I'm not sure why but I have almost been anticipating this birthday more than the big 3-0 next year. 29 just feels lucky to me and I have always felt like my 29th year would bring good things. Turns out I have been mostly right so far! And the best thing about starting year 29? My AWESOME present from my husband...a very, very special bag that I have been wanting and oogling for probably 4 years but always felt too guilty spending the money of myself. What a great surprise and something that will be very hard to top next year. :)

Half Way Done!
Tigo is officially half way done through his 4 year apprenticeship! When he told me was planning to go through this program I thought that 4 years seemed like a lifetime...now here we are half way through and see the light at the end of the tunnel! Only two more years of night classes and tests and I'm sure he is looking forward to it even more than I am!

Palm Springs: Part Duex
This Labor Day my mom, sister and I (and a couple of my girlfriends) headed to Palm Springs for our second annual Labor Day Weekend Getaway. As usual, a total blast! What can be bad about a weekend of outlet shopping (the most amazing outlets I have ever been to..and the sales were hard to beat!), spa, pool time, and of course plenty of eating. We stayed at the La Quinta Resort which is a bit outside of Palm Springs proper but so relaxing and a much needed weekend away. We already have plans for next years trip!
My mom, Sam, me and my dear friend Stephanie.

More updates tomorrow....

Thailand Day 6,7

2010-06-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

When we found out they offered a Thai cooking class every day at the hotel, we knew we HAD to check it out! Tuesday was the only day it was going to work for our schedule, luckily it was "Thai Dinner Favorites" and we were excited to learn. We met our instructor and she drove us about 15 minutes north into the next province Phang Na to a local food market. This place was loaded with fresh veggies, herbs and spices, buckets of red and green curry paste and loads of other ingredients. There was a section for meat...a lady chopping whole chickens and her station with the guts flying (pretty gross if you ask me, but interesting to watch), they had a pork area with the faces of pigs just hanging (apparently people eat those...definitely wasn't willing to be that adventurous with our eating.) They had a whole section for seafood, fish so fresh it was literally still flopping around. What an experience!

We headed back to the hotel for our cooking lesson. We started the lesson by placing some incense at the entrance to the building. Our teacher told us that signifies we are blessing the day and bringing good energy to the building.

It was just the 4 of us and a couple from Canada. We learned how to make Roasted Duck with Red Curry, Prawn Cakes, and Glass Noodle Salad. My husband can tell you I am a terrible cook and don't know my way around a kitchen very well. But I tell you this was so much fun! All our meals turned out really great and we got to take home a cookbook and apron and a small box of Thai spices. It was such a memorable day!

The next day we headed out on a jungle adventure! We signed up with a company who would take us about an hour north of our hotel into the Thai jungle on a fun filled day of ATV riding, white water rafting, zipline, Elephant trekking and swimming in a waterfall. So much fun! We had an awesome guide named "No" (although I'm sure the pronunciation was much more subtle...like "nho" or something) He spoke great English, told us the history of the region, about the elephant population in Thailand, he showed us how rubber was harvested from the rubber tree (I had no idea rubber came from trees) and how it is made into mats and dried in the sun...so interesting! They made us a yummy lunch of Thai favorites including a whole fish on a plate (you can see by Sam's face what she thought of it.) My absolute favorite activity of the day was getting to ride an elephant! You really get an idea of how grand and strong theses animals are, yet they are so sweet and love human attention. We got to feed them some bananas after we were done riding and they would put those bananas in their mouths and put their trunks right back out for another treat. I think I am officially elephant obsessed!

Thailand Day 4, 5

2010-06-09T23:29:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning we woke up and headed back to the airport for a short plane ride to the island of Phuket. As soon as we got to our hotel I knew we were going to be in for an amazing week at an absolutely beautiful part of the world. We stayed at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort. This place was amazing, leis and cocktails as soon as stepped out of the cab, our room was awesome, pool was beautiful. Perfect afternoon for some pool and relaxation time after a hectic couple of days. We pretty much realized right away with the tropical climate and major humidity, hair and makeup would be a waste of time...so it was pretty much wet ponytails and bare faces for the whole week.

Monday morning we decided to hire a driver a see the sites of Phuket. I must admit...I did not do my research about Phuket prior to coming here. I had seen coverage of the damage the Tsunami had caused years before but I was expecting something along the lines of Rocky Point...small, a little run down, cheap shopping, where you could walk everywhere. Boy was I wrong! It is actually a really large place with a few different city centers and tons to do, very modern and expansive and virtually impossible to navigate by foot. Thank GOD for our driver. For 400 Baht (about $12) an hour he would take us wherever we needed to go, wait for us and take us back to the hotel whenever we were ready. He was AMAZING! Spoke great English, knew everything about Phuket, had great suggestions about where to go. We pretty much fell in love with him within about 30 minutes.

Our first stop in Phuket was to the Chalong Temple, the largest Temple in Phuket. This place was amazing. The pictures do not do it justice. The detail, the colors, the intricate Buddhas. Such a joy to see.

Our next stop was to the Chalong Buddha. It is a giant white marble Buddha that sits high on the hill and can be seen from most of southern Phuket. It was really great to see up close. There were monks at the base of the Buddha leading prayer, you could pretty much see a panoramic view of Phuket from up on the hill. The small islands, marina, all the development, I was in awe of how amazing this island is. I would have never imagined I would have been as impressed as I was and my only thought was I wish we had planned a longer trip to go check out more of the city.

On our way back down the mountain we stopped at a restaurant overlooking the ocean (of course wonderfully suggested by our driver.) You would drive by this place and expect it to be terrible. The food was amazing, fresh so flavorful and cost us about $20 US for 4 meals and 4 giant beers. Can't beat that!

Of course Sam and I had to stop when we saw we could feed a baby elephant for only 100 Baht ($3 bucks).

We then drove to Patong Beach (another part of Phuket Island, the area that was particularly hit hard by the tsunami). This place was like downtown Cancun....tons of hotels and restaurants, bars on every corner, tons of people, shopping, etc. Very lively and full of activity. So where do we decide to go?? The super huge MALL of course! I'm so glad we did because although the shops were pretty forgettable we found something that was abosolutely amazing....salons with rows of beds where you could lay and get an hour long facial for...get this...300 Baht ($12 US)!! We were so excited about our find! A facial in the US can easily cost $100+ so we HAD to check this out. We even got Tigo to try it (which I'm sure he would have never done with just me egging him on.) And afterwards ever he agreed it was WELL worth the money!

Next we headed to the Phuket Simon Cabaret. When Sam and I were trying to plan our activities for the week this show kept coming up on the list of MUST SEE things in Phuket. The catch is...the men are men and lady's are...well...men. Or "ladyboys" as they are referred to...our driver called them "two for one." I will say though, they were some of the most beautiful "women" I had ever seen. The show was a lipsynching to DreamGirls and asian artists, and disco songs and even a hilarious rendition of "Barbie Girl." All in all it was one of the highlights of the entire trip, absolutely LOVED IT!!

Thailand Day 3

2010-06-04T00:17:00.000-07:00

Our first full day in Thailand was spent in the capital of Bangkok. We had a taxi pick us up from our hotel to take us to our hotel in downtown Bangkok. Since we only had one day in Bangkok there were some definite musts we needed to accomplish: Seeing the Grand Palace, going to a tailor, and of course the Chatuchak weekend market, one of the largest outdoor markets in the world.

We arrived to the Grand Palace and as we tried to go in an official looking guard pointed down the street and told us to go in another entrance. Upon arrival to the other entrance we were told that the temple was closed to the public until 1pm and only Buddhist's were allowed in at this time. He pointed to a Tuk Tuk (a mix between a motorcycle and a carriage) and said they would take us to the Big Buddha nearby and back for only 20Bath (about 70 cents). We were a little disappointed (and later discovered we were also a bit naive) but were excited to get such a good deal on transportation so we hopped on the Tuk Tuk to head to see the Buddha.

The temple and Buddha were absolutely stunning. The detail, the decoration, and the energy there were overwhelming and so beautiful. The temple was spotless, no shoes allowed and kept in pristine condition. There were people kneeling in prayer, putting offerings of flowers and incense at the foot of the Buddha..I almost felt guilty for being there, like I should give them privacy in such an intimate moment between them and their God. It was really remarkable to see, something I will never forget.

After the Buddha, our Tuk Tuk drivers told us they were taking us to some shops. We first thought they were being hospitable...but we later realized they were getting free gas and commissions on everything we bought at these shops. I guess everyone has to make their money how they can right? After a stop at a jewelry store we stopped at a tailor shop. Bangkok is famous for their tailors who make made to fit clothing in a matter of hours at great prices. What a blast! I had really wanted to get Tigo a new suit and we found an awesome gray cashmere fabric and he got a custom suit, 3 shirts and a tie for about half of what a suit alone would have cost!

Next hit up the Chatuchak Market that we had been told was a MUST SEE. Acres of stalls with everything you could want from knock off handbags, Thai fashions, music, food, drinks and treats galore. It could probably take you weeks to actually see every stall in that market...at that point the time change, and hot, humid weather was really starting to catch up with us so we decided to head back to the hotel.

A quick catnap and fitting back at the tailor (4 hours later and the clothes were nearly complete, I have never seen anything like it!) we headed to Siam Niramit Cultural Show. It was a really beautiful production with great costumes and music...its just a shame that with the tourism in Bangkok struggling so terribly from the political situation the theater couldn't have been more than 25% full. It seemed like there were more people in the show than actually watching it. We did get to take our picture with an elephant after the show which Sam and I were extremely excited about as you can see from the look on Sam's face!

Thailand Day 1, 2

2010-06-03T23:51:00.001-07:00

We left on our trek for Thailand VERY VERY early on Thursday morning. I didn't sleep the night before because I was so afraid we were going to miss our flight. We went from Phoenix to San Francisco, met up with my mom and headed out to Bangkok via a short stop in Tokyo. If the city of Tokyo is even half as cool as their airport, I was to go check it out! This airport was sooooo clean, had places you could go shower or get a massage, and the United Red Carpet Lounge was just icing on the cake. Free food and drinks including ice cold beer that comes out of this machine and has a separate spout to top of your glass with foam, amazing! I couldn't figure out how to upload Tigo's video of it so I searched online and apparently we weren't the only ones who were secretly wishing we could take it home with us. It was exactly what we needed to get us ready for the remaining hours of the trip.

We arrived in Bangkok at nearly midnight, a full day and a half ahead of when we left. Once we got to our hotel I tried to ask the front desk about the internet. This was first realization that the language barrier could prove very difficult for us on this trip. See the Thai alphabet looks something like this....

It was very intimidating to me because I coudln't dream of even reading any of those letters, nevertheless knowing what they mean. I have traveled a lot through Europe and I know the perception of Americans is loud, obnoxious, expecting everyone to speak English and not attempting to learn or be respectful of other cultures language so I was really trying hard not to exemplify that perception and keep my cool but my first attempt of communicating was extremely frustrating.

The convo went something like this:

Me: "I need to borrow a cable for the internet"

Her: "Ok...need deposit, for 100Baht."

Me: "No problem, can you charge it to the room."

Her: "Yes."

Me: "Ok, thanks can I have the cable."

Her: "Yes, have deposit for 100Baht?"

Me: "Oh, so you can't charge to the room?"

Her: "Yes."

After going back and forth a few times I went up to my room to get my 100Baht and come back down to the front desk.

Her: "No, I need deposit for 100Baht."

Me: "I don't understand, this is 100Baht, isn't this what you said?"

As she reaches for another deposit, I see her point to a 500Baht note. Apparently she had been said 500 Baht, not for 100Baht all along and she was looking at me like I was the crazy one. 3 trips to the room and 15 minutes and I finally had my internet cable. Sheesh!

"Maybe you should try a bank..."

2010-05-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

As we landed in to LAX airport on our way back from Thailand Tigo was looking for his driver's license and found about 2500 Thai Baht (about $70) hiding in his wallet. You can imagine how annoying that was for me....we had given ourselves a strict budget for the trip with all the money we have been spending on our house these past few months...and of course in true Emily fashion I had spent my money days before our trip ended on a few things I just HAD to have. On our last day there I found some things at this giant Bazaar we found that I would have loved to bring home with me but kept my promise of not using my credit card or debit card to buy things on the trip. As my mind thought about those cashmere shawls or Thai silk bedspread I REALLY REALLY wanted but decided to leave behind I'm sure I probably rolled my eyes a time...or two...at my husband and then agreed to take the money to our bank to get changed over.

I went to our bank, the only bank we use, Arizona Federal Credit Union, to change the money over and deposit into our account. When I put the money on the counter the teller gave me an attitude filled look and promptly informed me "We don't change money here."

Me: "What do you mean you don't change money? Oh, here at the counter? Ok, well who do I talk to?"

Teller: " No...we don't change money here..period."

Me: "Ummmmm.....ooookkkkk. Well, where could I go to exchange this money?"

Teller: "Maybe you should try a bank!"

Me: "Aren't you a bank?"

Teller: "No....WE are a credit union!"

Well, ok then.....that explains that. Apparently banks are banks...and credit unions are pretend banks who will take your money and charge you fees but when you need them to perform a banking service, they send you somewhere else. How annoying!! I think its time we start looking for a new BANK!...

Home, Sweet Home

2010-05-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

We made it!! A cancelled flight, 2 airlines, 3 countries and about 31 hours of travel and we are back home in Arizona. We had an amazing trip, don't have enough words to describe our wonderful time in Thailand, but glad to be sleeping in my very own bed snuggling with "the kids." :) Pics and details to come!!

Few hours and counting....

2010-05-13T01:58:00.000-07:00

In just a few short hours (if short means 3 flights, 2 layoveres, 24+ hours and 2 continents later) I will be here.....

So excited! Can't wait to tell everyone about our adventures!

Sneak Peek

2010-05-05T22:09:00.000-07:00

Our cabinets made it to our house...unfortunately, we weren't ready to install them yet. We did take some of them out of their boxes and stage them in a kitchen to get an idea of how they are going to look.

Here's a little sneak peek...hopefully they are going in this weekend!!

The best thing about your house is.....?

2010-04-29T12:57:00.001-07:00

Well, according to my 5 year old cousin Sarah it would be...my dogs. We were so happy to have a short but sweet visit with my Aunt and 3 cousins all the way from Baltimore a few weeks ago. Sarah having no shortage of spunk tells me "I really like your dogs, but your house is kind of a mess." Love the complete honesty that only can come from the mouth of a child. But the way my house looks right now I would have to say I completely agree.

As most of you know we have been planning a major remodel on our home since we bought it in 2007. ..and although I am starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, I have to admit I am completely over it. The dust, the bugs, no kitchen, dirt everywhere...this prissy girl is having a very hard time with the whole thing.

Here are a few pics of what we have been up to. I am hoping to report back with much progress sooner than later!

Fireplace and Dining Room Before.

Fireplace After...thanks to the help of our 15 year old nephew Devan. Who knew all it would cost was a new pair of Air Jordans and some basketball gear and he would come help us during his spring break! :) What a great help he was though!

Kitchen Before....

And a side view of kitchen before...

Kitchen after ceiling was raised, cabinets and flooring removed.
Master bathroom before.

During Demo...

After.

Suggestions?

2010-03-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well...the time has come. Our camera is very very close to meeting its proverbial end and I need suggestions on what we should get next. We have really loved our Cannon the past few years...very easy to use, takes great pictures, and small enough to take anywhere. Unfortunately we are very rough on our cameras and apparently it has been dropped one too many times because when I was trying to use it a few weeks ago I noticed what looked like smoke coming from the flash and a very strange smell...almost like a burnt match or something (yes, I know...very weird!). I am afraid with continued use our camera might burst into flames at any minute so we are left with...what to buy next? Anyone have a great digital camera suggestion for us?

You know its cold in our house....

2010-03-12T22:52:00.001-08:00

when you find your dog burrowing under her bed in order to keep warm. If she only knew how much I can relate as I sit here on the couch in layers of clothes including a robe to try and stay warm. I blame my "frugal" husband...he doesn't believe in using the heat on a regular basis so we can "save money" (and I use the term "heat" sparingly..we never put the heat above 63, but apparently that is toooo warm and too costly!)...so me and the dogs are left to our own devices to stay warm.

He's Here!

2010-03-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

Time has flown by! Can't believe it has already been 8 months since I first heard we were expecting another neice or nephew. But I am happy to say the newest addition to the Duarte family has arrived! Jordan Angelo Villalobos, healthy baby boy born, born March 4! Baby and Mama Joni are doing great and we are so excited to have him here. More pictures to come...

Bad Hair...

2010-02-25T09:32:00.001-08:00

Um.....Did I miss something?? Is there a new modern mullet making its way in to the mainstream and someone forgot to tell me? I consider myself to be a pretty big pop culture buff but I cannot for the life of me understand what the heck is going on with these guys hair!!

First there was the "sour grapeski" Russian figure skater who has been crying about not getting the gold medal ever since he lost to USA skater Evan Lysacek last week. Hey buddy....I think all that hair on your head is really weighing you down and speaks volumes about your judgment. Maybe you should have worn this costume in his Olympic "comeback" and that might have pushed the judges over the edge and given you the win.....what do you think?

Love this piece Rachel Maddow did on him...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Gotta love Putin's smooth moves in that video. Can you imagine what kind of press Obama would get if he had a photo-op riding shirtless on a horse!! That is one thing I don't need to see....our country's leader swimming butterfly in the river while being filmed. Weird!

I thought maybe the weird Davy Jones/mullet hair was a phenomenom of Eastern European men until I saw the very same thing on American Idol last night!! Oh no you didn't Alex Lambert! This picture does not even do justice to the rediculousness that was his hair on AI last night...and his singing was even worse!

This is one trend I will NOT be getting behind....here's hoping this will not be the trend going forward!!

Happy Birthday!

2010-02-14T23:09:00.000-08:00

Saturday was Santiago's 33rd birthday! Since we are both working crazy hours right now including many weekends I was instructed not to "plan anything." Even our dinner plans with friends got derailed when Tigo got off work 2 hours later than expected. I think I was more annoyed than he was! :) Another time I suppose....

Since I don't have any pics from his actual birthday I thought I'd post one I really love from the last few weeks. My two fave guys relaxing after a hard days work. :) Happy Birthday Babe!

Babies and More Babies!!

2010-02-14T22:33:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I helped throw a baby shower in honor of my sister in law Joni in anticipation of the arrival of our new nephew, Jordan! The Duarte family does not disappoint in the party department....always plenty of food (yummy homemade Mexican food of course), plenty of drinks (for those of us who are not with child) :) and you can always be sure there will be lots of family coming to show support.

I think everyone is especially excited for this new baby since there hasn't been a new baby boy in the Duarte family in almost 10 years and the boys are WAY outnumbered by the girls 6-2! Secretly (or I guess not so secretly now) I was especially excited to hear about Joni having a boy because I was starting to feel the pressure to "carry on the Duarte name" or something like that....maybe that's becaue my father in law sat me down about a year ago when we found out Tigo's brother was having another girl and he said to me "Emily....your my last chance." He was half kidding but talk about pressure! And kids weren't and aren't on our radar at this point so I was feeling a bit anxiety ridden! Luckily, the pressure is off, at least for now and we are excited to welcome little Jordan into the family in a few short weeks!

After the shower I flew to CA for two days to help my mom with a few things for her (hopefully) new house and I got to meet her two new "babies" Frida and Diego! (Yes I know, shocking choices coming from my mom right?) They are super adorable and cuddly and very sweet little guys and I forgot how much I love how puppy snuggles. I think my mom is going to have her hands full with these little guys but they sure are cute!

Do you know what trouble looks like?

2010-01-31T10:59:00.000-08:00

Well here it is.....

Adorable? Yes! Trouble? Absolutely...a double dose of it! I can't imagine our lives without these little monsters...but yesterday they nearly caused me a heart attack! As most of you know we are in the beginning stages of getting our house ready for a major remodel (more posts to come on that later). We have moved out of our master bedroom and office to get ready for demo so needless to say things in our house are in a bit of disarray. Tigo and I were knee deep in cleaning up our cluttered house and the dogs were just getting in the way so we put them outside to play. We didn't have any collars on them because we were getting ready to give them a much needed bath after we were done cleaning.

At some point after that I get a call on my cell from an unfamiliar number..."Hi, Emily...this is so and so from the Animal Hospital....we are calling about your two missing boxers." Me: "What do you mean my two missing boxers....my dogs are in the backyard!" Strange voice on phone..."Well...we have a boy and a girl here and we just scanned their microchip and your name came up."

Sure enough I look in the backyard and my dogs are no where to be found and the side gate wide open (thanks a lot Terminix guy who had come the day before and apparently didn't latch my gate properly). I didn't even know they were gone or how long they had been missing!Thank GOD a neighbor found them on our street and having boxers herself wasn't afraid to pile them into her car and take them to the animal hospital. A few minutes later they pulled up to our house and Rams and Izzy got out of the car and looked at me as if they had just gotten caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

I am very thankful they are home safe and could drive myself a little nuts thinking about all the terrible things that could have happened to them.... I'm almost glad I didn't know they were gone until I someone called telling me they were ok! I am so grateful to have such wonderful neighbors who would take time out of their Saturday to make sure that our little lost pups found their way home. Hopefully this is the last time I will ever have an adventure like this to report....but knowing these dogs...they will find a way to get into some trouble again very soon! :)

Rain, rain go AWAY!

2010-01-22T17:26:00.000-08:00

It's day 5 of soggy, rainy, stormy, gloomy weather....and frankly I'm over it. Our backyard is soaked....our dogs have peed in the house twice this week because even they don't want to get soggy wet (after not having an accident in almost a year)...we lost a cactus in the front yard and our pool is about to overflow from the excess water. They are having the Barrett Jackson and other luxury car auctions in Scottsdale this week...well last night the tent protecting the cars blew over damaging about 300 cars and landing in the middle of a busy highway. I think we Arizonans prefer our sweltering heat to this and all I can say is...sun...pretty pretty please can we have some sun!!!

2009 Recap Part 2...and my New Years with Joel McHale!

2010-01-15T21:34:00.000-08:00

As for the last few weeks of the year...for Thanksgiving this year Tigo and I went to San Diego to visit my mom. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at the Hotel Del Coronado which was absolutely beautiful and lovely and a great experience.

I also finally got to see This Is It...which being the MJ fan that I am I absolutely loved it! Can't wait until it comes out on DVD so I can watch it again! Our friends from Phoenix were also in San Diego visiting family so we met up for dinner in Coronado on Friday and back to the Hotel Del for some ice skating by the sea...(well other people skated...I just watched). Our friends 3 year old, Ethan, decided he wanted to try his hand at ice skating and of course the logical choice to assist him in this new adventure....Uncle Tigo! Ethan had the time of his life! And my sweet husband was such a great sport about it.

Christmas was pretty low key this year...just the way I like it! We spent Christmas Eve with my mom and siblings then headed over to Tigo's mom's annual party. Christmas morning we got up early and headed to Tigo's younger sisters house to watch her kids open presents as we have done the last 4 or 5 years. Of course they are always excited to see us when we get there...why you ask? Well Tigo is in charge of bringing the candy! Every year he goes to the store and buys as much candy and gum as he can fit in his hands. The kids of course love it...their parents usually manage to hide the stash midday and keep it hidden for a rainy day. :)

For New Years this year we decided to do something I have never done before...go see a comedy show! I was so excited when I found out Joel McHale was coming to Phoenix for New Years! Tigo and I LOVE The Soup and we think he is just hilarious so we counting down the days until we saw him in person. We went to dinner with some dear friends and off to the Dodge Theater for the show. It was AWESOME! He was so hilarious and right on point, so glad we went!!

Me and Steph before the show...this is what $10 wine and $12 beer look like. Rediculous!

After the show we went to my in-laws to ring in the New Year with family and it was really the perfect end to a year that has had many ups and downs. I most definitely am looking forward to what 2010 has in store for our family and yours. Love and Happy New Year! Emily and Santiago

The Year that Was...

2010-01-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

Can someone please tell me where 2009 went! I feel like I closed my eyes and an entire year passed me by! What a fun, beautiful, crazy, stressful, annoying, joyful, wonderful, event filled year! I decided since I haven't been very good about keeping up my blog in 2009 I would recap some of our highlights from the year as we look forward to what 2010 will bring!

I DO (Part 2)...
The highlight of our year had to be our wedding reception this summer. Loved everything about it! Spending the weekend with our friends and family, good food, good wine (too much wine for me!), great music and amazing memories to last a lifetime. My absolute favorite part....the photo booth! I loved how everyone got into it and the memory book is ever better than our professional photos from the day! Overall an amazing weekend!

Here and there...
For the last 5 years, the majority of our "vacations" have been spent travelling to other states to attend friends and family weddings. I have no complaints about this...I LOVE weddings and I LOVE celebrating with the people I love on their special day...but 10 out state trips to weddings not to mention bachelorette parties, showers, etc...has sort of put damper on any vacations we had planned for the two of us. But this past year we were able to go to some fun places and visit friends just for fun.

In July My mom, Tigo, Sam and I went to New York to find Sam an apartment! It was such a fun trip! We went to two Broadway Shows, went shopping, visited Tigo's best friends parents in Long Island for some yummy home cooked Italian food, and of course the trip wouldn't have been complete (for Tigo) without a trip to the new Mest stadium for a game! We had a blast! We will definitely be planning future trips to visit Sam very soon!

From NY we decided since we were already on the East Coast we would take a trip down to visit our friends Becky and Joe and their kids in Fairfax, VA. We took the train down instead of flying, which I must admit was a very affordable and comfortable way to go and I would deifnitely do it again! We also got to meet up with a childhood friend of mine, Jess, and her husband Jeff who live in adorable Old Town Alexandria. It was so much fun being able to catch up with friends and just relax!

After our adventures on the East Coast we headed to Utah for a Tate Family Reunion! We haven't had a reunion with the whole family in 3 years and it was a lot of fun to see everyone. And how the family has grown in just 3 short years! At this rate, in a few years we probably won't be able to find a place big enough to house all of us!:) The ranch we stayed at was so beautiful and peaceful and we really had a great time. Definitely looking forward to the next reunion! Or girls weekend 2010 anyone??
Last trip of the summer took me to Chicago to spend some time with my college girlfriends. Living in a house with 80 girs in college can make a person a little nutty sometimes...lucky for me I had these group of girls to make my college experience unforgettable. I really couldn't ask for friends better than these. Our lives have taken us to different parts of the country but when we get togehter it still feels like the good old days at Alpha Phi without a care in the world. I am so happy to see them any chance I get and I feel so sad for at least a week after I leave them. They will be in my life forever and I am so lucky to have them. This trip was in celebration of Kim graduating from law school! 2010 brings the first baby and a wedding in the Bahamas in November. Can't wait!

Party like its 1999....
Because it was...10 YEARS AGO when I graduated from high school!! It doesn't seem possible that 10 years have passed...but alas they have. I wasn't sure I wanted to go to my reunion...I wasn't a huge fan of high school and frankly most the people I went to high school with are still hanging around town and I run into them frequently. But since the reunions don't come around too often I decided to suck it up and go check it out. Obviously I made my husband come with me (because I can't think of something he would more like to do on a Friday night than hang out with friends I haven't seen in 10 years) but he was a great sport and we ended up having a really great time! So glad I ended up going, even if it means I am fast approaching the big 3-0 yikes!

Happy Anniversary...to Us!

2009-11-05T22:24:00.000-08:00

Santiago and I celebrated our one year anniversary this past Sunday! We decided in honor of the day we would do something that we don't often get to do...a whole bunch of nothin'. And I loved it! We went to brunch and hung out at home watching the Cardinals (well I watched half and napped for half!) No phone calls or emails and no housework...just overall relaxing day.

I can hardly believe how fast this year has flown by and it still feels like it was yesterday that we were down in Mexico with our family and friends celebrating such a wonderful start to a new life together.

This year has been wonderful, challenging, scary at times, amazing at other times and overall a really wonderful experience in which I think we have both grown so much and learned so much about each other.

I am so looking forward to what this next year will bring!

Overwhelmed....

2009-11-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

This is pretty much the best word to describe how I have been feeling for most of 2009....I have had an extremely stressful year. In 4+ years in real estate I have never worked so many hours to have so many deals fall apart at the last minute. It is so defeating to miss out on family functions and time with my husband and having a life on the weekends because I have to work, yet in 2009 I don't have too much to show for it. I spent the first 6 months of this year working with my lender to modify the interest rate on my home (which after many months of frustration and tears thankfully I was able to do it) and the last 4 months trying to sell our rental property...which up to this point has not been very successful.

I have not 2 or more real days "off" in a row in almost a year. Although I have been on a lot of trips this year...I have worked while on every one of them (as those of you on the family reunion who saw me desperately trying to get service on my cell phone by sticking my head out the upstairs window can attest):)

On top of that my house is falling apart...literally falling apart. I have mold under my kitchen sink, a termite mud tube on the INTERIOR wall of my house, a leak behind the wall of my master shower and 25+ year old pool equipment that should have been dead years ago and is barely putting along....just to name a few.

All this in addition to adjusting to being married, combining finances, planning a reception, joining no less than 3 professional and charity groups in the last few months each with their own set of responsibilities, getting my real estate license in CA and trying to keep up on all my relationships with my family and friends. Oh and by the way did I mention I am training for a half marathon?!?

Now don't get me wrong...I have a great life and I don't want to seem ungrateful for all the wonderful things I have been blessed with. I have a great husband who loves me and would support me no matter what. I am grateful to have my own house, that I love even for all its heachaches, and that I am able to start my new life as a wife in such a wonderful place. I have been extremely fortunate to be able to travel to many amazing places and see things most people never get to see. I am grateful for the fact that I have a job that I really love and am really great at and is showing signs of being a long and very successful career path for me. I'm grateful for the wonderful friends and family I have in my life that have been so loving and supportive of me in everything I do and came from all over the country to celebrate our wedding with us. For all of these things and so much more I know at the end of the day I really don't have too much to compain about.

So there you go....I know I have been EXTREMELY bad about my blogging this year. And I am really going to to try and do better. At least you have now been updated (very briefly) about what had been going on with me over the course of this year. More in depth blogs to follow in the coming days....I PROMISE!!

Love you all and thanks for thinking of us even during our cyber sabbatical!! :)

Busy, busy, busy...

2009-08-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

What a week this has been!! Apartment hunting, sightseeing and baseball watching in NY, fun times with friends in DC, a missed flight home and no less than 3 trips back to the airport this weekend to pick up my suitcase, mom and sister and my husband (who has been stuck in Atlanta since Friday because of "weather" and oversold flights)...and the craziness is only beginning. We leave in 8 hours for Utah for our family reunion...back for a day...then I leave again for Chicago for the weekend for a mini-reunion with some of my college girlfriends. After this week I will be ready for a NAP!!

Lots to catch up on when I get back. More pics and posts to come soon!!

NYC...here we come!

2009-07-24T01:33:00.000-07:00

I just dropped Tigo off at the airport and my sister and I leave in just a few hours for our trip to NYC. We are spending a couple of days in NY looking for apartments for Sam and checking out the city. Then Tigo and I will take the train down to Washington DC for a few days to hang out with some dear friends. Can't wait for a fun week!

The only bummer...it looks like I am going to miss the birth of one of my closest friends first baby who is set to arrive any day! I will be thinking about you Jenni hoping everything goes smoothly. Can't wait to see you and Madelyn in a few days!!

Now if I could just finish packing a get a few hours of sleep...

60 looks pretty good!

2009-07-24T01:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to a local hotel with all of Tigo's family to celebrate his mom's upcoming 60th birthday. We all got rooms and hung out by the pool and had some fun hang out time. The only catch to the weekend is that my mother in law, Rose, had NO idea we were planning it!

Trying to keep seven kids, their spouses and 13 grandkids from spilling the beans is no easy task...especially when the person your trying to keep a secret from is Sherlock Holmes in her own right! My father-in-law, Al, drove her around town looking at hotels to get ideas for a fun place to spend her birthday weekend. Of course when they got to the Camelback Inn, we were all waiting in the lobby ready to surprise her!

Thankfully, she was surprised. The first thing out of her mouth..."I wonder what Al packed for me to wear later"...ha! Too funny! It was a fun night and great to hang out with the whole family!

Happy Birthday Rose!

The pictures are in!

2009-07-24T01:19:00.000-07:00

Our awesome photographer, Matt, has finished wtih our pics from our reception and he just posted them on his website.

Hope everyone enjoys!

http://mattgravesphotography.instaproofs.com/

I do, Part 2!

2009-07-24T00:19:00.000-07:00

Well....clearly I am having a really hard time blogging about things in a timely manner. But better late than never I guess!! After months of planning and preparing (and procrastinating) our reception day finally came!! What an amazing weekend! It was a complete blast from beginning to end. We had friends come from Hawaii to Saint Louis to Boston and everywhere in between...not to mention family flying and driving in from 4 different states!

It was such a humbling experience for us to see all the people we love and care about in the same room to celebrate our marriage. We really couldn't ask for better friends and family to share our life with.

I know some of you had heard me voice my concerns about our reception site, etc....but I must say after all my frustrations I think things actually turned out pretty well. The food was good, the music was awesome (so glad everyone else likes MJ and Queen as much as I do!), and I think the photo booth was a definite hit! We have an amazing scrapbook with everyone's pics and notes and the we will have to look at for years to come.

Thanks to everyone for making is such a wonderful and special day for us. We can't thank you enough!

Here are a few of my favorite pics from the night...

The End of an Era

2009-07-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

Well....it's been two weeks since the death of Michael Jackson and I have to say I'm much more sad about it than I ever thought I would be. I have been glued to the TV watching all the coverage, interviews, scandal as it unravels before our eyes.

MJ was definitely a favorite in our house growing up. I'm not sure if my brother and I have agreed on much in the 25 years I have known him....but one thing we definitely agreed on was that we loved the music of Michael Jackson. I have seen Moonwalker more times than I can count, can sing along to most every Jackson 5 and MJ record ever recorded and I'm sure tried to imitate his dance moves more than a few times (although don't ask me to demonstrate because I am definitely old enough to know I can't hold a candle to what he could do). His music and videos were something that definitely bonded me with my siblings growing up. The night he died Sam and I stayed up until 2am watching every video we could think of on YouTube. At 22...she wasn't even born when most of his greatest hits were releaseed but knows every song by heart and we both mouthed the words quietly trying not to wake up the rest of the house.

Was he a strange character in life?....yes. Did he make some strange decisions about his appearance, attire, friends, etc. etc?....Definitely. But to me he is hands down the best entertainer, the best performer I think I will ever see in my lifetime. You would be hard pressed to find someone who didn't like at least one of his songs or could sing along to many of his hits.

I was so sad watching his memorial on Tuesday because it occured to me just how loved he was in the music industry and around the world...yet how misunderstood and judged he was as a person..yet as I watched people speak about his many accomplishments I felt sad for a man who very well may have died without anyone ever truly loving him for just being Michael, not Michael Jackson. The one exception being his kids. Watching his kids sing along to his songs and his daughter speaking about how much she loved her dad helped the world understand at the end of the day he was a daddy to three innocent kids who will feel his absence more than anyone else. For me it humanized his life in a way that nothing else could.

For me, there will never be another like him. RIP MJ...

Goodbye 27...hello 28!

2009-07-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

July 9 already! I can't believe time has flown so fast the last couple weeks! Reception, friends and family in town, birthday, sister in laws surgery, work and of course lets not forget the MJ coverage (but I will get to that in a later post).

With all the planning for the reception it didn't really occur to me to plan anything for my birthday. 28 isn't really that exciting...I figure when I turn 30 maybe I'll do something fun but until then whatever. So when my good friend Shelly asked if we could do dinner for my birthday I relunctantly agreed knowing I had so much to do to get ready for the upcoming weekend celebration.

I kept asking her where we were going, if our significant others were invited and I wasn't getting much response from her. Finally, she just said, I made reservations for me and you and I'll pick you up at your house. So the day came and she picked me up and when we got to the restaurant I was so excited to see some of my dearest friends had come to surprise me for dinner. It was seriously the best present I could ever ask for! I am so lucky to have such amazing friends who will plan a celebration for my birthday when they are swamped with their job, have two kids at home, or are 8 months pregnant, or have to drive 45 minutes from her side of town. Thanks girls for a fun evening!

Update....

2009-07-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

Both parts of the surgery was a success! The transplanted kidney started functioning right away producing urine and Randi's color started improving immediately as the kidney started doing its thing.

I saw both Bonnie and Randi this morning and even though they are both a little tired and sore, Randi says she hasn't felt this great in a long time and Bonnie was released from the hospital by lunchtime today.

Thanks for keeping them and us in your thoughts and prayers. Looks like a great recovery is ahead for both! We couldn't have asked for any better outcome!

July 1

2009-07-01T11:19:00.002-07:00

Today is the day....I know I haven't mentioned this before on the blog but today my sister-in-law Bonnie (Tigo's older sister) is donating one of her kidneys to her coworker, Randi. I don't know too much about Randi's history...but I know her health has been declining in recent months mainly due to her failing kidneys. Bonnie was one of the first people who decided to get tested to see if they were a match and miraculously she was a match.

I just got news from my other sister-in-law that Bonnie's part of the surgery went well and she is in recovery....now we wait to hear how the transplant of her kidney goes.

Please keep Bonnie and Randi and their families in your prayers...here's hoping for a speedy recovery for both and a long healthy life ahead!

Latest Happenings...

2009-06-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

Well....all I can say is things have been extremely hectic in the Duarte house over the last few weeks with work and getting ready for this weekend's upcoming celebration....and as usual...one of the things that gets put on the backburner is my blogging.

A few weeks ago I had the wonderful pleasure of throwing a baby shower in honor of my dear friend Jenni. We have been friends since our high school days and lost touch when we both left for college. Thankfully, we reconnected a few years back in a bible study and picked up exactly where we left off. She has been such a great friend and support to me over the past few years and I don't know what I would do without her.

She is expecting her first baby, a little girl, in just a few short weeks and will make such an amazing mommy. Her shower turned out really great and of course the house was packed with family and friends who are so excited to share this special time with her.

Can't wait to meet miss Madelyn!!

Don't mind my WT hair....I had been putting off getting my hair done until closer to the reception...had I know how bad it looked I would have gotten it done sooner! Oh well, at least Jenni looks cute!:)

.................................Cute mommy to be!!

Yummy food! Those delicious cakes are from this great little bakery called "Nothing Bundt Cakes" I love them sooo much that we have decided to forgo a typical wedding cake at our reception and instead will have bundt cakes.....SO GOOD!!

Earlier this month we celebrated our sweet dog Izzy's "first birthday" We can't believe she has been with us for a year already! My how time flies...when she came to live here she was so timid and skiddish and ran if there was a loud noise and rarely came around if we had people over. I think all she really needed was some love and she has definitely come around over the last year. She is still a strange little dog...constantly itching in the middle of the night...stinkier than any dog I have every had....and hiding under the bed for much of the day....we love her and she makes a great addition to our family.

Our sweet little girl....of course with the King of our house in the background giving her a dirty look....he doesn't like to share the attention!

Where Izzy spendt most of her days until earlier this week when we decided to put a suitcase under the bed so she can't squeeze under there....I was getting a little tired of dirty carpet and bedskirt...

The rest of my time over the past few weeks have been spent preparing for our wedding reception....which I cannot believe is only a few days away!! Finalizing food...drinks....cake...guest list...getting alterations...etc...it has finally come together and I can't wait for everyone to be here and for the party to begin....

Can't wait to see everyone in a few days!!

Sam is officially a grown up!

2009-05-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my mom, Caleb, Santiago and I headed to Pennsylvania to attend Sam's college graduation. It was a whirlwind trip of started off with a long day of flying, driving in the most intense thunderstorm that make Arizona monsoon seem like sprinkles, a night at a rural Pennsylvania Ramada Inn that my mom referred to as "skanky" and of course no less than 6 hours at the famous King of Prussia Mall.

It was so fun to see where Sam has spent the last four years of her life. Penn State reminds me a lot of Purdue. Small, rural town centered around the college, lots of surrounding towns with interesting locals (affectionately known as "townies"), and lots of die hard Penn State sports fans.
For those of you who don't know, Sam accepted a position with Price Waterhouse Coopers in New York City and will be moving there this fall. I am so excited for her as she starts the new chapter of her life and couldn't be more proud of my baby sister for how well she has done.

Cold air has never felt so good!

2009-05-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

I am VERY happy to report that the Duarte house is no longer suffering in our own personal sauna, in fact the temperature is a very comfortable 76 degrees! All is well and our A/C is functioning at 100%! I am glad we got through the last week and I am very much looking forward to sleeping in my bed tonight curled up in all my covers.

Even Rams is feeling more like himself...case in point...he's back to his usual spot next to me on our chair. As the old saying goes...All's well that ends well.

PS JAC...your hubby is the BEST for helping us out today by hanging out at our house while the A/C guy did his thing. We owe him big time!!

No A/C Day 7...

2009-05-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

It is 11:30pm on Sunday. Usually at this time Tigo is fast asleep and I have one or both of the dogs stalking me until I let them lay next to me on the couch while I finish my work or watch TV before I head to bed.

Not tonight...our house feels like a sweaty sauna (and my mom and sister can vouch for how much I like those..). All the linens are off our bed minus one sheet, Tigo has 2 fans pointing directly on him while he tries to go to sleep (this is what he came up with after I shot down the idea of us sleeping in our car for the night)and the dogs will not even come near us because I think even they know how miserable it is in here.

Our A/C went out last Sunday night and luckily we have a home warranty which will save us the approximately $2500 its going to cost to replace the compressor in our A/C unit. Not so fortunately for us, we are at the mercy of the home warranty company and they certainly are not motivated to move very quickly.

After a couple of frustrating calls to customer service where I had the wonderful pleasure of speaking to someone who's vocabulary included the word "axe" where the word "ask" should be and even had the nerve to tell me "I have access to weather.com and I can see what the temperature is there ma'am" when I told her it was too hot and I couldn't wait until 4 days for someone, anyone to come out to check our unit, I finally was able to get someone out last Tuesday.

I thought he would be able to fix our unit that day, however it turns out that our A/C unit might almost be as old as I am so the parts have to be special ordered...great!

So here we are...7 days since the unit first went out and no relief, at least for tonight. Let's hope tomorrow has a happier ending.

PS...weather.com says we are supposed to have a high of 96 tomorrow...wonder what that customer service rep would say now....

Britney's back!

2009-04-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

Last night I took a much needed night off and went to the Britney Spears/Pussycat Dolls concert with my good friend Jen. Britney definitely can put on a show! Tons of costume changes, crazy dancers, really fun to watch. I don't think she sang a single note live, but we're talking about Britney so no surprise there. I still find her thoroughly entertaining and her music fun to dance to.

Me and Jen enjoying our $16 beers...what a freaking rip off! We didn't have great seats. But the set was awesome and her circus performer back up "crew" were pretty entertaining.

Probably the best and most entertaining part of the night was the people watching. Girls in pink wigs, fishnet hose, sparkly dresses, an ode to Britney is all her various stages of train wreckage. It was such a sight to see. These are two girls that were in the suite with us...not sure if they could get away with wearing those outfits anywhere but at the Britney concert...

My return to the blogging world...

2009-04-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how fast this year is flying by! It is going to May in just a few days...it just doesn't seem possible. Things around here have been extremely hectic! My time the last few months can be summed up in pretty much one word....work! I can't compain because with the state of the market, and the economy, I am grateful to be busy and have great clients...but sometimes, just sometimes, when I'm on the computer at 1am trying to return all my emails and prepare for my next day that starts at 7am I wonder what the heck I am doing. Then I wake up and realize I don't have much room to compain and then back to the grind I go.

So please forgive me if I have been bad about keeping up with all your blogs, and updating ours. More exciting posts from our house coming soon....

Happy Birthday!

2009-02-13T15:15:00.000-08:00

Today is Santiago's 32nd birthday!! In honor of his special day, I thought it only appropriate to put into words just how important he is to me and how much I appreciate all he does. Here's just a taste of the reasons I love him...one for each brthday.

1. This is his 8th birthday we have spent together, and I have just as much fun with him now as I did all those years ago.

2. He is my best friend.

3. He has a very tough exterior, but on the inside he's a big old teddy bear. (Just don't tell anyone.):)

4. He has always loved and accepted me just as I am.

5. He would do anything for his family.

6. He is the best uncle. His neices and nephews just adore him.

7. I know he will be an even better dad some day.

8. We are polar opposites on the outside, but when it comes to the things that really matter we are always on the same page.

9. He is "Mr. Fix-It" Anything that needs to be done around the house...he can do.

10. This is extremely comforting to me, because I know nothing about cars, broken toilets, pool equipment....etc.

11. He even does chores I am capable of doing but just don't like to (i.e. pooper scooper)

12. He hates giving me neck massages, but when I'm really stressed or tired he'll do it anyways and he won't complain.

13. A dancer he is not, but he will still attempt to dance salsa with me anytime good music is playing at a wedding or family function.

14. He gives the best hugs in the world.

15. He considers our dogs important members of our family and loves them like crazy.

16. He is incredibly kind and giving to my family.

17. He knows how to make me laugh, even if I am mad or sad or not in the laughing mood, somehow he will get it out of me.

18. He isn't ticklish in the least, but I still attempt to tickle him anytime I am trying to get him to crack a smile.

19. It usually works.:)

20. He never loses his cool.

21. I am extremely grateful for this as I am known for losing my cool on a number of occasions. :)

22. He loves me anyways.

23. He has a great smile. He also has a cheezy smile that he tends to pull out whenever he is tired of getting his picture taken.

24. He is the best back scratcher in the world.

25. He loves celebrating other people's birthdays, but would skip celebrating his own if I would let him.

26. I think being the center of attention is something he could care less about. I once flew home from school to spend his birthday with him...he showed up to the airport to pick me up with a Happy Birthday baloon. (My birthday isn't until June.)

27. Even though I know this about him, I still threw him a surprise party for his 30th birthday.

28. It meant so much to him to have him family and friends celebrate with him. He still says that was his favorite birthday ever.

29. I think he would say his favorite day in our relationship was the day we got married.

30. His second favorite would probably be the day we brought Ramsey home.

31. I would have to agree on both accounts.

32. I am lucky to have him as my husband and can't wait to spend the next 32 years and beyond together.

I love you babe!! Thanks for being a great husband and friend.

Some much needed comic relief...

2009-01-28T11:59:00.000-08:00

We went over to my Grandma's house for dinner on Monday night. She has really needed the extra company as she deals with the loss of Oscar.

I should preface this by saying that miniature daucshunds tend to have trouble with their weight if your not careful. They are extremely long and short and if they get too heavy they can have back problems. That being said, my Grandma Joan has never really understood the meaning of people food vs. doggie food. The dogs would both wait patiently at her feet while she finished a sandwich, bowl of cereal or ice cream knowing that in due time they would get their share. She even has two jars of peanut butter in her cupboard, one for her and one marked "dogs" for when they are to get a special treat.

Well when your special treat turns into an everyday occurance, the dogs slowly began to put on weight. I would always tell her to stop feeding them and that they were getting fat. Her response..."the aren't fat, they're solid." HA!

The one thing I noticed as I pet Oscar for the last time was that he had lost quite a bit of weight and was much skinnier than I remembered. I think Maya was probably overcompensating for him becuase she is looking rather hefty and has some neck rolls that would rival a Shar Pei!

After she assured me that Maya was not eating enough food for two my grandma said.... "Well, I guess that's the way it always ends up...the man gets skinny and the woman gets fat!"

I seriously could not stop laughing! She really is a riot.

I had to post this picture. This was taken at her 80th birthday celebration/Family Reunion last May. She was getting a little tired of all the pictures so she hammed it up for the camera.

RIP Dear Friend

2009-01-26T08:57:00.001-08:00

It has been a sad few days in our house. I found out Saturday night that our beloved family dog, Oscar, had passed away suddenly. He was only 9 years old and wasn't really showing signs of aging. I guess God knew something we didn't and took him to Doggie Heaven. We will miss him dearly but are thankful for the wonderful 9 years we had him with us.

I picked out Oscar and from the first night home we were fast friends. I loved having him sleep in my bed at night and snuggle with me on the couch. He had such a sweet soul and was always happy to go for a walk or for a ride in the car (even if he did bark at everyone we saw).

From the beginning Oscar had a mind of his own. If he didn't want to do something, he woul stare you down in hopes you would forget about whatever it was you wanted him to do. If he wanted whatever you were eating, he would figure out a way to get some. He once managed to climb up to the top of the kitchen table and when I came back into the room he just looked up from the Dunkin Donuts box with powdered sugar running down his face. Another time I opened the back door to let him in and when he didn't come I walked into the backyard to try and find him. He was lazily floating on inflatable raft in the middle of pool sunbathing as if this was normal behavior for a 13 pound dog.

Santiago made the mistake of leaving his engineering project made of toothpicks and marshmallows within striking distance of Oscar. Big mistake! Oscar tore the thing to shreds and we were all worried for days as he moped around the house with a tummy ache (I don't think he ever tried eating toothpicks after that.)

Oscar wasn't sure about Maya when we brought her home from the breeders in 2000. But he quickly fell in love and they have been the best of friends. She was even protective of him after he passed, unsure of anyone who got too close to her dear boy.

This picture was taken not long after we got Maya. They couldn't be without each other, even for a short cat nap.

When I left for college both dogs bonded with my Grandma and her with them. I definitely think they helped her mend her own broken heart of losing my grandfather. After I graduated from college and moved into a house of my own, my grandma and the two dogs remained. They kept each other company and my grandma told me she just loved having them there.

He will be so missed and it just won't be the same at my Grandma's house without him. We love you Osky Boy!

I knew Santiago was a keeper when we was as nice to my dogs as he was to everyone else in my family. I think he loved Oscar almost as much as I did.This is typical Dad and Oscar. Napping on the couch without a care in the world.

Here's to you, Mr. President!!

2009-01-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

It seems like a lifetime since November 4 when America went to the polls to elect our new leader. But as of 10am this morning Arizona time, I am proud to finally say that Barack Obama is my President!! I have never been more excited about a President and I am just in awe of how this country seems to be inspiried and refreshed and in a time when there is so much hurt and war and turmoil, we finally have hope.

It's no secret I am not George Bush's number one fan, but I think the way he has handled the transition shows grace and care and humility that I haven't seen from his these last 8 years. I almost felt a little sad for him this morning as he leaves office with one of the lowest approval ratings in the history of this country. I'm sure he has regrets and even with all his mistakes, I don't think he ever set out to be in this position. I truly hope that time will show that he is a better man than he was a President.

But after 20 years of either a Bush or Clinton running this country, I think we are ready for something new, something different and I couldn't be more excited to see what these next 4 years (hopefully 8) bring. We will be toasting to you tonight PRESIDENT OBAMA!!!

Look what we can do!!

2009-01-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

Santiago has been fixing some things on his jeep so he decided to take off the top and the doors to make it easier to work on. Apparently, Ramsey and Izzy think that means they have a new toy to play with. We accidentally left the door to the garage open and when Tigo went into the garage this is what he found....

Two hours later when we were leaving the house to watch the Cardinals game, we went into the garage and found our dogs napping peacefully in the exact same spot. They are so funny! Izzy got up and jumped out of the jeep but King Ramsey just stared at me with his tongue hanging out of his teeth (an unfortunate side effect of having a major underbite) as if I was completely disturbing his personal space. What a spoiled dog!

We did it!!

2009-01-18T21:03:00.001-08:00

I never thought I would see this day in my lifetime....the ARIZONA CARDINALS going to Superbowl?!?!?! I seriously cannot believe it. I told Tigo this morning "If we don't win, I just hope we don't get our butts handed to us." It was actually a pretty good game and now our very own football team is going to the Superbowl for the very first time. Can't wait to see the game! (I'm going to pray for some injuries on the Steelers team so we have half a chance of winning...)

This is the reaction from the crowd at the bar we were hanging out at when we sealed the win...pretty exciting day!!

Because I'm bored...

2009-01-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

...and need a break from work. Thanks for quiz Steph!!

ONE WORD QUIZ

1. Where is your cell phone? DESK

2. Your significant other? SANTIAGO

3. Your hair? BLONDISH

4. Your mother? FRIEND

5. Your father? WHATEVER

6. Your favorite thing? SHOPPING

7. Your dream last night? NONE

8. Your favorite drink? CHAI

9. Your dream/goal? SUCCESS

10. The room you're in ? OFFICE

11. Your fear? FAILURE

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? SOMEWHERE

13. Where were you last night? HOME

14. What you're not? TALL

15. Muffins? SOMETIMES

16. One of your wish list items? GREECE

17. Where you grew up? TEMPE

18. The last thing you did? WORK

19. What are you wearing ? CLOTHES

20. Your TV? OLD

21. Your pet? BOXERS

22. Your computer? LAPTOP

23. Your life? GREAT

24. Missing someone? NO

25. Your car? ACURA

26. Something you're not wearing? EARRINGS

27. Summer? SWELTERING

28. Winter? WONDERFUL

29. Your favorite color? PINK

30. When is the last time you laughed? TODAY

31. Last time you cried? YESTERDAY

NOW 4 ANSWERS

32. Four people who email me? MOM, JENNI, STEPH, SHELLY

33. Four of my favorite foods? CHIPOTLE, MEXICAN, STARBUCKS, PIZZA

34. Four places I would rather be right now? HOME, SPA, STARABUCKS, SLEEPING

35. Four people I think will repost? NO CLUE!

Go Cards!

2009-01-12T16:57:00.000-08:00

The headline in today's Arizona Republic reads:
"Cardinals deliver message to naysayers with surprising run."

And boy did they ever! Their performance over the last two weeks has been nothing short of a miracle. Only one more game to go and our eternal underdogs will make it to the Superbowl.

Here's hoping they don't let us down.

Kickoff to Award Season

2009-01-12T15:21:00.000-08:00

I must say, I LOVE award show season. Every year I look forward to watching the shows if for no other reason than to see the fashions hits and misses. Last night the Golden Globes kicked off the year with a bang and it did not disappoint!

My pics for best and worst dressed of the night:

BEST DRESSED: Eva Mendes

I love the white dress, love the silhouette, and really love the huge bow! I love turqoise jewelry against the stark white dress. I thought she looked stunning!

WORST DRESSED: Jennifer Lopez

Jenny, Jenny, Jenny...WHAT were you thinking. This is not 2000 and you are no longer have the body you did when you wore that infamous Vercase dress. The sad thing is, she has an amazing body, but I think the deep V, no back, tight hairdo needed to be given up long ago. (Kate Winslet's look in the background is pricesless, even she thinks J.Lo looks like a hot mess!!)

My favorite moment of the night....Kate Winslet winning her SECOND globe of the evening and her speech was so genuine and adorable...even if she did call Angelina Jolie "the other one" :)

Their least favorite word....

2009-01-09T20:37:00.000-08:00

...tonight it would have to be OUT!! Poor starved dogs...they make such sad faces when we make them get out of the kitchen when we are trying to eat dinner. These sad, pathetic faces were displayed to us tonight, after they scarfed down 4 cups of dog food each! While they are pretty pathetic, they are no dummies, they realized standing on the furniture gives them a direct view of whatever we are trying to cook or eat in the kitchen. And it doesn't matter what we are doing or eating, they will sit and stare at us forever just hoping for an accidental spill.

"Maybe if I stare at Dad long enough and look cute he will share his yummy dinner with me" Not likely.:)

New Year, New Do, New Job!

2009-01-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

What a week! Just when I thought our life might slow down a little...no such luck. This last week has flown by and I just realized I haven't had any time to post about the latest goings on in our house.

On New Year's Eve I finally got up enough guts to cut 3 inches off my hair! I had been growing out my hair for the wedding, but after a year enough was enough and I needed a change. It has taken some getting used to not being able to pull my hair completely into a ponytail but I'm getting used to doing it every day.:)

We had so much fun on New Year's. We just had a low key night at Tigo's dad's house. All Tigo's siblings and their families were there and we did our first annual gift exchange. We all picked names and we got his two sisters Bonnie and Joni. We were only supposed to spend $25 each, but when we went to the outlet malls in San Diego we found some great stuff so we decided to go over our limit a little.:) I was so excited to give them the gifts because I knew they would love them.

I got Tigo's younger sister Joni. I found this cute wristlet at the Coach Outlet on major sale. I put it in a Banana Republic bag (my favorite store but somewhere she never shops) so she wouldn't figure out what it was. She loved it!
Tigo got his older sister Bonnie. Apparently newpaper and heavy duty tape is how he used to wrap all his gifts when he was younger so he decided to wrap her gift the same way. (He made it into a purse shape because we got her a cute purse from the Kenneth Cole Outlet. She got a kick out of the wrapping job.
Here is our first pic of 2009. Ok more like the second or third (my shot was way off in the first two.) I think I need to realize that my arms are NOT long enough to take a picture of myself without cutting off at least half the face of whoever is in the shot with me.

Poor Justine. She didn't make it very long that night. She always manages to fall asleep in the strangest places. I think she doesn't want to miss out on the action.

As for the new job, I actually decided to go back to my old job at the real estate office at the Arizona Biltmore Resort. It is nice to be back in the fast paced atmosphere at the Biltmore and I am really looking forward to what 2009 will bring for my in my career.