Settling In

After all the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks, I was truly exhausted. We spent a day just relaxing and then prepared for Jade's visit. Now, whenever Jade's in town, fun things happen. She's not one to like to relax and hang out, but would rather constantly be on the go. My dear daughter is one of the most intelligent and quirky-fun people that I've ever known. She's worked her magic in the past to get what she wants. She knows my buttons and my soft-spots just as well as I know hers. The difference is - she's only 15 years old! She's always been bright and friendly but I didn't really put all the puzzle pieces together until recently. While we spent the last (almost) 15 years together, this past year she decided she wanted to live with her father in Portland, Oregon. It was very, very difficult for me, but I truly thought she would grow by having her dad's influence in her life and I was willing to put her needs in front of my own wants for her ultimate benefit. It wasn't fun or easy, but I've learned a lot in this last year apart from her. I've really been able to enjoy Jade for the wonderful person she is. When you live the daily grind together, you can tend to lose sight of, or take advantage of the people in your lives. I stopped doing what was ultimately unimportant stuff (like work) when she came to visit me and truly experience the huge bond that we had. The relationship flourished and I can honestly say that I loved her company (even in the years where teenagers get moody and don't like to hang out with their parents.) She really loved spending time with me. We did things that we never seemed to have the time for previously. I didn't worry about her homework, soccer practices, etc. So every time we are together, it's fun and we start up just where we left off each time. Jade gets much of her affection and affirmations from me and I try and tell her each and every time I talk to her or see her just how incredible she is, how proud I am of her and how much I love her and love being her mom...

Tape, circle and scalloped journaling spots and brush all by PuglyPixel. I love her stuff!

Happy Birthday, America!

After driving all night (well, that was John driving, not me) we had to get up the following morning and prepare to host the 4th of July events at our house. Let me just tell you, our butts were dragging! Nothing a little Philz Coffee couldn't fix! If you haven't tried this coffee, you can find it at Whole Foods - it's next to heaven at 7:00am! Most of the items were to be cooked out on the grill, which falls in John's domain. (I LOVE eating John's grilled meats!) We were blessed to have John's dad, my mom and the most loved couple friends, Sean and Khanh join us to celebrate and watch fireworks. Since our house is up on the foothills, it faces west overlooking Silicon Valley and the lower section of the Bay. There were over ten fireworks displays that were visible as we sat out on our veranda. It was a beautiful night filled with love from friends and family. I have to comment on the dessert. To my amazement, Sean and Khanh prepared a chocolate fondue paired with apples, tangerines, banana and lemon pound cake. It was delectable and I had to shoot the photo below to remember it. I was so engrossed in conversation during the fireworks that I didn't grab any shots of the fireworks, but the night turned out wonderful given how little sleep we had and how frazzled I was from the move.


Our dear friends, Sean and Khanh


The incredible fondue


Our first day home - John and Nikki

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

I'm happy to report that we made it to San Jose. The movers came on Saturday, loaded all 115 boxes and pieces of furniture into the truck and hauled it away. I had to pack a suitcase for up to a week of essentials because the movers couldn't guarantee the delivery date. That wasn't hard since I've been so used to packing that suitcase for my many trips up to see John. Amazingly, I was ready to go hours before the movers arrived, so we were able to run out for some lunch beforehand. The movers took about two hours - to our amazement. They wrapped my sectional like it was a baby being swaddled. The went through rolls of tape and a ton of plastic wrap! John and I sat back for the most part and kept my dog, Pei from going nuts outside while the movers were in the house. I couldn't imagine not having any scrapbooking for a week, so I actually packed a special bag with my scrap essentials and a kit from Rusty Pickle that I had delivered the week prior. My love for scrapping runs deep. The stress alone would compel me to scrap if I had two minutes to spare! Of course the one thing I forgot during this whole process to actually pull out my camera and take pictures until minutes before the truck was ready to pull away. John took the truck photo, who sweetly snapped a few shots while my hands were full.

John, Pei and I pulled out of the driveway at about 9:00pm, after heartfelt goodbyes were exchanged with my dear sister, Jenn. We bought our house together 3.5 years ago and many good times were had together. But, it was time for a new chapter in my life and I knew that Jenn was going to enjoy not having her little sister around all the time! I've kept my bedroom intact to be used as a guest bedroom - it actually looks like a little bed and breakfast room now. It will be there for our family to use and for John and me when we come to visit. I was happy to leave it all, not to mention the fact that there really isn't room in John's 4 bedroom house for it either! Jade's bedroom was left as another guest bedroom, just without any closet space. That had been used for all of Jade and my keepsakes that I didn't want to pay to have moved up here just to be stored.

Pei wouldn't settle down, so we ended up giving him one of those doggie chill-pills and it worked like magic! For a dog who didn't like to sit down, let alone lie down in a moving car, this was just what he needed. Within 20 minutes of taking it, he was losing his balance and the droopy eyelids set in. He slept almost the entire 7 hour ride. Speaking of 7 hour rides, John drove us the entire way. He has the mental and physical strength of three men, my hero and the love of my life. I adore how he takes care of me, and this is yet another example of his love and protection. He didn't want to me to have to worry with the drive, just sit back and relax. I kept him company most of the way, but slowly grew tired and slept off and on during the second half of the drive.

Highlights include:
- The stop at In and Out Burger for a late night snack (chocolate shake included)
- Taking Pei out of the SUV to go potty. (He kept weaving back and forth, fell down and nose-dived a few times as well)
- The sunrise

We arrived at our house at about 4:00am (bless John's heart) safely, without issue. We brought Pei inside and sequestered him to the bedroom. John's cats, Boo and Chance have yet to meet a dog, and that WASN'T happening at 4am! By the time we finally laid down in bed, the sun was coming up and it was the most beautiful morning looking out over Silicon Valley - maybe more symbolically than anything, but it was all that I had been wanting was to be here permanently - to wake up everyday with the one I love... It was the start of my next chapter - with John - and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else at that moment.

John and I

Saying goodbyes - Jenn and I

The moving truck

My Yoga - My Zen: Scrapbooking

Yes, I'll admit it. Scrapping centers me, it feeds my soul. The creativity involved fulfills a need to preserve so many precious memories, to use my creative side and honor my life and those of my loved ones. This layout was a late night compilation while calming my nerves two nights before the move. I was waiting for John to arrive to help finish up the packing and I was missing him. Our love runs deep as it would when any soul mates are apart. I'm one lucky gal.

Template: Shabby Princess Easy As Pie Blog Challenge Template #1
Paper and embellishments: Shabby Princess Amore Kit
Fonts: Title - SF Kim, Journaling: SF Lani, Internet

My Nephew's High School Graduation

My nephew, Rain graduated from Berkeley High School on June 18th. The ceremony took place at UC Berkeley's Greek Theater. It's a beautiful outdoor amphitheater located on the UC Berkeley campus. Just trying to get close to the area was a near standstill. Once we were within walking distance, we had awesome parking karma and found a spot just up the hill on the main street. Because of the crowds, we decided to sit out on the lawn area, which proved to be more comfortable for the near three hour procession. It was all worth it to see Rain come out and accept his diploma. The layout below has photos taken after the event while waiting to get our large group together for a celebratory dinner. Way to go, Rain! I'm so proud of you!

Template: Be Inspired Template Cafe #5 Val C. Designs, Digital Scrap Cafe
Paper and elements: Simplicity Kit, Lisa A. Salina, aprilisadesigns.blogspot.com
Fonts: Title - CK Becky; Journaling - Feltpen