Where have we been?

Hello to all! I know it has been forever and a day since I last blogged, but it is a new year so I've decided it was about time I updated my blog. For my friends who blog, you know the feeling you get when it has been a while since you last updated your blog and then you realize you just have more and more pictures to add and then so many pictures turn into a slideshow and you still have to edit all the picture ahh!! and one little blog then turns into a nightmare! well at least thats what happened to me I have mastered the art of postponement and this is where it leads me...an extremely long blog update. So where have we been since October?

Basically we have been on the road-a road trip cross country to be more specific. From D.C., where Doug was working to Pennsylvania where we saw the liberty bell and independence hall, and of course the Rocky statue. Then to New York to visit my brother (where I also got ran over by a biker on the Brooklyn Bridge - and I'm sorry to say we have no pictures of that incident), cruisin on over to Boston to see Plymouth Plantation and the Mayflower. After Boston we said goodbye to my dear brother and rendezvoused on over to Niagara Falls. It was too beautiful for words, and it was the closest I'd ever been to another country (Canada!) so I was excited, I felt very international. On to Hill City, SD, probably my favorite part of the road trip. We stopped there and stayed in a quaint little cabin in a mile long city to see Mt. Rushmore. It was breathtaking and seemed completely unreal.

We went straight from South Dakota to Utah where we had the pleasure of babysitting our 5 adorable nieces and nephews and loved every moment of it, to LA where we stayed with my sister and her husband for a week rock climbing and recovering from the flu :(. Then off to Las Vegas where we stayed in the most amazing pirate styled getaway with Doug's company. We had so much fun there from the water slides to seeing shows like Excalibur and "O" by Circ Du Solei. It was my first time to Vegas and it didn't disappoint, but my favorite part by far were our fellow vacationers!

Ever since we parked our car back in Northern California we have just been enjoying time with our families. We have been to movies, concerts, plays, ice skating, Doug got back in the water for a alumni waterpolo tournament, and we got to spend Christmas with a puppy! There is so much more and we love being back here. There is so much more to tell about each of the places and people we have seen but maybe I'll save that for later posts since I've promised myself I am going to become a better blogger in 2010 ;)

Reunited. . .

And it feels sooo good!

Sorry we have been a little absent lately. We actually have been up to to a lot lately out here in D.C. More to come on our little adventures coming soon!

Goodybe Orlando. . .

Hello D.C.!!!! We have made it to D.C. and will be here for the next month and a half. We love it here and are so glad to be back! We will miss Florida though...we had some memorable times and will definitely miss all of our friends. Our last few weeks in Florida included trips to the Beach, lunching with friends, and lots of pool time. But the last few days have been moving moving moving. So let me tell you for a second about the well-oiled-machine that is Doug's and mine moving packing routine . Our little Nissan Maxima was so jam packed full on the way over here we even had stuff at both mine and Doug's feet. We have moved 3 times so far this year and every time our car  has been packed full to the limit...I don't know how, each time we convince ourselves that we have less stuff, but each time without fail our junk overtakes our poor little car. Because of this Doug has become somewhat of a mastermind of a packer. We almost have our packing/moving routine worked out to a tea. I take all of the stuff out of all the cupboards, closets, shelves etc and put them on display so Doug sees what he has to work with. I also take out all our boxes and packing material. I go through our stuff see what we need, throw away any junk. and leave anything in question for Doug. Doug then starts packing all the boxes full like puzzle pieces-and does not want any help with it...no interfering with his masterwork allowed. While he is packing boxes, I pack our clothes and finish any laundry. Then comes the real puzzle work. Doug puts our boxes and stuff in the car like pieces to a puzzle. It is crazy. While he is doing this, I deep clean the entire apartment. We pretty much have it down like clockwork. We have moved so much that we better! More to come on our D.C. adventures in a bit.

Ladies sunning

Beach football match

"Whoo-whoo" -thats me whistling

Series of events when I try to get Doug to take some nice pictures. . .

The girls out to lunch before we all leave!

Office assistants at the pool

Doug's proud finished work

Puzzle pieces all in place

Jammed packed

A New York Glimpse #2

Well I am back home and reunited with Douglas. I am glad to be home but had so much fun in NY with my Mom and my brother. I think my favorite part of the trip was by far the bike ride around and through central park.  Close seconds were however, dinner at tavern on the green with my bestest from high school, paula, shopping at saks fifth and canal, seeing West Side Story also with my bestest, and definitely central park zoo. Although I don't see myself ever living in the city, I do love visiting, taking it all in and the historically romantic ambiance of it all. I love walking past the gigantic brick buildings and just imagining how old they are and what kind of stuff might have happened there, or strolling past quant italian eateries and imagining it as a mafia hang out.  All in all my trip was wonderful, the city is bustling and is a great place for my imagination to come alive. Thank you New York for treating me so kindly and for my beautiful little vacation (especially thank you to my parents for taking me on such a lovely little trip. I love you guys).

My calves burned the first 3 days because of all this walking that my lazy butt is apparently not used to. But eventually my legs adapted

Me and the bestest Paula in Gabe's apartment

View from Brother's school

The first day our hotel had a view of the statue of Liberty...If you squint your eyes you can kind of imagine she's there way far in the distance even though she's being camera shy in the pic.

The view from our hotel and Miss Liberty herself way far out there

Gabe's new address

Just around the river-bend from Brother's apartment

Still my favorite activity of the trip!

Went to the Central Park Zoo and saw a bunch of cute little critters. I decided If I were to be one I would be this guy.

Because of this....
And this....

They love to relax in the sun, sun bathe and be fed. My kind of animal! 

If I got to choose animal friends, it would be these guys. They are so playful

And full of energy!

Trying to act like a penguin with not much success...I don't think the penguins would like this impression of them!

If I could choose a body guard, I would pick this big boy! (the polar bear not the brother-although also big and handsome-don't you think!!)

We named him Roger

And at last the snow leopard. . .It would be my pet
Ello kitty cat!

West Side Story. So good! "What's up Buddy-boy!"

Till we meet again NY!

A NY Glimpse #1

It is official. My little brother is all grown up. He moved to Manhattan this weekend so I jetted on over to help him with his move. It's only 1/2 way through our trip and so far we have done...

A lot of this

Way too much of this. . .

which also includes bargaining on canal street of course

a little museum hopping. I love the Met!

We rented these

And rode all around here

And stopped to take in the beautiful scenery

Horton was very wise

I love this. "I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful one hundred percent!" -Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who.

Our first 2 years

Last night Doug and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. I came home from work to an apartment filled with candlelight, beautiful roses, and the cutest card lying beside my roses. I thought to myself, "I love these little romantic surprises." But where was the Mr. Romeo himself? Doug was hiding with his camera phone on video in the nearby closet waiting to jump out and scare me....where the romance was in that, i don't know. but it's just Doug! 

We were talking all throughout dinner of all the things we have done and places we have been/lived these past 24 months. We went from living a year in Hawaii to a summer in Washington D.C to another semester in Hawaii to Utah to living in Florida this summer...our next stop...another month 1/2 in D.C, then who knows where! Not to mention we have spent lots of time in California in between all of these individual moves. Who knows what lies in store for us in the future, but all I know is that we are going to have fun finding out!

Up close its even cuter there little face expressions. I love these types of cards!