Christmas Music

I have always loved Christmas music. I can't help it, I listen to it during all months of the year... but right after thanksgiving, I keep the cds loaded in my car and sing along every where I drive! Currently I have Julianne Hough's xmas CD and a mix. This is one of my all time favorites :)

What are your favorite Xmas songs?

Honeymoon: Venice, Italy

Beautiful Venice

was our first stop after the cruise!

We flew to Venice from Barcelona, then got onto a water taxi!  (how cool is that!?)  Our "taxi", or boat driver, took us on the 50 minute journey through the water to our hotel.  He spoke wonderful english so we learned a lot from him about the city.  It was so incredible there - definitely one of the most unique places I have ever been!  The first day we were there, we walked around and got completely lost!  We ate yummy food and had no idea where we were.  The good thing about getting lost was that we explored a lot of the city and eventually found our way back :)

In the back of the water taxi!

The crazy canal drivers... we didn't do one, but they were fun to watch.

Beautiful San Marcos Square!

The famous Rialto Bridge

Together in beautiful San Marco Square

Walking along the pretty water front!

Venice was stunning and very unique.  We really enjoyed the few nights we spent here!

Thankful Thursday: Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for...

TL.  He is such an amazing husband and I can't imagine my life with out his affectionate and sweet personality.

My Mom & Dad.  They are absolutely-with out a doubt- two of the most special people in my life. I am so lucky to have them.

My beautiful sisters (and their sig others) - because they are always there no matter what and I love them dearly.

My adorable nephew... can't get enough of him!

My big family - 20 cousins (who have 3 babies), 6 aunts & uncles, and an amazing Grandma & Grandpa who started it all... and this isn't including my mom's wonderful family!

My friends... because a girl needs 'em, and I have some of the best!

My weenie dogs - Maximus & Zeus.

My job - we all know what a tough economy it is!

Living in a home, close to my parents, that is filled with love.

I am so lucky... and SO very thankful.

I hope you have a beautiful and loving Thanksgiving filled with delicious food and amazing family!

I work today... but still get to celebrate with my family.  Tomorrow we take off to go get our Christmas tree!  I am SO excited for the holidays! :)

turkey here

Thanksgiving Already!

Thanksgiving is almost here!

Hard to believe.

Today we are heading over to TL's family in the Bay Area to celebrate with them.

I am excited to see everyone... not to mention, I am excited for turkey, stuffing, gravy, pumpkin pie and all the delicious food.  A couple of days off work, too!

I am also excited for the holiday smells - the candles, the colors.

I love this time of year... and it means Christmas is just around the corner!

I am so thankful for family.

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday!

turkey found here

Honeymoon: Marseilles, France

Marseilles was our next stop on our honeymoon cruise!

(it's been a while since my last post, so if you need a reminder click here)

I really liked this stop - it was laid back, but fun for us to just walk around the shops and view the sights.

TL drinks a lot of water, so we were able to see the bathrooms pretty much everywhere we went.  This was his favorite one. :)

In front of the pretty farmers market flowers.  My mom loves flowers - so I took this for her.

We thought this was cool!

The really big bay that had thousands of boats!

I thought this building was cool.

This was the only place we got a little bit rained on... we had pretty good luck overall with the weather.  It was also our last stop on the cruise.  Man, I miss these days!  I want to go back :)

Thankful Thursdays

It's Thursday already... waa hoo! :)

I am thankful to be spending the evening at home with TL.  This whole full-time thing makes me really cherish my time with him!

I am thankful for my job - and the great people I work with who are helping me adjust.

I am thankful that it is almost Sunday... because Sunday I head over to the bay - hanging out with a girlfriend and celebrating Thanksgiving with TL's family.

I am thankful for my mom, dad & sisters... because I love having a supportive family who cares so much about me and my happiness.

I am also thankful for starting work at 2:30pm tomorrow... finally time to get the 411 on my fave blogs!

Happy Thursday!!

What are you thankful for?

First Day

It was a good first day at the new job... I feel so fortunate to be in a place with so many wonderful and helpful people.  So many people reached out to me, and remembered me from when I was there as an intern 3 years ago!  It was a long day of training and getting acquainted, but it was overall a good day!

Thank you all so much for all your sweet comments and support!

The best part of the day was coming home to a homemade dinner (pasta) and a dozen of my favorite roses. I have the sweetest husband!  (Not to mention he filled my car with gas and fixed the tires for me!)

Hope you had a good Tuesday!

New Job, New Opportunities

Tomorrow is a big day for me...

I start my new job, and I am very excited for all of the (hopefully) new opportunities it will bring.

I am a little nervous, I think thats normal, but also very excited to see where I can go with it.

I think it will be a busy week :)

LA with my girlfriends was amazing!

We spent time talking, eating great food, dancing, and just being together.

It was wonderful to see them and I am so thankful to have them in my life!

I don't have any pictures yet... but hopefully soon so I can share. :)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend - looking forward to catching up on everyone's blogs this week!

picture found here

Girls Weekend

A weekend with some of my BEST girlfriends from college... I could not be more excited!

We are planning a Thanksgiving dinner, a night out, and some good, hearty girl talk.

I love them to pieces and I am so excited!

LA... here we come!

(just a few of the millions of pictures)

I love you, girls!

Thankful Thursdays

I am thankful for...

The niner game tonight.  They are not doing well lately, but I am excited to bundle up for a chilly night game!

My mom.  Just because she is who she is and I couldn't ask for a better mom.

My puppies... because they are so cuddly and lovey - I can't get enough of 'em!

TL... because he is amazing and I just love him.

TL's family - strong, amazing people and I love being related to them now!

My sister, Juju... because she makes me laugh all the time.

The HOLIDAY season!  Waaa hooo!

My own big extended family... we had our thanksgiving celebration yesterday and I just adore all of them and am SO proud to be a part of them.

And... Spending the weekend with my GIRLS starting tomorrow!!  YEAH!

PS. I am dying to catch up on everyone's blogs!  I am looking forward to having some time to read up!  Thanks for sticking with me :)

Candice Bushnell

This week, I had the opportunity to meet
Candice Bushnell,
who is most famously known as the writer behind the creation of the famous friends (and my favorite)

Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha.

In some people's eyes, Bushnell is Bradshaw herself.  Nevermind the coincidence that they have the same initials. :)

Bushnell is also a famous and well-known writer of several other books.

Meeting her was a pleasure, and I had this opportunity because of a fabulous series called Newsmakers: Lesher Speaker Series.  Each season, the series picks a variety of speakers to enlighten and entertain in the East Bay of CA - and Bushnell did just that!  Each speaker has a non-profit organization to partner up with and for Bushnell, she was appropriately partnered up with the East Bay Junior League.  (TL's inspiring cousin, Mackenzie, is the president-elect of the organization)  The women from the Junior League held a party at an adorable shoe store called Footcandy in Walnut Creek. 10 percent of every purchase at Footcandy went to charity.  While we were at Footcandy "helping charity" (buying shoes), Bushnell joined us before her lecture.

Browsing & drooling over some incredible shoes!

With Bushnell, who graciously signed the bottom of my Blue Wedding Manolo. 

"To Tracy, drink cosmos. Love, Candice"

One of my favorite stores!

My adorable Husband (right) and his brother who bartended the event.

A couple of the ladies at Footcandy know TL because it's the place he found my wedding shoes :)

With Bushnell and TL's family after the lecture.

One of my best girlfriends, Michelle, came along :)

It was a wonderful event!  Bushnell had a lot to say - and I came away from the evening feeling the closest I have ever felt to a series I love so much... and not to mention 2 new great pairs of shoes!!  (more on that soon)

All of these photos are from a professional photographer at the event and I do not take credit.

Amazing Picoult

There is nothing better than the fall weather and a good book :)

In the last couple of months, I finished a few books, but I wanted to share my favorite two.

They are both written by Jodie Picoult.

I read Harvesting The Heart while TL and I were on our honeymoon.

picture

and I read Handle With Care a couple of weeks ago.

picture

They are both so well written - Picoult is one of my favorite Authors.  You probably remember her from her famous Novel turned movie "My Sister's Keeper".

These are just as good, in my opinion, and completely worth a read if you have the time!

The only problem?? 

Once I start reading them, I can't put them down!!  I finished both of them so quickly and I was wishing they were longer! :)

Full Time Changes

As I mentioned in an earlier post... I got a NEW job... and I am SO excited.

I decided to leave my old job because I was feeling a lack of being a part of a team. I want to be in a position where I make a difference and I feel like I am challenged. (My old job was full of some fun people... it was my position that wasn't allowing for growth)

The opportunity presented itself, and I could not be more excited!!

I start at my new job in just 2 weeks... and it is FULL time (my first full time ever) and definitely a step up in my career.

I am really looking forward to the new experiences!

I have a question for all my blogger buddies, full time moms, and anyone else who experiences a full time job:

How do you manage it all?

Thankful Thursdays

Focusing on the things we are thankful for in life :)

I am Thankful for...

November!!  I love this time of the year - we get to focus on food, family & cozy weather!

Super-dad.  He can fix anything - including our dishwasher!

A little vacation before I start my new job.  We are in Carmel right now... and then LA with my girls next weekend!

The forecast... rain, rain, rain!  (it makes me feel cozy)

TL's sense of humor... he had a 7 foot giant singing gorilla sing to my amazing mom for her Birthday at work!  It was the funniest thing ever... she was so embarrassed!

(Excuse my creepy heavy breathing & laughing... I was trying to be quiet!!)

My little nephew Ryan... did you see his halloween costumes??

Charlie Brown

A hot dog!

(He is so stinking cute we couldn't decide on just one costume)

Honeymoon: Villefranche, France

Villefranche, France

was the next stop on our cruise through the Mediterranean!

It was so beautiful, and one of my favorite stops off of the ship.

We took a short bus ride into Monaco - but for the most part we just walked around the restaurants and shops along this beautiful "Sea Town" in the French Riviera!

We took a long walk around and enjoyed the amazing views!

Stunning!

Our ship!  It looks so small in this picture!

I loved the adorable streets and shops.

On the boat ride back to the ship from shore :)

If you ever get a chance to take a cruise through the Mediterranean, definitely get off at this stop.  It was relaxing and so much fun to explore!

Wishful Wednesdays

I was so excited to help out in making up the topic for Kelsey's

and this week, this is the topic!

"'I wish' .... I could re-live ___ 

over and over again!"

As most people would say... I think it would be my wedding day. This is so obvious, and so not original... but it genuinely was one of the best days of my life. It wasn't just the day - but what that day represents and how much TL has changed my life.
Here are a few pictures:

Happy Birthday, MOM!

Happy Birthday

to my incredible

MOM!

My mom is one in a million.

She is someone we all need in our life.  She is the most genuine person I know with a heart of gold.  My mom has always been there for me and my sisters for everything - we have always been my mom's first priority and there is nothing she won't do for us.

My mom can fix anything - but she is best at fixing a broken heart, a bad day, any mistakes we make - and she always makes me feel better when I am sick.  Her touch alone calms me.  There is no one in this world I feel I have a better connection with than my mom.

She is a super hard worker.  She has done everything - housework, raising us girls, and working full time!

She is well respected at her job, and truly one of the sweetest people I will ever know.  She's always been a little quiet - very humble - and she never takes credit for anything.

I have some amazing memories of my mom growing up.  She is funny - always singing and dancing and she always finds the best in every situation.  She also finds the best in other people.  My mom is everyone's friend.

I am so lucky to have such an amazing mom - she is beautiful - inside and out.

Mom and her three daughters who love her more than anything in the world!

I LOVE YOU, MOM!

Happy Birthday!!