J Crew Swim Collection

TL and I are getting ready to take another trip to the tropics this year... and after browsing through Jess' The Kentucky Priss blog, I was led to the J Crew site and found some amazing swim suits I am completely drooling over!!  If only they weren't a gazillion dollars.

I wish I could have one of each... but this one is my absolute favorite:

Seriously, I am in LOVE... the top and bottoms are perfect, they cover enough and look comfortable!

Here are some of my other faves...

 Simple, and so adorable!

 {love this color!! and style}

 {I am really into one pieces... and I love the ruffles on this!}

Love the style of the bottoms.  I am all for the extra coverage... and the polka dots are so cute!

All suits pictured are from JCrew.com

I know it's a little early in the year... but I can't help it.

Hope you have a wonderful week!!

Our Wedding Album

We finally got our wedding album... and after 2.5 years of being married, it was fun to get it and relive the day through our pictures.  I wish I could put it up here, but since I can't, I just took a few pictures of the pages :)
{ excuse the yucky poor quality phone pictures of pictures ;) }

{the front cover... the wind did that to my veil} 

It turned out great... I am so happy we have something special to remember that day :)

Now I just need to figure out where to keep it... 

where do you keep yours?

Album by: Ford Family Photography

the meaning of friendship

Holy moly... this week flew by!  I know I say this too often, but time seems to pass more quickly every year.  February is almost here... the first month of 2012 is almost over.  Hard to believe.

I was talking to a couple of my college girlfriends the other night, and I got to thinking about the affect of time and distance on all friendships.  I'm truly lucky to have such supportive and loving ladies by my side through the different chapters of my life.  My friends are very important to me.

My "college" girls are the ones I call when I have big news, a problem, or just need someone to talk to.  They know all of my weaknesses, flaws, and issues... and they continue to support and love me unconditionally.

Our experiences together haven't always been perfect, but when I am spending time with these girls... I am truly happy.  

Even though we don't talk everyday, we have the ability to pick up where we left off in our weekly phone conversations.

It's only been a few years since our amazing adventure together through college ended and now we are scattered across California.  But... we always do what we can to make sure we're together a couple times a year and for the big moments in each other's lives.

I've been so fortunate to keep in touch with a few friends from high school - especially my best friend, Jenny.  This girl and I have been through so much, including living 500 miles apart and we've stayed very close.  She is like a sister to me.

{back in 2005...}

And when TL and I moved to our new area almost 2 years ago... I met an incredible group of girls who i've gotten close with.  They are so encouraging, funny, and always have something new to teach me about life.  I always leave our Happy Hour dates with a belly ache from laughing so hard.

"Friendship is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything." - Muhammad Ali

All of you fabulous girls that I have met and connected with in this community of bloggers are also my friends.  I feel like we know a lot about each other, and I appreciate the support & encouragement you always give to me!  I've learned so much from your creativity, life experiences, and adventures.  Thank you :)

Friends come and go in our lives as we grow and change individually.  And I think that's okay.  I find it interesting that people at all different stages and ages in life can develop friendships.

Do you have certain friends in your life that are irreplaceable?

Happy Weekend!

The Soggy 49er Game

It was soggy, misty, and rainy for the entire 49er game... but hosting the NFC Championship at Candlestick Park and having the opportunity to be at such a close game was worth wearing the ugly oversized poncho.

The boys were so excited to be going... and we were convinced they could make this win.  Sadly, a few costly mistakes {and a couple of bad calls} ended their dream trip to the Super Bowl.

But regardless... it was exciting, overwhelming, and exhausting!  Losing in OT was sad... you could have heard a pen drop after that Williams fumble, but the truth of it all is that the Niners had a come back, Cinderella season.

Kristin Chenoweth sang the Star Spangled Banner, and Brad Paisley performed during half time.  It was neat to be there for that, too.

Grey and rainy... but it didn't stop us tailgaters... look at all those tents!

 TL and his brother... both in about 340 layers of clothing!

 Frank Gore came and said hello ;)  He's #21... our star running back.

*goosebumps*

 You can see Kristin on the jumbo screen... she performed right near us, but not close enough for a picture.

My throat and voice are still raw.  Not to mention, I woke up this morning with sore legs from jumping up and down and standing the entire game.  I think we only sat for about 1 minute of the entire game.

Such a horrible way to end the game and season... but we made it all the way there, and I think we can do it again next year!

The rain has arrived...

It's been a very dry winter in Northern California.  We haven't seen any significant amount of rainfall in months, and I have missed it.

I know some of you friends in Seattle have seen some recent storms, and now - those are headed our way!

Something about the rain feels fresh & cozy to me.  Hopefully we get lots of snow up in the mountains, we're ready to hit the slopes :)

TL, the pups and I are staying in together tonight.  I love evenings like this.

Happy Thursday!


PS. thank you for all of the positive feedback on my phobia post... I was pleasantly surprised :)
PPS. JF still loves you.

Confession of my biggest phobia...

We all fear... some of us have fears that are bigger than others.
Of course I fear the general things - like failure, disappointment, ect...but many of us (me) have a specific phobia that makes them feel like they are losing control when dealing with it and causes anxiety and panic.

I've been dealing with this since I was little.  There was a specific incident that I remember being completely afraid of for the first time, but I don't know exactly what caused me to develop it.  If you're a close friend of mine... you already know my fear and have probably had to deal with me before. {i apologize if you have}

Okay... I'll cut to the chase.  I am an ematophobic. Simply put, I have an irrational, stupid fear of vomit.  And I know there are more of you just like me out there.

I'm the girl who covers her eyes during the "puke" scene of a movie {in fact, I haven't seen Bridesmaids because I was told there was an entire scene I would hate}, I wouldn't be caught dead on a ride along at my husband's work {he's a firefighter/paramedic}, and I absolutely refuse to visit the ER {you know I really love you if I visit you in the hospital}.

Think about it... vomit can be anywhere.  I tend to have a little {or a lot depending on the situation} of anxiety when I am in a really crowded and rowdy place.  I've been known to skip out on a day at the theme park {roller coasters make people sick}, concerts, and college fraternity parties.  My close girlfriends and family are amazing... they do their best to be aware of our surroundings when we go out.  But, I often end up feeling really embarrassed or left out because of it.  I'm truly lucky TL and my friends put up with me.

I don't know anyone who likes puke.  It's disgusting.  It looks gross, smells gross, and feeling nauseous is one of the worst feelings.  My fear isn't of me vomiting - I am fine when I do.  It doesn't bother me when I see a baby spit up, or even when I know someone has the flu and they are getting sick in the other room.  I have no problem cleaning up after my dogs when they get sick.

My fear has more to do with that loss of control when you are in an area where you can't get away and someone gets sick.  I was told I have an "internal locus of control" and it makes sense.  {read about that by clicking here and reading under "causes"} I also get really nervous when people are intoxicated and throw up because I worry that they won't make it away from me.  I am not a fan of crowded buses, on public transportation, airplanes, or anywhere I can't get away if someone gets sick.

Sadly, this little fear of mine has caused me to miss out on some fun things.  When I write about this, I realize I am sounding a bit crazy... I swear i'm not.  I have made big leaps in recent years with dealing with it.  You remember that trip to Vegas I took with my girlfriends, or even going to the 49ers game, ect... all of the fun experiences I write about.  I enjoyed them so much and often the fear doesn't get to me... but occasionally, in the side of my mind, that little fear creeps around.  

College was when I started making regular attempts to face it, and with the help of my girlfriends... I made a lot of progress and didn't miss out on too much!  But anytime I am around and it happens, I panic and get away from the area as fast as possible {I have been known to run away}.

You might be asking... what are you afraid of?  It can't hurt you!!  And believe me, I ask myself that same question.  That's what makes it an irrational fear.  It's not like being afraid of spiders or snakes, because they can bite you... but it's the same feeling.

So... this year, my goal was to start doing what I can to face that fear.  I know it may never go away completely, and the thought of living with it for the rest of my life causes me so much sadness.  

If I could change anything about myself... it would be this stupid fear.

I guess the reason I am writing about this is because I want to encourage other people to not be afraid to admit their fears.  I am also hoping that openly admitting this will help me take a small baby step in dealing with it and pushing myself to realize how silly it is.  There isn't a cure {believe me, I have researched} - but I refuse to accept it.  I'm afraid, but I just have to keep facing it.  In fact... you'll find me in that rowdy sea of red at the Niner game again this Sunday!

Anyone else have a fear of something unusual?

{please tell me i'm not the only one...}

PS.  It took me a REALLY long time to decide about posting this... so please don't make me feel like an even bigger idiot by thinking less of me. ;)

photo courtesy

Best. Game. Ever.

TL and his brother have been season ticket holders at Candlestick Park in San Francisco for almost a decade.

When I met TL, I was a Niner fan simply because they are the team closest to where I live and I grew up with Niner fans in my family.  But... dating him and eventually marrying him meant I would attend several games and spend several Sunday afternoons cheering them on.

Yesterday was one of the best games I have ever seen... and we were so lucky to be there and witness it in person!  It was so fun!  Total chaos.  Hugging people I have never met.  And the camaraderie between the fans and everyone in the stadium was incredible.  The energy was unlike anything I have experienced!!

We started the day out early, getting to the stadium early to get a good parking spot, and then meeting up with some family friends to tailgate and play a few games.

 Right when the game ended... we were going crazy! {TL, me, my dad, and BIL Joe}
We were standing the whole time!

Now, we wait to see who we're going to play next Sunday.

I am still in disbelief of this game... the last 2 minutes of the 4th quarter was some of the most exciting football I have ever seen!

Go Niners!!

New Years Bunco

Not only was it our first Bunco of 2012 this last weekend, it was also the one year anniversary of when our little group of girls formed our Bunco team!

Many of you have asked me what Bunco is... and so, I thought I would quickly explain.  It's basically a dice game that takes no talent or thought... it's just about rolling 3 dice and trying to get certain numbers.  For us, it's a time to get together, chat, and enjoy good food & drinks!

Michelle hosted this month... and the theme was sparkles to bring in the new year.  She had little tiaras for us. We had homemade pizza for dinner, and lots of yummy finger foods.  It was such a great night! :)

Great way to kick off 2012 with these ladies... I love 'em!

Already looking forward to next month's theme... ;)

Norman's Ice Cream & Freezes

On one of our visits to San Francisco last month, we walked around the Pier with friends and found a yummy little ice cream shop.  It's a tiny little shop - but it's raved about on foursquare and yelp... and it's easy to see why when you visit it!  It also has won all sorts of little food awards :)

The owner is adorable.  He said his wife makes all of the fudge!

 That's the whole shop!  Super tiny. Super cute.

Doesn't this look delicious?!

Definitely worth a try if you visit SF - you can find it in Del Monte Square !

Hello, 2012... you're here already?

That was fast.

2012 came so quickly.

I pondered all of my ideas for new years resolutions while I was showering earlier, and nothing come to mind that I am determined to set as my resolution.

I'm naturally a goal setter.  I've always been that way.  I set daily goals, short term, and long term goals and refer to them usually pertaining to work and life in general.  I think I will just stick to that routine.

But my resolution for this year is this... live each day the best I can.

We can't control lots of things in our lives, but we control ourselves, our attitude, actions, and reactions.  Happiness is our choice and typically I try to make decisions that will make me happy.

Each new year is a fresh start... but so is every day.

This year, I want to work a little harder at facing my fears.  I want to forgive people more easily and not sweat the small stuff.  I want to continue to recognize and appreciate all of the amazing people in my life.

Of course, I also want to remember to eat healthy, take my vitamins, and take the dogs on a few more walks.

What about you?

Any New Year's Resolutions... or revelations?

Happy New Year!

{a little collage of our low key New Years Eve!}