Recap of The Move...Part 1

So we have finally made the move to Colorado Springs!!! What an adventure and a LOT of hard work the last 2 weeks have been!!!

First...the flight with Nate! After last year's experience of flying across country with Nate, I was dreading this day. Nate had a really hard time coming from CA meowing the entire flight, even though I had given him tranquilizers. This time, I decided not to drug him at all, in hopes that once he calmed down a bit he wouldn't be so "out of it" from the drugs. Thankfully that paid off... although the drive to the airport was not fun with his torturing meowing the entire drive, but once we got him in his carrier, and covered that with a towel, he eventually calmed down some. The flight was much more successful than last year, although he still meowed from time to time, but it was many, many times better than last time!!! We met Mom and Dad at the Denver airport and even survived the hour car ride to our new home.

Once we arrived at our new home we had a few problems. Apparently there was some sort of miscommunication between Matt and our landlords because we were under the impression they would leave 1 full size bed at the house. Because of that we sold both of the beds we had in CT. The plan was for my parents to take that bed the first 2 nights (until my queen bed arrived on Monday) and I would just sleep on a couch. But instead we came to a house with no beds at all. I was exhausted and didn't want to leave Nate in a big new environment by himself, so thankfully my parents made a Target run and bought an air mattress for them to sleep on the first few nights. Then there was the issue of me forgetting that we would need a lot of basic essentials when arriving to the house like sheets, towels, pillows, etc. This was my first time moving to a new state into a new place and that all just slipped my mind!!

Once we survived the first night, we readied ourselves for a long week of hard work unpacking and getting our new home set up. Sunday morning, we were suppose to have the cable installed, but somehow Comcast had no record of me calling 3 weeks earlier and setting it up. Eventually after several phone calls and confusion, we got it all installed about a week later. On Monday, the first pod arrived with my things from CA. Luckily the pod was not very full, however it contained the heaviest of the furniture and getting the amoire and dresser up the curvy stairwell was not fun!!! That Thursday, the CT pod arrived and amazingly we got it fully unloaded in just a few hours! Of course that left the house full of boxes everywhere, but we got pretty unpacked and settled in just a few days! My parents and I were quite a team!!!

We had a great time having dinner with Matt's new boss and his wife and the golf club on Sunday night. It was such a night break and I was so glad that my parents got a chance to meet them. Bill and Bette Storms are not only incredibly generous people (Bette came by on Sunday morning with some supplies she thought we might need like plates, napkins, TP, butter, apples, and evne homemade cookies and bread!!), but we really enjoy each other's company. My parents instantly liked them and I think the feeling was mutal!

The highlight of the week was the arrival of my parent's wedding/house warming gift to Matt and I... we had been wanting to get a new flatscreen TV, but the one we really wanted is expensive so it would be a little while before we could get it. My parent's surprised and thrilled us with the Sony 52" HD TV and a beautiful glass and wood TV stand to hold it!!!!! It's a work of art!!! It's AMAZING.... I can't wait to see USC football, McDreamy and the Oscars on this!

The first week in Colorado was exhausting but by the end I was so glad that we put in the hard work and got the house pretty set up. I'm the type of person who needs to unpack at a hotel immediately, so feeling so unsettled really bugged me! I was looking forward to the 2nd week where we would get to do some sight seeing while waiting for Matt and his Mom to arrive.

I have to seriously thank my parents for all their help and support during that week. I honestly don't even have the words to thank them enough. Helping me unpack, moving furniture up stairs, putting together and fixing furniture... their help was invaluable and something I'll never forget. I honestly believe I would have never been able to do this without them! They are the BEST!!!

Next part.... the sights around Colorado Springs...

Our Last Days in CT...

I can't believe that we are in our final days in Connecticut!!! The apartment is basically packed, the POD is on its way to Colorado Springs and we are ready to go!!! It's been a great experience being on the East Coast, especially seeing the change in seasons, being so close to NYC and for Matt, being able to visit so many family history sites. We keep hearing so many great things about Colorado Springs from those that have lived there or know someone who does, so we are excited to be there!

I'll be flying with Nate on Saturday, meeting my parents at the Denver airport. They'll be coming to help me get settled, unpack and keep me company until Matt arrives. Matt and his Mom will take 2 weeks to drive across visiting family geneology sites and bringing my car across.

I invite anyone to come visit us in Colorado Springs! We are renting such a cool house and have plenty of room. And eventually, in about a year we hope, we'll be in our own home. Hope to see you all soon!!

We Have A Home!

We finally found a home (to rent) in Colorado Springs! After looking at many homes online (you'd be surprised how picky Matt can be!!) and having our realtor that is helping us go an look at several homes, we finally found a really cool home. It's an adobe house that's been updated and is in an area we really like. And the great part is that she's going to leave it basically furnished... we can let her know what we want her to keep or take, but since we don't have much furniture or are going to leave much behind, I was so thrilled to find a mostly furnished place.

We'll have a guest room so PLEASE feel free to come visit us... it's just a quick 2 hour flight from Southern CA! Below are pictures of our new place... do you see the TREE growing through the kitchen??!! Too cool!

Matt Got a GREAT Job!!!

Finally after months and months of worrying about getting a job, and worrying about getting an allergy job, Matt was offered an amazing opportunity this past weekend working for a well known and regarded doctor in Colorado Springs!!!

Matt will be working with Dr. William Storms at his clinic. Dr. Storms has been an Allergist for 30+ years in the Colorado Springs area. Check out his website: www.stormsallergy.com

As you know, we originally visited Walla Walla, WA where we were very impressed by the clinic and the doctors there. Matt would have had the opportunity to basically create his own clinic on their dime so it was a great opportunity. We had some concerns though... the town is very small, Matt wouldn't have a mentor that he'd hope to be able to have at the beginning of his career or have an opportunity to do much teaching which is something he's very interested in. But still, it was a fantastic opportunity and we were very, very close to accepting that position.

Then this Colorado Springs opportunity came up. Matt had actually responded to a job posting from Dr. Storms a few months ago, but it tunred out that he wanted to wait awhile to see how the economy might affect his practice. So we put the job out of our minds. But then Dr. Storms contacted Matt and suddenly they were talking about the job again. The economy hasn't really affected the practice as he thought it might, so Dr. Storms was interested in finding someone to bring on again. After several emails and phone calls, we were discussing coming out in person to interview. But after visiting Walla Walla, we weren't sure we even wanted to go to Colorado... we felt like we would be wasting our time and his money to fly us out there when we "knew" we'd be taking the WA job. But then a phone call from Dr. Storms to Matt suddenly changed Matt's mind and the felt he wanted to check it out. I'm so glad he did!!!

This past weekend we went to Colorado Springs. We got to stay at the amazing Broadmoor, which is the longest continuing 5-Star, 5-Diamond hotel. It's beautiful, set against the mountains and of course, the service was incredible! Matt met with and saw some patients with Dr. Storms on Friday and then I got a chance to meet Dr. Storms and see the clinic. Matt was very impressed with the professionalism, efficiency and service-oriented office. He knew pretty quickly that this was a place he wanted to be and that he could learn so much from Dr. Storms. And about 20 minutes after meeting Dr. Storms I felt the same way. It was amazing that my opinion could change so quickly, but I saw that this would really be the perfect opportunity for Matt. The best of everything he wanted in a job... a mentor, a businessman, an opportunity for teaching, and to be involved in different allergy societies.

We had a really hard time reading Dr. Storms to see if he was interested in us. He had been saying he was willing to wait for the "right person" but we weren't sure what qualities he was looking for. Eventually he said that he wanted someone who was interested in clinic medicine (which Matt definately is) and someone who wants to live in Colorado Springs. Now, to be honest, we aren't totally sure we want to be there for life, but then again, we don't know that we won't love it there. So thankfully we were able to convince Dr. Storms of both.

So on Saturday night we were at dinner with Dr. Storms and his sweet wife Bette. We had just had a 4-hour real estate tour that day and saw tons of neighborhoods that we could see ourselves living. So he asked us... "Do you see yourselves here?" and we told him all we liked about what we saw. Then he bluntly said "Let's make a deal!" I don't know if our faces showed the shock we felt inside, but we were estactic. The only last issue we had was the salary. Walla Walla was paying considerably more and Matt was totally honest with Dr. Storms and told him our other offer. Without blinking, Dr. Storms raised the salary by $25,000 and suddenly Matt and Dr. Storms were shaking hands and it was a done deal!!!! It was incredible!

Afterwards, the Storms' left and we walked back to our room. As soon as they were out of sight, I just started crying and couldn't stop. The stress of the last several months was finally over. Matt had been applying to every job we could find in the west... job not in allergy, prision jobs, military jobs... anything just to have a job. Now, not only did he find a job, but got one in Allergy and one that is really his ideal position. The one catch, of course, is that it's not in California. But from all the people that Matt's talked to lately, California is not the place to be if you are a doctor. At least we got much further west and are much closer to family.

So the plan now is for me and the cat to fly out to Colorado Springs at the end of June and work on getting whatever house we end up renting set up. My parents (thank God!) will be meeting me there to help me and keep me company while Matt and his Mom take a geneology related drive across (and bring my car) and get to Colorado Springs about 2 weeks later.

Once we are settled, we can't wait to welcome visitors, so start looking into when you want to visit!!! Thanks to everyone for their support!!!

The Tulips Fairy Arrives Again!

Every year my Mom sends me a bouquet of tulips (my favorite) for my birthday. I've started calling it the Tulip Fairy because even the few times I've been away from home on my birthday, she manages to have them sent. So today I not only got a beautiful bouquet from my parents, but also received a beautiful tulip bouquet from one of my closest friends, Tammy. I was so surprised to receive her flowers and was so touched she would think to send them! I miss her!!!

Here are pics of the bouquets...

From My Parents

From Tammy & Sau

Job Update

Matt and I are still in the process of deciding where to go. After our Walla Walla visit, we are very impressed with the area and the Clinic. The Clinic has told us that we've got the job if we decide to take it, so it's great knowing that we definately have something.... especially such a great job!

Matt also has been in talks with a doctor in Colorado Springs who owns his own practice with 2 clinics and seems to be very successful. After our trip to Washington, and after Matt talked with several friends, we almost planned on just accepting the Washington offer. However, in talking with the doctor from Colorado Springs, Matt feels it would be best to go out to Colorado and at least meet with this doctor and see his clinics. I understand not wanting to just jump on a first offer, however part of me feels that it'll be very hard for this Colorado doctor to be able to match the offer from Washington. So Matt and I will be heading to Colorado in early May. After going to Colorado, we should be able to make our decision.

Matt has even brought up the idea of going back to California where he could do Locum work (basically Doctor temp work). Most likely this would be internal medicine and my concern is that it wouldn't necessarily be full time work. While I am incredibly tempted to be back in California near family and friends, it just seems like too much uncertainty for Matt to have Locum work in an area of higher taxes, higher home prices (compared to WA or CO) while having to pay bills and loans... also I hate the idea of Matt not being able to practice Allergy after all the years of hard work he's put in. I would rather go to WA or CO for a few years, be able to save a good amount of money, and if we can or decide to come back to CA, we'd be able to come back much more financially secure and maybe even have enough for Matt to start his own practice and not have to rely on a position being open.

I have a feeling we'll end up in Walla Walla, however it's not completely decided yet. There is a chance CO could really impress us, but we'll see. I'm just looking forward to the decision being made so we can start making our plans to move!

Our Walla Walla Weekend

Matt and I went to Walla Walla this weekend for his interviews and to check out the town. I have to admit that when we first flew in, I wasn't so sure about this place. It is in the middle of nowhere, but it's surrounded by the beautiful Blue Mountains that still have a bit of snow on them. Of course, I brought my camera, but totally forgot to take any pictures!!!

The Walla Walla Clinic (where Matt interviewed) was amamzing. This entire process has made me impressed with them... from their quick responses to emails, sending a package of information to us about the area, and then paying for both of us to fly out. They set up dinners for us each nights when a few doctors and their wives, set us up with a real estate agent to get a tour of the area and see some houses and were so welcoming!

On Friday, Matt spent all day in interviews meeting with a different doctor every half hour! It was a busy day for him, but he aced them! I spent the day walking down Main Street and driving around town. I was glad that we ended up with a real estate agent to take us around, because the streets I was driving around were not impressing me!

On Saturday, after our meeting with real estate agent (who was so great... she even had a bottle of wine and tickets to the Taste of Walla Walla left at the restaurant we went to the night before we met her!), we went to the Feast Walla Walla (aka, Taste of) where we sampled many wines and a little food. It was great... unfortunately, this area specializes in red wines and I'm a white wine drinker, but we did find a few places that had some great whites. Afterwards, we went out and went to a couple of wineries and ended up buying a bottle.

After dinner with the CEO that night, he let us know that all the comments he's heard about both Matt and I have been very positive. Then he said that the decision on this job would basically be ours... meaning that if we decide to take the job in Walla Walla, they would most likely vote to hire him!!! We were so excited to hear that... and so relieved to know that Matt has not only most likely found a job, but an AMAZING job at that. It's really one with so many perks and is really practically his dream job that we just can't pass it up.

We head to Colorado Spings in a few weeks to meet with one other clinic. This is one is owned and run by one doctor and he's looking for someone to eventually take over his practice. We are going just for a "2nd opinion", but basically we think there is no way he can really compete with the Walla Walla position.

So it's not official yet, but I think Matt just found a job and we just found a new home!!! There are over 100 wineries in Walla Walla so I hope that will entice many of you to visit!!!

Update

Since I haven't blogged in awhile, just thought I'd give an update...

First, I'm going to be an Aunt!!!!!!! Bethany and Ryan are pregnant and everyone is soooo excited!!! She is due only about 3 weeks before the wedding, so they were really cutting it close! It'll still be a few more weeks until they find out the sex of the baby... she says she wants a boy, so I guess we'll find out soon! My Dad would be so thrilled to finally have a boy in the family to wrestle with!!! :) Bethany is felling really well and has recently heard the heartbeat and gotten a great ultrasound picture!

Wedding planning on still my focus at the moment. I've got the florist, photographer and DJ hired. I made my decision on my dress, but haven't yet officially ordered it... I'm kinda hoping to negotiate a deal... I've got 2 dress shops (one in CA and one in CT) I'm trying to have bid against each other. So far, I've got the dress more than $200 off retail! Our Save the Date magnets have come in and we'll be mailing those out this week... hopefully! They turned out so cute and I'm excited that this is the first step to annoucing the wedding and making things more "official".

Job hunting is still Matt's biggest priority. This weekend we are both being flown out to Walla Walla, WA for Matt to interview with a multi-specialty clinic and for us to be able to check out the area. We are really excited to finally see Walla Walla in person after all the online research we've been doing! We are scheduled to have dinner with different doctors from the clinic each night, so I guess I'm being "intereviewed" too!!! We are also meeting with a realtor who is going to show us around the town and give us an idea of neighborhoods we might be interested in living. There is another opportunity in Colorado Springs as well, and that doctor is also interested in flying us both out for interviews and checking out the area. We haven't yet set a date on that, but I think it'll be sometime in early May. So with any luck, Matt will have a job offer soon and we'll finally know where we are going in July!!!

Matt also just got back from a week in Grenada. He did his first two years of medical school there at St. George's University and this it the second time he was asked to teach in Grenada (he's also taught twice at the school's Newcastle, England campus). Unfortunately I couldn't make the trip... SGU didn't offer to cover my expenses this time (I got to go the first time he taught about 2 years ago), and with my new temp job, I didn't feel I should take a full week off, especially when I had been there before. Matt had a great time teaching, but unfortuantely the professor who asked him to teach is crazy and now he's not interested in teaching for her in the future. Her reputation is one of being completely unreasonable and crazy, but apparently SGU doesn't care and she continues to be the head of the Allergy/Clinical Immunology Department! Hopefully Matt will still get another chance to teach there, but within a different department. He was amazed that all the students have cell phones and he had wireless internet in his hotel room. Grenada is finally catching up!

So lots going on with us and with the Netro family! Please send good thoughts our way for this weekend while we are in Walla Walla!!!

Walla Walla???

So Matt FINALLY has found a GREAT job opportunity and has been speaking with a couple of people at this clinic in Walla Walla, WA. This is the first job opportunity where we actually see it as a true possibility. Matt has been really stressed the last couple of months because the job positions available have either been in an area we have no desire to live (ie, North Dakota, Arkansas, etc), have gotten no response from submitting his resume or gets a "thanks, we'll let you know" response. It's been really frustrating and frustrating for me because there is nothing I can do to help. But finally....

He got his resume submitted to a multi-specialty clinic in Walla Walla, WA (the SE corner of WA... about 4 hours from Seattle). Over the last week he's spoken to the CEO and one of the Dr's to learn more about the position. For Matt this would be such a PERFECT job... he would be basically getting a chance to start an Allergy practice without having to put up any money! This clinic wants to start an Allergy practice within the clinic and would allow Matt to run it how he wants, including hiring his own nurse to assist. We had concerns that he might not even get to practice Allergy right away and now he'll get the chance to learn how to run a clinic and what works and doesn't work for him. And looking online at the Walla Walla websites, it looks to be a great little town.... 3 colleges, growing wine country (currently 100 wineries!), a great downtown/Main Street, no income tax and a lower cost of living.

The clinic is sending us a package that includes information on the position, the clinic and the area. Then next week, they'll call Matt to discuss further and then I think they will fly us both out there to talk more and let us check out the area. I'm actually really excited about this. Even though it's not California, where we wanted to be, this seems like such a great position for Matt which is the most important part for me.

For now, if he gets the job, we will move there this summer and just see how it goes. If we don't really like it there, then we'll just plan on staying until an Allergy position opens up in Southern CA. If we do love it up there, then there is a chance we could stay. Who knows at this point.... but please keep your fingers (and anything else) crossed for us! Getting a job (and a GREAT job at that) settled would be such a huge relief for both of us.... and then we can truly concentrate on our wedding and our plans for moving!

Official Wedding Planning Has Begun!!!

This past weekend I went back to California to watch the Oscars with my Mom (we have a deal to watch them together every year) and to officially start wedding planning! I had a full itinerary of meetings with florists, a photographer, trying on dresses, officially asking girls to be my Bridesmaids and just hanging with family. By the end of the weekend I was exhausted but felt it was a good start.

Friday I spent the day meeting with Florists and took along my Mom and future Mother-in-Law, Maggie. Maggie once owned a flower shop and since I don't know anything about flowers, she was a huge help in making suggestions of flowers or letting me know which ones would hold up during the day. At the end of the day, there were 2 florists that I felt would do a great job. I finally made my first official wedding decision yesterday and picked one. While I think both would do a beautiful job, I ended up with the florist that is closer to my parent's house and is very familiar with the wedding location.

Saturday was Dress Day!!! Although I have an idea of what I think will work for me, I'm keeping an open mind and am trying on different styles. But it doesn't turn out to be as fun of a day as I had thought it would be. First, trying on these dresses is exhausting!!! They are big, heavy and not easy to get on and off. I've narrowed it down to a few, but am going to keep looking and wait for that "this is the one" feeling I hear so much about.

Saturday night I went to my sister and brother-in-law's house for dinner and had a great time! Often on my visits back home, I get to spend a lot of time with my parents (because I'm staying with them) and I often see my sister, but we don't always get a lot of quality time together. We had such a great time having dinner, talking and catching up.

Sunday I met with Tammy, Georgette and Gretta (Matt's sister) at The Hacienda (our wedding location). I wanted to show them around and officially ask them to be my Bridesmaids. Bethany is Matron of Honor. Thankfully they were all so excited and said yes! So now both Matt and I have our bridal party chosen. It's exciting that a few decisions have been made and people are so excited for us. After meeting with the girls, I met my Mom and Sister at David's Bridal to do some shopping for bridesmaid dresses. Pretty much everything Bethany put on looked great on her, which wasn't surprising! I'm hoping to get all the girls together the next time I come out to have them choose dresses. I think I like the idea of each of them wearing a different style dress to work with their body type, but we'll see.

Sunday afternoon and evening was dedicated to the Oscars! My Mom and I love watching the hours of red carpet pre-show as well as the actual show. This year was one of the best ever! Although the red carpet wasn't quite as exciting because many of the big stars came through a back entrance so they were a surprise, it still was great. Most dresses I loved although there were a few misses. Hugh Jackman was absolutely incredible... although I think he could just stand on the stage in a tux and read the phone book and be amazing, but the singing, dancing, jokes and just look of pure enjoyment on his face made him great! I hope he continues to host many times!

Monday was a slower wedding planning day, which I was happy about. I had focused so much on planning during the weekend that I was already feeling a bit burned out. So my Mom and I just met with one photographer, who takes amazing pictures, but as I thought was out of our budget. Luckily, I've already found another photographer that will be great, so I'll probably officially hire her tomorrow. Then we met Bethany for lunch so I could see her again before leaving. Then Mom and I cruised around Crate & Barrel and Macy's Home stores just to see what kind of registry items are out there. Matt and I will have to check out some items and see if we can agree on dishware and things. Although I think we do have some differences, I think we are pretty good about being flexible and we'll be able to make some compromises.

All in all, it was a tiring weekend, but so much fun to actually be wedding planning! We have less than 7 months to the wedding now and there is still a lot to do, but I felt it was a good start. I hope to be back in CA in a few weeks for a friend's wedding and hopefully be able to do some more dress shopping and make some more decisions!

I Got a Job!!!!

So it's not a permanent job, but at this point, with only a little over 4 months in Connecticut, it's actually the perfect job. The last month or so I've been working at Energizer and helping them create their PO process. Just this week, I've found out that I've gotten a position within the same company covering a 16+ week maternity leave! I'm so excited because it's full time and will go through the end of June, when is exactly when Matt finishes his Fellowship at Yale.

At that point, we are hoping to be coming back to California, however with the economy and job market these days, there's a good possibility our return to California could be a bit delayed... keep your fingers crossed Matt can find something in CA so we can come back this summer. We both are hopeful that will happen, but if not, I'm just hoping Matt finds a position he will be happy in and hopefully in a state that isn't too far away from California!!!

WE ARE ENGAGED!!!

This weekend Matt and I were engaged!!! Matt did such an amazing job planning our weekend in New York City (one of my most favorite places in the world!!)

Saturday morning he mentioned he had some ideas for plans on that Valentine's Day and when I asked, he just suggested I get ready... and then later said that I should probably pack something for overnight. I was hoping that Matt would be proposing this weekend, and hearing this I knew it would! But he still wouldn't give me any details, which made it kinda fun! We ended up at the train station in New Haven headed for NYC!

Once in NY, we walked to our hotel and along the way, he would stop (in Grand Central and the middle of Times Square) and say "wouldn't this be a great spot for an engagment!" We both knew it was going to happen, but he wanted to keep me guessing. Once checked into the hotel, we walked down to Central Park. It was a beautiful day... cool, but not a cloud in the sky, sunny and gorgeous! We ended up at the horse drawn carriages and I got to take my first ride. It was something that I'd always wanted to do, and had mentioned it to Matt a long time ago, so I was so thrilled he remembered. The ride was nice, although we were greeted by Carriage protesters (who believe it's cruel to the horses) and when Matt mentioned it to our driver, he went off for several minutes about how much he disagreed. But other than that, the ride was beautiful and I loved it!

Next we walked around the Park and watched some ice skating at the rink. Walking away from the rink, we heard a man playing the saxophone. And he just happen to be playing Matt's most favorite Ella Fitzgerald song, "Lullaby of Birdland" which is not a common song. We couldn't believe it!!! It was so amazing that just as we were walking up, he happen to be playing that song... it was fate!!!

Then we were off to a place I did not expect... we've been talking about checking this place out since hearing about it, but I didn't not expect to be there on Valentine's Day! We were at Gray's Papaya... a famous hot dog place. We had a couple of dogs with our banana and papaya drinks and we were off again. Walking just several blocks we were at the Empire State Building. Thankfully he bought this "express pass" tickets which allowed us to bypass all of the lines... saving us about 1 1/2 hours of waiting! It was GREAT and I'm so glad he did it! The views from the top were incredible since it was such a clear night. We saw the Chrysler building, the Statue of Liberty, the Hudson River where the plane had just landed and Times Square. It was incredible. And again he says, "wouldn't this be a great spot for a proposal" to which I finally said "you don't talk about it, you just do it". It would have been a great spot, but the longer we were up there the more I was happy he didn't do it there. There were tons of people and I was afraid I might not hear him.

Then we took a cab to the Waldorf Astoria where we had an incredible dinner. We eat had steak which were the best we've ever had. Thankfully we were in a smaller, quieter room since Matt had decided this was the place for the proposal. I had gotten up from the table and when I returned, our waiter broguht over a plate with a red rose, the ring box and 2 glasses of champagne. As soon as I saw the ring box, the tears started and I totally lost it! I knew it was coming, but still was so overwhelmed about the actual moment. He got down on one knee and proposed. I finally got a "yes" out and got a chance to see my ring. It was beautiful, but my eyes were brimming with tears so I could barely see it! Which caused a moment of laughter when I said, "I can't see the ring" and he says "It's not that small" and then I had to explain the tears where blocking my sight!! It was cute! I was told later that there was clapping from people around us, but I don't remember! It was an amazing moment, and I'll never forget it!After an amazing day, we ended up at Rockefeller Center and watching the ice skaters. Finally my feet were giving out and we headed back to the hotel and started making phone calls to friends and family.

It was a day I'll never forget and I'm so happy that Matt was able to make it such a memorable occassion. I can't wait to tell our kids about it someday!

New Year's Resolutions

I stopped making New Year's Resolutions many years ago. Anytime I would make one, it would be broken quickly. Since Matt and I have been going to the gym on a fairly regular schedule the last several months, we've gotten use to the routine of the busy times at the gym. Surprisingly this gym we go to doesn't really have a crazy crowded time, not even after the work is done, which is great! They have enough machines that I don't ever have to wait for one! But now that the New Year has been and everyone has made their resolutions to lose weight, the gym is packed! I went on a Sunday about 12noon, when it's usually dead at the gym, and I could barely find a treadmill! I know that in a month or so, it'll probably go back to normal because people will have broken their resolutions. But just needed to vent for a bit...

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year and hope everyone had wonderful holidays! Matt and I were back in CA for Christmas and it was so great being back there. Although I felt a little weird... I was back in CA, with my family and friends, but still felt like I didn't have a home there, so I felt a little out of place. We stayed at my parents house, but that's still not my "home" and it felt strange not to be going back to the house in Huntington Beach.

But we had a great time... catching up with friends, catching up on restaurants we miss and just hanging out with family. For those of you wondering, there wasn't any "small box" under the tree... many people kept asking me, and Matt caught a lot of flack from friends and family about not proposing yet. It should be coming in the next couple of weeks, so I'll let you know!

We also got to go to the Rose Bowl game, which was GREAT! Maggie is a USC season ticket holder and put herself in the lottery and got tickets that were 10 rows back from the field! I've never been so close! It was amazing! We met up with one of Matt's boss' before the game... he and his brothers are big Penn State fans so they flew out here for the game. Really nice guys (at least 2 of 3 were... one brother was very anti-social). And it was a great game with USC pulling off the win against Penn State. I've got pictures, but am a little lazy to post them right now...

It was a great trip, but I have to admit I was a little anxious to get home. Even though I don't really consider CT my home, the apartment feels like home now and I couldn't wait to get home to see Nate. We have 2 kids across the street that watch him and they do a great job... even leaving me a "Nate Log" of their daily visits.

Happy New Year!!!

Rockefeller Center

Matt and I went into NYC yesterday to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. I've never seen it in person, so I was so excited. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't ideal, but that wasn't stopping me. We had received about 6-8 inches of snow on Friday, so we decided to take the train into the City so we wouldn't have to drive on the slick roads. It was also my first time taking the train here and I really enjoyed it.

We almost didn't make it though.... Matt was on call this weekend and generally that doesn't stop us from our plans. He often can take care of any page over the phone, but this time he call paged as we were driving to the train station and it was a consult, which means he has to go in to see a patient. So we went to the hospital and I hung out as he saw the patient. Unfortunately, this woman is extremely sick and Matt thinks she probably won't survive (she's got multi-organ failure), but the Doctor's were throwing out a "hail mary" as Matt put it, and trying to figure out anything they could to help her, so Matt was called in.

Anyway, eventually we got to go, so we were off to the train station. The ride down was great, and thankfully we were getting on in New Haven, because by the third or fourth stop, the train was standing room only. When we arrived in NYC, it was COLD! They were only expecting a high of about 28 degrees that day, but there was a wind that froze our faces! We were pretty warm otherwise, but I was afraid my face would crack... until it finally went numb! We walked over to Rockefeller Center and when we turned the corner, we saw the Tree... it's even more beautiful in person and worth facing the weather to see.

So then we decided to walk around the City. We went over to St. Patrick's Cathedral and walked inside. I had seen the cathedral before, but have never been inside. It's beautiful and very impressive. I couldn't only imagine walking down the aisle to get married in that place... very indimidating!

Then we walked down 5th Avenue to check out all the "fancy stores". We can't even afford to walk inside most of them! It was seriously crowded... I overheard someone say that this is the busiest weekend of the year in NYC, and I would agree! But it was beautiful with lights on the buildings and the amazing window displays. We ended up going to a sushi place Matt knows in the Upper East Side and then headed back down to Rockefeller Center so I could see the tree at night and "in all it's glory". It's even more stunning at night...

To end our great day, it began to lightly snow as we stood watching the tree. When a perfect end to a great day!

First Winter Snowstorm

Today we got our first big snowstorm. It started about 12:30pm and by 3:30pm when these pictures were taken, there was easily 5-6 inches on the ground!! We decided to go for a walk down to the Green to check it out.... It's not really beautiful to walk while it's actually snowing hard, but it was really beautiful out.

Now we are back in the apartment warm with a fire going. Nate is sleeping right in front of the fire... it's adorable!

The Guilford Christmas Tree


I stayed warm in my coat!!!

Xmas Combo Blog

So there is good news and bad news... I always prefer the bad news first, so at least we get to look forward to good news.

The bad news.... the day after Thanksgiving the neighbors had their Christmas blow ups up and running!!! It's way out of control... some of them spill over in front of our duplex! And we have a blow up helicopter (with moving blades on top!) right outside our kitchen! It's also embarrassing because we live on a nice street... nice homes (except for our "white trash" looking duplex), but as soon as you turn on our street you can see the lights and blow ups and we are nearly at the end of the street! Ugh... I hate it, but at least I only have to deal with it for one season. Here are some pics...

Tons of Stuffed Christmas Animals in the Window

And now the good news...

Matt and I went to the Guilford Tree Lighting earlier this month. It was adorable and totally reminded me of something from the Gilmore Girls (for those of you that watched that show, you'll understand what I mean). There was a stage on the Green where severl Town Selectman and Council members spoke, as well as a children's choir and band singing Christmas songs that the entire crowd sang along with. It was great fun... although a bit chilly to be hanging out for over an hour in 35 degrees! The town is really beautiful at Christmas... unfortunately it's hard to capture pictures that really show it in the dark, but it's beautiful...

The shops on the Green

The Stage and Crowd waiting & singing

We are waiting for the ceremony to begin!

The Tree is Beautiful!!!

Our First Snow!!!

Last night we got our first snow... when I woke up this morning, this is what I saw from looking from the kitchen and family room... I can't wait to see what the Green looks like. It's really beautiful and as I sit here, it's continuing to lightly snow. And I think it should stay on the ground, at least through tomorrow. It's suppose to be a HIGH of only 32 tomorrow, but then warming up into the 40s again, so we may lose it, so I'm going to enjoy it while we've got it.

Nate is Keeping Warm

Nate lately has discovered some new favorite sitting places. Since it's been getting cold here, he's found some new warm places...

It's a little hard to see, but Nate likes to sit or lie right in front of the fire now. He "zones out" and seems hypnotized by it... it's quite funny! That's why we had to get a fireplace screen because we didn't want anything popping out and landing on him!!! But now he stays cozy warm!

We also rearranged the furniture in the main room this weekend, so now Matt and I can share the couch in front of the fireplace. Last night Matt, Nate and I were cuddled up on the couch in front of a fire watching USC kill UCLA... now that is perfection!!!

A Snowy Thanksgiving

Matt and I spent Thanksgiving with the Netro side of the family. My Dad's family lives in Ohio and since I've never spent a holiday with them, I was thrilled to get the chance this year. We drove there (about an 8 hour drive) and thankfully were very lucky with weather. We hit some snow flurries in hills of Pennsylvania, but otherwise the weather was great. In Ohio, there were several inches of snow on the ground, but mostly the weather ended up being my nicer than expected... in the low 40s! It's really amazed me how I've learned to chance my perception of what is "warm" now... if I see the weather forecast with weather in the 50s now, I think "Wow, a nice day!"

We stayed at my cousin's house. The last time we saw his place was the weekend of his wedding just over a year ago. Rob and Sarah have done such a great job with the house, including a guest room that felt like a hotel with a tray of "mini bar" items!!! They were great hosts and we had a great time there. Thanksgiving dinner was also held there and I got my first taste of a deep friend turkey... it really lives up to all the hype I've heard about it.... very juicy, moist and flavorful. You didn't need gravy or a knife!

We also spent a lot of time over at my grandparents house. For me, the main purpose of any trip to OH is to visit them. Unfortunately, as my grandparents get older, there are more and more health issues that arise, so I'm trying to make the most of each trip and see them as much as possible. Thankfully having Matt around makes me feel better because he can talk to them about their health and offer any suggestions he might have. Since Matt is so into geneology, he also started helping me with my family tree and so we talked with my grandparents about their family history. They don't have as much information as we would hope, but they did offer some insights that we didn't have. Matt even found one of my grandpa's aunts that just passed away last year at the age of 97!

Overall it was a great trip. I'm hoping that we'll get a chance for another trip or two before we leave Connecticut.