Archive for April, 2011
bitter sweet dinner
April 30, 2011
If you’ve been reading our blog for a while, you’re probably aware that Luis and I try to get together with some of my friends from law school every month or so. There are only a few of us from my graduating class that are working in Las Vegas, and now our number is shrinking once again. My good friend, Ankitha (who I was friends with throughout law school), is moving to the bay area for a new job. So on Thursday night, we got together for one last dinner. I’m really excited for her to be moving on with her career (this is a really great move for her), but I’m sad we won’t be able to get together like we have in the past.
P.S. I’m not wearing heels in this picture, I really am that much taller than both Ankitha and Cara :)
being celebrated
April 29, 2011
As you are probably aware, my birthday was on Wednesday. It has been a busy week, and I’ve finally been able to get around to document everything that has gone on. It was a normal work day for me for the most part.
Though my birthday did start off with birthday roses from my wonderful husband:
Luis: I just wanted to make sure Natalia’s office was nice and colorful for her birthday!
Remember the office’s recycling program? Well, I got the up-cycled birthday balloon next (Thursday was my boss’ birthday so I crossed out my name and passed the balloon along. We’re all hoping the balloon lasts one more week to make it to our secretary’s birthday).
Lunch was with all of my co-workers at Gordon Biersch.
The food was spectacular. I ordered the lobster and shrimp tacos, and they were to die for. I absolutely loved them!
After lots and lots more working, I was about to leave the office when I realized I didn’t have my phone. After a good 30 minutes (and calling the restaurant to see if they could find it), I finally located my phone in my co-worker’s car (I must have left it in there after lunch). It only took me another 20 minutes to drive out to her house to pick it up and see all of my missed phone calls.
So I picked up my phone, and headed to the church where we had a cub scout meeting. This was a special night, the boys received some awards, and we ended with s’mores. Luis and I were asked to help with the s’mores table.
I guess I’m going to have to get used to little kids and their sticky fingers :)
And if that wasn’t enough fun for one day, we then headed over to Baskin Robbins for 31 cent cone night. The line was huge and we hadn’t had dinner yet, so Luis quickly remedied the situation with Little Caesar’s (not the greatest of pizzas, but quick and cheap so it worked for our little spur of the moment need).
Fortunately, we happened upon some other friends from our church, who were more than happy to share their place in line with us (sorry if that offends you… Suzy felt bad… I’m not as good of a person as Suzy bc all I could think of was that cutting in line meant that I would get off my feet sooner).
And finally, after all of this fun, I headed home and went straight to bed. I’m still tired from all of the festivities :)
After being presented by Luis’ present for me.
Luis: It looks crummy and didn’t turn out how I had hoped… but Natalia seemed to like it. It’s of gerber daisies… her favorite flower. I thought it would be a hit after my Christmas painting.
Don’t listen to him! I absolutely love it, and the picture’s colors match perfectly with our baby’s room… and it will go in her room for the rest of her life.. whether she likes it or not.
Throughout the day, I received:
- 94 posts on my Facebook wall,
- 10 comments on the blog post Luis wrote for me,
- 14 phone calls,
- several emails,
- and some very thoughtful and cute gifts and cards from friends.
Luis: Here are two very special Birthday songs Natalia received on her voicemail (from nieces Hannah & Lia… then nephew Abel)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I never want to make a big deal about my birthday because I have been so sorely disappointed by people in the past. But this year, I felt extremely loved by everyone’s outpouring. It is funny how a simple little birthday wish on Facebook, on the blog, or a quick little text can make such a difference. Thank you to all of you who made my day so wonderful!
Yes, we’re in Cub Scouts now
April 28, 2011
A couple weeks back we were asked to help out with growing number of boys in the Webelos (the 10 year-old Cub Scouts). So now, we’re official (well, not OFFICIAL just yet) Webelos Den Leaders.
As part of becoming an Adult Cub Scout Leader you have to go through various online trainings… the most important of all being Youth Protection Training. While the material covered was pretty important, the acting in the video was pretty cheesy.
I’m actually starting to look forward to this calling… seems like it’ll be a lot of fun!
My birthday girl
April 27, 2011
My beautiful birthday girl turns 28 today. Most of you probably THINK you know how absolutely amazing Natalia is… how kind she is… how beautiful of a smile she has… how she is a wonderful aunt… a fabulous cook & baker… an intelligent hard-working attorney… a loving sister and devoted friend.
But, all of you will never understand how truly special she is… just how big her heart is… how unbelievably understanding and patient… how warm and caring.
She’s my wife, my companion, my teammate, my best friend, my biggest supporter, my loudest cheerleader, my confidant… and today, she’s My Birthday Girl. I love her more than anything on this Earth.
Happy Birthday Natalia!
Leave a nice birthday message for Natalia in the comments below! :)
our fabulous easter
April 25, 2011
Our friends, Mike and Suzy, invited us over to their place for Easter this year. Luis and I definitely prefer spending holidays with friends/family so we were very grateful that they included us as part of their family. (Luis even commented at how familiar it felt having the Spanish-speaking grandmas there).
The afternoon started out with apps (as in appetizers, not iphone apps). I didn’t even think to take a picture, but Suzy had a wonderful spread going, and I made pão de queijo to add to the mix.
I had fun coloring Easter eggs
And Luis had fun teasing me
Following some wii-ing, we sat down to this amazing spread.
No, I didn’t upload the wrong picture, and your eyes are not deceiving you. We did not have ham for Easter. Instead, we had (clockwise from the top) salad, potatoes, rice, salmon, carne asada, and grilled vegetables. I didn’t get a picture of it, but dessert consisted of 4 delicacies: a sugar-free trifle, chocolate cake, banana cream pie, and/or tiramisu.
And I can’t forget to mention the cute little Easter basket Aunt Suzy sent over for Graciela. When I told Suzy she didn’t need to get anything for our unborn child, she responded, “It is not her fault she’s not born yet.”
reuse, reduce and recycle
April 25, 2011
A couple of weeks ago, one of our clients brought in some thoughtful Thank You gifts to the office staff. Attached to one of the gifts was this balloon:
Not wanting to be wasteful, and in honor of the upcoming Earth Day, we decided to reuse the balloon for one of the staff member’s birthdays.
Hehe, I thought it was clever.
30 sundays of truth
April 24, 2011
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
I’ve lived in quite a few places. Not counting the schools I attended in Brazil as a small child, I attended 2 elementary schools, 3 junior high schools, and 2 high schools. I went to college, then law school. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people in all of those different places, and I’ve had some great friends. Unfortunately, I am not very good at staying in touch with people. So months (and sometimes years) go by without me seeing or talking with some of my friends. But when we do get together, we pick right back up where we left off. Here are just a few of some of my best friends who I do not see or keep in touch with on a regular basis, but who I absolutely adore (there are several others, but sadly I don’t have pictures with them on my computer):
Recent Comments