The Hansens

Like Father, Like Son

2012-01-18T17:06:00.019-04:00

Sometimes I wonder what Brady will look like when he grows up. I don't think I have to guess now.

Christian- 1 week Brady- 1 week

Christian-4 months

Brady-4 months

Christian-5 months Brady- 5 months Christian- 6 months Brady- 6 months

I should've bought Brady a whoopie cushion for Christmas...

2012-01-13T02:58:00.002-04:00

Baby Food

2012-01-10T03:26:00.006-04:00

On Saturday morning I tried to make baby food. I used this hand blender to puree some sweet potatoes. Some of the food was stuck in the blade so I used my finger to get it out. At the same time I accidentally hit the ON button and you can imagine the rest. Thankfully, Christian was home to drive my hysterical self to the hospital. This was the first and very likely the last time I will ever attempt to make baby food.
I showed up clutching a bloody dish rag wrapped around my finger. As the Dr. unraveled the wrapping I was screaming because I was so scarred the tip of my finger was going to roll onto the floor. Fortunately, my finger was still intact and the blade only nicked my bone.

Before Christian redid the gauze last night he took a picture of the damage. Lovely.

Christmas Continued

2012-01-09T02:44:00.004-04:00

The day after Christmas Brady and I flew to Utah to meet my family in Park City. Corbin was so anxious to open presents that we ended up exchanging gifts at 1am when I got in (hence the lack of pictures). The next morning the festivities continued as we watched Brady open his endless pile of presents from my parents. My mom went so crazy for Brady's first Christmas that I had to get an extra suitcase just to get it all home. It was a quick trip that went by way too fast. I was able to squeeze in a short visit with the Eastons. It was so fun to see all the kids and all their excitement right after Christmas!

Brady's First Christmas

2011-12-27T16:27:00.013-04:00

I received the best Christmas present ever this year...Brady slept through the night for the first time. I woke up around 7am and realized that not only was Brady still sleeping, but I hadn't woke up once for a feeding or to put a pacifier back in. Heaven! I'm sure that'll be the last time our kids sleep in on Christmas morning. After church we went to the Hansens for presents and dinner. Brady was smothered with presents from his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and of course us. I can't wait till next year when he at least kinda gets what is going on. Christian got me a stair stepper, a subscription to US weekly, and some clothes. I gave Christian work clothes, tools, and a jacket. Chris & Cindy gave me some great work out clothes, boots and much more. They gave Brady some fun toys, a stuffed animal, and a couple adorable outfits. He also received a play table, more toys, and clothes from us. Heather gave him UGG boots, a coupon for a date night, and a custom t-shirt that says "I love my (picture of a helicopter) aunt". Doug and Cassie gave him the cutest book. It is "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and each page is narrated by a different sibling. As you turn the page the voice starts talking. So cute. Christian received tons of sweaters, work clothes, shoes, and more from his parents. We were all very lucky to have grandpa Hale with us all week for all the Christmas festivities. It was so fun to finally spend a Christmas with the Hansens and be surrounded by family on Christmas morning...Sure beats spending it alone and working all day on the ship!
Christian and his dad were able to get this into our house on Christmas Eve without me knowing. Christian wrapped it up, closed the door and I had no idea. Christmas morning he said my present was in the extra bedroom and as you can see on my face I was totally shocked.

Christmas Parties

2011-12-21T16:17:00.007-04:00

From ugly sweaters to formal wear we like Christmas parties in any form. So fun finally being around good friends during the holidays.

Eggnog drinking contest. Refereed by Santa Clause.

Christmas Time

2011-12-15T00:20:00.003-04:00

Home Sweet Home

2011-12-13T03:18:00.011-04:00

Warning…very long post, but much overdue. Christian worked incredibly hard for over four months remodeling our new home. Nearly every night (and all day Saturday) he would finish his “day job” and then head straight to the condo and work till 10pm or often later. He would then come home and almost always watch youtube videos to figure out how he was going to complete the next project. Christian’s scout master growing up, Greg Blotter, helped Christian build walls to extend the kitchen. Greg also redid all the electrical in the entire place. Thanks to tons of additional help from friends and family we are finally all settled in and loving our new home. While unpacking, I found a chocolate fountain (that I totally forgot we had) so I decided to fire it up for a little housewarming party we had on Sunday. I’m so proud of Christian and so grateful for all his hard work. There is no way I can even remember all the projects Christian (and some hired help) completed, but we now have all new…

-Windows
-Entirely new kitchen
-Floors
-Doors & Closet doors
-Washer and dryer (possibly my favorite addition)
-Entirely new bathrooms (tile, vanities, light fixtures, etc.)
-Crown molding and baseboards
-Insulation
-Stair Rail
-Appliances
-Vanities
- Paint, etc., etc.

Just to refresh your memory here are a few pictures of the before...I'm almost done decorating. There is one more room and bathroom that I didn't take pictures of, but I'm sure you can imagine an empty room:) Here is the after ....Guest bedroomUpstairs bathroom
Our bedroomBrady's room

Lasting Impression

2011-12-13T01:44:00.008-04:00

Chris & Cindy were having some new cement laid in their driveway and they invited Brady over to make his mark in it! So cute!

Morning Stretches

2011-12-13T01:18:00.004-04:00

Brady loves to play with his toes, but he is almost always wearing socks or PJs. There is only a few minutes in the morning and night when he has access to them. A couple days ago Christian decided to let him play for a bit while he grabbed the camera. What the camera didn't capture though was Brady peeing all over himself right after this shot:)

Thanksgiving

2011-12-05T23:18:00.004-04:00

After Newport we headed to Manhattan Beach to spend the holiday with my family. My Grandpa & Grandma McNay came out and my grandma cooked her amazing Thanksgiving feast. I was able to help her cook and learned how to make a couple of my favorite dishes. While everything cooked we went for a walk on the beach then headed home for an early dinner. To end the night Christian and I braved the crowds for some midnight Black Friday madness. Although we got some killer deals, it very well may be a once in a lifetime experience.

Besties

2011-11-28T21:23:00.005-04:00

The week before Thanksgiving my girlfriend Madeleine, her son Max, Brady & I drove down to Newport for a week of R&R. Brady made it very clear that he hated all 6 hours of the drive, but once we arrived we had a great time. The week involved more Diet Dr. Pepper, Cafe Rio, and lounging around than I care to admit, but I enjoyed every minute of it! Max loved playing with Brady (even though he can't even sit up on his own). I can't wait till Brady is a bit older so they can run around & play together! On Friday, Mad & Max flew home and Christian flew in for our first vacation as just the three of us!

Daddy's boy

2011-11-14T14:18:00.003-04:00

If I didn't know better I might wonder if Brady was actually my child. He is a spitting image of Christian as a baby. Plus, we just went to the Dr. for his 4 month check up and he is over 99th percentile for height. Obviously, that's not from me either. He also barely made a peep when he got his shots. I think I was more upset than him. Love this little guy!

First Haircut

2011-11-11T13:15:00.007-04:00

Brady is losing his hair, but it has been slowly falling out in chunks. It has been an uneven mess for awhile now. Thankfully, Heather came to the rescue and gave him a much needed hair makeover. She may have been partially motivated because his hair loss somehow created a Y on the back of his head:)
All done...He paid Heather with lots of kisses!Christmas came a little early for Brady. Heather got him two sets of super cute Christmas PJs

Brady's Blessing

2011-11-08T02:27:00.006-04:00

You are probably thinking...if we would've waited any longer Brady could've walked himself up to the podium. Between everyone's vacations it was hard to find a day that would work, but we finally did. My parents and grandparents flew into town and Christian's good friend Nate Defries came down Dublin. Brady received a beautiful blessing and thanks to a friend in the ward (with apparently lightning fast handwriting) we have the whole blessing transcribed. After church Cindy hosted and prepared a delicious dinner for everyone! There's is definitely no shortage of people that love Brady and we feel so lucky that he can be constantly surrounded by family and close friends!

All Hallows Eve

2011-11-06T01:34:00.003-04:00

Brady really wanted to dress up and go trick-or treating again so who was I to stop him. Although it was hot and his costume was clearly not designed for summer weather, I let him wear it anyway (he really liked all the compliments). We joined a group of friends for lunch and then some afternoon trick-or-treating in downtown Los Altos. Later in the evening we went to a Halloween party at Joe & Meg Field's house.

Trick-or-Treat

2011-10-29T20:04:00.004-04:00

Holland as Justin Bieber
Bailey as a duckMax as Donald TrumpOwen as Monster's Inc.

Our friend Lindsay planned a little Halloween party in the park for the kids to do a little trick-or-treating and dress up a few days early. It is so fun to see all the kids in their costumes. It might be one of the last times we can put whatever we want on them and they don't have an opinion. Brady was supposed to be a duck, but he too big so we had to go option 2.

Love that face (and that argyle sweater vest)

2011-10-27T21:02:00.003-04:00

When you give an Aunt a baby...

2011-10-27T12:36:00.002-04:00

He might come home looking like this!

Note to self

2011-10-26T18:08:00.003-04:00

Christian doesn't like it when he gets in my car and sees this...

California Love

2011-10-26T03:06:00.002-04:00

I love that we can head to the beach in the morning (at the end of October) and still make it home in time for an afternoon nap.

Moving woes

2011-10-13T11:27:00.004-04:00

We don't have a couch, but we do have a giant TV that is already mounted to the wall on some special swivel thing so you can see it from any angle of our small condo. Wanna guess who won that battle?

Joy Ride

2011-10-01T20:55:00.004-04:00

Brady at the Ballpark

2011-10-01T18:22:00.005-04:00

Brady's first Giants game! He was happy as can be until they scored a run. All the cheering scared him and he started to cry. I was thinking we might have to leave, but all the runs after that didn't seem to bother him. Good thing because the Giants scored 6 more!

Ready for Halloween

2011-09-27T14:24:00.004-04:00

Brady was going to be a duck for Halloween, but because of his new medicine we are thinking we might want to reevaluate . He has thrush and we have to give him a topical medicine that obviously stains. We put Aquaphor around his lips so it wouldn't stain, but didn't think to put it actually on his lips. After just one application he had purple lips for two days.

Early Start

2011-09-17T03:10:00.004-04:00

Since Brady has some Asian blood we thought he was ready to start developing his musical talents.

Chateau De Pickett

2011-09-07T14:41:00.008-04:00

The Picketts invited us up for an amazing weekend at their ranch! The weekend was full of yummy food, sun bathing, & friends. We spent the days at the lake & river and the evenings playing games. Jared treated us to shaved ice throughout the day, Garth gave us tours of the property on the Mongoose, and Greg never failed to provide the comedic entertainment. Christian would've spent all day fishing if I would've let him and even cooked up one of his catches. My personal highlight was tubing down the American River. Madeleine, KC & I could've been in separate tubes, but we opted to go together and tow the extra tube behind us. After a few scary moments and 3 sore bums from hitting rocks, we made it back safely. Christian dippped Brady's toes in the water, but that was about all he could handleThe boys chlling on the relaxation station. Trying to make it to the shore with a raft full of water. Irresistible!"Watching" the kidsChristian's catch of the day. Garth made a campfire and we roasted marshmallows & ate smores!

Slow Down

2011-09-06T20:16:00.007-04:00

It felt like Brady was growing like crazy. It seemed like overnight his clothes got shorter and his newborn clothes no longer fit. At his 2 month check up last week the Dr. confirmed my suspicions. He shot up from the 60th to the 95th percentile for height. While bathing him the evening of his Dr. appointment I snapped this picture showing just how much he's grown in 6 short weeks!

2 Weeks
2 Months

Gold Rush

2011-08-29T13:00:00.006-04:00

Christan, Brady, and I had never been to a professional football game so when we got the opportunity to see the 49ers we jumped all over it. We bundled up in all the red clothes we could find and headed out for a chilly night at Candlestick Park. The ticket lady actually said "I hope that's not all you brought for the baby"as she scanned my ticket (as if I would let him freeze in the name of football). We had great seats and even got serenaded by the apparently "famous" Banjo Guy. We took a ton of pictures to try to get one where Brady was looking at the camera. We finally got a good one of Brady...to bad we BOTH closed our eyes. HahaChristian, Brady, Hannah & ChrisThe Banjo Man

Farewell

2011-08-26T21:32:00.005-04:00

Chase Wheatley just left to serve a mission in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but before leaving the Wheatley's threw a great party in his honor. Kathy Pickett choreographed and directed a hilarious & impressive synchronized swimming number which was performed by Christian, Courtney, Candice, Doug & Greg. Brady slept through nearly the entire party, but woke up just in time to say goodbye and show off his new kicks!Hanging out with Auntie Cassie & MadeleineChristian on the Entrepislide!Doug getting some air The Grand Finale

Ready to Fly

2011-08-26T21:28:00.004-04:00

We are ready to hit the tarmac again...in style.

Firsts

2011-08-19T14:14:00.006-04:00

Last weekend Brady had a lot of firsts. He was a champ through it all...it was as if he didn't even notice anything had changed:)
1. First time on an airplane to LA
2. First time meeting grandparents, great grandparents, and uncle Corbin.
3. First time at the beach
4. First play date with a girl
5. First time being with a babysitter all night while I went to Jenna's graduation
6. First night away from daddy. "Play Date" with Blake

Uncle Corbin

Dr. Jenna's graduation celebration

Great Grandpa Chuck

Grandpa Holt

Great Grandpa & Grandma McNay

In hiding

2011-08-19T14:03:00.003-04:00

I put my camera away for a few weeks. I went to the doctor for Brady's 1 month appointment and he had:
1. Cradle Cap
2. Baby Acne
3. Thrush (yeast infection in his mouth)
4. GERDS (acid reflux)
It was a rough couple weeks, but the cradle cap went away, the acne cleared up, the thrush is gone, and he's on medication that really helps with the reflux. He's back to his happy little self again (and so am I)! yay

Photo Shoot

2011-07-21T13:49:00.009-04:00

I might be a little biased, but I'd say he's model material. I had so much fun taking pictures of Brady. We just need to work on him liking the getting naked & taking away the pacifier part.

Unwakeable

2011-07-20T12:53:00.003-04:00

Right after Brady eats he goes into a milk comatose and there is literally nothing that can wake him...not even bath time

Meet Brady Matthew Hansen

2011-07-14T17:07:00.009-04:00

Right after I got the monitors strapped on my belly. My Fred Flinstone feet. I really had a dreamy pregnancy except the last week my feet exploded and didn't stop growing until after he was born.

Our first family photo.Getting all cleaned up.

The grandparents: The boys with Chris & CindyMy mom & BradyOur last photo while we waited to leave the hospital!

I still can’t believe he is finally here. It was bit of a whirlwind, but we couldn’t be happier. I was scheduled to check into the hospital to start the induction process on Thursday, July 7 at 6pm. I called the hospital before we left and a very rude nurse told me they were busy and to call back at 7:30pm. Thanks to Cindy’s advice though we waited a bit and just went to the hospital anyway. Sure enough that same nurse was there to greet us and although she wasn’t happy we just “showed up”, we were able to get into our room right away.
After all the paperwork was finished I got my first round of medicine around 10:30pm. Our nurse continually came to check in on me and since I was making significant progress they decided to not administer any more medicine until the Dr. could see me in the morning. Around 6am, the pain medicine was barely working and the pain was increasing quickly so I received an epidural. Surprisingly, I could barely feel the epidural and it was much less painful than the IV.
At 8am, my Dr. came in and broke my water. When nothing changed by 10am and I was till at a 4 I was given a small amount of pitocin. That seemed to do the trick. By 11:30 I was at an 8 and by 11:45 I was at a 9 ½. Our nurse, Anselma, was amazing. She was Italian and started her career delivering babies in Italy. That made me feel a little better since they couldn’t get a hold of my Dr. She quickly set up the room for delivery and just after noon I was at a 10 and started pushing. After about 20 minutes Dr. Hoff arrived and at 1:03pm little Brady was born. He weighed in at a healthy 8 pounds and measure 20.5 inches. It all ended with my eclectic Dr. holding up the placenta and saying “look, it’s a womb with a view”.
Christian, Cindy, Heather, and Cassie were in the delivery room which was a great. Heather took pictures (over 200) and Cindy helped me push and got me water so Christian could stay right by my side. It is still all a bit of a blur and I was completely overwhelmed with emotion and exhaustion. My mom flew in the next morning and stayed the night at the hospital with me which was so comforting and helpful.
After he was born we still couldn’t decide on a name. We were debating between Colin, Connor, and Brady. We then narrowed it down to Colin Christian or Brady Matthew. We finally decided on Brady because we thought our little Asian looking baby couldn’t have an Irish name like Colin.
It is still a little hard to believe he is actually ours. I never knew I could love someone so much that I’d never met before. I can watch him sleep for hours and every time he cries it breaks my heart. In fact, the first time I changed his diaper he started crying and I started crying tooJ Welcome to the world little Brady!

Overdue

2011-07-04T01:00:00.004-04:00

Today was my official due date and still no baby. The Dr. told me weeks ago that he would not be late, but our little guy obviously didn't get the memo. I'm feeling more ready than ever...my feet look like marshmallows, my back hurts, and with this heat wave I couldn't be more excited to get this extra insulation off. I realized today that I didn't really have any pictures of my prego belly so Christian snapped a few pictures after church for the record. I'm hoping the holiday will bring more than just fireworks tomorrow!

Showered

2011-06-07T22:01:00.016-04:00

My amazing friends Madeleine, Cassie, and Sarah threw me the most wonderful baby shower! The theme was "cruising into parenthood" and it started with the cutest nautical themed invitations and ended with the most adorable favors. The food was set up as the different ports of call we used to frequent most: the Caribbean, Mexico, and Alaska. For a fun game we played name that tune with baby songs for our "onboard entertainment". The whole day was great and my mom was even able to fly up for the event! I received the most generous gifts and we now have more clothes than we know what to do with. I can't wait to dress him in all the adorable new outfits. We are so lucky to be surrounded by so many great friends here!Mexico & Alaska! For lunch we had shredded chicken soft tacos, 2 great salads, chips, guacamole and salsa. "Alaska" was the drinks

"The Caribbean"-my favorite red velvet cupcakes!

I wish I had more pictures of everyone there, but I only have a few...

the Hostesses: Madeleine, Sarah, Me, and Cassie

Shelly gave us this onesie that says "I still live with my parents". I think she was referring to Christian & I. haha Aubrey Taylor, Me & KC GrewalThe Hansens-Heather, Me, Cindy, Hannah, and Cassie My Mom & I

2011-06-06T18:10:00.007-04:00

Birthday #1 with Homemade Strawberry Shortcake

Birthday #2 at Morton's
Birthday #3 with Nothing Bundt Cake Another day, another birthday celebration. We've sung Happy Birthday to Christian 4 different times over the last week and he is now just one year away from the big 3-0! On his actual birthday I had to work late so he happily invited Greg to fill in at dinner. Later that evening we opened presents. Chris & Cindy gave him some great clothes for work and I gave Christian some new running shoes and work out clothes. While my mom was in town for the shower she also treated us to a delicious meal at Morton's Steakhouse to celebrate! Happy Birthday Christian!!

Progress

2011-06-01T15:55:00.007-04:00

I can't believe how long it has been since I've blogged. Our lives have felt a little like the movie Groundhog Day. Everything seems to revolve around remodeling, work, and more remodeling. Christian has been amazing and spends nearly every free moment working on the condo. I feel like the only change is the size of my belly which seems to literally be growing by the day. The people at Home Depot now know me and ask how that baby is doing when I walk in. Anyway, this week marked a major milestone in this whole project. The first piece of dry wall went up. That might not seem like a big deal, but it means our cabinets can go in, the plumbing is done, we have all new windows, and the electrical is just about done!! Also, we finally broke and paid someone to tile and finish the bathrooms! Slowly, but surely, we are getting there!

Growing

2011-04-07T01:09:00.003-04:00

I had the camera out to download pictures so I had Christian snap a picture of my ever growing belly. The first couple pictures he deleted because he said it looked like I just stuck a basketball under my shirt...I can assure you there's definitely no ball underneath there. I'm currently at 29 weeks!

Under Construction

2011-04-06T17:35:00.007-04:00

We were just planning to redo the kitchen and floors and somehow it has escalated into gutting nearly the entire condo. So much of the demolition has started from someone saying, "well we've already done this, so while we are here...". It will all be worth it when it is done, but I still get overwhelmed when I see the place even though I'm not doing the work. Thanks to Christian's many awesome friends volunteering their Saturdays and evenings we've made a lot of progress. Christian's scout master growing up, Greg Blotter, actually knows what he's doing and he's been a huge help. Doug Hansen, Mike Field & Greg Pickett have also put a lot of sweat into the place. Christian and I have said many times, what would we do if we didn't have so many great friends and resources!!

Hopefully, I'll be posting more pictures that show everything being put back together really soon!

BEFORE: IN PROGRESS:

The current state of the kitchen & bathroom!

We Have a Mortgage

2011-03-25T16:06:00.006-04:00

We are now homeowners, well, condo owners for the same price of a normal home. It's been a long wait and to be honest there were many times I wanted to just forget it and move into a rental. The researching, viewings, waiting, and more waiting never seemed to end. Eventually though, it paid off. Yesterday we closed on a condo in Mountain View, CA that we've been trying to buy for over 3 months. It was a short sale, then foreclosed on, went to auction twice, but with a lot of persistence we were finally able to buy it! It has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and an office...so plenty of room for visitors:) There is a lot of remodeling we'd like to do before we move in (and before the baby arrives). We definitely have our hands full, but we are super excited!! I'll try to take some pictures before the demo begins!

Visitors!

2011-03-15T19:08:00.005-04:00

Two of my closest friends happened to be in San Francisco the same weekend! Rachael (my bff since 4th grade) and her boyfriend, Andrew, came in for some interviews. Plus, my college roommate, Mitzi came in just for fun! We spent the morning with Rachael and Andrew. I used Yelp to find a good place for brunch and it worked wonders. We ate at Mama's at Washington Square. If the huge line in the picture doesn't attest to how good it is, I will. It was honestly to die for and if you are in the city anytime soon you should make it a priority to go! We then met up with Mitzi and her boyfriend, Kyle. We walked around Pier 39 and then up to Union Square for shopping and hot chocolate. Christian was the photographer, which is why he isn't in any of the pictures and also why I had about ten pictures of my huge belly to choose from!

Rachael and I right before I got scarred by the crazy bush man!

As we approached the restaurant we could tell we were in the right place by the long line!

Mitzi & I in Union Square

25 weeks and growing! 3 1/2 months to go!

Weekend in Wine Country

2011-02-13T16:00:00.008-04:00

I had some hotel points that were about to expire so I thought why not use them and see what Napa is all about. Even though it is only 90 minutes away neither of us had ever been there. The weather was perfect (thank goodness since we were planning to bike). We went on a long bike ride around Yountville (just north of Napa), stopped by a delicious bakery for lunch, stopped again for a snack at a random famer's market along the road and used Yelp to find a dinner place in Petaluma. We ate at a Mediterranean restaurant that was a bit off the beaten path, but the food was just as good as the yelpers told us it would be. Such a fun weekend!

Game-Set-Match

2011-02-11T01:50:00.004-04:00

We went to a professional men's tennis tournament with our friends Brett & Aubrey. I can't stand watching tennis on TV, but seeing it live is awesome! It was great to get out and enjoy some of the fun things around the city! Also, thanks to Brett's new job we got amazing parking right across the street from the HP Pavilion!

Music to My Ears!

2011-02-08T16:58:00.004-04:00

Over the past couple of days random strangers have asked me things like "when are you due?" and "how far along are you?". I couldn't be happier because this means that I am finally past that "is she pregnant or did she just gain weight" point. Keep the pregnancy questions coming!

It's a BOY!

2011-02-07T00:11:00.004-04:00

The ultrasound place told me it was going to be 2 1/2 more weeks until they could get me in. I just couldn't bear the thought of waiting until then, especially after being told it could be a girl, so I called to see what other ultrasound locations I could go to. I had to drive to San Mateo and I may have slightly fibbed that I was a bit farther along than I actually was, but I was able to get an appointment the next day! The Dr. almost laughed when I said we were told it was probably a girl. She said that after 35 years of work she'll quit her job if it's not a boy. We can't wait for our little baby boy to arrive.

The ultrasound technician loved cruise ships so when I told her we worked on cruise ships she was my new best friend. She did the 3D images "just for fun" and took way more pictures than she needed to. Here are some of my favorites:

Camera shy...Once we started the 3D images he covered his face with his arm so we couldn't get a good shot of his face. After several attempts though we did get this profile picture.

His tiny little feet!

Boy or Girl???

2011-02-01T23:04:00.002-04:00

We thought today was the day we were finally going to find out what the stork is bringing us, but no such luck. The Dr. said that if he had to guess he would say it is girl (the last ultrasound it looked like a boy), but he didn't know for sure. Next week I have an anatomy scan where we'll find out for sure! I guess one more week of suspense and one more week until the shopping begins!

Delaying the Inevitable

2011-01-25T17:16:00.006-04:00

A couple days ago I finally gave into maternity jeans and now I'm kicking myself for not wearing them sooner. No more feeling ginormous every morning because I can't button yet another pair of jeans! Thank you spandex! (The picture is courtesy of Google)

Ringing in the New Year

2011-01-25T16:57:00.002-04:00

I flew in from Park City on New Years Eve. We had a rockin' evening which consisted of me feeling sick after eating cookie batter Christian made that had way too much salt and going to bed around 9:30pm. The next morning, I quickly found out that New Years Day at the Hansen's is Christmas decoration clean-up. If that doesn't seem like a big deal, it's because you've never been to their home during the holidays. It looks like the Christmas section of a large department store. After we finished, we went over to the Wheatley's because Robert had a motorcycle that wasn't working and Christian & Doug wanted to try to fix it. After many unsuccessful attempts they gave up and road the dirt bike around. Doug decided to make a "ramp" out of wood lying around. After one jump it quickly turned into a competition of who could go higher, which was only fueled by Courtney taking pictures and egging them on. I'm just grateful we didn't end up in the ER! So much for naps, football, and appetizers on New Years Day.

Meet the Newest Hansen

2010-12-28T13:36:00.005-04:00

For all those people that were thinking the holidays were good to Steph's waistline or Steph must have loved that cruise food...there's a little bit of truth to that, but I do have another excuse! We are expecting our first little bundle of joy this summer. The official due date is July 3rd. While we were in Utah for Christmas Christian's uncle, Flint, did our first ultrasound. He thinks it is a boy, but it is still a bit early to tell. Here is our little guy's first photo shoot:

As soon as we started the ultrasound he started sucking his thumb and he had the hiccups so he was bouncing all over the place.

Sleigh Bells

2010-12-28T12:45:00.003-04:00

The day after Christmas we went up to Deer Valley for a sleigh ride and dinner. I don't think any of us realized how cold it gets just sitting outside in the snow, but it was still really fun. We bundled up the best we could and Christian played Christmas music on his phone as we trotted along. Afterwards we had reservations at Glitretind at the Stein Eriksen Lodge, but there was an hour wait. Once we figured out that we could order the same food at their other restaurant and all we'd be missing out on was the fancy table cloths, we were all over it.

White Christmas

2010-12-26T12:13:00.010-04:00

We spent Christmas in Park City, Utah this year with my family. It was the first time any of us had ever had a white Christmas. It snowed about 50 in. the few days before we arrived so there was not only great skiing, but it was beautiful. Christmas morning Christian & I made breakfast and we opened presents. Then Christian, Corbin, and I went skiing at Park City. When we returned home Mom cooked her yummy Chrismas ham dinner. I attempted to make our favorite raspberry ribbon pie on Christmas Eve, but I over whipped the cream and ruined it. Since no stores were open we improvised with the ingredients we had at the house and it actually turned out pretty good! We have all loved being here during the holidays...I think we might make this a new tradition!

Family photo op.

We arrived on Dec. 23rd so we decorated a little decorative tree already at the place. It did the job!

Goodbye flip phone. Christian got me my first smart phone! I still can't believe what I've been missing out on!!

7 for all mankind maternity jeans from my mom! It actually made me a little excited for when I need to wear these!!

I gave Corbin a lottery scratch ticket. Unknown to him and everyone else it was a FAKE ticket. I about died laughing watching him react to "winning" $10,000.

Corbin gave me my first "baby" outfit. He obviously hasn't been around many babies because the t-shirt was a 4T...in 4 years I'm sure the baby is going to love it!

Park City! I wanted to take it easy so I rented skis instead of snowboarding. It was the 2nd time I've skied since Jr. High.

Corbin wiping out on a jump.

I was just trying to make it down alive. Can you tell it has been a while?

Land Legs

2010-12-26T00:13:00.006-04:00

We sailed our final cruise and we are officially land based now! It's definitely a little bitter sweet...no more traveling, unlimited food & room service, and most importantly there's no one to make our bed and clean our bathroom everyday. Nevertheless, we are excited to finally have family & friends nearby, unlimited access to cell phones and internet, cars, and much more! We moved back to Christian's hometown Los Altos, CA (about 40 min. south of San Francisco) and Christian already started a job at a property management company named Robert Wheatly Properties. It hasn't really set in that we aren't going back to ships yet, but we are really enjoying this more "normal" life!

Cruise Update

2010-12-02T20:40:00.010-04:00

We just finished a 5 week stint on a ship in the Western Caribbean! After being rerouted nearly every week due to hurricanes we were so ready to get off and be on vacation. We spent our first week on land at Walt Disney World followed by a cruise with Christian's family. There was 30 Hansens in the group. We sailed on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas and visited Cocoa Cay, Bahamas, St. Thomas & St. Maarten. Here are some highlights from my first cruise as a passenger! In St. Thomas we rented scooters and toured around the island. After over 2 years of cruising around the Caribbean this was one of the only islands we never visited! I'm still not quite sure how we all made it back in one piece between driving on the other side of the road and the sun going down. St. Maarten! After visiting old friends we went to the beach and Christian, Doug & Stan went scuba diving! Soccer champions. The "H-Factor" won gold at the soccer tournament. I'm not sure if it's really fair since 3/6 played college soccer, but we'll take it.

Tyler, Lauren, & Mackenzie!
Christian, Doug & Stan were obsessed with the Flow Rider. Every single morning they woke up for the 8am "Advanced Surf Session". Stan actually rented the entire Flow Rider 2 nights for extra practice sessions. They were 3 of the 4 people invited to the Grand Finale Surf Competition and Doug took the top prize!

Clearly I needed a little more practice.

Mall Blart

2010-11-07T14:46:00.001-04:00

In Tampa we rented bikes from the ship and rode to a nearby mall. After doing some shopping, we went to get on our bikes and head back to the ship. To our shock, our bikes had been “booted” with a massive lock and a sign saying we were parked in an “unauthorized bike storage location”. I felt like I was in college all over again. Anyway, we had to call a #, a security guy picked us up and drove us to the security station to fill out the bike release paperwork. He explained that bike thefts were common and they locked them up “for our protection”. He then proceeded to give us a tour of the authorized bike parking locations & point out all 57 security cameras.

Here we go...again

2010-10-09T20:55:00.006-04:00

We are in Tampa today getting ready to board the Holland America Ryndam. We'll be onboard for 6 weeks doing two different 7 day itineraries to: Key West, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, & Cozumel then Key West, Roatan, Costa Maya & Belize! After getting a taste of life on land it's a little bitter sweet. I've gotten all too used to internet, cell phones, and actually choosing what's for dinner, but I'm excited for some beaches & homemade guacamole in Cozumel!

Happiest Place on Earth!

2010-10-07T23:13:00.007-04:00

I've never been so excited to go to "work". Right now we are at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort for a company conference. We are here for 9 days and since the training is only 5 days there has been plenty of time for sun, swimsuits, and even a little Mickey! That red cup has entitled me to unlimited free fountain Diet Coke ALL week...yay:) Have you ever watched those Publisher Clearing House commercials and just wished they would come knocking on your door?? Well at Disneyland I guess dreams really do come true...we unexpectedly won a del sol competition and even though it had a couple less zeros, I can assure you being handed that enormous check is just as exciting as it looks.

Shopping Ambassadors taking over Disney World! For one of our activities we went to the Magic Kingdom with the entire group. It was sponsored by Del Sol and they provided t-shirts for everyone. Can you guess who was in our group?

Thunder Mountain!

Alina, Linda, Gail, Kim & Me. Some of the girls we work with that I never get to see because we are all on different ships.

Dry Suit

2010-10-01T03:07:00.008-04:00

I just came across this photo while I was packing and I couldn't help but laugh…partly because at first I thought it was some Star Trek Halloween costume and then because of the story attached. A couple weeks ago Christian went on a dry suit snorkel. He was really excited about it. When we met up after the excursion his clothes were soaking wet. Turns out if your suit doesn’t zip properly it becomes a “wet” suit snorkel and in Alaska it makes for one very unpleasant dive. When Christian told the guide that his suit was leaking the guy told him to just try to keep his back out of the water.

As seen on TV

2010-09-28T16:57:00.005-04:00

I’m still not quite sure how you become the fastest wood chopping, tree climbing, and log rolling “lumberman” in the world. Nevertheless, we saw them compete live at the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan…just as hillbilly and cheesy as you might expectJ

A Big Wave Goodbye

2010-09-26T17:07:00.003-04:00

This is our last Alaskan cruise. We worked hard to get everything done early so we could take it easy and have a relaxing final week while we wrapped everything up. All went according to plans until we set sail in Seattle. We ran into a terrible storm & 30 foot waves. It got so bad that we had to return to Seattle at 2:30am, get rerouted, and miss our first port. Crossing my fingers for smooth sailing here on outJ

Family Onboard!

2010-09-21T15:27:00.011-04:00

My parents and my aunt & uncle, Chris & Jacque, just came to visit for one of our last Alaskan cruises. I think we may have been more excited for them to come than they were. After so many cruises of the same thing we couldn't wait for some company and family to join us! We had great time and we couldn't have asked for better weather. Thanks for coming!! In Juneau my parents did a helicopter tour that actually landed on the glacier.
Walking on the Glacier! After their tour we met at Tracy's Crab Shack for a fresh crab dinner.

Mom, Chris, Jacque, and Glacier Bay National Park.

In Sitka we joined my parents for a whale & wildlife watching excursion. I couldn't get my mom to take down the binoculars for a picture...they were all but glued to her head the entire tour! We saw some of everything...whales, sea otters & bald eagles.

My mom really wanted to see whales and I was a little nervous recommending this tour because they didn't guarantee whale sightings. Luckily, there was no shortage of whales. They were all over!

Mush!

2010-08-31T15:44:00.010-04:00

We've been wanting to do it all season and we finally did! This was the last week of the season that the dog sled tours were running so it was our final opportunity. We tried last week and it was full, but it worked out to our advantage because the weather was perfect this week. We took a helicopter tour up to a dog camp on a glacier and went dog sledding. There was only 5 in our group so Christian & I got our own sled and team of dogs. They also let us each take turns "driving" the sled. It was AMAZING! Getting ready for take off!

Flying over the glaciers. The helicopter could get so close.
Approaching the camp.
Ready to go!

Taking the reigns!

By total coincidence our friends from Juneau Gil & Lital were actually on the same excursion!

4x4

2010-08-31T02:15:00.004-04:00

Last week Christian went on a ocean raft & 4x4 adventure in Sitka. There was an extra space and the shore excursion team let him hop on. They took ocean crafts through the Sitka Bay over to the rain forest where they met their 4x4 vehicles. Christian was in luck because the 5th person was grandma who didn't want to drive!

All geared up and ready to go.

Face shot.
Christian & Grandma taking off.

Under the Sea

2010-08-24T14:46:00.007-04:00

I just finished a submarine tour of Sitka and my mind is currently overloaded with all the scientific names of all the urchins, fish & creatures I saw. My fingers were never fast enough to catch a photo of any of them though so instead I have tons of kelp and coral pictures. I'm not really sure why I was worried about it when I could just download better pictures on the internet, but here's a recap of my view behind the glass. I asked a guy to take my picture and somehow he managed to change the setting to black & white and turn off the flash without me noticing.

The tour guide threw on a dry suit to grab some sea urchins so we could get a closer look.

Grandparents & Glaciers!

2010-08-20T13:48:00.005-04:00

My Grandpa & Grandma McNay came to cruise last week! They must have brought the California weather with them because we had some of the best weather of the season while they were here. We had a great time and I was even able to sneak away from work in Ketchikan to go on a tour with them.

We enjoyed the glaciers from inside, but quickly went out to snap a picture and hear the cracking and calving of the glacier.
Hubbard Glacier.

Saxman Village in Ketchikan. We took a trolley tour to the park and around the city.

Welcome to Ketchikan, Alaska!

Enjoying the last sunset on their balcony!

This is Alaska

2010-08-03T16:14:00.002-04:00

Last week in Glacier Bay national park we saw 3 bears eating a whale carcass that had washed up on the shore. I don't think it gets anymore Alaska than that.

Butchart Gardens

2010-07-27T15:18:00.005-04:00

The shore excursion team asked if we wanted to go to Butchart Gardens last week when we were in Victoria, Canada. We thought...why not? It was amazing & I'm so glad we had the opportunity to go. They keep the gardens open late just for the cruise ships. We quickly ran around to see everything before sunset and then took another loop through the gardens to see it at night.

First Class

2010-07-23T14:35:00.007-04:00

Christian became BFFs with a family that was on our last cruise. There was a major family blowout and a few of them actually got off in one of the early ports. To our luck though, they had a booked a private chartered plane in Ketchikan and after the crisis there was a few extra seats. They invited us both to join, but since it was a big shopping port, we both couldn't go. Christian took full advantage of the offer.

The empty chair that I could've been sitting in...

All aboard!

2010-07-20T16:06:00.010-04:00

Last week we had a charter cruise so our itinerary changed. We visited Skagway for the first (and last) time for the season. The big thing to do in Skagway is the train up into the mountains where all the gold mining happened...so that's what we did. It was a gorgeous & sunny day... and it was great to get out of all the shopping and into nature!

Hopping on the White Pass Railway!

Downtown Skagway. They try to keep it looking like it did in the gold rush days!
The train snowplow that is still used during the winter.

They look like actors, but we passed these guys on our way up the mountain. I'm not really sure what they were doing or how they got there.

The tracks started right outside the ship.

T-Shirt Weather

2010-07-16T00:26:00.006-04:00

It was my birthday last week and Christian and I spent a full day playing in Seattle...in short sleeve t-shirts. This might not seem like a big deal, but it was the FIRST time since MAY that I'd gone outside in just a t-shirt without a jacket. We went to Pike's Market, ate lots of treats, and grabbed lunch with my good friend Mitzi that works in Seattle. Such a great day!! For my bday I asked Christian for Candy & a Louis Vuitton...I just got double the candy and a spa treatment:) maybe next year... At Pike's Market

The famous fish throwing. The guy from the sopranos was also there for some taping thing.

We couldn't resist the smell of this amazing cookie shop downtown.

The evening prior we were walking around Victoria, Canada and watched this crazy street performer throwing fire and knives.

More Ice

2010-07-06T16:09:00.005-04:00

We recently visited another national park/glacier called Hubbard Glacier. We weren't going to bother going up to look at it. We figured one glacier is going to look like another glacier, but we were so glad we did. It was one of the most spectacular things we've seen since being up here in AK.

Here's a couple pictures...

Oh Canada!

2010-07-02T14:05:00.004-04:00

We were in Victoria, Canada last night for Canada Day! We might miss our independence day, but we were happy to be there for Canada's. They handed us Canadian flags as we left the ship so we joined in the celebrations with the thousands of other people. I opted to just wave mine instead of actually wear it like the many crazed teens parading the city. There was a huge festival with live music and the night ended with a firework show over the water.

Let the party began.

Getting ready to head into all the madness.

Without a paddle

2010-06-29T15:43:00.005-04:00

Christian went on a kayaking tour in Sitka. There was limited space so I went on another excursion. He said it was great except for his kayak partner didn't know how to paddle so he was doing double duty the whole time....details.

Face Shot.

Motion of the Ocean

2010-06-25T15:21:00.004-04:00

Last week we hit a terrible storm and the ship was rocking and rollin'. Fortunately, Christian and I don't get sick, but just about every guest was passed out all over the ship. A lady threw up inside the bingo machine and during our shopping show a lady was lying on the floor in the back (barf bag in hand) because she didn't want to miss the raffle. We received these pictures from the captain of another ship that was passing. Enjoy land for us:)

Wildlife

2010-06-15T17:21:00.009-04:00

This humpback what was following us for about 30 min.

There was huge packs of sea otters everywhere.We are finally getting into whale watching season in AK and we've started seeing whales from the ship. Today I went on a wildlife watching excursion. They only had room for one person so I went solo while Christian went kayaking. We saw everything from bald eagles to whales. I may have missed the best whale shots because I was too worried about spilling my hot cocoa to get out the camera...oh well.

Birthday in Sitka, Alaska

2010-06-08T19:26:00.005-04:00

Last week we were in the densely populated (3000 pop.) Sitka, Alaska for Christian's birthday. My grandparents were also cruising with us, but I never had my camera so I only have these two pictures for the whole week they were here. Happy Birthday Christian!

Grandpa & Grandma gave Christian an acupucture treatment for his back and they got matching hats for his birthdayScouring the town for a place to buy diet coke.

Ice Ice Baby

2010-05-25T16:56:00.006-04:00

We finally pulled out the camera for the first time when we were in Glacier Bay, Alaska yesterday. It is absolutely beautiful here. The pictures hardly do it justice. We didn't have the camera out when the glacier started calving. The good thing is...there is always next week!

Goodbye MB, Hello AK

2010-05-13T01:36:00.008-04:00

We left Manhattan Beach Wednesday morning after a week of beaching and eating. I think we ate out about every night celebrating everything and anything happening in the next 6 months. After an afternoon in chilly Vancouver I was missing sunny CA already! We are now on the ship on our way to Juneau, AK.

I used to run about 5 miles every morning at home, now I bike 5 miles...same thing, right??

We'd planned to go to Morton's for Mother's Day, but when my Grandpa & Grandma weren't able to make it we decided to go for my dad's birthday instead.Delicious molten chocolate cake!

Come on Down...

2010-05-12T10:48:00.008-04:00

Unfortunately those famous words were not preceded by one of our names. We went to the Price is Right on Monday. We arrived at 5:30am to stand in line for tickets and there were only 4 people that got in after us. The people at the front of the line had been waiting since midnight to get in! Even though we didn't get our try at Plinko or the wheel we still had a blast and it was so crazy to actually be there!

Wide Open Spaces

2010-05-06T13:44:00.006-04:00

Mountain Biking...Joe Field suggested the idea, Doug had an extra bike and now it's Christian's new favorite hobby. Chris also made it out for the most recent ride. Doug & Chris

Joe coming around the corner.

Doug striking a pose. I'm not sure if Christian was trying to get an action shot of the guys behind him or just wanted evidence that he was actually there.

Florida Weather

2010-04-21T12:24:00.010-04:00

We are in Florida right now. Thanks to the new airline baggage fees I didn't come prepared for sudden torrential rain. Just in case you find yourself in the same predicament (without a car & needing to walk 4 blocks back to your hotel) you may find it helpful to know that...a Taco Bell plastic bag makes an excellent substitute for an umbrella:)

What's in a Day?

2010-04-18T21:26:00.008-04:00

Chris & Cindy took us to Sundance Steakhouse for our birthday dinner (a couple months early since we'll be at sea). After the delicious meal there was even presents and hula pie! If I didn't know better I would've thought it was really my birthday! Bamboo pajamas (the comfiest ever!) and Christian got a Cutco Fillet knife...he can't wait to go spear fishing!

Matinee at Giants Stadium

2010-04-14T23:53:00.004-04:00

I'm still not quite sure how there's enough people not working at 1pm to fill Giants stadium, but we were there to join in on the fun. The Fields gave us their awesome tickets (Thanks Mike & Mary!!) and Doug & Cassie joined us for game day in the City! It was probably the nicest weather I've ever seen in San Fran. We came with coats, scarves, and hats, but what we really needed was sunscreen!

Santa Cruz!

2010-04-12T12:40:00.011-04:00

The Taylors invited us up to their beach house in Santa Cruz for the weekend. Their house is amazing and the weather was absolutely beautiful. Christian, Doug & I went up Friday morning and spent the day riding bikes, running, surfing, and kayaking! All the Taylor boys were there and Greg, Madeleine & Aubrey came up that evening. Thanks again Taylors for an awesome weekend!! We rode down to Capitola for ice cream.

Brotherly Love...sharing a wave in.

Some things never change...27 going on 14.

Kayaking started our perfect. We went out, the sun was shining, we caught a ton of waves, saw sea otters, and then it turned ugly...

When we came in it was high tide, the beach was gone and it was all rocks. Christian told me to jump out and swim in so I tried, but couldn't. I got back in the kayak so we could try a different beach and immediately a wave capsized the boat. The other beach was finally in sight when another wave capsized the boat. All the while Christian is just yelling "Whatever you do, don't let go of your paddle". Somewhere between the avalanche wave and kayak on top of my head I let go of the paddle so I had to swim out and find it. On our third attempt to ride a wave in the boat flipped and the wave took the boat all the way to shore. A bunch of spectators who were all lined up watching this "spectacle" held onto the kayak while we swam in. We then had to carry the kayak, which is sooo much heavier than it looks, several blocks back to the house. Haha. It might be a long time before I get in a kayak again.

Trying to recover before we made the trek home. In the evening we all played cards, ate brownies, and then ate some more brownies.

Easter!

2010-04-04T21:43:00.008-04:00

Easter basically consisted of food, food, and more food. Chris made waffles, strawberries, and whip cream for breakfast. Then the Easter Bunny delivered a huge basket of treats for everyone that we devoured while we watched conference. Doug and Cassie stopped by for a visit. Then Shelly, Jason, and Heather came over for a delicious turkey and ham dinner. We didn't take any pictures but Chris snapped a couple during the day... A little hair gel from the EB!

Doug and Cassie found their treats!

Post-dinner crash.

Home Values

2010-04-04T15:39:00.006-04:00

Just a couple situations you might want to avoid if you are trying to increase the value of your home. After picturing this scene at the Hansen's I couldn't help but think...if only they had a home version of that show "What Not to Wear".

Change of Weather

2010-03-21T01:03:00.013-04:00

We just arrived in Los Altos after spending a week in Utah! It was our first taste of winter for the year and we spent hours trying to dig out our winter clothes so we didn't freeze for the week. We originally went to ski, but ended up spending much more time with family and friends because Christian's knee started acting up. It's been bothering him since last season when he followed Doug off some cliff (despite having knee surgery only a few months prior). We stayed with the Eastons for the first few days and had an absolute blast playing with the kids, staying up late talking to Jeff and Camille, and of course eating Camille's amazing home cooked meals is always a perk! We then headed up to Park City for a little relaxing and skiing for the rest of the week.

For Lauren's birthday we gave her a kit that had a oyster with a pearl inside. You had to open it up to get the "treasure". the kids kept asking how much it cost and we kept telling them nothing was too expensive for Lauren. At the U of Utah gymnastics meet. Christian almost got thrown out for taking the picture...no flash photography allowed.

Big decisions at the Dollar Store...Extra or Bubblelicious. We babysat one evening and after the twins went to bed high roller Uncle Christian took the older kids to pick out a treat at the $ Store. Christian came back wondering why I'm not that easy to please!

i heart n.y.c.

2010-03-13T01:47:00.009-04:00

We just returned from a whirlwind trip to NYC. We flew out for a diamond training for work and then stayed a couple extra days with my good friend & old roommate Rachael. We had an absolute blast and the weather was amazing. I think we saw more shows and more of the city over the past 4 days than I ever did in a month while actually living here. Here's the breakdown of the last few days...

10,000 Diamonds
60 Degrees in NYC

5 Slices of Pizza

3 Broadway Shows (Rock of Ages, Hair & Fela)

2 Old roommates
1 Big Apple

Our training group (Geoffrey, Megan, & Mike the trainer) at Rockefeller Center on our way to...

The Top of the Rock above the NBC studios.

Grading a couple diamonds.

Just a handful of 3 carat tanzanites.
Rachael (one of my best friends since 5th grade) and her boyfriend Andrew.

Tune In

2010-03-12T01:24:00.002-04:00

Christian and I are sitting in the second row at tonight's show...it's gonna be a hit.

Oh the places you'll go...

2010-03-07T11:40:00.006-04:00

2 years ago today we tied the knot and had no idea what kind of adventure we were about to embark on. Our plans to "put in our time" at Ernst & Young and Marcus & Millichap quickly went out the window. Instead we moved to St. Maarten & have since visited 35 different countries (including 29 islands) while on cruise ships! I can't wait to see what the next 2 years has in store!! Happy Anniversary Christian!!

Surf's Up

2010-03-04T12:24:00.007-04:00

Since I've known Christian there are only 2 things that I've seen him get really excited about--Spear Fishing and Surfing. We are now back in surfing land. Unfortunately, this also means we've (Christian by choice, myself by default) been waking up several hours earlier on vacation than we ever did while working because "the waves are calling". Since all of his gear is in Los Altos Christian told me he just needed to get a couple things so he would be all set up to surf in LA. He has been scouring craigslist and so far these "essentials" have included:

-2 surfboards (1 long & 1 short)

-wet suit

-surf racks for the car

-surf racks for the bike (this has been used once, the day he put the racks on)

When I told him it seemed like a bit much he said it's way less than I spend on Diet Coke for the year. Whatever.

Room with a View

2010-03-01T02:07:00.007-04:00

My mom is working in Irvine this week so we traded our timeshare for a place closer to her office...not that you need an excuse to spend a week in Newport Beach. Jenna, one of my best friends since 6th grade, came up from San Diego to hang out for the weekend. Christian (Mr. Anti Southern CA) even admitted that he could move here...I should've got it on tape...baby steps:)

Hot tube with ocean views...a little slice of heaven!
Sunday afternoon walk on the beach! "Buddy Shot"...reminiscing on the standard pose from high school tennis!

My mom's corner office

Clipper Nation

2010-02-25T12:08:00.005-04:00

Basketball Fan: No
Luxury suite, good food, friends and a basketball game on in the background: Yes

Last night my mom got us all suite tickets to the Clipper game through her firm. Christian's friend Perry from Marcus & Millichap also joined us. They confiscated our camera at the door because it violated the "no lenses longer than 3 1/2in." policy. Apparently iphones aren't exactly equal substitutes for SLRs...yet.

Next Assignment...

2010-02-22T12:58:00.001-04:00

We just got off the ship in San Diego and we are visiting my family in LA. In May (yes, after 3 months vacation) we are joining the Holland America Zaandam in ALASKA!!! We couldn't be more excited about the ship and location...it is exactly what we requested! Now the only challenge will be finding some cold weather clothes since we've been in the Caribbean for the last two winters.

OMG

2010-02-21T11:21:00.005-04:00

Christian and I were running errands yesterday when we stumbled upon this little treasure opening this week. I think Manhattan Beach real estate just went up 50%. We'll be there opening day to show our support!

Acapulco Cliff Divers

2010-02-20T13:42:00.007-04:00

We finally saw the world famous cliff divers in Acapulco. They jump from off 133ft cliffs into a narrow water passage.

Waiting for the divers to start at Hotel Mirador.

Lookout point in Acapulco.

Dinner is served. If you don't want chicken...there is always this option:

Visitors!

2010-02-15T11:20:00.007-04:00

We just finished our last Panama Canal cruise on the Maasdam and Grandpa & Grandma Whiting came to cruise with us. Here's a few highlights from the cruise. The days basically revolved around food, food and more food!

A turkey for a turkey:)
Baked Alaska with Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream!!

Eating in the fancy Pinnacle Grill steakhouse. Since we are "officers" the meal is now compliments of Holland America!

Christian & Grandpa showing off their new Movados!

Grandpa bought us matching diamond studs!!

The grand finale dinner!

Tarzan Style

2010-02-13T00:14:00.006-04:00

In Costa Rica Ruth and I went on a canopy tour in the rain forest while the boys went fishing! For the canopy tour we started by taking an aerial tram in a gondola to the top of the mountain and then traversed down the canopy on zip lines…amazing!
The gondola ride to the top of the canopy!

Ruth getting ready to take off down the 1000 foot line.

The fishing ended up being more about the boat ride. They saw lots of fish, but didn’t actually catch any.

Some dolphins swimming by the boat. A crocodile we saw on our way back.