Breaking-in the Backyard

We did something last night that I haven't done since I was a kid. We camped in our own backyard.

Austie and Devin joined us for the psuedo-wilderness retreat. We did all the standard stuff; cooked hotdogs, smores, told stories, played with flashlights, etc. The only real difference was that we had indoor plumbing when needed and also a big screen TV for a quick show before bedtime. :)

Fun stuff. Sure is a lot cleaner and easier than real nature!

9 Years

And they said it wouldn't last...

Well, no one really said that, at least not to my face, but it sure feels like an accomplishment.

Yes, we just reached our 9 year anniversary. It seems like just yesterday that we were living in Pacific Beach and flirting with the idea of becoming more than 'just friends'. We haven't yet celebrated and have a night set aside next week to go out on a date. (Gasp, what a concept!)

I couldn't ask for a more beautiful, talented, wonderful wife, and I am lucky to have someone who is willing to put up with the insanity that is me.

Little Man

Yes, Andy is now 4. For those of you who know him well, you know that this kid is developing to be one heck of a character. Andy is currently way into Power Rangers, Star Wars, Bakugon Transformers, Learning to Ride his Bike and many other toys and action figures. Happy Birthday buddy!

She was an American Girl

The recap on Katie's Birthday and Nana's Visit:

So little miss Katie is now a big 6 years old! Katie celebrated by having Jennifer and Nana take her to "American Girl". For those of you who don't know what American Girl is, Google it. It's kinda like Cabbage Patch kids meets Disneyland. The marketing machine behind it is very powerful, and the resulting drain on my bank account is frightening...

Nonetheless, Katie loved it to death. Note the coordinated outfits, and the whole thing is designed for Katie and her dollie (Kyla) to do everything together. A true girlie experience for a true girlie girl.

Even though we were moving, we still found time to have some cupcakes, sundaes, and have decorations to boot.

Nana was a huge help during the move. She did a lot of heavy lifting with us, watched the kids, and allowed us to do a lot of other things. We never would have pulled it off without her help, thanks Nana! One of nana's favorite things about out old house was the pool, and considering how hot it was, nana took full advantage of cooling down in the water. Those are Andy's goggles on upside down :)

Big Changes

Wow, not only am I behind in my blogging, but I also have a TON of things to update you all on. At least I have an excuse, its been a pretty big week.

In the last 7 days we did the following:

- Sold our House
- Moved to a New House
- I Started a new Job
- Katie Turned 6
- Andy Turned 4
- Nana Came to Visit

Is that enough change for ya? It is for us, we are tired. So Ill try to follow-up with posts on each topic in the next week.

Starting with the Move...

MOVING

Yes, its goodbye to the old 1500 sqft place in University City, and hello to the new 2700 sqft place in La Jolla. Quite a change. Feels like living in a mansion. I must admit I love the new space. I have a den that casts a view over San Diego, the kids have a play-room sun-room, and Jen has... well a lot more to clean up.

Things I miss about the old house:
- The pool, by far the most
- All the memories, the baby steps, where the family began
- Knowing where everything is
- The nice neighbors

Things I dont miss about the old house:
- The size
- The landscape work (which I never really did a very good job at)
- The absence of a backyard
- The crazy neighbors

Things I like about the new house:
- The backyard
- The view
- The space
- My home office
- My wife's support to make the move

Things I don't like so much about the new house:
- The exploding plumbing (yeah, that's a lot of fun on the move-in)
- Renting (we decided to rent for a year for a number of reasons, mainly to give us time to find the 'right house')
- The added 15 minutes to my commute

All in all, its been quite a transition. I think the kids have adapted amazingly well and are excited about their new rooms, the yard and the prospect of continuing school with their La Jolla preschool classmates. Oh and the fact that we seem to have a pet already: there is a cotton-tail bunny that lives somewhere near here and comes into our yard to snack on the grass. More pics and details on that later.

We are actually pretty much there in terms of being unpacked. The rooms look a little barren considering we dont have a lot in the way of stuff.

Here are the photo journal highlights:

Sold!

Wow, all our stuff really CAN fit in the garage!

...which is good cause it has to go in this truck...

Bye bye old house!

Hello new yard, a little Bocce Ball

Andy gets a little air on the backyard swing

Moving boxes aren't just for packing stuff

A Day in the Life of 2008

Note to self, read this in 10 years and laugh at what you used to do:

What I did today:

I wore Jeans to work to meet with the top executives at my company.

I spent $16 on gas to drive 30 minutes to, and 30 minutes from work.

I drank a cup of coffee, and spilled a good amount of it on the table of a conference room that had a sign on the door that said, "No food or drink inside".

The room above also had coasters on the table.

I texted, I IM'd, I called (Cell and Land Line), I Halo'd, I Emailed, and I wrote a few notes.

I got 200 emails.

I sent at least 30.

I talked with at least two dozen different people, across 3 continents.

I met face to face with someone from Oregon and someone from Idaho, at the same time.

I changed my Satellite TV service options.

I listened to many songs, including: "Californication" on my Iphone (Red hot Chili Peppers), "Rio" while swimming (Duran Duran), and "With or Without You" in the car (U2)

I called an old friend and asked him if he was bringing his wife to our 20 year High School Reunion dinner.

I thought too long about some things I don't like about my life. I then scolded my brain and promptly did the next thing on the list.

I swam with my kids. We took turns watching each other do cannon balls... from underwater -- and we marvelled at the number of bubbles that one can make when doing this.

I kissed my wife 3 different times.

I told my daughter that she was the most beautiful girl in the world (once in the morning, and once at night).

I took a 15 minute unplanned nap on the couch with my son lying on top of me. It would have been longer but it's not easy to nap like that.

I blogged this.