Home.

The move was a success (a big thank you to all our friends who walked up and down two flights of stairs). We are quickly getting settled in our new little home, and there are only a few more items I need to find a home for.

I have been waiting to post this because I wanted to post "after" pictures with it, but true to fashion life did not stop when we moved in so I am not quite ready. I had a day or two to get some stuff out of boxes, but then it was off to work and away for the weekend. I will be out of town for the next three days, so hopefully next week I can deliver some after pictures to match these before pictures!

26 Days

The Final Season of LOST starts in 26 days.
Here are the last five seasons in 8 minutres and 15 second for those of you who aren't caught up.

Packing, packing, packing

Two.
That is how many rooms I have completed. I have packed boxes, thrown out, and donated the heck out of two rooms.

But...even though I still have five rooms left (including the kitchen - yikes!) I am still metaphorically whistling while I work. I am loving knowing exactly what we have, and being thankful that if we got stuck in our house for two months straight we may run out of food, but we would definetly not run out of things to entertain us.

You Can Call Them Goals

As we enter the new year with the hopes of "Less stuff and more experiences" there are ten specific experiences I hope to have in 2010:

Learn something new about myself.

Read the unread books in our bookcase, watch all the movies in our DVD collection that have never been opened, and limit my TV watching to what I really want to watch.

A day of laying in the grass at the park and reading with my husband.

A whole week with nothing on my personal to do list.

Cooking dinner for enjoyment rather than out of duty.

Spend over half of my days off at the beach, the library, anywhere but running errands.

Travel together somewhere neither Jonathan or I have ever been.

Travel together to a couple of places we have both been before.

Spend more time with friends laughing, learning, and sharing.

Spend more time with family making sure they know how much we love them.

A New Motto

I have decided I am not making resolutions this year, but instead I am making change. In our home we have adopted a new motto for 2010: Less stuff, more experiences.

In just a week we will have a new residence. A much smaller more compact, but highly welcomed residence. As stressful as moving around the holidays is, I have been able to be so thankful for how freeing it is at the same time. What better time to have a new start than the new year? So many have asked if I am dreading moving. And the answer is...yes I am dreading just that - moving. I, however, am looking forward to packing. I actually enjoy looking over all of our stuff, and being thankful as well as getting rid of excess. I am also looking forward to unpacking. I welcome the challenge of finding places, and getting creative when putting everything in its new home.

What I am looking forward to most is less space. I know it sounds like the opposite of what people are yearning for - especially in California. I am looking forward to less space to clean, less space to feel like I need to decorate (and therefore fill with more "stuff"), less space to pay for!

And because we will have less space we will be able to do more! See more people, go more places, have more experiences!

Good Morning iPhone

I have had my iPhone for two months now. It does so many great things and is hard to remember what life was like with my old phone (RIP Sidekick).

My favorite thing about my iPhone is waking up each morning and reading all my stuff. I love the first ten minutes of my day being in bed still reading blogs and Twitters, checking Facebook, checking the weather at home and where all our families live, and making my moves in my Words With Friends games.

It is a fun little way to wake up and exercise my brain first thing in the morning.

Blogged from my iPhone :)

Snow!

Woke up to snow this morning! I was hoping it would come while I was here, but wasn't counting on it. It melts the second it hits the street, but I am hoping it stays until Christmas.


Of course us Californians, who left 65 degree weather yesterday, ran outside to be in the snow while all the family members who see snow all the time just looked on!

On the Move

We are once again on the move.
We LOVE living in our house, but it is big - too big. It takes a lot to keep up, clean, air condition, decorate, etc. So we have decided to go from our 4 bedroom house to a 1 bedroom apartment, and we couldn't feel be more excited about it.

Inspired by the show Hoarders (are you watching this show? why are you not watching this show? set your DVR RIGHT now!) we are cleaning up and out all of our stuff. As many times that I have giggled at people who said they were going to simplify their life - that is exactly what we are hoping to do.

Next year I will be taking the less is more approach, and I am hoping 2010 will be WAY more about experiences rather than stuff.

Random Picture Monday

A peek into my life every Monday based on a random sampling of pictures on my computer.
You are welcome!

Thankful

Today when I was making some Christmas gifts I found this photo (I can just hear you now...about time! Are you insinuating that 3 years is too late to give someone a wedding picture as a gift?) Somehow this picture got overlooked as I printed pictures to frame, and to put in our wedding book so long ago. When I looked at it I was flooded with emotions of my wedding day and my husband. I love that I am sneaking a peek of him during prayer. Worshiping God through prayer and thanking Him for what he had brought me, and in that moment no one knew...well, except the photographer :)

Random Picture Monday

A peek into my life every Monday based on a random sampling of pictures on my computer.
You are welcome!

Random Picture Monday

A peek into my life every Monday based on a random sampling of pictures on my computer.
You are welcome!

Random Picture Monday

A peek into my life every Monday based on a random sampling of pictures on my computer.
You are welcome!

Random Picture Monday

A peek into my life every Monday based on a random sampling of pictures on my computer.
You are welcome!

I heart my Husband

Saw this picture on my Google Home Page yesterday, and immediately fell in love with it. Thoughts of my husband came flooding into my head.

He is my very favorite person...I hope to grow very old with him.

Random Picture Monday

A peek into my life every Monday based on a random sampling of pictures on my computer.
You are welcome!

Random Picture Monday

A peek into my life every Monday based on a random sampling of pictures on my computer.
You are welcome!

Random Picture Monday

A peek into my life every Monday based on a random sampling of pictures on my computer.

You are welcome!

...K-E-Y Why? Because we like you.

Guess what didn't happen?

I didn't ride the last 20 rides on my Disneyland list.

Bummer. But I did have an amazing birthday.

The next time I have a Disneyland pass I will experience every attraction.

That's a promise!

Sprinkles in the rain form and Sprinkles in the cupcake form.

Today is my birthday!

I love love love my birthday!

I started my day with a meal with my wonderful husband, and then spent the rest of the day with Ange and Courtney shopping, and eating cupcakes. Courtney was driving her dad's car - so of course like any new shiny thing we were easily entertained.

The view from the back up camera on the back of the car...

Ange thought it was fun to take photobooth pictures while driving, but I however want to live to see 28.