Sparkle

Sparkle:
1. To give off sparks
2. To give off or reflect flashes of light; glitter
3. To be brilliant in performance
4. A. To shine with animation: He has eyes that sparkle.
B. To flash with wit: her conversation sparkled all evening

My 2012 "one little word" is sparkle. I contemplated using shine but I think that shine implies that the glow is emitting from me and I want 2012 to be about me reflecting all that is bright and wonderful from God onto others. You can't help but smile when you see something sparkle (think about when you first saw that dazzling engagement ring, or glitter! It makes everything more spectacular!) And I hope to bring that same warmth into the lives of everyone whom I come into contact with this year!

A little bit of Happiness

Sometimes it's the small things that give us great happiness in our life. You know, the things make you smile when you notice them like a small surprise present that is filled with delight.

I recently found one of these small things on my own life and I have already been delighted by it several times. I added contact pictures to my frequently dialed numbers in my phone's address book. When I make the calls every day or so it makes me so happy to see my loved ones' beautiful faces smiling back up at me... it's the small things.

My husband writes a popular blog about his life and I felt a wave of happiness when I saw that he had given my sister a shout out in a post. Imagine my delight when I glanced at the side bar and saw that he was directing readers to check out my etsy shop! So kind of him and a great small happiness!

Sometimes a paradigm shift can keep happiness from being stolen from you. As I was rushing to catch the bus after work today I saw a bus pulled up to my spot, but alas I was too far away to make it! Was it my bus I wondered as I fumbled for my glasses so I could see the tiny numbers. As it rounded the corner I thought to myself why does it matter? Seeing the bus number could only do one thing: rob me of my happiness and leave me in discontent. Besides, as my sister so eloquently put it "you didn't miss your bus, you just showed up early for the next one". (I must've showed up real early though because I'm still waiting!)

Keep an eye out for small happiness instances in your own life this week!

Chinese Food & Almond Champagne

Yesterday we got the keys!!! Daryll and I are officially homeowners now! We are incredibly excited to start on the new adventure of homeownership! We broke in the new house in cheesy romantic comedy fashion... with a bottle of almond champagne and Chinese take-out straight from the cartons on the dining room floor. "How weird! This is our house now!" echoed off the walls of our furniture-less home more than once as we sipped champagne from 2 mugs dug out of my starbucks collection. It was perfect.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

We're moving! Daryll and I are mere days away from closing on our first home! It's such an exciting time, with all of these new "firsts" for us! I've found myself day dreaming about rugs and paint colors over the past few weeks and I am so looking forward to making the new house into a home.

As I've started packing up the boxes I can't help but be a little sad that we're leaving the first home we lived in as a married couple. We have had so many great memories in this home, working on projects together (painting and repainting, woodworking, to name a few...), to inviting others to share in our lives through parties and countless dinners.

I'm going to miss watching the dogs peek their little heads over the balcony at us and seeing Ella dart up and down the stairs after her ball. I'll also miss our fantastic and friendly neighbors who have kindly watched our dogs numerous times while we were out of town.

I know that our new home holds a lot of memories that we will spend years unlocking, but I will always cherish the memories that we made in our first home.

The final pictures will come off the wall and the final fall decor will be boxed up on November 19th. Then it's out with the ugly green carpet, and in with the new adventure of home ownership!

The Bahamas!

Two weeks ago Daryll and I got to take a much needed break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and fly away to the Bahamas for a week of relaxation! The trip had the perfect amount of relaxation (floating down the lazy river, sipping strawberry daiquris by the pool, meandering through the menage of aquariums, and reading by the beach) and adventure (a catamaran dinner cruise, water park rides, jet skiing, and snorkeling with sharks)! It was a wonderful time for us to recharge and reconnect with each other without any distractions. You know it's a good vacation when you wake up in the morning and your only agenda is to look out over the ocean with a caramel latte in hand before casually asking each other what we wanted to do that day. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the vacation:

Sorry, the upload is going to slow and I've got to get to work! But hope you enjoy the pictures that made it up!

Lately...

 Daryll and Megan conspired to surprise me for my birthday.

I was surprised again with friends at Rockin' Baja Lobster that night.

 We went to Sea World where we ate frozen lemonade.

 And saw the most amazing Shamu show (5 whales in the tank!)

 Daryll went to Cabo on my birthday.

 While I worked with these crazy kids.

 At least we got to eat cupcakes.

 Our mini lemon tree is making lots of lemons.

 And the front of our neighborhood got a makeover.

 I got really sick for 2 weeks with a double ear infection. And I lost my voice.

 We went to Burbank for the weekend and Amy and I took a mustache picture.

We went to see Water for Elephants with Mom.

 We went to Easter Sunrise Service at Brand Park.

 Mom and I took a cute picture there.

 I kissed a fish at Georges.

 Then unwrapped "the box"... George's best year yet with the contact paper!

 After an hour, I finally got it open.

 We celebrated Easter with Daryll's family.

*Not pictured (because the pictures are on Daryll's camera): Daryll's parents came to visit us for a weekend.

My 26 List

Last week I celebrated my 26th birthday, and in honor of the occasion I have created my "26 List" aka 26 things I want to do while I'm 26. Some are easy, some are hard, some are obscure. We'll see if I make it through. In no particular order, I hereby present my 26 List:

1.  Participate in a flash mob
2. Take the bus to work one day
3. Eat fish tacos at South Beach
4. Try to stand up paddleboard
5. Go to a rodeo
6. Spend a weekend out of state with some of my girlfriends
7. Redecorate my craft room
8. Take a woodworking class
9. Visit a museum in Balboa Park
10. Try out for a reality tv/ game show
11. Cook at least 1 recipe from every cookbook I own
12. Throw a jewelry-making party
13. Scan all my old pictures
14. Go to the Bahamas
15. Go to a ballgame at every California stadium
16. Find an organization I'm passionate about to volunteer with regularly
17. Do something that scares me
18. Try a new restaurant during San Diego Restaurant Week
19. Shop at a farmers market
20. Spend an entire afternoon at the beach reading
21. Grow my etsy business
22. Go river rafting with a group of friends
23. Get a group together to go beach camping up the highway
24. Paint my living room
25. Surprise someone with a small delight
26. Start a new tradition

That's it! How many do you think I'll make it through this year? And which ones do you want to do with me? (Flash mob or river rafting anyone? :-)