Auntie Love

Auntie Ruth is my Dad's younger sister. Today is her birthday. (yes, we have lots of September birthdays in our family! :) Auntie loves babies. Here she is holding Cole in the first 24 hours of his life. She spent many months of the earlier part of this year making a blanket for him, and it now sits proudly in his nursery.

My Auntie is a quiet, yet fierce person of faith who loves her family dearly. I remember growing up doing fun things like going to Wild Rivers, eating at the chicken place at Knott's Berry Farm and having photo shoots at her house with the cousins...she always took the time to invest in me in little and big ways. She still does today, even though her "little" niece is now in her 30s :).

Happy Birthday Auntie. I know that you may not like this semi-public profession of birthday wishes, but I couldn't help myself ;). You are beautiful and gracious and passionate about the things you care about. Thank you for being a great Auntie always. 

I love you!

Cakes

A Grandpa's First

Today is Grandpa S's birthday. Here he is holding Cole for the first time at the hospital-his beaming face says it all doesn't it? :)

Blane's dad is so selfless and sacrificial for the ones he loves. We have been the beneficiaries of his selflessness time and time again. He works hard and you know that if he is doing something for you, that it will be done well and right, the first time. I appreciate how much he supports and loves on our family all the time.

So, for the first time ever...HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!!!

We love you so much!

Aim for Blane and Cole too ;)

HBD Bil!

Today is my brother-in-law's birthday.

At first glance he is quiet, seemingly shy and definitely unassuming.

But after you get to know him you realize that he is witty, intelligent, and has a heart bigger than the Mississippi. 

Josh-like I said in my MOH speech at your wedding this year~there is no one greater whom I would've chosen to be my sister's partner, best friend, husband and love of her life. Thank you for always taking care of her. I am honored to be your SIL!

Now, move back home already :D

Happy Birthday!

Aim

A Christmas Birthday!

Today is my Mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! In honor of her, I cooked family dinner tonight. We had the Pioneer Woman's Pot Roast, Brown Rice, Balsamic glazed Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pear Tart for dessert. 

 Mom and my Gram at our wedding in October. Everyone says they look exactly the same. In fact, when I see pictures of my Gram when she was young, she looks exactly like my Mom did at the same age! It's uncanny.

 Mom being escorted down the aisle by my cousin No. Doesn't she look ravishing?

 As we left the church and hopped into the limo :)

Her and my Dad at dinner that night. 

My Mom is feisty, passionate, loves God with all her might, compassionate, caring, extremely generous, warm, hilarious, witty and creative. 

Happy Birthday to an incredible woman~my Mom!

Love you,

Aim

Bday Love

I love birthdays! :) Every year I say it's not a big deal but to be honest, who doesn't like being a little celebrated sometimes? Ewww...raw honest emotion right there people!

My nearest and dearest never fail to make me feel special year after year. I know they stress about it because I'm normally the party queen, but they underestimate themselves.

The day started when I woke up to this:

My sweet husband left me a note to find when I woke up, along with an ornament fitting for our year. He can be such a sweetheart sometimes :)

Then I had a lunch date with these two at one of my local faves-the Metro Cafe. We stuffed ourselves with the always yummy Bern Special (chicken sausage, spinach, mushrooms underneath an omelette with a side of potatoes and fresh baguette) and their infamous Sauteed Banana House Special Pancakes. Mmmm good baby.

 Later that afternoon my in-laws dropped by with birthday loot aplenty. On the right is my Mom-in-law's homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. It is absolutely delicious. I still have some in my fridge and I have no shame about the piece-a-day habit I've formed. On the right are the pink roses that she arranged for me. Have I said lately how awesome my in-laws are?

Quiddie came over to hang with me and we ate Carrot cake (obviously) and had Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate that I bought from Target. If you see it, buy it, I promise you won't regret it.

 Then my never-silly parents stopped by. After posing for this pic they also unloaded the birthday loot. Mom bought me a clear covered cake dome (yay! I'd been wanting one), a card perfectly picked by Dad (with an added "Yes! &Mom" scribbled inside after Dad's signature, haha) and a surprise...

 Cookies from my beloved sister and bestie! :D They had slaved away the Saturday before my bday making these beauties for me and my Mom was tapped to hand deliver them to me on the actual day.

 Don't they look professional? I was so impressed. These could be straight out of Bakerella or I am Baker for sure! 

 See that blue cookie on the left? Funny girls, funny ;). Grace and I were laughing because it's our two ages exactly-it's the cookie we're holding in the pic above.

 My sister also had this gift for me-12 Days of Christmas ornaments from Pottery Barn! I love that she gets my love for Christmas :). I've never been one of those December birthday people who is adamant about separation of bday and Christmas. The more Christmas the better in my book!

Blane came home and picked me up to have birthday dinner at Katsuya. Mmm...sushi :). Bonus that we had a gift card from the princess to use too! Overall I'd say that if you want a trendy "Hollywood" sushi experience, then Katsuya is your place. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best fish that I've ever tasted either. Blane and I agreed that Nobu in Malibu was the better choice overall. It was a fun experience though and we were glad that we tried it. :)

 After we got home, Blane surprised me with this ornament. It was the perfect gift for our first Christmas as husband and wife. I know, cheesy, but that's how I feel! Haha. The little heart crystal in the middle was an added bonus-it matches our mistletoe! (hopefully there will be a Christmas decor update soon :)

I was very thankful for all the texts, calls, facebook messages and cards that I received too. Very thankful for the family, friends and community that God has given me. 

What will 32 bring? We shall see, won't we ;)

Aim

Today, a Look Back

Every year for every birthday, my Dad always makes our family (and whoever also happens to be apart of the celebration) go around and share something about the birthday person. In return, the birthday person shares what their top highlights were from the past year of their life. In honor of that, here are mine today, on my 32nd birthday!

#1. Wedding planning with my sister. 

Seriously, if you ever are getting married, I highly recommend going through the planning process with someone who not only loves you, but totally gets you too. It was unplanned, but completely a bonus that my sister and I got to plan our weddings together this year. It made all the wedding frenzy that much more fun and I loved every minute of it.

 #2. Being in J's wedding party.

I had such a great time being a part of J's wedding. Everything from being asked last Christmas to planning the shower, to the bachelorette to the panty party to sleeping in our apartment the night before the wedding together...being in her wedding was an honor and a blast for me.

 #3. Seeing the fam twice in one year. 

J and I were so blessed that our Aunties, Uncle and our Gram on our Mom's side made it a point to be at both of our weddings. We know that it cost a lot for them to come twice in a matter of just six months, but they gladly did it. Having them around always makes things more fun and although they aren't close by physically, J and I both feel close to all of them in our hearts. 

#4. My best friend's 30th.

Meliss is my oldest friend and every year J and I have fun celebrating her birthday in a big way. This year she turned 30 and in honor of that I made the biggest celebratory cake ever! Haha. It actually wasn't planned-but it just turned out that way. We had a memorable evening with all of Meliss' favorite people at her parent's house. I enjoy seeing her so happy :).

#5. Serving with these people at camp.

I have directed one of the youth programs at camp every year for the past six years and this year was extra special because it was the first year that the majority of the directors were my age/generation. Our meetings were fun, it was inspiring to hear each person's vision and new ideas for their respective programs and camp, I believe, was one of the best its ever been.

 #6. Buying our first home.

Blane and I were blessed to be able to purchase our first home this year. I can't tell you how much I enjoy making our house a home. It is my sanctuary and I love being here. I love decorating, cooking, even cleaning (I know, stop your gasping now ;) and I've become quite the domestic housekeeper. It's been fun finding furniture that fits too and bit by bit it's coming together. 

#7. Our Wedding, duh.

Blane and I had the most perfect wedding ever. I mean seriously, we could not have asked for more. The day was filled with so much love, faith, our friends and family and the best wedding party that a bride and groom could ask for. If I could relive that day, I would, again and again. It was one of the best days of my life and at the end of it all I was married to my best friend. It doesn't get any better than that. :)

#8. Our Honeymoon in New Zealand.

If you've been reading my recaps, you know that we had an incredible time on our honeymoon. Blane is ready to go back at the drop of a hat, that's how much fun he had and how great he thought the country was. The best part was having two whole weeks with no responsibility other than to have a great time together exploring a new country. It was a blast and definitely a highlight of this year.

#9. Family.

It's no secret that I love my family but this year my family expanded. I married into Blane's family and they have wholeheartedly accepted me and made me a part of their inner circle, complete with my own Christmas stocking on the mantle and my name on the annual Christmas card. I am thankful for amazing in-laws and for my own parents who continue to show me what real love and faith is all about.

These have been the biggest blessings of my 31st year. I am looking forward to seeing what God has next up his sleeve for me, for Blane and for our life together. 

I want to give a special shout out to Blane, Bub, Josh, Mom & Dad, Mom & Dad, Meliss, Quid, Dawn, Jdawg, Blake, Pat, Derek, Aunties Ruth, Jo & Trish, Gram, Grandma & Grandpa, Uncle Mark, No, Court, Syd (and the rest of the H Family), Linda, John & Celia, Den, Le, Lala and Erika. Each of YOU contributed to my life throughout this past year in some way and I am so grateful. I am a better person because of each of you!

Wrinkle cream and achy bones, here I come ;)

Aim

Mom's Bday

Phew! Getting this one in under the wire today. Tonight Blane and I had both sets of parents over to our house in honor of Blane's Mom's birthday this week. It was the first time that I cooked for our parents and it turned out great!

On the menu was Misoyaki salmon (courtesy of Court and her Dad's recipe!), brown rice, Kathy's salad and homemade banana cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert. Mom Sandi shared during dinner that this evening was her second favorite moment of her entire year (after the wedding) because no one had ever invited her over and cooked for her before. My heart swelled and hurt at that because she is always cooking for everyone else and having people over at her house. She was so touched that we would want to cook for her and have her over-it was the best birthday present that we could have given to her.

I am blessed to have a wonderful Mother-in-law. I was so excited to give her my first "Happy Birthday Mom" card tonight. It was a great evening, with sharing (hey-my Dad was in the house, haha), family, good food and celebration. 

Happy Birthday Mom!

Love you,

Aim

For Quiddie

Grace turns 22 today everybody! In honor of that, I've dedicated this blog post to all things Quiddie.

Q. Quid.

This has been my nickname for Grace since she was in Middle School. We bonded over a Harry Potter board game and if you know HP, then you know that the game they play is called, "Quidditch." So I started calling her Quidditch, which then was shortened to Quiddie, and finally to Quid. Sometimes it even goes to just "Q" depending on my mood :). If I've given you a nickname it's because I hold you dear. I don't call anyone in my inner circle by their actual name-I think it's special when just you have a name to call someone. Right Quid? 

Quid goes to camp, circa 1999

U. Understated.

When Grace first came to America back when she was seven years old, she was a mute. The first time I remember meeting her she hid behind her Mom and barely uttered a "hi" and only because her Mom made her. Nowadays things have changed and although people on the outside might think she is still quiet, insiders know better. Bring your earplugs people, it can get that loud ;)

Quid rides the Shotgun Bouncer, 2009

I. Intelligent.

Grace has a mind like no other-her memory is one of the very best around. She is especially adept at memorizing numbers of any kind. For example-the girl knows my driver's license #, my SSN, the plates on my car and every address I've lived at in the past decade or so. The girl is a whiz I tell you-it's scary sometimes. If I ever am fuzzy on a detail of something we've done, she always knows. She also is super observant and knows far more about the people in her world (and even some who aren't) than you would even guess she does. Tricky, that one.

 Quid in her High School Senior Portrait, 2008

D. Dark.

I think this one goes without saying, but the girl has melatone up the wazoo! We are always joking that I want some of her skin color, and she can have some of my paleness. For my wedding, J, Dawn and I had to get spray tans because we all know that the darker you are, the slimmer and more pretty you are ;). Grace, on the other hand, didn't need to fork over the $$ and stand buck naked in front of a spraying stranger because she already had the color, thank you very much!

 The closest we've ever been in skin color-and this is after I had four layers of spray tan applied!, 2011

D. Dude.

I mean this in a lot of ways. Don't get me wrong here-Grace is a gal through and through-she just happens to have some "dude-esque" qualitites in her. Nothing wrong with that right? ;) First of all, she loves basketball, more particularily the NBA and the Lakers. She knows more stats than probably my cousin No and he's a stat King. (He'd probably dispute this claim but whatevs ;) If I ever am on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and I need a lifeline for a sports question, I'm calling Grace, no doubt. Secondly, the girl can burp like no other. We're known for earthquakes here in California, and shake the walls she can! It's pretty amazing actually. We're working on getting that out of her system in front of cute boys so we'll see if this continues. ;) Thirdly, she says the word "dude" a lot. Which is originally where this "D. Dude" came from. If she hasn't said "dude!" or called you "DUDE" then you haven't talked to Grace like ever.

Walking down the aisle at our wedding in October

Doesn't she look stunning? No dude here! :)

I. Insider.

For me, there are very few people that are inside my inner circle. I'm just private that way. Grace is one of my "insider" people. Somehow, she went from that mute 7 year-old to one of my greatest friends as a 22 year-old. She is my little little sister and I love her greatly. You know she's close when she celebrates every Christmas at my house! (That's right-don't you dare break the tradition! Grrrr)

Our annual Christmas at Starbucks drinks, 2010

 Helping me go over my vows before the ceremony, Oct. 2011

E. Every person's friend.

Grace has a lot of friends. She doesn't think so, but she really does. I think it's because she is loyal, keeps secrets like no other (she's a vault), and she's not critical or mean. Basically, she's the anti-girl in this department and I mean that as a compliment. Girls can be harsh, Grace just isn't. I know that her being a bridesmaid in my wedding is only the beginning to her standing up for a lot of her friends in their future weddings. (sorry Quid :)-I'll make sure you look good though!) She's as good a friend as they come, and if you don't have one like her, then her # is...haha, just kidding. She's all mine people! :D

These two are "best friends" and they love bantering with eachother like brother and sister. Blane even took Grace engagement ring shopping before he proposed and they tried on diamonds together. Haha. They are funny and I know they both love eachother even though I don't think they've ever said it to one another ;)

Quiddie, you are beautiful, through and through. My prayer for you today is that you feel loved, celebrated and recognized for the incredible person that God has made you to be. I look forward to seeing what journey God will take you on in this next year of life~for the many challenges, but also for the many victories and joys that He is going to bring to you. Trust in Him and you will never fail. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I love you!

4Life,

Aim :)