Moving and babies...

When we decided to move to Durango from Southern California 4 years ago it was the hardest decision I had ever made - leaving my family, friends, career, the beach, In-N-Out Burger (you get the idea). The reason we gave it up was to give Andy a chance to get his career rolling and because it gave us a real chance at me being a stay at home mom. The quality of life that we could have by me staying at home while our kids are young was my number one priority. I know how hard it is and what kind of sacrifices most people have to make to be able to pull off living on one salary in this day and age. A lot of people don't even have the option - they simply can't afford to stop working. I feel really lucky that Andy and I have found a couple of options to make it happen. So... we are deciding between 1. trying to re-finance so that we can keep the house that we live in now - the house that we love, the house that we first met each other at and the very same house that we moved into together when we got married or 2. moving into a brand new house about 20 minutes outside of town (where it is much less expensive to buy) so that we can pay off all of the debt we have and afford to live on one salary. I am actually making one of those lists that show all of the good reasons to move on one side and all of the bad reasons on the other! Regardless of what ends up happening I finally feel content knowing that I will be able to be a stay at home mom (hopefully sooner rather than later!).

On the adoption front Andy & I decided to try to have a biological child before we start the adoption process. I really wanted to adopt before we have a biological child but the doctors have said that if we want biological kids that we shouldn't wait any longer to start trying so... If I don't get pregnant pretty soon I think we will go ahead and start the adoption paperwork because I am just not willing to wait that much longer to be a mom! It makes me nervous that wait times for the Ethiopia program we are interested in are increasing and I wish we were already a part of the process but I am trying really hard to practice being patient! I feel like I am starting to ramble so I am going to leave you with an inspirational quote that I received a little while ago from a friend:

A goal or a dream that doesn't challenge the dreamer to become more than they've ever been, to go where they've never gone, or to feel things they've never felt, is actually like wishing for a giant "life snooze button."

It's time to wake up people!!!

Peas on Earth - Happy Earth Day!!!

It IS easy being green! Here are some easy things you can do today and everyday to help protect our planet for future generations:

1. Reduce - Reuse - Recycle!
2. Don't be wasteful.
3. Turn lights off if you aren't in the room.
4. Join a local "freecycle" group - exchange items you aren't using and get things you want instead of throwing things away.
5. Purchase green energy.
6. Open windows instead of turning on the A/C.
7. Reuse paper that has only been printed on one side.
8. Go buy a cool Sigg or Nalgene bottle instead of buying bottled water.
9. Use cloth instead of paper towels and real utensils and plates instead of disposable.
10. Carpool or ride your bike to work!
11. Share your green ideas with others!

Alligator wrestling

I was just thinking that it has been almost one year since Andy and I took our honeymoon to Costa Rica (of course we had been married for 3 1/2 years when we finally got around to taking the honeymoon). If you have never been to Costa Rica - I have to say that it is one of the most amazing countries in the world. I am SO in the mood for another vacation to somewhere tropical. I am a beach girl and I am really missing the warm weather and ocean after this long, snowy winter.

The whole reason that I decided to write this post was to share the following amazing photo with you. Andy actually wrestled an alligator in Costa Rica.


Okay - so maybe it was only a fake alligator submerged in the shallow end of our hotel's swimming pool - but still. I was impressed. I laughed so hard when I came across this that I had to share it with everyone. I think he was pretending to be Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore when he beats up the alligator to get Chubb's hand back.


Costa Rica was so magical - I can't wait to go back one day! I guess for now I will just have to start planning our next vacation to tide me over! Any suggestions?

Cutest Husband Ever

The other day Andy told me that the only combination better than peanut butter and chocolate was him and me. Could he be any cuter?

I'm A Little Nervous...

I left my dogs inside my house this afternoon... loose in my house. I know that from their photos on the right side of my blog they look as if they would NEVER do something bad while being left alone in my house - but don't let those sweet faces fool you. Actually, Tanner probably never would do anything bad. He really is the good boy. Gage however is a whole different story. If that guy hadn't written the book "Marley & Me - life and love with the world's worst dog" I could have written a book called "Gage and Me". The ONLY difference in this book would be the fact that Marley was a yellow lab and Gage is a chocolate lab. I'm not kidding - that would be the only meaningful difference. Please don't get me wrong - I love this dog as if I actually birthed him. I always tell people that if I had the chance I would push him out of the way of oncoming traffic and get hit myself before I would let anything bad happen to him. (I also tell them how much easier my life is going to be when he is gone.) Gage is the kind of dog that will destroy things just to piss you off. And when he destroys things he usually destroys expensive things. Here is a sampling from his 4 short years on this planet... prescription eyeglasses, an 8x10 area rug, the living room curtains, an Ipod, a $200 remote control, the front windshield of a car (seriously - he shattered it with his head), countless throw pillows, a quilt from Pottery Barn & too many fence planks to count (we probably could have built a brand new fence). Now look back at that sweet face to the right. You probably think I am making all of this up because he is so darn precious looking. Most people would have sent this dog packing. Instead I spend $186 every 28 days for the injection that keeps him alive (he has Addison's disease) and let him sleep in my bed with me. The things we do for love... I wonder what will be destroyed when I get home today?