mexico vacay: 2015

the boys and i spent thanksgiving week at the very southern tip of baja, mexico,
specifically in a tiny tiny beach town called los cerritos and then in a
slightly larger artist town called todos santos.

we had never been all the way down south and when i found a great deal

on volaris, the mexican airlines flying out of tijuana, i couldn't resist.

we made sure our passports were current, pesos were in our pockets,
and surfboards (2) packed well in a board bag. the trip was easy in every way...
parking, the flights, hotel, even grocery shopping. {we shopped at a local mercado
for all our staples, and we we stopped at roadside stands for fresh fruit every few days}.

the purpose of the trip was to relax as a family and that's what we did.  

days were spent reading, surfing, eating, drinking, hanging out with a 

family we met who lives just 20 minutes north of san diego
{scout actually had a sleepover at their condo with their 3 boys}.

the toughest decision of the day way was where to go for dinner.
mexican food won out every night, and most restaurants were happy to
whip up a hamburger for scout when we let him depart from mexican food.
{it used to be pizza and pasta...now it's hamburgers}.

it begins....tijuana airport

boys piano recital: 2015

the boys were anxiously anticipating their fall recital,
as it was intended to be a spring recital and got postponed
after their teacher, was pulled into a local show
{he plays the piano and is an orchestral conductor for a number
of theaters throughout san diego}. 

since the music studio is super tiny, i offered up our home
again as our home has space to host about 20 comfortably in our
living room.

we rented white chairs, dusted my 20+ year old piano off and
watched 13 kids play their recital pieces and a few of
the students even sang which added a whole level of fun.
the oldest of the vocalists was about 16 and she sang adelaide's lament from
guys and dolls. 

she was wonderfully talented.  she had the vocal range and even got
into character when she performed. c grinned at me from across the
room as he knows the song well and that the music carries fond memories for me.

the boys performed two pieces. i'm sharing just the one for each boy here on my
blog as the songs are pretty long.  they played very well and thoroughly
enjoyed themselves.  here's my little, at 8 years old, performing in his 2nd recital:

and next up was finn, our 11 year old.
i believe this is was his 5th recital. 

~ the same evening, after the boys were in bed, i picked up the sheet music to
finn's piece, and found myself struggling a bit with the timing.
his music is getting more complicated every year and i'm guessing in two years,
we will be at the same skill level. it's so exciting!

he knows what I need

"no, i don't think i will kiss you, although you need kissing. badly.
that's what wrong with you. you should be kissed and often,
and by someone who knows how"
- margaret mitchell, gone with the wind




oh how i love this quote and this movie.

when c and i were newlyweds, i had him sit and watch the entire
movie, so he'd understand why i loved it so much.
i have a thing for epic movies.

when it was over, he told me i was a bit like scarlett
{my mom said that to me years ago when i was a teenager}.
i wasn't sure my mom meant it as a compliment at the time, but i knew
c meant it that way. i think he liked my feisty attitude and my independence.

one day after a fight or something, he left a postcard with this photo on the seat
of my car.  on the back he wrote "you should be kissed and often, and by someone
who knows how".

when i confronted him, i held it up and responded using the same word's scarlett used to rhett
when he told her that. if you know the movie, you know her response.  she says "and i suppose
you're the proper person"?  christopher smiled and said yes.

he was then, and he still is. 

my best friend

i am so lucky to be married to my best friend,
and today, on our anniversary, i wanted to take a few minutes
to express my gratitude and my love for the man who chose me
and who i chose to share my life with.

i am grateful to be sharing my life with my love and my best friend.
.