Throwback Thursday - February

Since today is the last day of February, I had to squeeze in the February edition of Throwback Thursday! (Refer to my Flashback Friday - January post for the social media lingo.)

This month we celebrated my friend Lauren's 30th birthday party with a big bash in Vegas. I've included pictures from some of her past parties as well. I've known my LMU girls for 10 years now!!

2006
Lauren's 23rd Birthday Princess Party! We took a limo to Medieval Times. If you haven't been, I think it's something everyone should do once...probably not more than that. You eat "medieval" food with your hands and cheer on your favorite in a dual with real horses!

2007
Mom, Camille and I took a day trip to Coronado. We walked around the beach, visited Hotel Del and rented one of those three seater bike/car things. I can't remember the name! Talk about Mini-Me!!

For Lauren's 24th birthday, we had dinner at her favorite restaurant, Gyu-Kaku. There are locations all over Southern California. It's a fun and delicious Japanese BBQ place. It requested that we all wear pink (boys included!)

2008
My pictures from this year are a hodge podge so I had a hard time figuring out which are from February. Here are some good ones anyways.

2009

Lauren's birthday celebration this year entailed a party bus ride to the Cabana Club in Hollywood for some drinks and dancing.

Also in February 2009, Krystal and her new husband Ben came back to LA to visit! She has lived in Elk Grove (Northern CA) for many years now and they just had twins!!! They are the cutest!

Here we are at an LMU Softball game.

This is also when Mom, Dad and I went to Waco, Texas to watch Kylie play softball!! I think one of my very first posts on this blog was about the water in Waco...yuck! But we had a great time anyways. We wish Camille could have gone with us. I think Baylor University would be a great choice for her!!

2010
This was the first February that John was around. I don't remember what we did to celebrate Valentine's Day but here are some fun pictures of us together.

Snow Day!

My first visit to Yard House

Tokyo Delve's for Lauren's Bday

For Lauren's birthday, we went to Tokyo Delve's Sushi Bar, which is a crazy mess but lots of fun. There is a new theme each month and the staff put on a hilarious show. Think Dick's Last Resort times a thousand!!

2011

In February 2011, we celebrated John's Aunt Kim's 50th birthday party. She had a country themed party in Dana Point. Of course, I was totally in my element!! We had to go shopping for John's outfit.

John and Amber with Aunt Kim

Lauren's 28th birthday party was pink, black and white themed. She had a DIY photo booth which was so much fun and an old school pinata!!

This month we also got a few of Kevin's high school basketball games, went to the horse races and had the annual Super Bowl half time pick-up game.

2012
Last year, John & I were engaged. We celebrated Valentine's Day in style with a stay at the JW Marriott in Downtown LA and dinner at Flemings!!

We also saw Camille's first experience of Senior Day at Rancho, and celebrated our friend Gail's birthday.

For Lauren's birthday, we went to martini bar in Beverly Hills which had a Vodka Box. We had to wear heavy fur coats and got to taste some really good and interesting types of vodka. Our gift to her was Kelly Clarkson concert tickets, which she loved. We had a blast at the concert!

2013
This year, like I said, we celebrated Lauren's 30th birthday in Vegas! She outdid herself and planned a really amazing weekend for us all. Here we are on "Bling" night at Pure Nightclub.

Most of our time and energy this month has spent on Lexi. She is now 16 pounds and learning and growing everyday. Here are some of my favorites.

Our little family!

Lexi's first trip to Vista!

Here are some highlights from Valentine's Day. I made Lexi homemade dog treats and ordered John red velvet cupcakes from the same baker that made our wedding cake. He brought home a beautiful bouquet, champagne and dinner!!

One huge highlight from this month was our Rock the Dress pictures!!! I was SO excited when our wedding photographer, Meghan Wiesman, asked if we'd be interested in a FREE shoot! I love any excuse to take pictures AND to put my wedding dress back on. It was so much fun! We went to Horsethief Canyon Park here in San Dimas and the pictures turned out beautifully. We even found a horse to use as a prop!!

Movie Monday

It's official...I'm obsessed with our dog! I love taking pictures and video of her and sharing all of her funny moments. She is growing everyday and becoming more rambunctious and brave by the second. Just like she is learning new things, we are learning too...what routine makes most sense for us all, how to potty train, how to break Lexi of her nipping habit, etc. She is 12 weeks and weighs 10 pounds. It will still be a few more weeks before she is able to start puppy school as the vet advised that she should have all of her shots first.

For today, I thought I'd share a few funny videos I've taken on my iPhone over the last couple of weeks. I apologize if they are turned sideways when you view them. I could not figure out how to rotate them.


This is a short nap time video. Lexi likes to lay on her back and sometimes sticks her tongue out while she is sleeping:

The next two videos are from the day Lexi discovered her reflection in the sliding glass door. This was the first time I'd heard her bark outside of her crate and I couldn't stop laughing.

Lexi has a nice cozy bed set up in her crate, which she sleeps in at night and sometimes during the day. So far she has been GREAT with the crate idea. We call it her "spot". While she's not in the crate and when she's looking for something to get into, she will go pull her bed out of the crate. I love how she stops dead in her tracks when she sees me watching her:

Over the weekend, Lexi brought in her first outdoor "catch". She found an old (and very large) palm frond in the backyard and decided she needed to have it inside. She then proceeded to do laps around the house and through the backyard. This video is just a fraction of the craziness:

Lexi has gotten to hang out with Skylar a few times. Skylar is Pat and Linda's boxer who is seven or eight years old and very big and wise compared to little Lexi. We have heard that female boxers are very maternal in nature and so far that has turned out to be true. My favorite was when Skylar tried to show Lexi how to use the doggy door...of course, Lexi was more interested in sniffing around and finding trouble. They are still working out the kinks but are having fun with it. In this one, you see how Lexi tries to play with Skylar.

If you ever want a taste of Lexi live, you can always FaceTime us or, better yet, come visit!!

I'm Lexi and I Know It

Most of you probably already know that we have a new addition to our family. Lexi is an 11 week old Boxer puppy who was born on November 10, 2012. We brought her home last Friday and already love her more than we could have imagined. And already she has been more of an adventure than we expected!

We found Lexi in the Pennysaver from a family whose dogs had a litter. She was one of two puppies left. We went to visit and didn't want to leave without her. On Friday night she was very timid and subdued. We thought it was just the stress of a new home away from her mom and siblings. On Saturday she seemed better but still not what you would expect of a playful young pup. We took her to the vet for a checkup and left with her second vaccination and a clean bill of health. Saturday night around 3am, Lexi started throwing up and was very sick all night, and sluggish and lethargic in the morning. John and I were both so worried about her and didn't know how to help. We took her to the animal hospital at our local Petsmart and had a great experience.

The vet was initially worried about Parvo or worms. Both can be detrimental to a puppy's health. After several tests and the extraction of a bee stinger from her paw, the diagnosis was that she just had a tummy ache and may be having a bit of reaction to the bee sting and her last vaccine. We could not have been more relieved!

We left with a few different medications and a special wet food diet that would be easier on Lexi's belly. Ever since she has been just fine. As John would say, "yep, we got a regular dog." Lexi is very smart and more and more mischievousness everyday. She stays home and "works" with me with a routine of eat, play, potty, sleep, repeat. It sounds easy but, believe me, she is a handful! When she's not sleeping I basically have to follow her around to make sure she doesn't chew anything of value or have an "accident" in the house. So far, she has been so good. Very few accidents and she is warming up to her crate already! Since she lost more than one pound when she was sick, the vet wanted to make sure she gains wait. She already looks bigger and is eating like a little piggy. She is about 9 pounds and growing everyday.

We are obsessed with her and have so many pictures. Here are a few of Lexi at 11 weeks.

Lexi's First Night at Home. With her Purple Monkey.

Sleepy Saturday Morning.

Getting acquainted with her new home.

First night in her crate

Posing with her monkey

Slowly warming up

Checking out her yard with her new toy from Isaiah and Krystal

Resting on 'Mommy's' lap

Working hard or hardly working?

Such  a sweet face

So little in such a big house

Frolicking in the backyard

Watching hockey with 'Daddy'

By the way, we named this blog post after Lexi's favorite saying..."I'm Lexi and I Know It" which is her own rendition of LMFAO's song Sexy and I Know It.

Flashback Friday - January

Social Media has taken us all by storm. If you are on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, you've probably seen something labeled Throwback Thursday (TBT) or Flashback Friday (FF). This is a way to share old pictures with your friends. There are so many emotions that are evoked through this kind of sharing...happiness, sadness, humor, reminiscence, etc etc.

I, personally love pictures and try to take as many as possible. As I've gotten older, I've realized the value in photography and in capturing moments that will not last forever and turning them into memories that last a lifetime. I've done some organizing lately and have come across so many great pictures that I thought I'd try my own version of FF in the form of a monthly snapshot of years gone by. Here are some pictures from Januarys past...

2007 Samantha and I hanging out with friends. This was less than a year after we graduated from LMU. Look at that dark, short hair!

Margo, Samantha and I celebrating the new year in Las Vegas.

2008 Another one with friends (left to right: Lauren, Kylie, Britt, Samantha, Margo). This was in Vegas after celebrating the new year.

2009 I was lucky enough to be asked to travel to Madrid, Spain for work. I spent about a week there and was able to take some time off and see the city. This is me in front of the Royal Palace of Madrid, which is the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family. Today, four years later, I am back working for the same team that sent me overseas in 2009 so fingers crossed for more international travel soon!!

2010 We celebrated the wedding of Ryan & Jill Gunderson. Their wedding was on a beautiful yacht in Newport Beach on the same evening as the BCS National Championship! Ryan & Jill just celebrated their third anniversary and are expecting their first child in five short weeks!

This is Chris and Lindsay who are recently engaged!! Chris was a groomsmen in our wedding. They both attended LMU.

Dave and Cristina. Dave is currently in his second year of med school in Grenada!

2011 Because my pictures are stored in so many different places, I haven't been able to find any January 2011 photos yet. I know there HAS to be some so I'll do some digging.

2012 This was a busy time full of fun.

We said goodbye to Dave as he started a new journey and left for Grenada.

The boys at ESPNZone enjoying their last few days with Dave. (left to right: Dave, Michael, Chris, John, Chris)

John's cousin Nicole got married in a beautiful ceremony in Irvine. Ryan and Nicole just celebrated their first anniversary and are expecting their first child this year!

We celebrated Tara's bachelorette party in Dallas. She was married on September 18, 2012 in Marina del Rey.

Dallas in January was cold for us California girls. (Samantha, Me and Lauren)

Kylie made an appearance and entertained us all by riding the bull!

I got to stay in Dallas with Kylie for a few days which was amazing. We saw a Stars game!

And made TopGolf our new favorite hangout!

We also finished the paint job in John's kitchen after peeling 30 year old wallpaper!

A man and his power tools.

Hung new curtains as a nice touch.

It's fun to see how things have changed (or haven't changed at all!) over the years. So far this January, we have been hard at work with more home improvements and are preparing to welcome a puppy into the family! More to come!

The Calm Before the Storm

We're married!!! Our wedding turned out beautifully and the day could not have run more smoothly. Before I post pictures and stories about our honeymoon, I thought I'd try to relive our wedding weekend a bit. Thank you all for sharing this special time with us.

I took the week before our wedding off work and I am SO glad I did. I didn't realize how many last minute details needed to be taken care of and I was running around like a crazy woman all week. This was the fun stuff though and I didn't have work to worry about so it didn't bother me.

John and I visited the LA County Recorder's Office to pick up our marriage license. While we were there I called Grams to confirm that Mom was born in Downey and she told me, no, Becky was born in Mexico! Hahaha, it took me a second to realize she was kidding!

I got my hair done on Monday morning...

We also got a relaxing couple's massage on Tuesday evening, complete with champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. It was a nice little escape from all of the wedding errands.

Kylie came up on Thursday which was a huge help! She ran some errands for me and helped me pack up all of our wedding supplies and to-do lists that would be provided to the church coordinator, the country club coordinator, photographer, etc. I also got my spray tan on Thursday night and woke up on Friday morning with a slight issue...my neck (of all places!) was blotchy and I had to go get it touched up!

Friday was when all of the festivities began! The rest of my family came up that morning and we had a great brunch at the Kolbeck's house. This is one of the times that John and I were looking forward to most...the calm before the storm that we used to spend some quiet, quality time with our parents and siblings. We passed out gifts and showed a preview of the video that was played at our reception. There were lots of tears, laughter, hugs and love!

Ready for mimosas!

What a nice spread!

The Red Plates

Amber, Camille, Kylie

Sisters

M and D

Friday was full of more errands and preparation...putting the final touches on wedding party gifts, picking up cake pops, dropping off supplies for the reception, and the list goes on. Our rehearsal started at 5pm at Claremont Presbyterian Church. We really weren't sure what to expect and needed a bit of practice but it was so much fun seeing everyone and working through exactly how we wanted our ceremony to look.

Our rehearsal dinner was held at the home of a close friend of the Kolbeck's, Gail. She was so sweet to open her home to all of us AND to cook all of that delicious food. John loves her ribs and I cannot get enough of her potatoes au gratin and buttered rolls!! It was the perfect way to sit and relax and chat with our family and friends. Friday night I had a slumber party with Kylie and Camille. We all shared a bed so I didn't end up getting too much sleep. :P

We got up before the sun the next morning to take showers and head to South Hills Country Club for hair and makeup. To Be Continued...

It's Wedding Week!!

Hope you all had a great weekend. We are wrapping up Sunday Night Football and preparing for wedding week! I have the entire week off and could not be more excited about it. Up until now, I've had lots of work AND lots of wedding stuff to worry about...both seemed like a full time job. Now I can just sit back, relax and get the last minute things done.



Today I worked on getting the end to end wedding day schedule down. Now I just need to make different versions...one for bridesmaids, one for groomsmen, one for the ceremony, one for the reception, etc.

Tomorrow I have my last hair appointment, our final meeting with the pastor, a walk-through at the church and a dance lesson. Yes, I said dance lesson! It's actually really fun and helps us look a little more official. :)

The rest of the week I'll be working on different odds and ends. Tuesday we have a couples massage scheduled. Wednesday I have a walk-through with our photographer. Thursday is nails and tanning. And Kylie comes to town!!!

Friday is when the festivities officially begin. We are having a breakfast with our parents and siblings on Friday morning. I like to call this the calm before the storm. Then last minute errands on Friday and the rehearsal. Hopefully there is no rain!!

Saturday is the day!!! We are so excited! Can't wait to see everyone soon!