i should be sleeping...

... but my life has come full circle and post-hibernation, I have reverted back to the ole' "sleep on Sundays" mantra. Instead of spending every minute of darkness asleep (when the sun set at 4:30 there were a lot of unlit hours to be wasted while in the Tundra...) wishfully hoping that when I opened my eyes the snow would have melted, the temp would have climbed a mere 80 degrees and I would have a boyfriend who loved me I would find the strength to wake up + smell the roses...

Photo Taken @ Carmel-by-the-Sea along the PCH in California
... I now buy flowers by the dozen {for myself, because I am single-ly awesome like that!} + spend every spare second, even the ones in which I should be sleeping, carpe-ing the crap out of every damn diem {mantra #2}! Quick Confession: Last year, almost every night, I slept longer than the combined total of sleep I have received in the last 3 or 4 days of my newly reclaimed life... and I don't even miss my REM cycle...

Sidebar: The first time my toes touched the Pacific Ocean in Pebble Beach. I had no idea just what kind of opportunities were in store when I relocated to LaLaLand. My toes will touch the O.P. again in a couple of weeks + my goodness, opportunity will be right along with my reunification with the West Coast... but more on that in another post... 
...  not for a {sleep-deprived} second! What I'm trying to say is... I've been busy loving life + the 'Burb has been getting put on the back burner of the proverbial oven of my life... we all know I refuse to turn the real oven in my life on... especially after last night's cooking fi.as.co. =(  But... there's a lot of really awesome drafts saved + about twenty minutes of editing for some super spectacular vlogs coming your way but for now I must clean & pack & do laundry & paint my nails & pluck my eyebrows sleep for I am boarding a plane in t-9 hours + I'm super excited for this weekend + to witness 2 lovebirds say "I Dizzle"!

oh ya, + kiss + squish + love on this 6-month-old!! eeee yaaay!


p.s. It's Great to Be An *Elite Eight* Florida Gator!! =)

squishy newborn: Mason Edward James.

I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on this little squishy newborn + kiss him + love him + breathe him in. Welcome to the world, Mason! Our family just got a little more swirlier with you in it.

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Davis Photography.

M.F.T. #10: me & my cousins.

My Favorite Favorite Thing # 10 is not a thing at all but 2 awesome members of my family who I have been missing a lot recently now that I no longer live in the same city/in their spare bedroom anymore and although I've only been gone for 2 weeks, I feel its been an eternity since I've hugged my cousin's prego belly. Jenn + Lori are my (second) cousins and they are ~10 years older than me... which is the perfect distance a part to consistently look up to someone my entire life. We were always their "little cousins" growing up and I couldn't wait to come home for Christmas/the lake in the summer to see them! When they were teenagers, I thought they were the coolest girls ever with their stylish clothes + ALL their boyfriends! I couldn't wait to turn 16 + listen to Roxette and go on dates in my own little red sports car. Then, they hit their twenties and they hit a new level of cool. I can remember getting to stay the night with Jenn while she was in college and I thought it was soooo cool that she lived with her 4 best friends ... her room made out of sheets in the basement that she drew the short straw for! It was the same night as a going away dinner with all her friends and I got to come along!! Their fashion and conversation made me feel like I had just entered a real life episode of Sex & the City! They drank cosmos; they went to toga parties; they highlighted their hair! Now that they are in their thirties, they are cooler than ever with great careers and beautiful children! I am finally at an age where I still aspire to be where they are in 10 years but also can call them close friends, too. Lori is a very gifted French immersion teacher and Jenn is an incredible mompreneur who has many "jobs" including a fabulous eco-friendly website; purchase her awesome products here! I had saved part of this as a draft from awhile back and I think I was waiting for the perfect picture to accompany this post before I published it but I never got one of the 3 of us together so I stole these pictures off Jenn's photography blog: jennaphotoland (Did I mention she is an incredible photographer, too?). Living in Winnipeg, they helped me through so much and really taught me the value of living close to family, something I had never known before this past year. I got to spend lots of quality time with L & J and am really glad I got the time to get to know their adorable daughters... I hope I get to make the same kind of memories with Sadie & Lily, "my little cousins!"

helms.

Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Helms! What a fabulous wedding this weekend with all the family! My cousin, Meghan, was an absolutely stunning bride! =)

excerpts of: The Gallo Family.

I found several unfinished posts about the Gallo Family. I guess I found it super hard to put in to words just how amazing they are! From their cooking (read: Gourmet Gallos) to their passion for volunteerism (read: Intertwined.) they are an incredible family and I am incredibly lucky to call them my own.

4/30/09 - Tarara Winery

While in Washington, the Gallos and I went to a fabulous wine tasting at a local winery, Tarara. It was interesting trying all the different wines made here with their interesting bodies and flavors (I don't really know much about tasting wine.) My favorite part of the day was driving through the country feeling so disconnected from civilization, a nice change from LA life.

6/15/08 - Intertwined

Happy Father's Day to the greatest Dad I know! It is hard to put into words the amazingness that is Mr. Rick! He is quite possibly the most selfless person I have ever known. Dedicating countless hours for decades to the March of Dimes, he embodies the true meaning of philanthropist.

12/28/08 - Danny.

When you have had the same best friend since 6th grade, you have had many conversations about your ideal man. And it makes me so happy to know my bestie will be marrying her perfect match!

12/28/08 - Gourmet Gallo.

My favourite part of coming back to Florida is the home cooked meals and Barb definitely raises the bar for good home cooking! She makes the most yummiest meals for every meal of the day.

7/21/09- A random act of kindness.

Just before Father's Day, I received an incredibly touching e-mail from Mr. Rick. He was writing to tell "his daughters" (how lucky am I to be included in that category!) that he already had everything he could ever ask for from Megan, Carly and I just in the young women we are and how proud we make him in the accomplishments we achieve and that all that he wanted for this Father's Day was for us to do something kind for someone else and tell him about it. He suggested we help the elderly or call someone that we would know would love to hear from us or something simple like that that would make a big difference in the lives of those around us. I immediately began searching for the perfect opportunity to commit my act of kindness but being on holidays and working non-stop didn't seem to present many opportunities to do any grand gesture I thought was worth telling about. Never good at giving obligatory gifts (holidays, birthdays, etc.) I decided to approach this gift to Mr. Rick the only way I know how to give gifts ... randomly; when I come across something that reminds me of someone I get it simply because I think they would like it ... not because I have to. It was hard to achieve a sense of randomness when I was so conscious of completing this task, especially since Father's Day was only a couple of days away... but I eventually put it out of my mind hoping the perfect opportunity would come about. I wouldn't say that this is any grand gesture but it was definitely random: I take the same short six mile drive to work everyday. When I get off the 101 at the Sunset Blvd exit I immediately have to stop at the top of the ramp and everyday at the stop sign is a guy who looks hot and weathered. Usually I spend my time at stoplights with homeless people begging at them trying not to make eye contact and anxiously awaiting for the light to turn green. I would never give them money and never have any food in my car. But this guy is young. Probably in his mid-twenties and his sign says "just keep living". There is certain sadness in eyes that breaks my heart. The only way I can stay awake working nights is to eat. Continuously. For 12 hours straight. Always getting so excited for all the food at Trader Joe's I usually just take an entire brown paper bag full of food instead of portioning it out. Today my bag consisted of white bean hummus with whole wheat naan bread, a pear and gorgonzola salad, vitamin water, raspberries, strawberries, a banana, cauliflower/broccoli medley, and the list goes on. I was sitting at the light and I could hear Mr. Rick's voice in my head and I rolled down my window and handed over my entire breakfast/lunch/dinner to him. His stone face never wavered but I felt satisfied knowing he would have a good meal today.

happy birthday, Kim!!

I received this hott picture of my mum and cousin, Kim for my Ukranian Christmas prezzie! Hope you had a fabulous celebration with my two favorite ladies!!

beautiful new additions.

In addition to one husband (Anna's Chris, who we got to meet briefly saying our goodbyes!) there are also two new babies in the family - Courtney's son Zane who is turning a year old this month. He is such a happy baby!

He took some of his first steps while we were there!

all smiles!!

And our newest first cousin - Dresden Thomas Kirk - who was born on July 14, 2009.

It was so wonderful getting to meet Stormie and Phaedra too!

cousins in carolina.

In the Carolinas for a Coldplay concert, Kara and I miraculously got to see all our cousins in 2 days!! It was the highlight of my trip! =)

We had lunch with Meghan and Kirby and stopped by Monika's office to make plans for our next reunion in December.

We stayed the night with Uncle Kevin and got to meet the tiniest member of the Kirk family - baby boy Dresden, who was born 2 and half weeks before our arrival! He is beautiful!

And we couldn't plan if we had tried ... all the Overbys in one place in a matter of an hour!! It was absolutely amazing to see everyone!! I miss ya'll! It had been four years since we had seen each other (at Courtney's wedding) and it doesn't look like any of us will be getting married any time soon so we will have to make a point to not let it go this long again! =)

kim & rafik.

happy birthday, sadie!

I can hardly believe that Sadie turned two yesterday, Happy Birthday little one! Wish I could have been at your fabulous birthday party! I took this picture last summer (she was just barely a year old here!) I can't wait for more backyard parties and girls' nights in the city this summer! There has been a new addition to our girls' nights and she is getting so big too... six months old and eating solid foods! 

picture mail from (new) mexico.

because i received this photo on my phone i couldn't quite get the lighting right to see your face...anyhow, looks quite lovely where you are. think of you often. hope you're healing. 

family portrait.

Enjoying one of Barb and Patti's wonderful homemade meals 

birthday wish.

For Kevin's birthday, we headed down the coast to check out Huntington Beach and watch the surfers' soak up the not-so-sunny weather which only resulted in big waves... After a delicious meal and heart-to-heart over home-brewed beverages at a local brewery we headed to the Hollywood Hills so Kevin could see the infamous (but for me, kinda getting old...) HOLLYWOOD sign. I thought it would be your seemingly everyday hike taking you just below the sign which always makes for a nice photog spot with the sign touristy-screaming in the background. What I forgot was that I was hiking with Kevin.. who wanted to touch the sign ... who had been apparently dreaming about this one birthday wish for two weeks and he wasn't getting on a plane later that evening without getting up there. Well a big believer in wishes, I couldn't be the one who prevented this dream from coming true so next thing I know Kevin is pushing me up the side of a mountain (literally!!) through itchy plants and steep inclines. I hike quite often on my days off but this trail honestly was incredibly challenging. In addition to me and my fear of breaking the rules, the law, security and sensor system and a huge fence wasn't going to stop this wish from coming true either...  

turn of a (quarter) century.

Kevin, Kristy, and I had a fabulous few days celebrating the old man's birthday!! Placing his hands in Clooney's at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, checking out the pre-Oscars party at Kodak Theatre, (window) shopping on Rodeo Drive, partying with cougars down at Hermosa Pier, and watching the street performers in Santa Monica (Kevin's is the 4th bum from the right) were just some of the ways we celebrated in the short visit! 

lily elle place

lily elle place

Born: November 21, 2008 

7 lb. 1 oz.

21 inches

Welcome to this world, little One, it is even now, that much better because you are Here. 

wedding crashers.

The Green Goblin

Yesterday, we set out on a short road trip to visit my cousin (Kevin) who is currently drilling about two and a half hours from here, here being Dauphin, MB (my current place of residence). Kev told us "you can't miss it, you won't need directions" so when we arrived to the edge of town we simply starting looking for his truck in the town of Melville. There appeared to be a fence between us and what looked like a camp site with a black Ford F150 (how many of those exist?) that could possibly be his parked outside. So we followed the little road we were on entirely around the small town to enter from the other side before looping back through a provincial baseball tournament only to end up back where we started from but this time on the right side of the fence. My cousin is currently working the night shift on the rig so we were instructed to come at 5:00 ("and don't come at 4:30!") for supper so upon our arrival ( at 4:57) we woke him up from his deep sleep where he quickly made us feel right at home. He gave us a grand tour of The Green Goblin- his $850 purchase that he has made into a home for the next four months. We even got the royal treatment when he uncovered the tarp on his living room and set out 2 recliners and a couch for us to visit on, around his camp fire of course. Because of the baseball tournament, the campgrounds were packed and Kevin had lots of little neighbors that kept running through his living room. With only beer, bologna and Gatorade we decided to go out to eat before visiting Champion 47- the rig that Kevin works on. It's quite an impressive set up.

Hitch Your Wagon to a Star!

Congratulations, Kara! My sister is now an official FSU alumni. Kara graduated with a degree in exercise physiology with minors in psychology and biology. She is entering the real world this January working as a medical assistant at a dermatology office in Tallahassee. Kara has a year-long internship and then plans to attend graduate school to become a physician's assistant.