End of May / June Recap

I am trying to get my blog up to date before I give up altogether. Lets start with the end of May. Maddy had her "Gateway" which is where she gives a presentation to all of her teachers about what she has accomplished and how much she has changed. She did such an amazing job like always and passed with flying colors. We are all so proud of her!

A great perk to where I work is being able to attend events around the city. This time it was the LA Philharmonic presenting Mozart and Bruckner. I LOVED IT and am now a huge fan of Bruckner. The seats were perfect and the music inspiring.

The next day we hit up the Culver City Art Walk.

Our June birthday boy Scott

The beautiful ladies

So funny

Caroline & I

Family and friends

Instead of the vacation we had originally planned (more on that later) Chris and I took a 2 day trip to San Diego. The weather wasn't cooperating but it was a blast. We started with the museums at Balboa Park

Chris' little boy face

My favorite

It was so much fun

When we got to the heart of Balboa Park the House of Isreal was having a party. The food was delicious!

Heading to the Atrium

Next stop - Photography Museum

View from our hotel room

A gloomy but nice day

View from our happy hour drink spot

We took a $40 bike taxi to the Gaslamp. Fun but pricey!

He was nice enough to take our picture

The next day we headed to the zoo

The gondola ride about the zoo was so fun
Panda!

New Moon!

The Truelove

Found this and just loved it. From a poem by David Whyte:

There is a faith in loving fiercely

the one who is rightfully yours,

especially if you have

waited years and especially

if part of you never believed

you could deserve this

loved and beckoning hand

held out to you this way.

I am thinking of faith now...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDY!

One of my favorite people in the world turned 15 today.  She is beautiful, talented and is so loving.  She makes me laugh and smile and Chris and I love her so much.  The best part, she is our niece so I get her to myself whenever I want.  :)  She is also a great sister to the awesome Millie Mollie and amazing cousin to the lovely and beautiful Sarah.  Tonight we went out to dinner with the whole family and then opened presents with ice cream and cake.  I love birthdays!

She loves the movie Heathers so I found this shirt for her

Such a beautiful 15 year old!

LA Marathon 5K

On May 25th I accomplished a goal which was to run a 5K. I have long been able to run 3.2 miles but to actually participate in a group run is something I have always wanted to do. Why not start with one of the most famous? So on Memorial day we got up at 6am to run. I was really nervous because due to an illness I had not run for a month. I pretty much was ready to walk the entire thing. Our good friend Jim (and real marathon runner) was there to support which was so nice of him. It was awesome watching the real marathon start (26.2 miles) and then get together with our group. Pete Carrol from USC was even running with us. All of that energy really got me going and in the first mile I made the decision to run the whole thing no matter what. And I did! I finished in 40.2 min which is a sad time but I still ran it. Nothing makes you feel better or more healthy than accomplishing a task like that. We also were able to see the winner Wesley Korir from Kenya and first place female Tatiana Pretrova from Russia.

The fastest of the group start at the front and then the crazies followHe ran barefoot. Nancho came after.

She needed a sports bra. And why white gloves? Hmmmm"The One" also decided to joinThen all of the people really came. There were so many it made me dizzy and feel like I was in a world catastrophe movie Jim & Chris were ready to run!

Right before our race startedLook at us go! It was a lot of fun running through downtown
I got Chris dusting me at the finish line

The best part was the medal!
Then we were off to see the winners of the big run. The most amazing thing were the guys who came in who had disabilities. There were such an inspiration.
I love how this guy's colors pop

Here is the winner of the LA Marathon. AMAZING. Pretty cool to be brought in by a police barricade

Just Because

Charlotte and Leo are the cutest and sweetest and brighten up my day. These two rescued LA ghetto kitties act like they are brother and sister. I love it!

It seems like it is always a good time to nap for them

This is Leo with his blanket.

Happy Birthday Sister!

On May 3rd Katie turned the big 2-5. I cannot believe that my sister is 25 because that makes me 26. Four years closer to 30. Dang. To properly celebrate the occasion Chris and I drove to San Juan Capistrano for a birthday lunch. But first there were presents!!! I spoiled her AGAIN. Isn't that what sisters are for? I am so lucky to have her and cannot imagine my life without her. We can laugh for hours and always get the inside jokes. She is my best friend.

The awesome gifts she got me. I love the bowl!
Pretty 25 year old!
Her awesome birthday dessert
Katie & Chris

xoxo c&a