The Listas

Maternity Pictures and Update

2011-12-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

So this is me on Christmas Eve at about 33 weeks. It's kinda difficult to take your own maternity pictures but we did the best we could. I might have perfected the posing and changed up the background but this will suffice. But why did no one tell me my face was getting so puffy!?

Most everything is done. The crib is built. The dresser is build and stocked with washed clothes and a few diapers. The stroller is together. The car seats will get installed in a week or so. I have just about everything I want/need for my hospital bag - I just have to pack it. I've been so fixated on this c-section and coming to terms with it that it finally dawned on me a few weeks ago that this child may not actually come when I schedule it. I mean it won't come later but it might actually come earlier! Silly me!

I've had a really easy pregnancy but here in the last 6 weeks a bunch of mild problems have kicked in and some have already subsided. None are worrisome but a few are mildly irritating and/or painful. Still I can't complain. I make a lot more noise these days, like when I try to bend over to tie my shoes or when he "kicks" me somewhere not so comfortable. Diego says I'm snoring from time to time too... Bother.

I ADORE this picture below. Diego's face is so content and happy. He makes me lift my shirt and he kisses my belly usually when he leaves for work and then again some time in the evening. He's gonna be a great father! I love that man. I'm gonna keep him!

Boy Oh Boy!

2011-10-12T22:02:00.003-07:00

As you've probably seen or heard by now, we are expecting our first child at the beginning of next year. His c-section is schedule for Feb 6th. It's been a long and fraught-filled journey for us.

We've been waiting for this for 2 and 1/2 years. In between, we've had a miscarriage, a tumor removed and a couple of months of Clomid. Personally I think it's because we were finally set. We bought a house in March and we find out we are pregnant in June. Not that we were waiting or wanting to be "set" but I think Heavenly Father knows us well enough to give us what we need when we need it. Of course, I'm sure the Clomid helped!

We already know it's a c-section because of the tumor I had removed from my uterus a year ago. It was so deep and in a part of the uterus that it would be unsafe for me to attempt a traditional vaginal birth. I'm coming to terms with it.

For my age, I am at a much higher risk for chromosomal defects. But after my ultrasound, the doctor reduced my risk to 1 in 750 because they liked what they saw. He was all curled up in a ball so it took a bit for the tech to actually see that it was going to be a boy. After we found out what we were having, she tried to get a picture of his face but he had his hands in front of his face. So she jiggled him around a bit and he moved his hands to the side of his head but stuck his foot up in his face! He's already giving us a hard time!

The first question people ask me is if we are excited. Yes, of course we are but it's taken some time. We spent the first 3 months worrying that it wouldn't stay, that we would have another miscarriage and keeping the wonderful secret to ourselves. Nobody tells you that the first few months you don't actually seem or feel pregnant. I suppose I'm naive. My biggest complaint at first was cramps, then headaches and now my feet hurt and I pee a little when I sneeze sometimes. You don't need to know that, but there it is. Time to do some Kegels. Altogether I've been very blessed. No morning sickness, no extreme tiredness, no frequent urination...

Now, I must love you people to post this next picture... But in the spirit of full disclosure (and because people are asking me)...

This is me at 22 weeks. Not sure I really look pregnant. I just look like I've gained weight. What looks like baby is just my fat roll being pushed up. For the most part, the baby is below my belly button. I have officially given up on any kind on pants with a button on them but I'm not quite fitting into maternity clothes yet. Bother.

I guess I should back up. When I said we were "set" I guess I meant that we had a home with an extra room to put a nursery. As far as what a baby would need, we've got nothing! So if any of you long lost friends out there want to contribute to the cause, PLEASE DO!!! Here are the links to our registries.
Amazon.com
Target.com

Little Liam thanks you in adavance!!!

I am currently 23 weeks. I've been able to feel the baby move for a few weeks now. Diego has been able to feel him from time to time. The other day, he made me roll on my side on the couch so he could sit next to me and put his hand on my belly. Another time he rolled over in the middle of the night and put his hand on my stomach and startled me awake. I've read that pretty soon he'll be able to put his ear to my belly and hear the heartbeat. I've read about the flashlight thing too but we're not going to do that. It seems mean.

Anyway. Wish us luck. And if you want to shower us with advice or presents we are totally willing...

4th Anniversary - San Francisco

2011-07-05T13:13:00.030-07:00

I'm liking this go-out-of-town-for-your-anniversary thing! I think I'll keep it! This year was San Francisco. We'd both been before but he never got to see Alcatraz and I wanted to see the Redwoods again. So off we went.
This is San Francisco as seen from Alcatraz in the evening.

At the gate of Chinatown the say we arrived.

At the tea shop where we got to try all these teas and learn about their health properties. The Chinese drink tea not because it's yummy but because it's good for you.

One of the last handmade fortune cookie shops. We didn't get a picture of me at one of the temples "shaking the sticks" to see what my fortune would be.

Diego eating "Lucky Fish".

We ordered hotpot in an attempt to relive one of my yummiest memories of China. It was a disaster, as you can see on Diego's face.

Hanging off the Trolley. We waited in the gargantuan line at the main stop in the morning and I am glad we did. At every stop we were instructed to yell at the waiting passanger, "We're Full!".

At the bottom of Lombard Street. The Crookedest Street. Then we walked to Ghiradelli Square and then to Pier 39.

Muir Woods. I was never any good at nature photography but still, in person it wasn't how I remember it. Still very majestic!

In front of one of the Redwoods.

The Golden Gate Bridge. Note ALL the traffic. We waited for a bus forever at the drop off from Muir Woods. And then we had the bus drop us off at the last stop before the bridge. Diego REALLY wanted to walk it. I did not, however, but who am I to crush a dream.

So we're walking across the bridge and I want to take a picture of Diego but he won't stand by the water side. He's scared! WHAT! You're making me walk all the way across this **** bridge and you won't even go to the side!!! Just left of center is the best I got. Funny Boy. Good thing I love him!

At the end of the walk on the San Francisco side.

Inside Alcatraz.

Inside one of the cells. Diego thinks the hardest part would be doing your "business" in front of everyone. I think the whole thing would be hard.

We took the night tour so we got to go up to the hospital. This is the X-ray room. Eerie, isn't it?

Lonely little Alcatraz.

All it all we did everything we wanted to in the short weekend we were there. It was a TON of walking but I'm so glad we didn't rent a car. Happy Anniversary to us!!!

We bought a house!

2011-05-15T08:12:00.015-07:00

Neither Diego nor I ever thought we'd be homeowners. First of all we weren't mentally or financially prepared for such a thing. How do people ever save up enough for a 20% down payment?... But somewhere in December, we both starting thinking, "We should buy a house". So by Christmas we were working on mortgages and by New Years we were looking at houses. (Note to others who may be looking: We qualified for WAY more than we could afford to pay back so be careful and know your limits before you make these decisions!) We probably saw at least 80 houses and thought we might get 2 of them but in talking with our Realtor we never even made offers. You see since we were getting a FHA loan (for first time home buyers) we used our tax return as the 3.5% down payment and had nothing left for closing costs. And those other houses would still need money for repairs. The house we ended up buying Diego saved from my discard pile. Turns out, it is right down the street from where he lived when I met and married him. We paid list price for it but they paid for closing cost and for the refrigerator and the blinds throughout the house.

It's got 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and an office. Turns out some people in our ward used to own this house and the first Sunday in church she came over and asked me about the trees in the backyard (which were just sticks when we moved in March). I told her, very confusedly, that they were fine and she proceeded to tell me that they were fruit trees. We inherited fruit trees!!! We have a peach tree, a plum tree and an apricot tree! Anyway. We purposefully bought a house that didn't have really anything in the way of repairs but it's been an adjustment getting used to all the stuff we have to buy to maintain it! Diego always said we'd hire some neighborhood boy to mow our lawn, but he has taken full ownership on it! Our back yard has grass. There are holes in our block wall back there and we get irrigation from our backyard neighbors (who happens to be the Elders Quorum President and the one who told us what the holes were for). Anyway. This is turned into quite the lengthy post on our home purchase. I'll end with this. That gravel in front yard, it's 90% gone (thanks to the Ricks) and we need to get the sprinkler system fixed and updated but after that we are gonna try for grass when some of this heat dies down. Wish us luck!!!

2010 Year End Wrap Up and Moving Forward

2011-02-23T12:55:00.001-07:00

Yes, I do realize it's almost the end of February. Whatever. If 2009 was the year of us visiting everyone then 2010 was the year of everyone visiting us!

My friend Brandon came in April. I can't put my fingers on any of those photos right now. I think I've already packed the disc that has them... Brandon, email me a picture of the 2 of us from your visit please so I can update this post!!!

Then in July, my sister and her family came to visit. Michael is not in this picture but he didn't like being in pictures anyway...

And finally in December, we had Diego's mom and aunt come from Argentina!

With all that, we moved twice too. The second time was cause we got smoked out of the first apartment. We tried for a few weeks to beat that smoke smell from the previous or upstairs tenants but to no avail. 3 weeks later we moved. Bother.

Towards the end of the year I had surgery to remove a tumor from my uterus. Not the cancerous kind but still bigger than a golf ball. It wasn't really symptomatic but we are hopeful that it will change our chances of becoming and staying pregnant.

As far as moving forward in 2011, we are buying a house!!! We should be in it within a month. It has a HUGE walk-in pantry which is helpful because another one of our goals is to finish up our 1 year food storage. 72-hour kits - check. 3 month food storage - almost finished. Non-perishables and toiletries - getting there. 1 year - I got nothing. I wanna start a garden at the new house and I've been canning. Here are some pictures of the chicken and breakfast sausage links I did.

Oh, and Diego is getting promoted! Hmm. What's next? *fingers crossed*

Familia in EEUU

2011-01-28T11:18:00.071-07:00

Diego's mother and his aunt came to visit us!!! It was his mother's first trip to the United States (first time flying, for that matter). They stayed almost a month with us and we tried to pack in as much as possible! Among their favorite things was Wal-Mart but here are some other things we did.

Agua Fresca!!! Yum!

The lights at the Temple.

Their first snow.

The Grand Canyon.

Las Vegas. The water ballet at the Bellagio, the ceilings at the Venitian, the chocolate factory, the sign, the flamingo, the Argentine restaurant, breakfast with the Johnsons, what else... I can't remember.

Tombstone. We watched the show and went to Boothill Graveyard.

The roller derby. Once Diego explained a bit they liked it.

Diego and his mom. Everyone thought he looked just like him mom. Well, you should see his dad... She doesn't like this picture cause she's not used to herself without her glasses. I had to learn how to time my photos. When you take a picture, you count uno...dos... tres. And they repeat tres with you like we would say cheese except we don't actually say cheese every...single...time.

What I didn't include was the trip to the hospital when took them shooting and his aunt got hit in the face with the recoil of a gun she was shooting. They were both doing very well but I guess her arms got progressively closer to her face and then, bam. Yeah, she needed surgery in her eye. But she's okay!!!

Thanksgiving and Christmas

2010-12-27T11:03:00.001-07:00

Before the Thanksgiving festivities with our friends Damian and Launi and their family, we participated in the Turkey Trot. Our attempt to rid our bodies of the extra food before it even gets there...

I had a spot of competition from this little one. She asked for Diego to sit next to her and then she said, "I'm 5. How old are you?" When he said he was 40 she said, "Aww!"

Isn't that the fun-est thing you have ever seen?! Rainbow jell-o! So impressed!

We had Christmas Eve dinner with our friends Candee and Facundo and some of their relatives. I'm still trying to get a bigger version of this picture...Great evening though!

Our Newest Citizen

2010-11-19T10:57:00.000-07:00

Our newest naturalized citizen!

Inside the courthouse with all the swearing in and the patriotic videos and the singing. Singing? Yes, they make everybody stand and sing "Proud to be an American". Not even "The Star Spangled Banner"... Weird.

Diego's 40th Birthday

2010-11-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

Does it make me a bad wife or a bad photographer that I didn't take a single picture at Diego's big birthday party?Doesn't matter. I LOVE YOU BABYCAKES!!! Happy Cumpleaños!

This candles? We smuggled those in from Argentina...

Thanks, everyone, for making the night so great!!!

Snowflake

2010-10-31T10:37:00.002-07:00

We've been wanting to go up to the Snowflake temple for a long time now so we went over Halloween weekend. We drove up early in the morning and went straight to the temple. As you can see, it was WAY windy outside.

We stayed at a cute little bread and breakfast (Heritage Inn, I highly recommend it) but as far as sightseeing goes the below picture is the only place we got to see. It's a tiny little town is SOOO small and everything closes SOOO early.

It was a very relaxing and low key trip. That night we went to a haunted corn maze. It was short but kinda cool. They only let 10 people in at a time and they pretty much guide you through it. But, at one point, they pile you in this covered truck and it's totally dark and they drive you to the next location sloshing you around as you go. It was fun.

Las Vegas

2010-10-25T10:27:00.002-07:00

My parents made a rather spontaneous trip to Las Vegas (from Louisiana, I might add) to see Jimmy Buffet in concert and we drove up to see them. They saw the water ballet at the Bellagio before we got there. That's BY FAR my most favorite thing in Vegas (that and the gelato place next door). We went the the Ethel M chocolate factory. We had dinner at an Argentine place there and introduced them to empanadas. The whole trip was short, but sweet. Thanks, parentals, for visiting so close!

KISS, Gavin Degraw... oh, and a surgery

2010-10-03T10:15:00.001-07:00

So we went to see KISS in concert. I've heard it's supposed to be the best contert ever but I wasn't impressed. They are too old to be putting on a show like they used to. And the main guy was definitely loosing his voice. We took pictures but none of them turned out very good. On the flip side. I got to meet Gavin Degraw. He was playing at a charity concert with Train (who, by the way, is a tiny, scrawny little thing) and I was behind the scenes in the green room with the photographer. Super cool dude. So I took a picture with him!

Oh, I also had some laproscopic surgery to remove a uterine fibroid tumor. Fun fun. Laid up in bed for a week. Boo. Let's see if I can get pregnant again now...

Before & After

2010-09-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

People have been asking me if I've got any new pictures to show since I lost all that weight on hCG. Well, I had Diego take some while we were camping this past weekend. I wore the same clothes to try for the best comparison possible. Of course, lighting is different but, here ya go. Pretty amazing, huh?! Now, let's see if I can keep it off...

30 pounds in 7 weeks.

Memorial Day Camping

2010-09-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

Remind us never to go camping over a holiday weekend. We wanted to go to Bear Canyon Lake but it was full by the time we got there on Friday night. We didn't even stop. We went straight up to the top of the mountain to Knoll Lake.

Our actual campsite was large and clean - plenty of room for the 3 couples that went. I got a smokin' deal on that camping table. It was in a spot marked $19.99 and it was supposed to be $74.99!!!

We're gonna go again in October. Hopefully we can get some other "mixed" couples to come with us. Just about everyone we know is an Argentine married to an American - as is with the 3 couples here. You'd never know it - white boys that they are.

We're so stinkin' cute!! Yes, I know the videos are in Spanish. Doesn't matter. It's the scenery that matters.

Montezuma's Castle

2010-08-20T18:56:00.002-07:00

We went up to Flagstaff solely to meet up with my friend Linn for picnic with her siblings as she was driving through from Vegas to New Mexico. I got no pictures of that (*bad friend*). Well, we decided to make more use to that trip and we stopped off at Montezuma's Castle on the way home.

No, Montezuma didn't really live here but they thought he did. Really it was a people called the Sinagua. They built this in the cave with multiple stories and additions. They used a system of ladders to get from the ground and between levels. Sounds like a lot of work to me but I guess back they it was pretty cool stuff. Either way, the structure and the innovation is pretty amazing.

It's one of those things you always SAY you're gonna do and then never do. Well, it's about time...!

Stacy Came To Visit

2010-08-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

My sister and her family came to visit for a week over the 4th of July. This is her with her 2 boys: Bryce (8) and Cole (6).

This is her with her boyfriend Michael. We took them to the Grand Canyon and then to Vegas.

I love this picture. I know it's their backs but it's very artistic and I like it. Plus their standing on the edge of a cliff staring at the Grand Canyon. Maybe I should push them... Just kidding!

Now, the obligatory in-front-of-the-Las Vegas-sign picture. We did TONS of stuff in Vegas but I'll just give you the list. We saw the Flamingos at the Flamingo, the Lions at MGM, the volcano at the Mirage, the water ballet at the Bellagio (my ALL TIME favorite thing in Vegas), M&M World and some other stuff. There's more but I can't remember. Even though we were doing all these cool things in Vegas, the youngens just wanted to play at Gameworks. Go figure.

I'm so glad they came to visit! Besides the fact that Stacy had never met Diego, I miss my sister and hope we can eventually move closer together. And, yes, I do know that we look SOOO much alike. When we were growing up people thought we were twins. Come on people, we're 5 and half YEARS apart!!

Love you Stace!

Anniversary in San Diego

2010-08-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a GREAT three years for us and we went to San Diego to celebrate. We went geocaching in Balboa Park.

I found this awesome patch of flowers.

Diego had fun playing fighter pilot on the USS Midway.

Yep, that's me with Principle Figgins from Glee. He was just having some lunch with his family on the pier.

Diego looking all powerful at Seaport Village.

The beach at La Jolla.

Sun set at Pacific Beach.

Mind you, this was all in a day and a half. It was a very good time!

A Year in Picture...

2010-08-07T19:16:00.001-07:00

Okay, well half a year. We have been doing stuff. I've just been remiss in either taking pictures or posting them. So here's a recap of the first half of our year.

To start off with we have Pollo Disco night in January. Pollo Disco is yummy chicken and sauce cooked outside in a round pan. Really, just a reason for everyone to get together again.

Next we have a charity walk in February for the American Heart Association with our friends Stacy and Walter who, incidentally, live in England at the moment.

Later on for Easter all the Argentines (okay, not ALL, just some of the ones here in Arizona) got together for a picnic at a park and Walter cooked a pig for us. That's right, an entire pig! Look close enough and you can see teeth and tongue next to Diego's elbow.

That brings us to May where my boss at the pharmacy threw a Gringo de Mayo party. Her husband's from Mexico and wouldn't let her call it a Cinco de Mayo party cause they don't really celebrate it - just us.

2009 Wrap Up

2010-01-02T22:49:00.004-07:00

If you feel the picture is a little bit skee-wampus (or small, for that matter), just click on it to enlarge and read all about our goings on for 2009. 'Tis the season, Happy New Year and all!

Best New Years EVER

2010-01-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

If New Years in any reflection on how awesome the coming year is gonna be then I'm in for a hum dinger. Seriously people. (make sure you read to the bottom, that's the best part) New Years Eve was spent with friends. The boys barbecued a goat *literally*. It wasn't my favorite but I got to play Speed Scrabble with a good friend of mine. I never get to play anymore. Diego would totally be willing but I'm not so sure he'd be any good at it. Anyway. No pictures of the charred goat. The next morning, we went shooting with Uncle Richard and the Lazona Ward. This is me with my cousin Brittany doing our Charlie's Angels pose.

Here's Diego with a shotgun and a death stare.

This is a Colt Junior. Pops says it's the assassins gun of choice. It only shoots 22s but if you put it in behind the ear, the bullet will bounce around inside the head cause it can't penetrate the skull.

Then there was this guy named Chris. He was way nice but a little shady with his information. He said he works for a consulting company. Upon further pressing, he gave up that he works for the government, he's a chief weapons instructor and that they consult on all things foreign and domestic. Doesn't matter. I got to shoot a Mac-11 9mm semi-automatic machine gun. How cool is that?! Here's the video. You can totally hear me saying, "I'm gonna obliterate those rocks!"

And if all this wasn't cool enough, later that evening we checked into a 4-star Scottsdale resort and we didn't take any pictures of that either...

High School Reading

2009-12-29T23:28:00.002-07:00

For some reason I've felt like reading. And since I didn't do much of it in high school (or college, for that matter) I've decided to do it now. I found this list online. Feel free to comment or add/subtract from the list. I'm kinda glad I'm reading these now. I mean, I like the books I've read so far but I can also imagine being very irritated by them when I was younger. I've stricken through the ones I've just read. I haven't decided if I'm gonna re-read anything that I actually read previously (or that we read in class). Hmm. It's a pretty long list. Wonder how long it's gonna take me. Maybe I should rule some of these out. Any help out there to narrow it down?

Beowulf

Achebe, Chinua Things Fall Apart

Agee, James A Death in the Family

Austen, Jane Pride and Prejudice

Baldwin, James Go Tell It on the Mountain

Beckett, Samuel Waiting for Godot

Bellow, Saul The Adventures of Augie March

Brontë, Charlotte Jane Eyre

Brontë, Emily Wuthering Heights

Camus, Albert The Stranger

Cather, Willa Death Comes for the Archbishop

Chaucer, Geoffrey The Canterbury Tales

Chekhov, Anton The Cherry Orchard

Chopin, Kate The Awakening

Christiie, Agatha Murder on the Orient Express

Conrad, Joseph Heart of Darkness

Cooper, James Fenimore The Last of the Mohicans

Crane, Stephen The Red Badge of Courage

Dante Inferno

de Cervantes, Miguel Don Quixote

Defoe, Daniel Robinson Crusoe

Dickens, Charles A Tale of Two Cities

Dostoyevsky, Fyodor Crime and Punishment

Douglass, Frederick Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Dreiser, Theodore An American Tragedy

Dumas, Alexandre The Three Musketeers

Eliot, George The Mill on the Floss

Ellison, Ralph Invisible Man

Emerson, Ralph Waldo Selected Essays

Faulkner, William As I Lay Dying

Faulkner, William The Sound and the Fury

Fielding, Henry Tom Jones

Fitzgerald, F. Scott The Great Gatsby

Flaubert, Gustave Madame Bovary

Ford, Ford Madox The Good Soldier

Forester, C.S. Horatio Hornblower

Frankle, Viktor Man’s Search for Meaning

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von Faust

Golding, William Lord of the Flies

Hardy, Thomas Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Hawthorne, Nathaniel The Scarlet Letter

Heller, Joseph Catch 22

Hemingway, Ernest A Farewell to Arms

Homer The Iliad Homer The Odyssey

Hugo, Victor The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Hurston, Zora Neale Their Eyes Were Watching God

Huxley, Aldous Brave New World

Ibsen, Henrik A Doll's House

James, Henry The Portrait of a Lady

James, Henry The Turn of the Screw

Joyce, James A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Kafka, Franz The Metamorphosis

Keller, Helen Story of My Life

Kingston, Maxine Hong The Woman Warrior

Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird

Lewis, Sinclair Babbitt

London, Jack The Call of the Wild

Mann, Thomas The Magic Mountain

Marquez, Gabriel García One Hundred Years of Solitude

Melville, Herman Bartleby the Scrivener

Melville, Herman Moby Dick

Miller, Arthur The Crucible

Miller, Arthur Death of a Salesman

Morrison, Toni Beloved

O'Connor, Flannery A Good Man is Hard to Find

O'Neill, Eugene Long Day's Journey into Night

Orwell, George Animal Farm

Orwell, George 1984

Pasternak, Boris Doctor Zhivago

Plath, Sylvia The Bell Jar

Poe, Edgar Allan Selected Tales

Proust, Marcel Swann's Way

Pynchon, Thomas The Crying of Lot 49

Remarque, Erich Maria All Quiet on the Western Front

Rostand, Edmond Cyrano de Bergerac

Roth, Henry Call It Sleep

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye

Shakespeare, William Hamlet

Shakespeare, William Macbeth

Shakespeare, William A Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakespeare, William Romeo and Juliet

Shaw, George Bernard Pygmalion

Shelley, Mary Frankenstein

Silko, Leslie Marmon Ceremony

Solzhenitsyn, Alexander One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Sophocles Antigone

Sophocles Oedipus Rex

Steinbeck, John The Grapes of Wrath

Steinbeck, John The Pearl

Stevenson, Robert Louis Treasure Island

Stowe, Harriet Beecher Uncle Tom's Cabin

Swift, Jonathan Gulliver's Travels

Thackeray, William Vanity Fair

Thoreau, Henry David Walden

Tolstoy, Leo War and Peace

Turgenev, Ivan Fathers and Sons

Twain, Mark The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Voltaire Candide

Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. Slaughterhouse-Five

Walker, Alice The Color Purple

Wharton, Edith The House of Mirth

Welty, Eudora Collected Stories

Whitman, Walt Leaves of Grass

Wilde, Oscar The Picture of Dorian Gray

Williams, Tennessee The Glass Menagerie

Woolf, Virginia To the Lighthouse

Wright, Richard Native Son

Merry Christmas to All

2009-12-21T10:37:00.001-07:00

I like to hand-make my "I love everyone" Christmas treats. Two years ago it was the box of chocolates, last year it was dipped pretzels (no pictures, boo) and this year it's this...

Oreo Truffles with ideas a la Bakerella. I also made a gingerbread man with cute little red "buttons" but he was running late for the pictures.
For Diego's work, I made pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting and picks that said "Naughty" "Nice" and "Somewhere In-between."

It's all just my way of saying that I care. And for all you wonderful people out there that I care about that I cannot give treats to - this is for you. Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to Us

2009-12-18T11:19:00.001-07:00

Our Christmas was a little bigger than normal this year. In November, we celebrated our official debt-free-ness so we decided we would splurge a little bit and spend what would have gone towards bills in December. We'll start saving again in January. That, coupled with our Christmas money from my family we were able to purchase some things on our wish lists. (Much to my father's dismay, we opened our Christmas presents early. In our defense, they looked like regular Christmas cards that you are supposed to open. I guess next year he's gonna have to put a warning label on them.). Anyway. Here's our loot!

FOR DIEGO:
Blue Man Group Tickets.
This was one of the main reasons we went to Vegas for Thanksgiving. Actually, that whole trip was part of our Christmas money... I had seen them before but he had never seen them. Love their music. Funny too. But for me, it was better the first time.

This next item isn't actually at our house just yet but it will be soon. Diego is from Argentina and having a gas (vs charcoal or wood) grill may seem like he's turning his back on his heritage but it just works for us. We have a charcoal grill now but it takes so much time. This will be so convenient, it causes so much smoke (for our neighbors) and it doubles as an emergency preparedness item. I guess my present to Diego will be putting it together. He very much dislikes putting things together.

FOR SHANNON:
I've been trying to divine a way to organize my food storage and then one blessed day I found this beaut on sale 50% OFF. So I waited to confer with Diego then I snatched it up. We don't quite fill it up but we will. And man, it took FOREVER to put together.

And lastly, this - Nutrimill grain mill. It's kinda funny how our gifts are so practical these day. Not sure it that's good or bad. I could still use a gift certificate for a massage or something but at least I can continue to make fresh bread with fresh ground wheat flour. Thanks, Aunt Judy, for letting me borrow yours for so long. You'll remember that I bought myself a Bosch for Christmas last year. These 2 go perfectly together.

Merry Christmas to us and A Happy Finally Out of Debt New Year!!!

Visual Slants Photography is finally up and running!

2009-12-07T10:35:00.001-07:00

I am very pleased to announce the official launch of the Visual Slants Photography website/blog!!! Please check it out, subscribe to it, "fan" it on facebook and most importantly TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS!!! It's all the portrait photography I've been doing over the years (as opposed to the corporate photography that I also do).

CLICK BELOW!

Vegas, baby! My Kinda Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T10:48:00.034-07:00

So, in case you were wondering, this is what Vegas looks like at Thanksgiving. What? It looks like Vegas always does? I suppose it does... We stayed at the Johnson B&B (aka the Johnson's house). It's sort of tradition to be in Vegas with the Johnson's for Thanksgiving. I've know them and been coming to their place since their daughter Linn and I were roommates in college and became friends. They are like my second family now. I've known them for like 15 years and I've probably been at their house for Thanksgiving for half of those years - even after college. Anyway. Here's miniature of my favorite attraction in Vegas: The fountains at the Bellagio.

Not the greatest picture but we had just pocketed the "little" camera for this excursion to the Strip. And it's miniature!!! Therefore it's cute!!! Anyway. Diego wanted to see some things he hadn't seen before and I was on a hunt for a few stores I'd seen inside casinos on my many work related trips to Vegas during the Atlanta years. Didn't find any, but we did enjoy some very unique boutique chocolate truffles. Let's see, can I remember what we had, there was at least a dulce de leche one, a balsamic vinegar one, and some toffee with chili and cinnamon. That was YUM, but too expensive to buy a box.
On the way home, Diego wanted to stop and get some pictures along the Joshua Tree Scenic Freeway. He just wanted a picture with a joshua tree, but here's what I got.

Diego's Birthday Dinner at Carrabbas

2009-11-13T20:16:00.001-07:00

We were missing Candee and Facundo but we'll get them sometime soon (*wink wink* Candee)

Nicolas y Heather

Damien y Launi y Evie-cita. Hey Launie, the camera's over here.

Dario y Melissa

As God as my witness, we are officially...

2009-11-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we don't have a house or any kids yet but what a GREAT way to start off. Thank you Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps!

My Calling in the Nursery

2009-11-07T20:04:00.016-07:00

I posted these on my photography blog, which I'm not quite ready to release but I thought you might enjoy them too. These are come of my kids from nursery. I just felt like taking pictures one Sunday. The last picture, I just LOVE how you can see the concentration on his face!

These are a few of my favorite things

2009-10-26T20:20:00.008-07:00

I can read, I swear. I just don't. But I have been recently. I got a high school book list off the internet and I think I'm gonna work my way through it. Heaven know I didn't do it in high school. The only books I remember reading were Brave New World and Slapstick. Remember enjoying them both... Anyway. So far I've read The Five People You Meet In Heaven, Slaughterhouse Five, The Bell Jar and a couple of Spanish kids books. This is progress people!
And, because I like fall and I had fun making them, I leave you with some "leaf" chip pictures. Besides, this post needed some imagery.

U2 Concert

2009-10-12T19:34:00.002-07:00

So here's us at the U2 concert. You'll remember from this post how we were able to afford these tickets. To me, the stage looks like an angry spider. Maybe it's angry cause it only has 4 legs and those really huge fangs. I dunno. It was weird.

I can't say that I was all that impressed with the show. I thought the encores could have been way more powerful and that they ended the show kind of floundering. Here's a picture of the stage, or rather, the screen above the stage. At least the screen did cool things.

Because Fall Is My Favorite

2009-10-06T20:35:00.003-07:00

Did I mention that I love fall foods or fall for that matter? Well, I do. Maybe banana bread isn't exactly a fall food but I had like a million bananas in the freezer that I needed to use up. So, I decorated them with fun fall motifs.
And some of you aren't believing me when I say that baking with beans is good so I did a little taste test. I made identical batches of banana bread but one has 1/2 cup of butter and one has 1/2 cup of pinto beans. Visually, there is no difference. (You may say that one has more walnuts but it may just be the slice - technically the are equal.) Texture-wise, the one with beans is a bit denser. But the flavors were the same. Some people even said the one with beans had more banana flavor or more spice. Mind you, those taste testing for me didn't know which was which. Final results. Baking with beans is still good. Seriously people, just try it!
And for more fall fun. Some friends and I got together for some holiday craft fun. I made this festive centerpiece that I can use for Halloween and Thanksgiving. And, it was my first decoupage experience! Fun stuff. You really can't mess it up!
And the reason for all of this fun is...
Seriously. Got any good fall recipes, crafts or traditions?

Got alot done today. Too bad it wasn't anything that needed to get done.

2009-09-26T16:19:00.003-07:00

Well, that's not entirely true. I helped throw a baby shower for a lady I visit teach this morning. Then I went to Goodwill for their 50% off Saturday Sale. It was my first real junk-treasuring experience and I immediately fell in love with boxes. Well, that's not true either. I've always had a thing for boxes I just never have any thing to put in them. So maybe, sometime in the future, when I'm better at these "rescue missions" I'll attempt to redo those boxes and give them as gifts. For now, I started with a mini-easel, a small basket and a white board. I spray painted them all black. I hung the white board but I need to get a small piece of sheet metal to double as a place to put my magnetic dry erase markers and a place to hide some marks that didn't completely come off. I planted our herb garden too. It's just a window box with rosemary, dill, basil and parsley. I did the dishes too and I'm about to fold some laundry before going off to Women's Conference. I guess that counts as something that needs to get done. Really I should have been cleaning the bathroom or my desk or my dining room table... Necessary projects are being pushed aside for the moment - I've been on a roll lately! Oh, yeah. I made my own Modge Podge decoupage paste. I've never decoupaged before so we shall see. Also, I've been looking over some Photoshop techniques that seem really cool. I'm sure you'll see those here at some point. Okay. Must clean up for conference...

3-month Food Storage

2009-09-23T08:08:00.002-07:00

Here's what our food storage looked like when I posted about it in May of 2008.
Here's what it looks like now, almost a year and a half later. Never fear. It's not all contained here. We have water under our bed and behind the closet door. We have #10 cans under the bed and along the wall (all in our bedroom). And we still have bags laying around that still have cans in them. Oh, and we have cans under a table in our bedroom too. AND THIS ISN'T EVEN FINISHED. No! Not even with the food part. And then there's still paper products and personal hygiene... Ugh!
Anyway. Here's the curtain I made to hide as much stuff as possible. I don't have a sewing machine so I used that Heat N Bond stuff.
And with the extra fabric and cork circles, I made some coasters. We needed some. Or maybe my dad could make some... (hint, hint) They could even be lined with cork. I got mine at Michaels.

Thank You Baby Shower Favors

2009-09-23T08:05:00.002-07:00

It may be a little early to post this since the shower isn't until Saturday but I don't think any of those people read my blog and I was just so proud of myself. Not so much of the candy pacifiers but more the actual thank you tag. So simple, but I love it with the little swirls and the elegant script...

Valentina - 1 year collage

2009-09-23T08:02:00.002-07:00

Well she's like a year and a half by now but whatever. Here is the collage I did of pictures of Valentina when we went to Argentina (in May) for her 1-year old birthday. She is so stinkin' cute!!!

Eating Disorder

2009-09-22T20:16:00.002-07:00

Does anyone else suffer from a severe eating disorder commonly know as I've-eaten-too-many-itus? I suffered a severe attack last night and am currently feeling the guilt. It was something I shouldn't have been eating anyway. We don't keep it in the house but I was at the grocery store and I've been getting frustrated lately. So, in my cart it went. As if I were giving up. Is is proven that marriage makes you gain weight? I mean, for the most part I eat healthy and I got to the fitness center 3 times a week. I shouldn't be gaining weight. I was an entire pant size smaller before I got married. What gives?! And now it seems to be distributing itself in ways it never has before and I don't like. If this is another Stout curse then I denounce my heritage and I claim that of say Madonna or Katie Holmes. Is this normal? I'm getting sick of this. Guess I'm starting a food journal again...

I've been bitten by a craft bug

2009-09-18T10:56:00.003-07:00

I want to paint, design, decoupage, bake, decorate, anything and I have no creative outlet for this (let alone space, time and money). Anyone got some simple suggestions or wanna invite me over to craft with them? I'm an excellent helper. In the meantime, here's a baby shower invite I did for a lady I visit teach.
I'm experimenting with digitizing elements (like the ribbon) since I have no ability to draw. Any suggestions? Some people have some cool embellishments and I have no idea how they got them. Maybe there's some amazing website somewhere I don't know about...

I'll make a really good assistant, I promise.

Louisiana: French Quarter

2009-09-17T22:13:00.005-07:00

I finally got to take Diego to Louisiana - to where I grew up. We didn't have a ton of time to spend in New Orleans but we tried to do some fun stuff. This is us by the Mississippi River. We went to a historical cemetery, a voodoo museum, the French Market. We ate a muffuletta, pralines and beignets. I miss beignets.
At Café du Monde eating beignets covered with powdered sugar.
Jackson Square.
Andrew Jackson statue inside of Jackson Square.
Posing with one of the entertainers.
More street performers. These guys were actually on So You Think You Can Dance.
Experimenting with motion and shutter drag.
Us on Bourbon St. with our daiquiris (virgin, of course). It's kinda weird - those tiny little balls of ice. How do they do that?
Diego saw this off a side street. Good eye, babe!
The early crowd and lights on Bourbon St. We didn't last too long that night. Turns out that weekend was Southern Decadence - a celebration of all things homosexual...
We ate beignets again even though I had nowhere to put them in my stomach. Mmmm. Beignets!
Oh, and these are the next morning getting snowballs. Some people call them snow cones or shaved ice but really, they're called snowballs. We tried to get a picture together. That didn't work, so you get us both individually. Such yummy good food. I ate too much. Have you guys ever had Zapps potato chips? You just don't know what you are missin'!

Louisiana: Voodoo

2009-09-17T21:33:00.000-07:00

This is Marie Laveau - the queen of voodoo. One of the things Diego was interested in seeing was some voodoooooo. So we went to see Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo. Now, if you are interested in voodoo you can look that up yourself but here are some fun pictures for you.
An old, dusty voodoo doll - complete with button facial features and bell earrings.
A spooky, scary, in-the-shadows voodoo doll.
Crazy, curly moss hair. It cracks me up!
Many a cigarette offering have been left here. I guess this guy likes Mardi Gras too.
Buck teeth! Do you find these as funny as I do? Is that bad karma, for me to say that?

Louisiana: St. Louis Cemetary No. 1

2009-09-17T21:30:00.001-07:00

So it seems like this trip home was more of a ghosts and goblins version of New Orleans as opposed to "Laissez les bon temps roulez!" The graves in New Orleans are above ground. Being that the city is below sea-level they had a hard time keeping the coffins from floating up to the surface. There are lots of beautiful things in the cemeteries but this one is really old and therefore really creepy. For instance. This is supposed to be a child serenely praying. However, upon closer inspection, she's really quite eerie.
This is "supposed" to be Marie Laveau's grave. The guy at the museum said she'd been moved to one of the "oven" vaults on the side years ago.
I thought all those triple XXX marking were some sort of evil working there but I asked the museum guy and he said they were wishes. You are allowed 3 wishes but that only the ones circled ones were wishes that had been granted (you'll notice that none of them are circled). He continued to comment that people don't wish for things that are appropriate. Kinda like praying, don't ya think?
Anyway. Back to the creepiness. Nothing say "not quite right" like a headless mother with her 2 headless children.
Or this disarmed statue... (ha, ha. did ya get the joke?!)
Looks like I was buried in the cemetery too.
Maybe this is where Marie Laveau is buried.
Okay. Now for some religion. Or, maybe just some pictures that are nice to look at...

Black Bean Cooking

2009-09-17T21:23:00.003-07:00

So you know that I've been on this food storage kick... Well, I found this book called "I Can't Believe It's Food Storage" from everydayfoodstorage.NET and she teaches you how to use your food storage. Among other things, you can you BEANS as a substitute for butter and oil in baked goods! I mean, I've heard of using applesauce but that changes the consistency too much. So I decided to try it. This is so cool! I make these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with a cup of black beans instead of butter and they were fabulous. And then I went over to my friend Laurie's house and we made a devil's food cake with 1/2 cup of black beans instead of oil. Perfect! And so yummy. I guess in true food storage fashion I should have actually cooked the beans but I'm not there yet. Canned beans will have to do.

I musta missed this stuff somewhere...

2009-09-17T21:17:00.008-07:00

GRANDMA TURNS 91!
I guess getting her 90th birthday would have been more amazing but we missed it last year cause we were in Argentina...
And...
KARLITA COMES TO VISIT!
She was in town for business and what a fun surprised to find her hiding in my kitchen. She asked for my address and said she had to send me something. I guess it was her! YEAH!

Can Rotator Awesomeness!

2009-09-13T08:45:00.002-07:00

I've been searching for some way to organize/rotate our food storage. I know there are expensive metal shelving units available but I don't have that kind of money. Do you? I've walked around a few thrift-type stores and everything I would have to buy required so much "gutting" for which I do not have the tools that I thought I should just make my own. It can't be that hard. Wood, sandpaper, paint and screws, right? Then I came across this amazing idea. It's based off another YouTube post where a lady transformed a dresser but this one I like better and I think I *might* be able to pull it off. I say *might* because I live in a one-bedroom apartment and a screw gun is the extent of my power tools. Oh, and I have never built anything before. Anyone out there wanna help with this? Anyone know how to draw up plans? Anyone have power tools I can borrow?

It hurts my feelings people! Stop doing it!

2009-08-29T11:30:00.001-07:00

Again with the Spanish Branch! I gotta tell ya... Maybe I need a thicker skin or something but I don't really like it when I go up to someone to start a conversation, ask if they speak English (they do) and that person proceeds to talk directly to the next person that comes up, in Spanish, while I'm still standing there! I don't know. It hurts my feelings. There were no glaces in my direction - acknowledging that I was still there (understanding their Spanish and trying to be part of the conversation, mind you). That other person was even talking in English! I kept shifting my position closer...farther away...then closer again to the person that was getting all the eye contact. No avail. Hardly even a glance. RUDE!!! I have to assume that the person in question is somehow uncomfortable speaking English. But, she could have at least acknowledged my presence! Shesh. Stop it people! We English speakers are people too! Bother.

Hummus and Pita Chips, Bunco and New Girlfriends

2009-08-28T23:31:00.003-07:00

I recently joined another Meetup.com group - the East Valley Married Women's Group. Tonight was my first activity with them - BUNCO and potluck. I made hummus and pita chips.Anyway. That is not what this is about. It was great for me to expand my circle and meet some new and intelligent married women for a night of food, folks and fun. I've never played BUNCO but I've had friends who played in groups and I always wanted to play. It's a fun dice game and perfect for meeting new people. I enjoyed myself. And it was quite pleasant to meet some of those women as well. Hopefully I will be able to do more with them later.

BTW, Diego demanded that I give him the address to where I was cause we didn't know any of these people. I stood my independent, I-don't-need-supervision ground until he back down...then I have him the address. It's funny cause I talked with another friend of mine and she would have been totally willing to give the address. Hmm.

Sis. Crandall makes a good point

2009-08-23T20:23:00.002-07:00

So as you may or may not know, my SO (Significant Other) and I attend a Spanish Branch at church. And since I don't really speak a whole lot of Spanish I, sometimes, feel out of place. This is especially true with respect to callings. Under these circumstances, it seems as if my callings are less about where does the Lord need me most and more about where can we put the girl that speaks English. So when they called me to the Primary and put me in the Nursery (at a terribly inopportune time, I might add), I was a little miffed. I was with the Young Women previously and now I'm in the Primary - both places where they speak English. I guess I should feel grateful, I mean, a place where I understand. But I was looking forward to meeting the women in my branch and having the opportunity to practice some more Spanish. And now, well ever since they put me in the Nursery, EVERYONE has been asking ME how I feel about Sunbeams. Seriously!!!! Quit asking me!!! Ask the Lord!! Aren't these supposed to be divinely inspired callings anyway??!! And then I run into Sis. Crandall who calmly reminds me that I was called to the Primary, not the Nursery, not the Sunbeams. I was called to serve wherever needed. And she's right. I know she is, but still, make up your minds people. Nobody likes being passed around - including the people who I'm being taken from.

And just for those that are asking themselves, I'm not really sure why we stay in the Spanish Branch. Most of it is because they need Diego - worthy priesthood holders. I'm sure it's for me too. I need to grow is so many way and the Lord does work in mysterious ways. So I guess I should stop complaining and just go and do whether directly or indirectly from the Lord.

This was supposed to be our "do nothing" day...

2009-08-22T23:56:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, Diego likes to have a "do nothing" day. The kind of day where we get the grocery shopping and the laundry done on Friday night so we are free on Saturday. Last time we did this we slept in, read books, napped, did other stuff, watched a movie and slept some more. Not a bad "do nothing" day.

Well things, somehow, aren't nearly as relaxed as last time. I spent the better part of the day in the kitchen! What gives!!!? For breakfast, I made whole wheat blender pancakes (something I was trying out for our food storage). Then I had to prepare things for the family dinner tomorrow. It's our turn, read my turn, to cook. So I was making multi-grain bread and cutting and cooking chicken like there's no tomorrow. Then it was some focaccia bread dough from Fresh and Easy - for a snack. Lately we've been preferring to eat a big lunch and go really light on dinner so I attempted another creation possibly for our food storage. I thought there was a recipe for this out there but I can't find it. Black bean cakes made from black beans and stuffing mix.
They actually turned out pretty good. The rice has a sauce I made from canned pineapple and peaches and some brown sugar and butter. Later on in the evening I was back in the kitchen to make Orange Julius while we watched a movie. I guess we did get to take a 2 hour nap in the late afternoon. Any day you can take a nap is a good day in my book.

Welcome to the NEW and, hopefully, IMPROVED blog

2009-08-22T13:54:00.002-07:00

So, not only have I redesigned the exterior of our blog but the content will be expanded as well. And here is my 1st post to that effect.

You may be wondering, "Why this change?" It does seem rather sudden. I mean, there haven't been any major happenings that would incite such a change rather it's been a few small things.

#1 - I was reading someone else's blog that looked like mine (black background with white text) and it was hard to read. It was dizzying watching all that white dance across the screen. Now, mostly I've posted pictures (that's good, cause I'm a photographer) and I wanted the black background so it didn't distract from my photos. This brings me to #2.

#2 - I can't get my butt into journalling gear again and I so want to get things off my chest sometimes. So, that's what I'll do, vent, I mean, share other things going on in our lives besides our journeys.

So that's it. Not very grand reasons, but mine nonetheless. I hope you will like it. Let me know if you want to be on the email list for updates (I don't send an update every time I post), or you can just become a follower.

I know some of you out there store food, but what I want to know is, what's your plan?

2009-08-21T14:13:00.002-07:00

So our Stake President and recently "encouraged" us to get our 3 month food storage together by the end of September. I'm not really that overwhelmed by that direction cause Diego and I have been storing food every month practically since we've been married. Here's where my concern lies. I've been storing food, food we will eat even, but all of a sudden I realize that can't really do anything with it. I don't have a plan. I don't have 3 months worth of MEALS. I've done some research and got a few ideas but so much of what is out there seems, well, not yummy.

Anyone out there got some ideas? Meal ideas? I made some whole wheat blender pancakes this morning that were delish. I've got a recipe for gnocchi that uses instant potatoes that I'm going to try. Those things sound really yummy. Oatmeal cooked on the stove does not. I think I only like oatmeal when it's in cookies or individually packaged for me with lots of sugar. Is it just me? I've also seen lots of recipes for Mac and Cheese using evaporated milk and like 1 cup of cheese. Really? Come on! Maybe it really is yummy, I haven't tried it, but I just don't see how.

Okay, a word or two about why I'm compiling a 3 month supply of food and why an evangelical leader would ask me to get it done quickly, cause I know not everyone out there shares my same beliefs. Giving the economy at the moment, it's easier to grasp the idea of having a store of food. In the past, it has not been so easy to explain. People think I am crazy. It's not that I think the world is going to end (yet) but there are several shorter-term reasons for having backups. Here's a few for instances for ya. You or a friend/family member looses their job. There's a water shortage (as in Atlanta a few years ago). There's a trucking strike (as in Argentina). There's a natural disaster, however brief or long (as in Louisiana). There's a temporary price hike in groceries (or gas, for that matter). Do you get the picture? Like I said, when there was prosperity, this idea of food storage was that much harder to swallow. People are starting to get it now.

But anyway, back to me. I need help with my meal plans!

Grand Canyon - North Rim

2009-07-20T17:48:00.001-07:00

We went camping with strangers again. Have you guys ever heard of the website Meetup.com? We'll we are members of this group called the Arizona Outdoor and Adventure Group and they planed this awesome trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It just happened to coincide with my birthday. These, below, are views from the campsite - literally, so close.
A view on the way to Point Imperial.
These aspens didn't translate very well, but they were absolutely GLOWING. I wish I were a better photographer...
Aren't we so cute!?
Everyone was at the lodge facing the canyon to watch the sunset. It made no sense to me, the sun was setting the other direction. So, we went back to the campsite to watch.
A view point on the way to Point Sublime. It's the most interior point you can get to/drive to (I'm not sure) but you need a 4-wheel drive to get there. It's it magnificent?! Some of these places are vertigo inducing - even if you are not afraid of heights.
Diego wouldn't let me put my feet over the edge. I was surprised just how many places you are allowed to go without restraint.
This is maybe a quarter of the entire group that we went with. Not everyone wanted to go to Point Sublime.
I LOVE this picture!!!!!
The Colorado River. No, we did not hike down the the bottom.
And just in case any of you noticed the one-arm burn in these pictures. Yes, I did get sunburned but I didn't even get a chance to put sunblock on! That burn was from the drive TO the canyon. I told Diego I had to drive at least part of the way home to even it you. I think I was successful.

My Girls

2009-07-14T21:10:00.001-07:00

It's amazing what you find after living in a place for over 2 years. These 2 girls have been here the whole time. Thanks Facebook! These girls are from college! I've known them for like 15 years. It was SOOO awesome to see them again and just laugh our faces off. I can't wait to see them again!

Wicked

2009-07-12T21:03:00.001-07:00

Diego went with me to see Wicked even though he doesn't like musicals and it's hard for him to understand. He's a trooper. We had high balcony seats, which normally I don't mind but this theater is really steep! Note to self: don't get balcony seats at Gammage.

Solving the Cube

2009-06-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

After 27 years, he finally solves the cube. I lost him for a few weeks there but he's back now. Well, he was for a moment before he decided to memorize the moves. I'm so proud of him. Another check of his Bucket List...

Picnic in the Park

2009-06-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

What a honey! Diego has the best ideas sometimes. One day he says he wants to have a picnic in the park. Fine by me. So we go to Freestone Park and have bagel sandwiches and play Yahtzee. Does that make us lame or cool? Doesn't matter. I liked it.

Argentina Otra Vez

2009-06-18T13:10:00.005-07:00

How often do you get to go to Argentina 2 years in a row? Now very. We were lucky, not rich. This is us in the ball pit at the peloteria where they had Valentina's birthday party.
Inside the Casa Rosada (their version of the White House) the day we arrived - no showers yet.
Cafe Tortoni's for a tango show. Diego and I fell in love with the accordion and we subsequently bought LOTS of tango music.
A picture of the band and the dancers at the tango show.
Proof that Diego has karaoked.
With his best friends Adrian and Alejandro at a party at Alejandro's house for their old classmates. When I say old, I'm talkin' elementary school.
Before the Boca Junior game. Unless you are a season ticket holder, you have to buy scalped tickets and sit in the visitor section with the rest of the tourist. BOO! Nevertheless, the game was good.
Mis suegros. My in-laws.
I spent 2 weeks in Argentina without Diego and attended a Spanish school almost 2 hours away in the capital. This was my teacher Maria Clara.
We had 6 people (a full class). This is only 3 of us. The guy on the right end is my new friend from New Zealand.
None of Diego's family speaks English. Sometimes it wasn't fun to be forced to speak Spanish. Now that I am home, I don't feel like I learned a whole lot. Huh. Still, I wouldn't trade my little study abroad. If nothing else, I got to know Diego's family better. And that will be important because who knows when we will be able to go back...

Valentina's 1st Birthday

2009-06-18T13:01:00.004-07:00

Our niece turned 1 and with Diego's bonus we were able to go to Argentina again and celebrate with the family. We think she's rather adorable, so that means lots of pictures. Here she is on her actual birthday.
Her super-smile.
Playing with her dad.
Dancing with her mom at her birthday party.
The cute, little family.
No, that isn't Diego, it's his younger brother, Gonzalo.
With her old school Rolling Stones/Beatles haircut.
She's so awesome. Such a good baby too.
We miss you guys. Don't forget us!

These are a few of my favorite things.

2009-06-18T12:53:00.004-07:00

Submarinos (con medialunas de manteca): one of my most favorite things in Argentina. So much so that it deserved it's own photo story.

It's as simple as steamed milk in a glass container.
Then you drop in the chocolate and add the sugar.
Stir until you have chocolate goodness. You don't even have to be too patient while it melts.
Drink. Enjoy your medialunas.
All finished, or is it...?
Now you have the most awesome sludge I have ever tasted. Chocolate goodness at the bottom of the glass.
And that, my friends, is a submarino. Recreate as you will and enjoy!

Boca vs Arsenal. Boca Wins!

2009-06-18T12:04:00.004-07:00

Maybe the videos won't be clear but I was recording alot for sound too. The Boca fans are famous because the don't stop singing and chanting the ENTIRE game! You can hear how they explode after the goals. Good stuff, by itself.

More Photos of Food

2009-06-18T11:53:00.002-07:00

Creme Bruleé. My first attempt. I think I did an awesome job.
In Argentina, my mother-in-law and I made Pasta Frola. It's like a tart made with Membrillo. Not sure the fruit it comes from but it's like a thick jam. They call everything made with flour pasta so be careful. Pasta, as in noodles, is fideos. Pizza can be pasta, this tart is pasta... Doesn't matter. It's yummy too!
I made empanadas again but, of course, I forgot to get a picture of them after they were cooked. Here is a picture of the assembly. Take the dough, top it with the meat filling, add chopped eggs and green olives and fold. Then fry or bake per the dough you are using. Delish!

Yo Motha!

2009-06-18T05:59:00.003-07:00

Does anyone remember these old MTV commercials from the 90's? And more importantly, where I can get my hands on any more? "Yo motha's got a glass leg and it's got Kool-aid in it!" That was good stuff!

Does Anyone Else Think Robert Smith and Robert Pattinson Could Be Related?

2009-04-18T22:38:00.001-07:00

Need I say more......but if you don't know Robert Smith is the lead singer of The Cure and Robert Pattinson is Edward from the movie Twilight

Food, it's what's for dinner.

2009-04-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

So, probably not, but maybe you've been asking yourself what the H-E-double hockey sticks have Diego and Shannon been up to. Well, we're both taking a class at MCC, working, playing, and cooking (among other things). Here are some samples:
Whole wheat pitas with fresh hummus
Diego made pasta from scratch and I made sauce for Valentine's day (actually, that picture looks kinda gross, but really it was yummers)My first King Cake for Mardi Gras (complete with plastic baby)I didn't get pictures of the cinnamon raisin yumminess that we call bread or the Argentine yumminess they call empanandas. But, oh, they were delish!!! Come visit and you can partake of the yumminess as well...

Tom Tom

2009-03-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

My tomato plant given to me by my visiting teacher to whom I must have mention (when she wasn't my visiting teacher) that I wanted a tomato plant. Someday I'll attempt the herb garden again. I just keep leaving town...It's got the cutest little baby tomatoes on it now (not pictured)! I can't wait until they ripen... Will it be my first success story?

Fight Night Round 2

2009-03-28T23:58:00.004-07:00

Kurt Warner, Forest Whitaker, Steve Young. Forest is a stellar guy. I asked him to pose for me and he didn't want to. When someone down the line asked him for the same thing he came back down the red carpet and posed for me before giving it up to the other photographer. Very Cool.
Frankie Muniz from Malcolm in the Middle (his girl is to his left, I have no idea who the other lady is but I am there to get pictures of everyone. So...)
Michael Phelps (gold medalist extraordinaire), Jimmy Walker and Josh Groban
Jon Bon Jovi was supposed to be the final, end-all-be-all in entertainment for the evening but he sucked...rocks. He sang like 5 songs (which in itself, isn't unusual for the evening) however 3 of them weren't even his songs and not a one of them was remotely rockin'. Very Disappointing.
The real showstopper was this little Filipino gem Charice Pempengco. You'll never believe the voice that comes out of this tiny, visually harmless body. Listen below.

She sang the same song (among others) but it was SO much better that night. She sang I Will Survive to Muhammad Ali, a former boxer now fighting with Parkinson's disease. She climbed from the stage to the main table and was singing directly to him. It was amazing because you never really see much expression from Muhammed these days but you knew he loved it!

The Air Show

2009-03-22T22:42:00.001-07:00

So we went to the air show. It's just as bad as going to Disney Land! We waited FOREVER in this line that wrapped around itself FOUR times and we were still outside waiting to go through security. Once you get in, you walk and walk and put your chair down and bake in the 100+ heat and stare into the sky. And if you want to walk around and do anything else, ya gotta wait in line for that too. Not impressed. The best part was when we left and sat under the shade of the nearby gas station drinking Slurpees. Boo. This is why I don't do theme parks...

Goodbye Old, Hello New

2009-03-20T23:45:00.000-07:00

Diego's car finally bit the dust - or was gonna any day - so we chucked the 1997 Hyundai Tiburon for......the 2004 Nissan Sentra! We are now a two sentra family. We're so proud! Plus, we sold the oldie to the local pick-a-part and used the money to buy U2 tickets! YEAH!Of course we kept the plate! Silly people! Boca Jr never leaves this family. Seriously! Did you really ever even think?...

Ballooning, anyone?

2009-02-28T23:28:00.002-07:00

One of the many reasons I love doing corporate photography... is all the fun things I get paid to do! This time was hot air ballooning. Here are some picts.
So maybe you've wondered how you actually land a hot air balloon. Well, this is how. Some times staking up, sometimes on your side, sometimes with a REAL bumpy ride but always with a chase car...

Farewell Deborah

2009-02-28T23:11:00.001-07:00

Goodbye Deborah!
Deborah and Andres are moving the family back to Argentina. Deborah and the kids first, then their stuff, then Andres. Don't really know why they are moving back, but will assume it's best for the family. We will miss you!

Quirk Tagged

2009-01-21T11:59:00.002-07:00

Katherine "QUIRK" tagged me. I've never been blog tagged before. You'd think this would be easy for me. Turns out, it wasn't. I used to think I was full of quirks, little goodies. I guess not. Or maybe I've gotten to be quite normal in my old age. And, as I got to think about it more - my "quirks" started to look more like "flaws". Anway. Here's my list. If you can thinking of anything else, PLEASE let me know. It's been kind of a bummer...

1) Sometimes I have no words. Weird. For instance, when I car cuts us off and I don't feel like we are slowing down enough I just point and grunt. However, I do the same thing when I want Diego to turn the light off before he gets into bed - point and grunt.

2) When I'm excited ball up my fists, raise them to face level and shake them like a little kid. The opposite of that being when I am frustrated with a machine or something I actually hiss at it. Huh.

3) I'm addicted to chapstick. I have a bazillion of them. And rest assured I have one EVERYWHERE I might need it: in my purse, in the bathroom, on my desk, on my nightstand, in my car, my camera bag, the kitchen drawer... You get the idea.

4) My junior high comebacks. You know, where you repeat the very same statement or insult back to the original person who said it but with a "YOU'RE stupid" tone. (Emphasis on the YOU'RE and no me - sort of the I'm rubber, you're glue mentality.) Mature, I know.

5) I clap my hands twice and then face my palms out when I finish something or as a cheer for something or someone (Thanks Brit, for reminding me...). Some of these things you really just have to see!

And I TAG...

- Natalie

- Sawa

- Mari

- Tina

- Shana
(just a few people I haven't heard from in a while)

...and anyone else that wants to share!

Jump #2

2009-01-03T19:31:00.002-07:00

So for Diego's 2nd jump, he decided to get the video. He was watching them edit it and he came over and told me, "I look like a monster." He was referring to his lip curling over his nose cause he didn't close his mouth during the free fall... Don't be alarmed. It is kind of scary.

New Years 2009

2009-01-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

For New Years we went to the casino (not to gamble) to see an 80's cover band called The Whip Its. Its was an awesome show! And, it was free!!!
Of course the band was a spin off of the 80's band Devo who had the hit "Whip It" - complete with the hats...

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T22:34:00.000-07:00

This was my Christmas present. I saved up all my Christmas money (well, potential Christmas money since I bought it in a sale that ended at Thanksgiving) and bought myself this. A fancy Bosch mixer!My first creation - cinnamon rolls. Whole wheat cinnamon rolls. I cracked the wheat myself with a mill a borrowed from my aunt. And even though they were 100% whole wheat they were still quite yummy if I do say so myself.

Hint and ye shall receive...

2008-12-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

So we had a ward Christmas party and they gave single roses to the ladies. I "mentioned" to Diego that I didn't know where the vase was since it had been so long since I've gotten flowers... Lo and behold, on Monday I came home to these beauties!

Old Friends

2008-12-17T21:06:00.002-07:00

It's been a month of finding old friends. This, below, is Tara and her family. I knew her when I first moved to Georgia. I also got to meet up with Jen from Louisiana and Leslie from BYU although I didn't get pictures with them. Bad Shannon!

Taser Party

2008-12-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken at Diego's work Christmas party. They had it at their building and they did a great job of transforming it. They had a cigar booth, an Indian herb smoke booth, a fun photo booth, Wii Bowling, Rock Band and...
...caricatures. Really, that could be any bald guy but it's still fun.

It's Snowing... In Louisiana

2008-12-11T09:32:00.003-07:00

It must be the end of the world because THIS is what my father is seeing outside his window at work - IN LOUISIANA!!!

And Christmas Begins...

2008-12-09T18:59:00.002-07:00

We bought this tiniest of manger scenes while we were in Utah for Thanksgiving. Both Diego and I want to invest in a hard-core nativity - you know, the kind you have to buy piece by piece and usually from anohter country. I haven't been able to find anything worth investing in. Please, please if you know of a maker that I can research, we would greatly appreciate it. For now, this will do. We don't have much space anyway. (BTW, I added the "Joy" and the moss and the lights... Christmas presents are care of my mom and dad.)

Utah for Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T19:10:00.017-07:00

Diego and I went to Utah for Thanksgiving. We wanted to go last year but Van Halen won out... We stayed with my friend Jenny and had Thanksgiving dinner at her parents house. It just so happens that her dad was my Stake President for a bazillion years and her mom taught my seminary class. This pictures shows 3 of Jenny's for kids - 4 boys and eventually a

We had lunch at The Pie and Christy and Scott Porter met us there with their spouses.

Diego and I did a bunch of touristy stuff - although we've both done them before.
We had dinner with some of Diego's friends at an Argentine restaurant in Clearfield. We were there for 3 hours and didn't even know it. It was good food too, straight from Argentina!
The next night we had dinner with some of my friends. Below is Jenny (who we stayed with) and her husband Robert. **Incidentally, she's the one who bought me Twilight" and got me hooked.**
Neither of us have family there but we both have lots of friends. I spent 6 years in college in Utah and Diego considers it his home away from Argentina. We got Diego's friends in one shot but mine left at different times so from top left we have: Dara - from my freshman year at BYU, Frank - Diego's friend that couldn't meet us the previous day, Christy - a roommate from Atlanta and Daniel - a friend from my stake back in Louisiana. Talk about a time warp. Much fun. Although, we both say we're not going back until we forget how long the drive is!

I've created a monster - a.k.a. Diego goes skydiving

2008-11-24T18:43:00.002-07:00

So Diego has this short list of things he wants to accomplish and they are all very manageable. Things like learning to swim, playing the harmonica and solving the Rubik's cube. It makes me happy that I can help him accomplish those things for his birthday I crossed one off his list and bought him a jump out of an airplane. Skydiving. I my effort to please the love of my life, I've created a monster... He ABSOLUTELY loved it. And I can't blame him - I loved it to when I went. He's already scheduled the date for his second jump and when I ask him what he wants for Christmas, his reply is "a parachute." I can't buy him a parachute! I thought it was a lovely gesture to shave some things off his short list... I have, indeed, created a skydiving monster!

The Parentials Came To Town

2008-11-10T06:30:00.006-07:00

So my parents came to town, they say, for my father's 40th high school reunion. I prefer to think it was just an excuse to see me and my new husband (this was the 2nd time they've met him - the 1st being the wedding). The whole time, I never took out my camera. I'm totally slipping. So I must rely on my dad's pictures... Although, this 1st one is really quite nice.
While Diego was at work, my folks and I went to the Natural History Museum. This is me panning for gold. It was taken with my dad's cell phone.
We had a, sort of, mini-family reunion while they were here. All of my mother's immediate family lives here although there a few that I still don't know. I took this as an opportunity to make contact with them. Hopefully, I can be a better niece in the future. Again, I didn't pull out my camera. Stupid!

HOV San Antonio 2008

2008-10-22T15:12:00.004-07:00

Okay, ladies, here is the slide show from our HOV trip to San Antonio. Most of you should have your recipe books by now and now we have even more fun - with pictures.
I missed all those who were not able to be there (Heidi, Stacie, Elizabeth, Lisa, Lisa, Laura, Nicole). We had fun and laughed A TON! I totally forgot how funny I was... (Really?)
We went to the Natural Bridge Caverns, the Alamo, ate Mexican food, Katherine made a cake, April made pancakes, we watched a movie, went to Fredricksburg, ate German food, had a birthday party, April had HOV survival kits waiting for us when we got there and laughed and laughed and laughed.
It was just a PHAT party. Shall I rub it in more or was that enough to make you want to come next time?...

5 of 12

2008-10-22T09:39:00.004-07:00

I'm still working on the HOV San Antonio slideshow but here's a picture of girls who were able to make the weekend trip. There is a total of 12 of us, all friends from Atlanta. 8 of us are married and a solid HALF of those met their husbands on ldssingles.com - IMPRESSIVE! So, go shopping girls!

The Boys Go Camping

2008-10-21T09:34:00.001-07:00

So when I went out of town for my girls trip, Diego got out of town for some guys camping. Ah, no girls... They can grill meat till their hearts desire and swear in Spanish all they want.

Cake #2 and #3

2008-10-20T09:29:00.001-07:00

Cake #2 - We learned the shell border (which I don't think I'm very good at) and some drop flowers.
Cake #3 (and final) - we learned some more flowers (including roses but mine still looked jacked - I need more practice) and leaves. Can you tell I was favoring the chocolate icing?...

Scout Campout - Cave Exploring

2008-10-19T09:26:00.001-07:00

I wish he'd taken pictures inside the cave but I guess it's sort of difficult when you're crawling through mud on your side. Oh, there's always that total darkness thing too.

Flash Back Friday

2008-10-17T11:38:00.003-07:00

This one is courtesy of my dad. Me at age 5.

This one is from me - at age 26/27 (2003-ish). I think I like my dad's picture better. How did I get another bunny in my hands nearly 20 years later??...

Why I Love My Husband

2008-09-20T17:30:00.003-07:00

He never lets me stay mad at him!!

He does the dishes.

He can't just look at me cause he just wants to kiss me.

He has got great eyelashes.

He volunteered to clean the, uh, my, hair of out of the tub drain just cause I mentioned it was slow.

He cleaned the whole apartment just cause I mentioned I was stressed cause things weren't getting done.

He moisturizes.

He is worthy of his Priesthood.

He says "I love you too" before I even say "I love you." Okay, sometimes that bothers me but mostly I love that he says it cause he knows that I am going to say it.

He is disciplined in so many things. (I can learn alot from him)

He is WAY handsome!

He is more conscious than me of our food storage and emergency preparedness.

He ALWAYS gives me the couch I want.

He is super supportive and reasonable.

He puts up with a crazy, lunatic sleeping next to him - ME!

Cake #1

2008-09-19T11:05:00.013-07:00

So I'm taking this cake decorating class. It's only 4 weeks but it's fun. This is week 2, my first cake. It's filled with dulce de leche and is themed after Diego's soccer team in Argentina, the Boca Junior. My frosting is a bit grainy-looking (although it tastes great) and I sprayed that blue on so you can now see ALL the imperfections. I was in a hurry to leave class so the "B" and the "o" in Boca are a bit jagged too. Plus, I only know how to do stars right now. Other than that, for my first attempt, I think it's acceptable.

Indoor Camping

2008-09-19T11:05:00.009-07:00

We wanted to go camping for Labor Day but the chance of rain kept increasing. So, instead, we popped up the tent inside the apartment. That, of course, meant that we had to move a bunch of furniture out of the way since our place is so small.
We cooked hot dogs on the grill and I even fashioned some sort of pineapple-upside-down-tinfoil dessert that was actually quite yum-o. Once in our tent... we watched TV - the Simpsons to be exact... Doesn't matter, it was fun!
Mi esposo es muy guapo!!! Chica con suerte!

Flash Back Friday

2008-09-19T11:05:00.006-07:00

In honor of this post, I am doing a Flash Back Friday post.

This is from 2000 when I moved to Atlanta and these are the 2 girls, Lindsay and Tara, who started to teach me about being a girly-girl (although I don't think they know it). There was a whole group of us and we used to go hang out at parks when there wasn't anything to do. Actually, we used to have fun no matter what we were doing. It was just a great group. Every Friday night we'd start calling around because we all knew we'd be hangin' out. Good times...

Some times there was more or less of us but the core was always the same: me, Tara, Lindsay, Mike Beaver, Brandon Nutter and the Boatwright Brothers (Jonathan, Justin and Adam).

Memories

2008-09-08T14:56:00.004-07:00

My brother and I used to laugh our faces off at this stuff!...

Random Thoughts 8.20.08

2008-08-20T09:58:00.003-07:00

Phelpsian Feat has been coined.

Diego lets me watch the Olympics every night even though he could care less and he hasn't seen The Simpsons in FOREVER!

I'm a lucky girl...

We bought Diego's family a web cam and we've been have a blast video chatting with them.

One more payment and my camera equipment is paid off. That just leaves my student loans (which, *cross your fingers*, should only take about a year and a half). WOO HOO!

I'm about to start Spanish class again and Diego is taking a Management and Leadership class.

We moved into the new chapel last Sunday. I'm in Young Womens when Relief Society meets so I miss the only time I actually got to meet with the sisters (remember I'm in a Spanish branch connected to a regular ward).

Every week someone else is brave enough to speak English to me (see above)! Obviously, no real connections.

I'm working on the soundtrack and the recipe book for the HOV trip with the girls in October. Very excited to be creative again... Here's a sneak peek at the cover.

Grandpa Reads

2008-08-20T07:12:00.005-07:00

I stole this picture from my dad's blog. My parents recently, July, went to visit my sister somewhere in the Indiana, Ohio, Illinois area (not being specific cause I don't know "who" reads this blog). My sister and her 2 boys are the only ones that Diego hasn't met yet. Bryce is 6 and Cole is 4. I can't wait until we can have some sort of family reunion sometime...

Going Down Memory Lane

2008-07-31T09:40:00.003-07:00

I stole this idea from a friend of a friend's blog. Do it. It's fun. And, hey, there is a reward - you get the same treatment on your blog!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Argentina 2008

2008-07-31T09:21:00.002-07:00

We returned from our 3-week stint in Argentina. I LOVE his family! The best part for me was to see Diego surrounded by the people and places that he knew and loved. The new niece is so adorable and Diego wants to have one just like her - calm. I should remind him that in a few months she's not going to be the same as she now... Anyway. The family and friends were super friendly and sometimes they would take the time to speak slow enough, clear enough and with simply enough words for me to understand. Most of the time there was like 20 people speaking really fast and all at the same time. At those moments, I don't know if I should be ashamed to admit, I just shut off. I did pick up some new words though and I realized just how small my vocabulary is and waning. Anyway. We went dancing one night. Diego tried to warn me that the night life was much different. It starts at about 2am and goes until maybe 7 or 8. We made it from about 1-4:30am. He's been promising to take me dancing since January! Everyone wanted to cook for us. Typically it was asado (or barbecue) but they don't grill burgers and franks, this is full on meat people! I'd been prepared though. We've been having these types of get togethers with our Argentine friends here in Arizona for forever. Everyone there has some sort of dedicated, bricked-in grilling area - EVERYONE. It's like having a garage or a garbage disposal. The city he grew up in left a little to be desired... It was dirty and it seemed like every single wall was tagged with graffiti. Maybe I'm a little spoiled too. I've traveled some and when Diego pointed out the buildings and such I took note but in my head I was thinking, "They have that in New York AND in New Orleans." Of course, I've traveled enough to know that all places are the same. It's the people that make it different. And as I have noted, I LOVE his family!

Just to be fair

2008-07-31T09:00:00.001-07:00

Just to be fair to Diego, my Evil Padre scanned these pictures of me when I was maybe a year old. See what a chunker I've always been! See how white I've always been! See what 70's groovy-ness I grew up in! No wonder I'm so weird now... (I bet that wall in the bathroom was velvet to the touch!) BTW, we still have that rocking chair.

The Many Faces of Valentina

2008-07-29T07:08:00.003-07:00

Of course, we did wake her up. Normally she's quite the tranquil baby. I love the last one cause it looks like she's giving the "peace" sign and going back to sleep. I can't believe how much she grew just in the time we were there!

Treasure from Argentina

2008-07-28T13:51:00.004-07:00

Maybe some of you thought my treasure might have been something of monetary value but, to me, this is so much better! Diego's sweet mom let go of some of her prized pictures so I could share the wealth. Isn't he the cutest!? I like him lots!!!

And..., we're back!

2008-07-25T08:20:00.004-07:00

The Family in Argentina
(from left: me, Diego, Alberto - dad, Gladis - mom, Valentina - niece, Analia - sister-in-law, and Gonzalo - brother)

It's not the greatest picture but it was way harder than I thought to get everyone together. Check back in a few days when I've had a chance to go through all the photos. More to come. Don't miss my Treasure From Argentina!!!

Los nuevos tios

2008-06-23T07:24:00.007-07:00

This is Valentina Lista, the newest member of the Lista family. She was born on May 11, 2008 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Diego's brother Gonzalo. I don't know who took this picture but I was WAY impressed! Way to use a different angle to show mom and baby AND dad (and still dad isn't the least bit understated)!
Doesn't she look just like her dad!! She adorable and I can't wait to meet her in like 10 days!!!!