Milestone Birthday

I have a confession: I have been kinda dreading my 30th birthday for some time for a myriad of reasons. But as it turns out I had no reason to worry because my birthday this year was awesome...I mean really awesome.  

When the alarm went off that morning for work, I rolled over and Jon said, "Happy Birthday. Do you want to open your presents?" Although I declined because I *must* have a shower to function in the morning, I knew he must have something good up his sleeve if he was this eager for me to begin opening presents. When I got out of the shower he was right there...waiting. "Are you ready now?" 

Jon handed me a card which was what I expected since I had told him NO GIFTS this year. I already knew he was planning a big trip for my birthday, and I told him that was my present.  However, he was allowed to get me a card.  I opened the card and read his lovely birthday note. Then, inside the card were two pieces of paper. The first was a coupon for two years worth of a Ver!zon data plan. You see, Jon and I had decided to switch to Ver!zon because of AT*T's lousy service, and although I really wanted an iPh*one I didn't want to pay the $30 each month for the data plan.   The coupon looked so real I actually believed it for a second.  He had broken the rules about no presents, but because I really wanted an iPh*one I let it slide. :)

Next he told me that my Mom (who was coming into town with my Dad and nephew for my birthday) and I would be enjoying a 4 hour spa day on Saturday. I was thrilled because I had always wanted to do a spa day, and doing it with my Mom would make it even more special. We were going to receive a facial, massage, foot treatment, and body exfoliation. It sounded heavenly! 

Then to top it off I opened up the last piece of paper. It was a map and had Korean characters on it. I asked Jon what this was, and he told me that we were going to have an 8 hour layover on the way home from our mystery vacation...and it happened to be in Seoul!  That's right...we are going to Seoul. I  was so excited but shocked all I could say was, "I'm so overwhelmed!" Jon informed me later that he wasn't sure if I was happy about the trip because I just kept repeating that phrase over and over. Believe me when I say I was excited, but when you don't expect to be in the same country as your son for another year it leaves you a bit overwhelmed.  We will be receiving a tour of the Eastern adoption agency facilities and might even have time to do a little shopping. I am so thrilled to be in the same city as our son instead of thousands of miles away, even if it is only for a few hours coming and going to our mystery destination. 

Work was a pretty good day, even though I had a staff meeting until pretty late in the evening. I left work and drove straight to Jon's work so we could make our dinner reservation on time. He was waiting for me with white roses.  Isn't he the best?  Dinner was at Anthony*s Fish Restaurant in Kirkland, which is right on Lake Washington. We both enjoyed clam chowder, a lobster dinner, and a warm berry cobbler. It was delicious!  Then, waiting for me at home was a huge bouquet of flowers from my parents.  Didn't I tell you the day was great?

The whole week, however, was fabulous. My birthday week started on Sunday night when we went out to dessert at the Cheesecake Factory with some members of our small group at church for dessert. On Tuesday night the hostess of our other Bible study had made rice krispy treats. Then my parents came into town on Thursday along with Garrison. Although I was nervous totting a four year old around Seattle, he did a really great job. We had our own birthday celebration on Saturday night and had fun cheering on the Packers on Superbowl Sunday. See, I told you it was a great birthday! Jon set some pretty high expectations to live up to for his own birthday in a few months. Ideas are being accepted!

Christmas and the end of 2010

We spent Christmas back "home" in Arizona.  We were very fortunate to have wonderful weather in Scottsdale.  In fact, on Christmas day it was a sunny 75 degrees!  What a change from cold, rainy Seattle gray skies.  We were busy pretty much every day: running errands (I don't even think I can count the number of times we went to Costco and Walmart :)), catching up with friends, and seeing family.  My Mom's birthday is the 26th, and I felt fortunate being able to celebrate alongside her for her big day, too.

Most of our gifts to each other (and from others) had to fit inside of a suitcase.  This can be a challenge, but overall we were successful.  As Jon tweeted, this ended up being a Blu-ray Christmas for us.  I got Jon a Blu-ray player this year, but of course I couldn't pack it to Phoenix and back.  Instead I got him the Avatar blu-ray, so he successfully inferred there was a new player waiting for him at home.  Jon surprised me with a new Coach purse I had been eyeing for some time at the Factory Store.  Some other gifts I received from family included the complete Les Miserables musical CD, a new bluetooth headset (hopefully it will cut down on the noisy freeways that are in Seattle), some new ASU apparel, 4 in 1 cake dome, aluminum water bottle, and a Mom-Daughter day where we got a massage and pedicure.  Fun!  The most outrageous gift was this awesome travel pillow!  I know it looks crazy, and when Jon blew it up on the plane I thought it looked pretty funny, but I actually fell asleep on a plane (an amazing feat) with it!  For that it is a definite keeper!

Jon also met our renters for the first time, and we are so thankful that these two are living in our home.  They seem to be doing a great job taking care of the house-everything looked squeaky clean and we both got good vibes from them.  It has been such a blessing to have one less thing to worry about, and we hope they will renew the lease at the end of May.  Finding *new* renters (let alone quality renters) from 1300 miles away is a burden for us and my parents, who end up showing the property.

It's so hard to believe that 2010 is over.  It seems like only yesterday I was reflecting on 2009 and looking towards the year ahead. Although this year was still very hard in its own way (failed fertility treatments jump to mind), we also had some great experiences as a couple visiting Portland, Victoria, the Olympic Games in Vancouver, and seeing family in three different states!  I can also safely say I finally felt more at home in Seattle, learning to appreciate the things living in the Pacific Northwest brings like seasons, snow capped mountain peaks in the distance, blue lakes (I drive across one each day!), and great friends through our church.

Also, this year we decided how we were going to resolve our infertility-through adoption in South Korea!  We can't wait to "meet" our child through pictures this year, and are already looking towards 2012 when we can finally hold him in our arms. I am doing most updates regarding our adoption on our blog, so be sure to check there if you want to stay on top of that.  Eventually we might close that down and put everything here.  Either way, one will become a protected blog.

I hope you all had a great New Year, and I look forward to seeing what this year brings!

Birthday

Updated February 20th: More pictures!

One of my friends said it best: this is the last year in my 20's. Yikes, that's scary! I guess it's a good thing this birthday was stretched out as long as possible.

The festivities began on January 22nd. Jon found an awesome deal for a dinner cruise around the sound with views of Seattle.

It was a wonderful four course meal with a live band and beautiful city lights. Then, my parents came out to help celebrate the weekend immediately before my birthday. We showed them a few more spots around Seattle we hadn't covered before, went to a movie (Leap Year), attended church, visited the Boeing Flight Museum, and just had a great time hanging out. My mom cooked me a huge birthday meal: roast beef, oven baked rolls, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, and of course our family's mocha cake. It was all very delicious.

Then, to cap it off, Jon took me out to California Pizza Kitchen on the actual "big day." I think their BBQ chicken pizza and field greens salad with candied walnuts and pears is pretty awesome. Then, we sat down to watch LOST, one of our favorite shows. It was a very nice evening.

As I get older I am learning more and more that these events are about the people instead of presents, but I know people might be interested so I'll share what I received: Troy and Kelly bought me three different CDs (Hillsong, Casting Crowns, and a praise and worship set). I'm actually listening to Hillsong as I write this! My parents helped me support our ASU Sun Devils with some great apparel and some gift certificates to a local spa I went to once after Christmas for reflexology.

I made my appointment for Monday, so it should be fun. Bruce and Joan and Jon's grandparents were very generous and gave me some money to spend on whatever I want (!), and Jon broke the bank with a necklace from Tiffany's. There's something about that little green box with a white ribbon that is pretty cool. Maybe it's the mix of understated elegance and chic modern design. Whatever the case, it was a beautiful gift.

Christmas 2009

**Update 01/04/2010-here are some pics from our time in Scottsdale.**

It is amazing how quickly the week in Scottsdale passed for me. Although we were busy each day I had so much fun soaking in the time with my family and just being around familiar sites, sounds, and smells. We left Seattle early on Saturday morning, and I only got 4 hours sleep. Even so, I was so excited I couldn't sleep on the plane at all. When we started our final descent I started crying as I saw the familiar terrain and knew I'd be home soon. Who knew I would be that emotional just seeing South Mountain?! Here is a picture of our first evening back home. (Notice the beautiful AZ sunset behind me and SHORT SLEEVES in December!)

A highlight of my time in AZ was spending time with family,

especially reconnecting with Garrison. He has changed so much in 7 months and is so verbal now. I can understand ev

erything he says, and he is so smart! He can already spell his name and has a large vocabulary which I think is

amazing for a 3 year old. While there Garrison rediscovered a large gorilla Troy and I had growing up. I would make the gorilla come to "life," and Garrison would talk to it for 20 minutes at a time! (The attention span at his age was amazing!).

The stuffed animal became such a good friend for Garrison he even prayed for Mr. Gorilla before going to bed! Other highlights included going to see Christmas lights at the Pavillions and around the neighborhood with Garrison and my parents, building a gingerbread house, and playing band with Garrison. He would give each of us our assigned instruments as we went around the house playing and singing Christmas songs. Too cute!

I was also able to get together with a friend from high school, see extended family on Christmas, shopping with my Mom on her birthday and see a movie, as well as meet up with our marriage mentors, the Marchants. And of course we had some delicious Mexican food and Grimaldi's pizza!

Being home has reminded both of us how much we both love Phoenix, and we have some big decisions to make in the next few months about whether or not we will stay in Seattle for the next 3 years or go back to Phoenix sometime this summer. Sometimes, like when we are at home, the decision seems very obvious (let's head home!), but Jon would be giving up a lot professionally to move back to the Phoenix area, and this is a big decision to make.

As I reflect back on this year I can't believe all the changes that have taken place. Last year at Christmas we were in our house and both in the same jobs we had been in for 4 and 6 years respectively. This year we were living out of my parent's guest bedroom and buying time to try and see everyone/do everything we wanted to do. What a difference a year makes!

Relaxing weekends

Jon and I have had a very relaxing few weekends. For Jon's big 28th birthday we went out to eat some lip smackin' BBQ in downtown Seattle at a place called Frontier Room. I made Jon some mocha cake, a Gray family tradition, and Jon opened up

his gifts. As usual Jon got lots of good Wii games, some DVDs, a "NerdKit," and some computer things which I can't really go into detail about because I don't understand them. :)

Then on Friday night we went to the DBacks v. Mariners baseball game at Safeco Field. We had some pretty good seats, althou

gh surrounded by Mariners fans, and we had fun cheering on the DBacks when they hit a home run or scored some points. We decided to leave at the mid point of the 8th inning which ended up being perfect timing because the DBacks lost in the bottom of the 8th. We sure would have been harassed if we were still there! Then on Saturday night we went to an improv show in the UDistrict of Seattle. It was pretty fun and we really enjoyed ourselves.

This past week was Fourth of July, and we had a very relaxing 3 day week

end. On Friday we hiked Snoqualmie Falls and went to the bottom.

We were so close we could feel the mist whenever the wind picked up, and believe me this felt good after a long hike. There were a few people fishing, but luckily we got there early because when we left the place was PACKED. Nearby are

a few factory outlet malls, and I ended up scoring some great deals on a basic GAP shirt and some heavily discounted ski pants. Now I need to make sure I use these pants come winter time.

Saturday was the 4th, and I knew I wanted to see fireworks because it had been such a long time since we had the chance to do that last. (A year ago exactly we were on a plane to Europe).

We had heard the fireworks were the biggest at GasWorks park in downtown Seattle, but we didn't want to brave the crowds and the rumors of two hour traffic jams. Instead we opted for the Kirkland fireworks, a small suburb on the Eastside which was having their fireworks on Lake Washington. This was a huge plus for me because I t

hought it would be romantic and fun to see fireworks shimmering off the water. Not knowing how early people arrive

d in Seattle for fireworks, we packed a picnic dinner, playing cards, some books/magazines, a few party poppers (which we could never get in AZ), and we headed out.

We arrived at Houghton Beach Park around 6:00PM and we found parking on the opposite side of the street. We picked our spot, looked around, and we quickly noticed that we were the only people there for the fireworks. Everyone else was in swimsuits tanning it up! So in retrospect we got there about three hours

earlier than everyone else, but as Marie so astutely pointed out "how often do you get to just lay around and do nothing

!" Well, that's so true and we had fun hanging out together and just relaxing. We ended up really enjoying the fireworks and from our vantage point could see 3 different shows (GasWorks, Bellevue, and Kirkland) in addition to the numerous illegal little shows that were occurring along the water.

Troy got in town for a brief stopover late Saturday night, so we made arrangements to meet up for breakfast in SeaTac (we couldn't have picked a nicer locale) at the local Denny's. I really enjoyed seeing Troy and catching up with him about his Beyond Malibu YoungLife trip and updating him on how we were doing in Seattle. It was a really enjoyable time.

On a totally different note....I really appreciate how so many of you have lifted me up in your prayers during this difficult transition time. You know who you are, and you are wonderful!

There is no way to wrap up all of these random updates, so I'll just say bye for now.

Birthday news

Since I am around kids all the time I know how big of a deal birthdays are to them. When you get older the mystique and wonder seems to wear off. For one, birthdays seems to come around much more often. Two, it means you are getting old. Three, they aren't made as big of a deal as when you are younger so it typically just doesn't feel like when you had your sweet sixteen or big 21st.

But I have an amazing husband who made sure my birthday was so awesome this year!

Jon, aka the "best husband ever," started my day out by cooking me breakfast after I slept in. Then we lounged around the house and hung out until we had lunch at Paradise Bakery (one of my favorite spots). Then, Jon had planned a surprise afternoon/evening. I don't know if other ladies agree with this, but I pretty much LOVE date surprises when I don't know what we are doing or going. It's fun to guess what will happen and very romantic to see what the "best husband ever" (or BHE) has in store for me.


Jon had planned for us to go to the AZ Science Center and see the Titanic exhibit. I had mentioned to him that I wanted to get down there to see this, and it was awesome he remembered and planned it into my special day.

Then, the best husband EVER had made reservations for the revolving restaurant at the Hyatt in downtown Phoenix. I had never been there before, and it ended up getting us great views right before sunset of the entire valley. Because it was Superbowl weekend, security down at the hotel was tight since NFL people were all staying there. We ended up having to be escorted up to the restaurant by an employee, but it actually made it feel kind of special instead of being annoyance.

My wonderful husband definitely outdid himself for his wife this year. I had such a blast.

The Big 1st Birthday

Here are some pictures of my cutie nephew during his 1st birthday. He wasn't very excited about the gifts (the boxes were way more fun), but he LOVED his first cupcake. Post eating he turned into one big chocolate covered baby. The ASU outfit was furnished by his aunt and uncle Hohle. We have to start the indoctrination early (as if he won't get it enough from Troy).

Happy Birthday, my Jonathan!

Jon is turning 26 today! Finally. He is now as old as his wife and gets to have the numerous special privileges a 26 year old has which are, of course, limitless. I have decided to list 26 (ah...pretty quick, eh?) things you can do as a 26 year old so Jon doesn't miss out on any of the fun. Enjoy, Jon!

1. When you are 26 you can wear whatever you want.
2. When you are 26 you can drive.
3. When you are 26 you can stay up as late as you want.
4. When you are 26 you can eat chocolate cake for breakfast.
5. When you are 26 you can be married.
6. When you are 26 you can have sex (as long as number 5 is completed) :)
7. When you are 26 you can travel anywhere.
8. When you are 26 you can sleep in or wake up early...your call!
9. When you are 26 you can take care of your own lawn.
10. When you are 26 you can get a haircut and style of your choice.
11. When you are 26 you can play Starcraft on the computer.
12. When you are 26 you can read your Bible.
13. When you are 26 you can program in Ruby and the programming language of your choice.
14. When you are 26 you can watch The Amazing Race, Lost, or Studio 60.
15. When you are 26 you can beat your wife in Tetris (somethings never change).
16. When you are 26 you can sing songs.
17. When you are 26 you can view www.lolcats.com.
18. When you are 26 you can go out to eat.
19. When you are 26 you get to go to work to make a living.
20. When you are 26 you can go to the movies.
21. When you are 26 you can talk on your cell phone.
22. When you are 26 you can run five miles.
23. When you are 26 you can drink Martinelli's apple cider.
24. When you are 26 you can own your own domain names.
25. When you are 26 you can take grad classes.

AND...when you are 26 you have the lucky ability and chance to....

Blow our your birthday candles and usher in a great new year!

Doesn't being 26 sound like fun?

I love you!

Birthday Weekend

This past Friday I grew one year older. Jon was as romantic and sweet as usual and took me out to Elements, an exclusive restaurant at the Sanctuary hotel on Camelback Mountain. We had the perfect table with an uninterrupted view of the valley and the sun setting. It was perfect. The meal started with receiving herb soaked warm linens to refresh our hands before we started eating. What?? I've never had anything like that before! For our dinner we went all out and ordered crab and spinach fondue, our entree was sirloin wrapped in bacon, and for dessert we had carmel pecan cheesecake. The staff was great and we weren't rushed at all during our meal. We had plenty of time to digest between portions and we were there for two hours and got to relax and enjoy the evening.

Saturday night we got together with the extended family and I got to open my presents. The big gift was my new red Ipod nano. This is my first ipod EVER, so it will be fun to finally catch up with the rest of humanity and hopefully it will motivate me to work out more regulary because Jon's family got me the Nike sport gear to go with it. It helps keep track of your steps, calories burned, and distance. My parents got me some massage gift certificates and clothes, and Troy and Kelly got me a gift certificate for a massage/pedicure. I can't wait to indulge in all my new toys.

It was a great birthday and I had a wonderful time.

School's Out for the Summer...Time for an Update

Here I am a week into my summer vacation and Jon has already said to me, "Well, it looks like you got everything you wanted to get done for the entire break accomplished in one week." Although it isn't 100% correct, Jon has pretty much hit the nail on the head. My type A personality has reared its head and I have, indeed, been very productive in my first week off with my summer to do list. Most of it would be quite boring to describe to you, but I have had an opportunity to sit down and read. I just finished The Da Vinvi Code and read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I also am planning on tackling a few more this summer that I'm pretty excited about:

1. The Divine Conspiracy-I heard about this book years ago from my old youth pastor, and I really want to check it out still.
2. Ragamuffin Gospel-I have always heard really good things about it.
3. Martha to the Max: Balanced Living for Perfectionists-I heard about this book from Amazon. I read and LOVED Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World a few months ago, and I was looking for another book like it. Amazon recommended this, so I thought I'd give it a try.
4. Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Respect He Desperately Needs- Both Jon and I have heard from countless sources what a great book on marriage this is.

Any suggestions from ya'll? Favorite genres include historical fiction with some cute romantic things thrown in! :)

One of my summer "to dos" was to get my hair cut. This doesn't seem like a momentous decision, but I am the type of person that always orders the same thing at the same restaurant every time. Read: I don't like change very much. However, I took the plunge and wanted to get my hair cut...short. I made an appointment at a salon by my house. The receptionist recommended I go with Boris. Now, this name gave me a few qualms. Boris does not sound like the name of a person who is going to be comforting in the face of a big decision. Boris sounds like name of an old, Russian gangster. I was picturing an older gentleman who talked with a heavy accent and would say, "In Soviet Russia, the hair cuts you!" as I walked in. My imagination definitely was incorrect however. Boris looked more like a Tony from New York City...and he was about my age. He ended up cutting about 2-3 inches off, but I am very happy with the change.

A few weeks ago was Ericka's wedding. She was absolutely radiant and I shed a few tears while she was reciting her vows. It all hit me that we talked entirely too much about our future weddings (at my urging, I'm sure) while we were staying up late in the dorms in college, and it was very surreal to actually see her getting married. I know she and Jimy will be immensely happy together.

A few other news worthy events before I sign off:

I am starting a second master's degree in ESL right now. I am taking 6 hours over the summer and a few during the school year. Gotta love the continuing education!

This Sunday is Jon's birthday...his first since we have been married. As usual, I am overanalyzing everything trying to make it *perfect* for him. There have definitely been a few minor "incidents" leading up to this week that I will have to share at a later time. However, it should be fun for all!

If anyone will be in town over summer, make sure you give me a call. It was wonderful getting to catch up with Syd the other day while she was here.

Have I mentioned this on my blog already? I am going to be an aunt effective October ??? Am I old enough to do that? :)

Hope everyone is doing great!