Our house on Whittier Lane

Tomorrow, May 27th, we close on our house on Whittier Lane. In many ways I am excited because in this market I was worried it would take forever and a day for it to sell, and I am ready to be a permanent CA resident. On the other hand, it was a great house and I will miss it. Going through all my photos from the past 6 years, I admit I am sitting here tearing up writing this post. We have had a great 6 years there. Aside from the loss of some loved ones that took place during those 6 years, it was a wonderful, happy, perfect time in our lives.


We moved into the house on Whittier Lane in April of 2005. We built and designed this house from the ground up. We chose the lot and everything in between. Right down to the knobs on every drawer. It was our baby.

Our 1st Christmas in the house.

Speaking of babies, when we moved in Sarah had just turned 15 months. We loved raising her in this beautiful home with a lovely nursery and lots of room for her to crawl around in (although we had her caged in most of the time!). It is also the home we brought Lauren home to from the hospital in 2007.

The girls have enjoyed so many happy times in this house.
From birthday parties...

(Yes, we had a pinata in the foyer)

Halloween costume pictures in the front yard...

to camping in the back yard...

to helping me in the kitchen....

random silliness....

everyday life.....

to cheering on our Horned Frogs to a Rose Bowl victory!

Our house was so beautiful anytime of year. My favorite was spring because that as when everything was in bloom. Including my beloved hydrangeas.

If I could have brought them with me I would have. I will have them growing here in no time though. The climate here actually suits them better!

It was also gorgeous in the winter when we had our snows. I will NEVER forget the magical Christmas Eve in 2009 when it snowed all day. The warmth and love and coziness I felt that day was palpable and unforgettable.

I also will never forget the day it snowed 13 inches and we were caught in a full on snowpocalypse.

We had many great times at our house celebrating Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, 4th of July pool parties, my 30th birthday and my husband's 40th birthday. We also had a bridal shower there, many many play dates, and watched countless Cowboy losses throughout the years.
My family gatherings were my favorite and that is the number one thing we miss most about moving.

We also miss having our friends over....

and their kids.

I will always have a special place in my heart for our house on Whittier Lane. What happy, happy times we had there. In some ways I think how could I ever move from OUR home where we made so many memories....but I have to always remember that home is the family and not just the shell of a house. We will have a happy home and create happy memories where ever we are.

And what a beautiful place we find ourselves in now to start that next chapter!

Texas Tradition: Bluebonnet Photos

One of my favorite things about living in Texas are the gorgeous bluebonnets that blanket the landscape every March and April. Not even after moving from the state could I resist bringing the girls back for their annual pictures. It just so happened that we got to make a visit back to our native state for my daughter's spring break, so I took full advantage. Taking photos of my pretties is one of my most favorite things and one of my most challenging things. Two girls worried about bugs, the sun, not smiling, not looking at the camera (well not at the same time). It is exhausting. I have found that if you take enough, you are bound to have some great ones in the bunch!

Home Sweet Home - By the Beach

It has been about a month and a half now since we have moved to California. In some ways it seems like we just got here and in others it feels like we have been here forever. I am glad to say it has been a smooth transition for everyone. I had a lot of people back home in Texas giving us a little grief about moving here and "Why would we do that?", "I would never make such a drastic move with young kids?", "You are going to leave your spacious, beautiful TX home to live in much smaller quarters in CA?", "Are the schools good? I have heard they are not.", etc...and so on and so on. So not that any of those people would be reading my blog, but in case you are...here is why we made the move, and yes we love it, and yes the kids love it, and even the dog is in seventh heaven.

What we love so far:
We live in a beach house - 2 blocks from the sand.
The house is not too big, but not too small, it is just right and has amazing views.
The weather (for the most part) has been great.
We can walk to restaurants, shops, ice cream in less than 5 minutes
We are close to old friends and have made new ones.
The girls love their schools and teachers (their schools are 2 blocks apart which makes drop off and pick up easy peasy).
The sunsets are intoxicating.
We are slowly falling into a regular schedule that will soon include seeing Charlie at lot more.
No pool or yard to take care of.









What we miss:
Family and Friends
Tex Mex and a combo plate that isn't $15.
Our great babysitters that DID NOT charge $15+/hour.

Keukenhof Gardens - Netherlands

It is that time of year....actually the only time of year to go and view the tulips in the Netherlands.

My first trip to see the tulips took place in May of 2000. My husband was working in London and had a football game to cover in Amsterdam. So I got my college roommate to go with me and we were on the search for the fields and fields of gorgeous tulips and the Keukenhof Gardens. We searched and searched. I swear the guide book said that you could see tulips into May, but however, I guess that did not really mean the end of May. There was nothing but empty fields and when we finally found the Keukenhof Gardens it was like showing up at Wally World. Closed down....done...not opening again until March of 2001. There wasn't even a guard we could harass to let us in and enjoy it all to ourselves. Probably because there was nothing to enjoy. It was literally 'dead'.

So I was very fortunate to have a second opportunity in the Spring of 2003 to try and see the tulips. This time...I did my research and actually found out what the best week to go was. Again my husband was working in Europe and my in-law's were living in Belgium, so I was staying with them. So on my husband's off day we all drove up to Amsterdam and visited the Keukenhof. This time it was mid-April. This time tulips were all around. This time it was perfect.

Keukenhof Gardens: outside of Amsterdam

I highly suggest you make this trip once in your life. It is gorgeous and if you have kids...it will be an experience they will never forget. I showed Sarah these pictures the other day and she was in awe! I can't wait to take her some day. (She was technically there, as I found out I was pregnant with her just a few days before, but you know what I mean!)







Not only is the Keukenhof amazing, Amsterdam is a joy of a city as well. It is gorgeous with the canals and everything is easily accessible by walking or bike. It gets stereotyped so much for it's red light district and "coffee shops", but it is truly a great city and very kid friendly. I would for sure do the Anne Frank house. Older kids will especially get something out of it. It is truly amazing to see how her and her family lived and truly amazing they did for so long. Very moving. Also...the Van Gogh museum is great. There is good shopping, there is a Hard Rock Cafe if you need a break from European food and need a nacho fix, and there are even boats you can take out on the canals. Amsterdam and the area surrounding is so pretty and should be added to any one's European travel plans...especially in April!