Hello readers!
I thought I should share a bit about us so that you know who you are reading about and why we are writing about our lives. First, why "a little blueberry?" Well, I started writing this in December 2010 when I found out I was pregnant with our first baby. I thought it would be fun to take weekly pictures and write about my pregnancy, adding to it when the baby was born and our adventures together. We called the baby our blueberry and that's where the name (and picture) came from. But, as you know, life doesn't work out as expected sometimes and even through the ups and downs, we've decided to keep the name. Our blueberry started our journey and we are continuing it - so it just fit. (Click here for more info about this.)
I am in my mid 30's and am a high school teacher in Arizona. I have been married for 5 years to my husband, Ian, and we had a baby in 2012, named Lemon (click here). We were friends first, dated for about 6 years and then got married in April 2009. We work together teaching at the same high school and spend more time together than most. Ian is my best friend and confidant, we were truly meant for each other. We still lay in bed at night and talk and make jokes, just like best friends, and I hope that never ends. It is my favorite part of the day.
I thought I should share a bit about us so that you know who you are reading about and why we are writing about our lives. First, why "a little blueberry?" Well, I started writing this in December 2010 when I found out I was pregnant with our first baby. I thought it would be fun to take weekly pictures and write about my pregnancy, adding to it when the baby was born and our adventures together. We called the baby our blueberry and that's where the name (and picture) came from. But, as you know, life doesn't work out as expected sometimes and even through the ups and downs, we've decided to keep the name. Our blueberry started our journey and we are continuing it - so it just fit. (Click here for more info about this.)
I am in my mid 30's and am a high school teacher in Arizona. I have been married for 5 years to my husband, Ian, and we had a baby in 2012, named Lemon (click here). We were friends first, dated for about 6 years and then got married in April 2009. We work together teaching at the same high school and spend more time together than most. Ian is my best friend and confidant, we were truly meant for each other. We still lay in bed at night and talk and make jokes, just like best friends, and I hope that never ends. It is my favorite part of the day.
This blog was originally started in December 2010 when I was pregnant with our first baby. I lost the baby in January and continued the blog, never thinking it would be a blog about our life as a married couple instead of our life as a family with a newborn. But, as I've said many times, the events of your life are out of your control, so we were taken in a different direction than we were prepared for, and we had no other choice but to go with it. It was a tough road and a lot of my posts are about recovering from that event, but we made it through. We adapted and survived and here we are, raising our lemon.
I have three best friends that have been my friends since high school - Christine, Christie and Jenny (twins). I mention them often in my posts, and life wouldn't be the same without them. They are more than friends, they are a part of my family and they make my world complete.
(From left: Christine, Christie, Me and Jenny)
Ian and I are both family people, we love spending time with our families and live close to most of them. His family has become mine, his mom and dad like second parents to me. And my mom? If I had to pick my most favorite person in the world, she would be it. She is my rock, my sounding board and my savior - I wouldn't be me without her.
(My family: Dad, Mom and Step-Dad)
(My Nani, who passed away this year.)
(Ian's family: Henry, Patty, Ermel, Kelly and Leith. His grandpa, Arnold, passed away almost 5 years ago.)
(Leith got married almost 2 years ago and now I have two sisters-in-law, Ashley and Kelly. I also have a nephew, Reggie, their little boy.)
I am an only child but I do have two good friends that live in Portland, Oregon that are like my brother and sister; as well as two step-brothers, Joe and Kevin, and their wives Beatrice and Hazel and four neices - Mia, Kayla, Ella and Amanda. Meaghan and Matt are my home away from home, and even though I see them only once or twice a year, they mean the world to me. My step-brothers and their families are not around as much as I'd like, but they will always be family no matter how far away.
(Meaghan)
(Matt)
(Kevin, Joe and Amanda)
Ian plays in two bands with his brother and some really good friends he has had for years too. I often post songs/videos from their shows when we go to see them, and last year they played the downtown New Year's Eve block party in Phoenix and there are pictures of that on here too.
(Ian is second from left - The Smith Family Band)
(Ian is second from left - Snake Burner)
What do we like to do for fun? Let's see . . . my favorite thing to do is lay on the couch with our three dogs and watch TV or a movie. I will watch any crappy movie you give me, I don't even care, that's how much I love watching movies. TV is kind of the same way, I watch more TV than anyone else I know (you may think I'm boring, more on this in a sec), and when my TV shows are off for the summer I think my TV people are actual people living their lives right along with mine. I am not boring, however, and do get off the couch to do other things, but TV is my escape and it shuts my brain off. I have never been one to listen to music in my spare time, it doesn't let my brain relax, but TV does. Being a teacher, you NEED this, so it is my release and my only vice.
I used to do a lot of yoga and had a studio that I'd been going to for 7 years, the best one in the valley (believe me, I've tried others). Ian and I like to go on walks, go to the zoo and hang with friends and family when we get the chance. I spend my time working on this blog, working on our school website, catching up with my friends online and on the phone, working on our house (it's a never-ending project), recording She Said videos with my bestie and cleaning. Ian spends his spare time making rings in our other side business, Spirit Bee Woodworks. For some reason it doesn't sound like much but takes up most of our time! Ian adopts a new hobby every month so what he's into right now (carving another kachina and working on a puzzle) isn't what he will be into in a few weeks.
We love to travel and wish we had more time/money to do it (I know this is everyone's excuse). We went to Kauai, Hawaii for our honeymoon and loved it and take trips to San Diego and Portland at least once a year. We love the beach and anywhere tropical - but we don't just lay around, it's always an adventure for us!
That's about it. It is definitely weird to write a post putting your life in a nutshell, but it was fun none-the-less. I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it, it has saved my life this past year- being able to put my thoughts out there for everyone. Please also pass it along - my favorite part of reading and writing blogs is sharing experiences with others, making us all feel connected to one another and not so alone. We are NEVER alone. Namaste my friends!
