30 Days of Thanks

I think 30 days of thanks will be an annual blog post for me. I like to take the time to reflect on something that makes me happy each day...at least for 1 month I like it. 

There's a post from last year too, if you'd like to check it out!

Here we go...

1. Random Excitement- Disney on Ice was amazing and Santi loved it. The best parts if you ask him? Mickey and the "ice truck"...during intermission. 

2. Household organization- I feel like I've been behind on house stuff for 2 months, and today finally caught up (somewhat). *exhale moments*. 

3. Good people- similar to last year when I stumbled upon a random act of kindness (#19) I found this today on the corner of 6th & Broadway. It feels good to see the good that's out there. 

4. Support from family and friends. A simple Facebook post/question led to a snowball of interest to help support a great cause and a crazy desire I have to raise a ton of money for LLS!

5. 3 years without a stomach bug for Santi & a speedy recovery after it hit him. Kids are so resilient!

6. "Monsters in my tummy" that didn't stay long. I also caught Santi's 1st stomach bug & he kept saying that I had Monster's in my tummy & I needed to drink juice to get them out. Too cute!

7. Snuggles on the couch with Santi enjoying the first Christmas movie of the year, The Polar Express!

8. Real Talk with my husband is something that doesn't happen often between jobs, parenting & trying to maintain our elite social status (jk), but when it does I'm thankful for the reminder that our marriage is worth so much more than we the lack of time we have to feed it and also the reminder to feed it more.

9. #sundayexperiments which is a fancy hashtag for meal prep. Sunday dinners remind me of my grandparents and family and making memories and just being together. We did that today. All of it. 

10. Opportunities to do something that matters. I've officially decided to run for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Woman of the Year!

11. This guy. The gift that keeps on giving. Happy 7 years with us to this lil Dolce named Bubba. 

12. A husband who makes me feel appreciated. It's a simple thank you when I do something for him that is neither big or extravagant, but he notices. 

13. 

14. Finally a good Asian restaurant! 

15.Pictionary. Yes. A board game that brings friends together like no other!

16. My Grandmas' Things. It's not about the things. It's about the memories they bring back. Grandma Rose's bench (that I'm refinishing) & Grandma Betty's pasta bowl are 2 of my faves. 

17. Snow!! Our first of the season is too early, but it's still beautiful and reminds me of being a kid outside for hours, coming in with burning fingers & toes but having had so much fun!

18. "Lay with me, Mama." Says Santi 

at bedtime. I'm laying here long after he's asleep. Thankful he still needs me -even though I feel like he's getting too big too fast. 

19. Money. It's not what you think. We've been trying to bribe teach Santi to use the potty for months. The bribe he'll finally accept? Money for his piggy bank!

20. Productive Days. Not just for the sake of getting things done, but because of the high I get from crossing things off of my list & feeling accomplished!

21. Fridays. Especially before a week off. TGIF!

22. Traditions. So happy to have our own family traditions to carry on with Santi. Today we rode the Polar Express train as our kick off to Christmas!

23. These munchkins. We have 2 darling nieces & 3 handsome nephews that we rarely get to see, but are enjoying (almost all of) them now! These pics are >7 years apart!

24. Permission to act like a kid. No one actually gave it to me, but it makes me so happy to play trucks, have nerf gun wars & play outside. You really are as old as you feel & today I was about ten!!

25. The Cov. It's my therapy, my escape, my motivation, my release, 

Accomplishment and not to mention some of my favorite people. 

26. Moments. Twice today I thought, "what did I do to be so blessed?" I got tears in my eyes watching my niece/nephews put up the Christmas tree with Santi & then again when he fell asleep snuggled in my arms after awaking from a bad dream during nap time. So much love!!

27. A house full of awesome! It makes my heart happy to have so many awesome people coming together to give thanks for everything we're blessed to have. Especially each other. 

28. Free days. Nothing on the calendar, no where to be, just time at home with my boys to do as much or little as we'd like. Today included Christmas crafts, movies & decorating. 

29. Making memories. Santi & I had an "adventure day" (aka everyday with him!) but today was extra fun! He asked Santa for 3 reaaaaallllly big presents!!!

30. Life. Everyday is not perfect or easy, but I am so thankful to have every second of it with family & amazing friends. 

At some point I realized that I'd skipped lucky number 13-just like the buttons in an elevator. I'm sure that day I was feeling thankful for wine. 

If I forgot to write a post it's probably because I needed it really bad or drank too much of it!

Is there something you're thankful for that seems silly but means a lot to you...like wine?

A Trip Down (Blogger) Memory Lane

This weekend, a conversation with some friends over a beer reminded me of a “blog” post that I had written well before I ever had a real blog (even though, I'm still not sure I consider this a "real" blog). I would write things & save them to my hard drive, with no intent of ever really sharing them.  This one was quite a while ago.  I was only 29 when I wrote it so I know it was a long time ago!

I went back to some of the stuff I had written & reread it.  It’s pretty amazing to go back and read something you had written, yourself.  It pulls out memories & emotions that you may have forgotten about.  It made me really happy that I started blogging so I have something to look back on down the road. 

I really enjoyed going back down memory lane, so I figured I’d pull one out and share it with you.  I thought this would be a good one since it’s probably the first I had ever written, and tells a lot about me.

I hope you enjoy!
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I’ve been wanting to blog for a long time, but the thought of having to go back & give the history of the past 29 years was daunting for me.  It kept me away from something I thought I’d enjoy.  So, I’ve decided to capture a few key highlights in 1 post, call it a day & move on!

I have been lucky enough to have my life changed forever on more than one occasion. Meeting my husband, beating cancer, bringing Santiago V into the world & Crossfit are all life changing occasions in my world. And, I’m thankful for all of them.

Meeting the love of my life. Check.
Being diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease & beating it. Check.
Giving birth to the most perfect little baby. Check.
Crossfit.  HUH?! Crossfit is a life changing occasion? Yes, it is.  Check.

Over the course of the last 6 years all of these amazing things have happened in my life, and I couldn’t be more thankful for each one of them.

Let’s start with my other half.

If you don’t know “our story”, here are a few fun facts:
1. We met online
2. He was kind of a bet
3. It wasn’t love at first sight & he thought he’d never see me again after our 1^st date
4. Our teams (Steelers & Longhorns) won the Superbowl & National Championship respectively, the year we met
5. We had a long distance relationship for >a year
6. Our first 4 dates were in 3 different states & 3 different countries
7. I didn’t know his real name was Santiago & not Jimmy until after he had already purchased a plane ticket to come meet me

My husband has shown me a new way to look at the world by letting me learn & understand that there really is this ‘thing’ called unconditional love.  That he has my back & I have his, that our strength individually is less than the power we have together, that he is my person.  We can do anything together & we are a perfect balance of each other.  We are the captains of Team Guerra (well, I’m the captain & he’s the co-captain, he’s the CFO & I’m the CEO…you get the idea), and there’s no other team I want to be a part of!

Santiago Guerra IV, you have done so many things for me in our life together already that I couldn’t possibly thank you enough.  I love you every day, and like you most days too.  That’s pretty impressive!

Oh, and by the way…he kind of saved my life…

Our 1st Date!  

The “C” Word-

Yes, I’m thankful that I had cancer.  Sounds strange, but I had a defining moment that seemingly changed my outlook on many things that have come along since then.  I was diagnosed on Saturday March 14, 2009.  I was also released from the hospital that day.  The entire day I distinctly remember thinking, “How am I ever going to go back to living a normal life?”  The idea of work, cleaning the house & just hanging out with friends seemed like monumental tasks that were previously minutia.  I felt like everything just stopped.  That nothing & no one could make me feel “normal” again.

But then later that night, Jimmy asked if I wanted to do anything or go anywhere, probably suggesting that he’d go pick up some take out or something casual.  “What did I want to do?” I thought to myself.  I wanted to crawl in a hole and cry, and not look at anyone or talk about anything for a long time.  But instead, I told him I wanted to go out for sushi.  Sushi?  I think he thought I was crazy.  In the past 36 hours I just had a pretty major surgery, couldn’t move my neck & had gotten news that I had the C-word…who thinks about raw fish at a time like this!? 

I realized later that it wasn’t about the fish.

It was that it made things feel normal.  Sushi was something we would usually do on a Saturday night.  It was not going out of the way to do things differently.  It gave me peace of mind that we could continue living the next 6 months as we had the last 6 months, and that is exactly what we did.  We played co-ed softball & flag football.  We went out with friends.  We went to the Kentucky Derby.  We planned a wedding (that happened <2 weeks after I finished chemo & radiation). We lived life as though the cancer didn’t exist, and this taught me a very important lesson that no one could have explained to me (even though I’d probably already heard it a million times)…

Situations (and life in general) are what you make of them.

You can sulk.  OR   You can have sushi. 

I will forever choose sushi.

At this point, chemo was over & I was getting to the rough part of radiation.  The sharpie on my chest had to be redrawn everyday because I didn't want them to "tattoo" me because of the strapless wedding gown I'd be wearing in ~3 weeks.  Also, I'm usually not a hat girl.

Santi Cinco-

How do I even begin to explain Santi-Cinco?  Well first, let me just say that his nickname is Santi Cinco because his name is Santiago & he is the 5^{th (Spanish)}…get it now?  Anyway, to me he is this beautiful miracle baby that I never thought we would have on our own.  He is perfect in every way & he is a reminder to me of amazingness that Jimmy & I can do together.  He has added a new title for me as his Mama & I will forever be grateful & thankful.  His smiles melt my heart & even his cries make me appreciate him.

Because of the chemo & radiation we weren’t sure if we would have a biological baby of our own.  After a lot of “come to Jesus” talks (with myself), I was at peace with the fact that our baby would come via adoption.  God had another plan.  Every day I think how lucky we are to have that sweet, destructive, loving, little tasmanian devil in our lives.  He tests our patience & runs us ragged sometimes, but he is exactly what we needed in order for our lives (and family) to feel complete.  He makes my heart whole.

I love the way he is snuggled into my silliness :)

Crossfit-

Crossfit, oh sweet Crossfit.  It sounds like an X rated movie with terms like snatch, jerk & box, but it is the most amazing suckfest I’ve ever experienced!  You’ll work harder, lift more, get personal fulfillment & feel like part of a community more than you ever thought possible by working out.  It’s a chance to see where you were & how far you’ve come. 

If you don’t know anything about it, look it up. 

If you've heard of it but haven’t tried it, try it (at New Cov Crossfit). 

If you've tried it then you probably are an addict like the rest of us, so tell your friends about it! 

If you've tried it and aren't addicted, you probably were confused that day…try it again ;)

Crossfit has not only made me physically healthier, but it’s done so much for me mentally as well.  If you know me, you know I’m a list maker.  I have a whole big long list of goals that I’ve achieved through Crossfit.  It’s made me care much less about how much I weigh, because I care more about how much I’m lifting.

I hope that I’m still doing Crossfit into my 50s & 60s & 70s...I can’t imagine my life without it. 

*Disclaimer* Most workouts end something like this

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I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane as much as I did!

A weekend of festive family fun

This past Friday, Cincinnati was bracing for a snow storm! Jimmy went to get Santi a pair of snow boots & the last carton of eggs & gallon of milk they had on the shelf. Ok I'm exaggerating, but you know how you act at the thought of a flurry, Cinci. 

He came home with Disney Cars boots & I don't know if Santi has let them out of his sight yet. It's Tuesday. He went down to nap snuggling with his left car boot & woke up with it on his left foot, saying "uh oh. Car? Where'd it go?" Pointing at his right foot.  This was his way of saying he only had one boot, which is not good for his OCDness. He was 2 booted within minutes. 

Last year for Christmas, Grandpap & Grandma got Santi 2 sleds. He didn't get to use either due to the pathetic Cinci winter we had. This year, we were making use-even if it was in the house or if the snow didn't fully cover the grass. He called it his "chair" & let us drag him around the house in it, before reluctantly heading outside looking like the kid from A Christmas Story.  

Next was Happy Hour in our neighborhood. During the summer we do a lot of impromptu HHs. They usually consist of parents, kids, bikes, coolers & some refreshingly cold brew, all gathered together at someone's end of the street. 

Our winter version looks similar, but we traded the bikes in for sleds & Summer Shandy's for Irish Coffees.

This is one of the reasons I love our neighborhood so much! ...wait, not because there's always someone to drink with-but because there are always awesome people to be around & kids to play together!

...and I guess only some of the kids traded their bikes in for sleds. Santi still needed both. 

He had a blast biking & sledding, but his true love is "help".  Whether it's cleaning, or cooking or shoveling the snow-Santi loves helping with chores. 

We don't mind so much either :)

After about an hour, Santi said-"Mama, cold" & did corrajitos...or however you spell that word in Spanish. So, inside by the fire we went. 

Our fire is directly below the tv, so I sat against the wall & Santi was laying back on my knees, looking up, watching tv from below. This was one of the sweetest moments of the day. Santi Snuggles are rare. 

Once Dada came in, we migrated to the couch & all 4 of us snuggled, watching a Muppet's Christmas. 

While we were sitting there. I got a text from my Daddy reminding me of a wonderful memory from my own childhood-shoveling much, much more snow than we did tonight. Probably a foot. 

What both nights have in common is just being together, talking, playing, laughing. No screens. No interruptions. Nothing but family...and in this case, Irish Coffee :)

One my favorite days ever & best memories with my boys. 

The fun continued throughout the weekend. Saturday we kept a Gingerbread House tradition going with the Stillers. 

This year, Santi very deliberately decorated the front of his house & then also very deliberately-removed each piece of candy & ate it. 

I learned that my OCD can not handle this kind of disruption. I'll have my own house next year!  Check out Charlotte & Santi's skills...

Then there was present wrapping. I absolutely adore our tree. I've dreamt about a huge Christmas Tree since I was a little girl. 

From my mom's memory tree to my dad's first real red & silver tree as a kid & my Grandparent's green ceramic multi-color lighted tree...they're all so perfect & hold such special memories for me. 

...and wrapped presents under the tree make them even prettier!

On Sunday, I tried to pretend I'm crafty. I tried to pretend the 100s of hours I've spent on Pinterest weren't in vain. So, I attempted a semi-homemade gift for people who work on my team. FYI-team, if you're reading this, surprise! This is your gift. 

Maybe they won't notice how UNcrafty I actually am because there's booze!!!  Alcohol always helps distract from ugliness, so just wear your beer goggles when I give this to you!

Then I eventually finished the front of my...er, I mean Santi's gingerbread house. 

Well...as best I could with broken candy canes, half eaten gum drops & a gnawed on gingerbread man. 

Last but not least, after this amazing holiday themed, fun filled weekend-I managed to piss off my husband. How? You ask. I put sweet potatoes in the brownies. Lesson learned? Yep. Don't bake. 

 What kind of holiday trouble...I mean fun did you get into?

Home Is Where Sunday Dinner Is

No matter whose family we visit Sunday dinner is always my favorite part of any trip "home" we take.  Our home is Cincinnati but we have a lot of second homes throughout the country...Pittsburgh, Corpus, Vegas, San Antonio, New Orleans & many others. We're blessed with amazing family & friends all over who open their hearts & homes to us when we're in town. 

Sundays with family usually have a few staples-Family, football, food, drinks, laughs, stories & memories being made. 

This time it happened to be in San Antonio at John & Shawn's. 

It's amazing that it doesn't matter if it's homemade ravioli

or enchiladas, PA or Texas, Dos Equis or IC Light, Cowboys or Steelers {ok maybe that matters},  my blood family or Jimmy's.  The meeting place is always with family willing to open their home for as many people that will show for a home cooked meal. These things all make it feel like home on any given Sunday. 

It is one of things I miss the most & one of the favorite parts about coming "home"...wherever that might be. 

Thanks to all of you who have ever made us feel at home when when we're visiting our homes away from home.