The wonderful craziness we call love and life!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-17T23:39:00.000-07:00

S's first time at the pumpkin patch! He picked his pumpkin and ate some straw :) We loved going on this adventure as a family!

1 year ago...

2011-07-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

It has been over a year since I last updated my blog. I can't believe it! I have had so much to blog about last summer but when I finally got around to doing so I just couldn't. I couldn't because I felt that nothing was as special and noteworthy as the secret we had just found out and were wanting to keep (although I wanted to shout out to the world!) We were pregnant!! One year ago our lives went into a whole new place! We went into pure baby mode! We couldn't believe it and were so excited that every second of our conversation, thoughts, and energy went into baby orbit!

3 months ago last week we were blessed with the love of our lives! Mr. Sawyer! I could write a novel about our love for this amazing boy!

Needless to say I have a lot of backdate blogging to do. So I will postdate entries to line up with when they should have occurred. More to come!

Lake's Nursery

2010-05-14T16:56:00.001-07:00

Lake's Nursery is in Northern California off of 80, near Auburn. It was worth the drive and absolutely beautiful! I didn't even care that it was sprinkling while we checking out the hundreds of varieties!

Bree's "secret" shopping spree:10 Japanese Maple Trees

2010-05-14T16:37:00.001-07:00

Thumbs up for Bree's purchases: Japanese Maples!

Not quite sure how Greg was going to respond to my coming home with 10 unique Japanese Maples, but this is the reaction I got, "Wow! Where are we going to put them all? Well, next time we can get the bigger ones!" Much to my shock, Greg was down for the cause! (Not really shock though....my dad had sent Greg the Timber Press Pocket Guide to Japanese Maples, secretly in the mail without my knowing, because they both love them! Check out the link for the book above, there are some great pictures! What's the big deal you ask? I'll fill you in on the varieties we purchased, what they look like in the fall (beautiful!!) and about this gorgeous nursery way up in the hills of Auburn.

Planting pays off : )

2010-03-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

A little sunshine in the midst of big storms = garden time!

2010-01-23T10:06:00.000-08:00

I have been dying to get out in the gardens! My amazing husband has planted hundreds of bulbs (daffodils, tulips, and others) and they are all shooting up! The daffodil stems are about a foot tall and the tulips are around 4 inches. We did not get our paper whites in yet.. is it too late?

So since I have done nothing in the garden for a month it has been quite neglected! (maybe I feel neglected? hmm? Gardening IS quite therapeutic. Cliche I know, but true.) Nevertheless, Greg is turning into quite the amazing gardner so he has been keeping up while I was away..but still! I need to get out there! So right after I am done typing this...outside I go! But before I go, I want to share with you a little monthly calendar that I found VERY helpful as a new gardner in 2009. Before I went outside, I had to look up the January 2010 calendar. I looked at it, found it helpful, and wanted to quickly share it with you before I forgot!

Here's the link to January calendar. Hope it helps! I subscribe to their emails and love them! They are far and few between and I wish they came more often, but I have the website or the monthly web magazine bookmarked and frequently visit.

PS: I just went back to look at the website to see who the editor is so I can give credit where credit is due..no wonder why I love the Weekend Gardner Web Magazine! The editor went to Cal Poly College of Agriculture. Her name is Hilary Rinaldi.

Prosciutto alfredo

2010-01-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

I was given 3 fabulous cookbooks for Christmas, "Williams-Sonoma Pasta," another that is simply titled, "Italian," and the coveted Julia Child's, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." I have yet to dive into these considering I have only been home for a few days since Christmas Eve! (I just took down all my decorations and today the tree needs to be put away! Next year wherever I may be in the US, I will come home and take it down the day after Christmas!!) Anywho... This week has been crazy busy and I have been home one night to cook dinner (started at 9PM). I decided that I must open a new cook book for a quick but scrumptious recipe. Scruptious it was! I will never make an alfredo without prosciutto again!

Here's the very, very simple recipe....

1/2 c. Sliced Prosiutto crudo
1/4 c. Butter (mmm!)
2 Shallots, very finely chopped (I did not have shallots, so I used a quarter of an onion and a somewhere around 2-3tsp. of garlic)
Salt & freshly ground pepper
3/4 c. heavy cream
12 oz. fettucine (I was bored of fettucine and at my last grocery trip I bought a ton of different, fun, colorful, and funky pastas.. so use what you want! I can't remember the name of the one I used, but it was a fun twist)
1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I didn't have a fresh 1/4 of parmesan, but I did have shaved parmesan from the deli
sprig of fresh parsley to garnish

Cut the fat from the prosciutto, and chop both the lean and fat parts separately into small quarters.
Melt the butter in a medium frying pan, and add the shallots and the squares of prosciutto fat. Cook until golden. Add the lean prosciutto, and cook for 2 more minutes. Season with pepper. Stir in cream, and keep warm over low heat while the pasta is cooking. Don't forget to keep stirring.
Boil the pasta in a large pan of rapidly boiling salted water. Drain. Turn into a armed serving bowl, and toss with the sauce. Stir in the parmesan and serve right away.

We LOVED the rich flavor of this dish!! Enjoy!

400 Bulbs to plant!

2009-10-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year....Time to prep the garden for a beautiful early spring garden! Finally our beds will be overflowing and I cannot wait! For the front yard plantings we have 240 Daffodils, 60 Paperwhites, 60 Deep Purple Tulips. For the back we have a measly 30 red tulips. I will post some pictures soon! Here is a link to an idea of what it will look like. Click here to see the picture!

Julie and Julia!

2009-08-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

I absolutely loved the movie! I loved every single second of it. I laughed a lot and even got teary eyed from laughing so hard! The movie is so inspiring to me. I love cooking, trying new and difficult recipes and I love all that goes into having people over! With our busy lives it has been a struggle figuring out when we can sit down to a nice dinner (that is not take out!) at a decent hour much less taking the time to try new recipes, shop for the sometimes hard to find unique ingredients (like Farro! I'll explain in another post) and then prep/cook!

The movie has made me smile in the middle of the day and I just can't get it off my mind! Hilarious one-liner (was originally quoted elsewhere, but funny to hear Mr. Child say it in the movie... "I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by." There were a couple other hilarious lines but maybe inappropriate to type on here! If you even remotely enjoy cooking-see the movie! It's great!!

What does Greg "do" for work?

2009-07-30T12:00:00.001-07:00

We get this question all the time! It's a little funny to explain, so I'll let NBC news explain. Click the link for the article: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/around-town/archive/Fort-Knox-of-the-South-Bay.html

or read below.... (and no Greg's not the security guard in the picture.) Read below or in the link. He does the cooling portion...I think! : )

The Fort Knox of the South Bay
The "man trap" is one of the many sophisticated security features at Equinix IBX center in San Jose. If you'd like to see first-hand, why they call it this place the "Fort Knox of the South Bay," click here for a video tour.

When a company brings in the team of architects who designed the Federal Reserve Building, it's fair to assume that security is a pretty big deal.

Ernest Holloway is the Senior Manager of Facilities Operations at Equinix. His job helps to keep our lives online.
Throw in some armed guards, 800 surveillance cameras, a five-barrier entrance complete with a double-sided "man trap" and biometric hand readers at every gate and you can be sure that it's not messing around when it comes to security.
The company is Equinix IBX data center in the Silicon Valley. It offers direct access to more than 90-percent of the world's Internet networks and users, so it's no wonder the place is locked down like Fort Knox.
Online, Equinix makes it possible for us to send an email from a Yahoo! address to a Comcast subscriber, seamlessly.
On-site, Equinix has its hands full with complex operations to ensure that customer equipment is protected and functioning properly at all times.
The first order of business is power and cooling.
Now, before we start to yawn, let's all take a second and think about our day-to-day routines.
At work.
At home.
In our cars.
On our smart phones.
Internet. Internet. Internet. Internet.
Without the 15 gargantuan fans pumping 2-thousand tons of cooling at 60mph through air ducts big enough to drive a Hummer through. Some of our important emails, financial transactions or navigation searches might not be completed.
Imagine if that update didn't get to the boss on time or if the alert from a child's school wasn't received.
The power and cooling systems are so important. They make it possible for the machines at Equinix to run, so that we can go about our Internet-dependent lives.
The fans are our friends.
A man by the name of Ernest Holloway is our best friend.
He's on site every day taking readings and monitoring these systems to make sure that everything is running smoothly.
"There is no room for error. We don't take any chances or cut any corners here at Equinix," Holloway said.
More than 200 networks operate at this data center, including all of the big dogs ... Amazon, Google, Yahoo! and IBM.
Being in the same room with 2.5 megawatt generators that countries are in line to order. Supercomputers that are loaded with the kind of power that will bend your mind. Giant trays full of fiber snaking overhead in every direction as far as the eye can see, with 90 percent of the world's virtual energy pulsing through them. Well, it's enough to make anyone go weak-in-the-knees geeky.
Equinix is a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Program. All of the data centers here in the Bay Area are certified green by Santa Clara County.

H Street Designs...

2009-07-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

We need to come up with a name for my dad and sus's designs!

My Dad and Susie are the hardest workers I know and are not afraid to tackle the smallest or largest of projects. They create these amazing spaces for 1-2 people to sit over a glass of wine and candle lit atmosphere to enjoy the aroma of all the flowers they plant and the warm summer nights. One of my favorite moments was sitting with my dad behind our brick fireplace having a precious conversation right before I got married. I will never forget that moment in that space.

This summer they have taken on a much larger project that has expanded the back deck that we've traditionally used for morning coffee and family gatherings in the evening. Our family has become a big fan of bocce ball on the grass. My dad has never played on a professional court, but throughly enjoys beating the rest of us on the lawn. For a couple years they have dreamed of building bocce ball courts somewhere on the property. This summer they have chosen to take the project on! Not in the cool of spring or fall..but the end of June-beginning of August. For those of you who do not live near Biggs...There have not been many days under 100 degrees this July! July 14-27 were all well over 100 extending into 107. Mind you these temps were taken in the shade! They were working in FULL SUN WITH NO SHADE! They are crazy!

Here is a before picture:

Here is a during photo (As of this weekend, more of the pergola has been built and part of the horseshoe pits)

Bocce Ball Court Progress....

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

Look at all those brick still on the pallets that they laid all by hand-just the two of them! I'm still in awe at the passion they have for landscaping and the amount of sweat and hard work they are willing to make a beautiful place that we will enjoy forever!

Dad working on the bocce ball floor

View from the fruit grove looking at the house and old patio.

Brooklynn & Richard Clark's Wedding!

2009-07-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

(Thanks Scotty for the pic of Em and I and wine barrels) (Thanks Morgan for the picture of us with Ed and Em)

I had the privilege of standing by Brooklynn's side as she married Rich! They are the most precious couple with awesome personalities that make every person they come into contact with feel loved and valued. I had SO much fun the day of their wedding. It was a gorgeous location in the middle of vineyards at Meridian in Paso Robles! We were able to stay with our great friends Chris and Ashley and their sweet little girl, Addie! We also got to spend time with Scott and Jamie Hansen and their soon to be baby Van! (maybe : ). I got to spend a lot of time with my wonderful friend Emily (she was in our wedding) and Nuge (he was also in our wedding)! We enjoyed every second of the wedding weekend! We spent Sunday in San Luis Obispo having breakfast with Emily and Ed at Breakfast Buzz (mmm breakfast buzz burritos!) and then shopped around downtown. Oh how we miss San Luis!! Greg's and my favorite memories together are in SLO where we first met and dated until we got engaged! We had a late lunch with Nuge at Firestone's. Yes we got our standards... Greg got a trip-tip sandwich and I got a small steak cobb salad, hold the onion, with ranch! Great shopping, great food, and the best of friends in the whole world!!

Romantic little getaway...

2009-05-17T19:49:00.001-07:00

Side Yard Before and After!!!

2009-05-17T18:50:00.000-07:00

The new BEAUTIFUL YARD! All my Dad and Sus' amazing idea and design (and three days of labor too! They are incredibly hard workers! CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO SEE THE LARGER IMAGE)

After! Three nursery trips, two trips to the rockery for top soil and compost, three days of digging in rock hard (literally massive quanitities of rocks), digging a curve in the hillside, building a wall, building a patio, planting nearly 100 plants, and a lot of hard work from Dad, Sus, Tommy, Greg, Bryanna and I we did it!!

During! Cutting down three ugly bush/trees!

Before. We never went to this side of our house because it is very dark and there are just a lot of overgrown shrubs and trees. There is also a broken, falling down fence that blocked off the yard from the larger deck and barbeque area. Just a pretty ugly area in general....

2009-05-17T18:49:00.001-07:00

My family and husband are simply amazing! They worked so hard at making such a beautiful place!

2009-05-17T18:47:00.001-07:00

The yard is phenomenal! I love it!

Side Yard Renovation aka Yard Crashers!

2009-05-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

My dad and Sus came down on today ready to crash our yard! They had ideas, a plan and were are ready to work! Can't wait to see what our ugly side yard will become!!

Hardwood Upstairs

2009-04-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

Greg's mom and stepdad, Leslie and Butch were here this weekend and they helped install our BEAUTIFUL hardwood floors upstairs! The floor is just beautiful! That was our last huge project! (I think...the only other large interior project are the base, crown molding, door and window casings) Okay so that's still a big job, but not like all the rest! I love it!

OUR KITCHEN : )

2009-03-24T13:54:00.000-07:00

OUR KITCHEN IS SO CLOSE TO BEING FINISHED! WOOHOO!! We still need to put up all of the crown molding, find places for things, etc. We were so excited to get the oven in! It is a double oven and it's amazing : )

Kitchen with new cabinets! We're getting there!

2009-03-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

The recessed lights are in, the large cabinet over the island is gone and replaced with sheet rock, it's been textured, no stove or microwave or paint yet.. but it will come!

Kitchen

2009-03-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Reminder of kitchen before

2009-03-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patty's Day!

2009-03-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! We've had a few different guests stay the weekend or come for dinner since we've moved in and have loved every minute of hosting in our new home! (I especially love it! And Greg, well, he's learning to love it : ) I've had the urge to have friends over although our house is not at all complete! I have also been really enjoying spending time with my college aged friends that are now coming to our Young Life College Fellowship, are new leaders in our area, etc. so at last week's college fellowship I invited them all over for Saint Patrick's Day dinner and game night! So fun! I loved picking the menu..all green of course! Since most college students dislike Cabbage and I do not know how to make Corn Beef...we had Green Mexican food instead haha!

Shopping List: My mission was to find ALL green food products!

HORS DEVOURS:

Guacamole Chips

Guacamole

Basil and White Bean Hummus

Green French Bread- Thank you Safeway for getting creative!

BEVERAGES:

Farolitos (Green mexican lime drink) (Safeway, Mexican Food aisle)

Green mini Gatorades

Emerald Isle Punch (see recipe below)

Ingredients:

-1 Can Frozen Limeade Concentrate

-1 Qt. Lime Sherbert ( I could not find this anywhere, so I got orange and made it into the "Pot of Gold" instead : )

-2 Litres Lemon Lime Carbonated Soda (7-Up)

-4 Cups Crushed Ice

Mix together Frozen Limead and Sherbert. When ready to serve to guests pour 7-Up and ice into limeade/sherbert mixture and it will start to fizz and make a fun drink!

Limeade

San Pelligrino's (Trader Joe's)

Source Perrier (Trader Joe's)

MAIN COURSE:

Chili Verde Enchiladas

Chili Verde Sauce on top (Trader Joe's)

Mexican Rice

Beans (Made in my new bean pot from the Okun's!) I believe it's called an oye!

Happy Valentine's Day...Young Life's Ski Utah!

2009-02-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

Greg and I were excited to take 48 YL Kids and Leaders from our area to Park City, UT! In years past (in San Jose and San Luis) we have gone to Young Life's Mountain Lodge in Tahoe. Young Life is selling the Mt. Lodge and therefore we needed to check out some alternate locations. We were told of this beautiful lodge owned by a previous Area Director and his family- The Zwahlen's! The lodge was beautiful!! We flew out of San Jose early Saturday morning and arrived in Utah that afternoon. The kids did night skiing the first day we arrived. It was SOOO cold! We rode at Park City Mountain Resort (where the Olympics were held). It was a great mountain and the snow was amazing! Our friend and Area Director in Arizona, Sean McGever, came out for the second year in a row to be our camp speaker. Kids love him and he shared Good News with our kids! Todd and Aaron did our program and were absolutely hilarious! I'm so glad they were on the trip. Also, Sharon, our committee chair, came! Woohoo! And leaders, Rod, Katie, Ricky and Jory! Was such an awesome weekend!! Can't wait for next year!

Kitchen is still under construction!

2009-02-01T18:20:00.000-08:00

Kitchen Update:

We have removed the large cabinets that hung over the breakfast bar. (If I were sitting on the stools at the breakfast bar, I have to duck under the cabinet to see whomever is in the kitchen!) This left a large hole in the ceiling.

Tommy and others placed sheet rock to cover the hole and have been floating it out so we cannot see the new ceiling.

Kim and I made a trip to San Francisco for an amazing project table Pottery Barn desk as well as the pendant lights you see over the breakfast bar. Tim installed the pendant lights in place of the cabinet. And if you can see the 4 lights through the plastic, you can see that the box light is gone and recessed lighting is in its place!! THANK YOU TIM!! He has spent so much time in the attic, through the walls, and making there be light where there was NO light before!! Can't wait to see it finished!

Cabinets have been sanded, primed, and have received their many coats of cream color enamel paint! We also picked up all of the cabinet hardware at the Expo! Thanks Eric and Greg for installing it all!!

Ladders!

2009-02-01T18:12:00.000-08:00

We have some very tall ceilings in our new house and the engineering husband that I have, happens to be a perfectionist : ) He of course wanted to paint the ceilings and cut in perfectly in the very high corners. So, he and the men in his family built a clever platform for the ladder to go on over the stairs! So creative!

Paint, Paint, and MORE Paint!

2009-01-20T17:53:00.000-08:00

Which equals more trips to Home Depot, more color decisions and LOTS of friends and family helping!! We are deciding on the paint for the family room, the living room/dining room, and the downstairs bedroom, and the office. I can officially say that I hate picking colors! Thanks to Kim for helping me and also teaching me about the squinting of the eye trick : ) Thanks Bryanna and Colleen for letting me bounce ideas off of you! And thanks to Rod, Tommy, Eric and Genie, Kim, Tim, Elizabeth, Mom, Matt, Larry, Katie for helping us paint!! You guys are all incredible! Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Kitchen Construction!

2009-01-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

Mom's here! The interior work begins! We are painting EVERYTHING! Demo-ing the downstairs bath and we are re-finishing the cabinets. Well, Steve Donato (our cabinet hero!) is doing an incredible job with the cabinets! His attention to detail is awesome and he is such a hard worker! They are coming along nicely! Eric and Genie helped remove all the cabinets and hinges to get the project started! Thanks guys!!

The construction begins...

2009-01-12T16:23:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken before we lived here. Notice the dark stained cabinets, the large box florescent light on the ceiling, and the cabinet over the breakfast bar.....soon to be all changed!

Here are some before photos...

This willow tree could be the death of us!!

2009-01-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

Greg glaring at the Willow Tree!!

Everyone knows that I love trees! I cry when trees are cut down, I hate change, and my last name (now middle) is Green...call me a hippie, call me a tree hugger, call me a part of the green movement, whatever you wish..I just love trees- alot! EXCEPT this one! Two days before we closed escrow the pool was a beautiful sparkling blue, the yard was free from any leaves and it looked like it could just use some flowers....Well not today! Not the day we close escrow...

Surprise! The Willow Tree decides to shed ALL of its leaves, fill the yard with these little yellow leaves, turn the pool a nasty color, and shed some more leaves! I tell you... this Willow Tree could be the death of us!

First things first.. FLOWERS OF COURSE!

2009-01-09T17:21:00.000-08:00

VERY 1ST TASK..PLANT FLOWERS!

Yes, that's right! The very first thing on my (yes, Bree's. Not Greg's : ) list is to plant some flowers! So that I did. Early Saturday morning (the day after my dad and Sus have arrived) we went straight to Home Depot and bought some flowers!

Daffodils it is! I love the vibrant yellow they immediately provided for all to enjoy on the back deck! Tommy took these pictures! Great pics T-Tommy!

Surprise! The outdoor crew is here!

2009-01-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

We had just received the good news on Friday, signed papers, etc. It was late in the evening and Greg and I were just sitting at the kitchen table in our condo discussing the huge purchase we had just made! We were also trying to guess at how many times we signed our name that day : ) My dad had called and I was on the phone with him when we got a knock at our door...guess who! My Dad and Sus! They drove all the way down to surprise us!! And let me tell you, they did not come empty handed! Since you know how much they love the outdoors and working in the yard, they came with a truckload of brand new outdoor tools! Rakes, shovels, clippers, wheelbarrow, shop vac, vaccuum, air compressor, sander, oh and so much more! We could not believe it! (Although we could believe that of course they would not let a day go by without getting into that new yard to spruce it up! (And we hadn't even closed escrow, but it didn't matter! To the new yard we go!!)

That morning was filled with pure giddiness! I was SO excited! It was also the morning of our first of MANY trips to Home Depot! They should have frequent flier miles at Home Depot! We would have so many free flights right now!

So where to start? Well in the yard of course!

We bought a house!! 48 hour escrow!

2009-01-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

After a whirlwind of an escrow (48 hours!!) we are finally homeowners! We put in an offer and waited (somewhat patiently) for a long time. We waited and waited over Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and then finally in the second week of January we heard the good news! We were homeowners! We found out Friday that our offer was accepted, we had (already scheduled) inspections on Friday, and we signed papers at the Title company on Friday! Monday the funding went through and Tuesday early AM we were homeowners!!

Here are some pictures of the house. We didn't take these picture, but got them off a realtor's listing.

From the back corner of the yard, looking toward the back deck.

The yard is on two levels. The lower level has the pool and lawn. The upper level is a large Willow tree, Redwoods, and some rosemary plants. So a lot of open space, not sure what to plant there.

Finally Updating Our Blog! (Sorry it's been awhile!)

2009-01-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

So much has happened since September! I will try to fill in the blanks...but the biggest news is that we bought a house! Woohoo!!!

We made it through our 1st Year!

2008-10-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

I love being married! We really enjoyed our anniversary weekend! Eric and Genie were so gracious and let us use their beautiful house for the weekend. We had just forgot how much we enjoyed spending time together. We biked, shopped, went to a Wine and Food Festival, watched Princess Bride on a huge screen on the beach, golfed, relaxed, laughed and just enjoyed the weekend. We need more of these! ha!

Happy 22nd Birthday Tommy!

2008-09-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a jam packed day! We woke Tommy up with singing, noise makers and breakfast in bed. Then went off to a leader meeting at 8 then met up with about 20 YL folks to go to the A's game. It was a fun day! We tailgated, had birthday cake and enjoyed the sunshine. The whole day we kept looking up at the billboard where it was supposed to say, "Happy 22nd Birthday Tommy!" But we never saw it!!! What the heck! Anywho, we concluded our day with one of Greg's close friends' weddings. Quick ceremony and lots of time for a fun reception. It was definitely a Pioneer class reunion for Greg which he really enjoyed spending the time with his high school friends. Congrats to Dave and Jeff for their recent engagements to their girlfriends! Quiet an exciting day!

Sailing Time!

2008-09-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell you how excited I am about this! We went and picked up the Sunfish sailboat that my grandparents learned how to sail on and my dad learned to sail on! It is in pristine condition and is just beautiful! I cannot wait to get it on the water!!

Tommy has a girlfriend & we adore her!!

2008-09-19T00:23:00.000-07:00

Yep! This is exciting news! Tommy is dating an amazing girl who we cannot quit talking about. We absolutely LOVE her! Yea for Bryanna and Tommy! Here are some super cute pics of them... enjoy their cuteness!

Mollie Almost 1 Year Old!

2008-09-13T13:04:00.000-07:00

Mollie is almost 1 Year Old! This Saturday I was able to spend a little time with Travis' little girl Mollie and had some first's with her (at least my first time hearing/seeing) Firsts....."Hi!" with a little wave, laughing, walking. She is precious!!! Ps- Camo and lace ruffles...so cute! Only in Biggs : )

Oh Mollie! I know you will hate this picture someday, but I had to post it on here! My dad calls this "Four-Hi". Mollie doesn't like to have her knees touch the grass so when she moves onto grass she pops her caboose in the air and walks on all fours! So cute!

Happy 28th Birthday Gregory P!

2008-09-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to YOU! Happy Birthday to YOU! Happy Birthday dear Greg! Happy Birthday to YOU!

Thanks Larry, Kathy, Matt, Tommy and Bryanna for taking Greg to dinner for his birthday!

Greg and I also celebrated by having a beach party dinner at our house! Quite fun!

The Shack

2008-09-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

The Shack- Read It! Greg and I have been listening to the audio version on our iPods and have really enjoyed it. I also was able to spend a lunch with the author as he visited us at Woodleaf for the afternoon. Very awesome to hear someone that is so transparent about their life!

ISRAEL VIDEOS FROM OUR TRIP!

2008-07-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

I just found out that there are videos from our Israel trip. Dan put all his video shots together.

Thanks Dan!

Click here to watch the first Israel video.

Click here to watch the second Israel video!!

Sky High aka Bouncing off the walls!

2008-07-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Tommy has come to live with us as of late and we are bouncing off the walls in excitement that he's here!! Check it out!

Assignment in Santa Cruz

2008-07-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

I just returned from an easy breezy 2 week assignment in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We did a 2 week Wyldlife camp (Jr. High). I say easy breezy because it was so short compared to my 5 week assignment in San Diego last summer at the peak of wedding chaos!

It was a great time with great people. My job was head leader so basically I got to love on leaders and kids the whole time. It was such a different assignment than my previous assignments at Woodleaf and Oakbridge. It was very small, not a beautiful Young Life property, dirty, and just different. The great parts were: our small A-Team, summer staff, (no Work Crew) and under 100 kids each week. We were able to know each kid by name and create for them an awesome experience!

For Greg and I this was a neat assignment because it is so close to San Jose (relatively) he was able to come stay off and on during the assignment. He was able to spend time with the summer staff guys as there was not a male SS coordinator. I LOVED having him there with me!

Also- I found Vallarta's in Felton! The BEST burritos I've ever had!! More on that to come!

Glorious Graduations!

2008-06-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

May and June have been a month of graduations for Greg and I. We absolutely adore our cousins. I am the oldest cousin on both sides of my family so when I get a chance to celebrate my cousins I can't wait. As each of our cousins have spent their whole lives coming to my games, homecoming, graduations, etc. Because I went to school 6 hours away from most of them (a lot more for the rest) I have always felt sad that I could not get up there for all their games. So I rearranged schedules and rearranged again to try to make it to as many graduations I could. There were a lot! Some were on the same night so we had to put family first and miss out on some friends unfortunately but we tried to make it to either a graduation or party! We made it to all of our immediate family-younger cousin's graduations!

CONGRATS GUYS! WE CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ALREADY GRADUATING!! LOVE YOU!

Mathew's graduation from Oroville High School

Ryan's graduation from West Valley High School

Chelsie's graduation from Sutter High School

Morgan's graduation from Valley Christian High School

David's graduation from Leigh High School

Sorry we couldn't make it to the rest of our family and friends' graduations- we tried!! Congratulations on all your hard work! We're proud of you!!

Jeromy's graduation from Chico State

Megan's graduation from Woodland's Pioneer High

Jenny's graduation from Chico State

Rachel's graduation from San Luis Obispo High

23rd Annual Brent Jones Young Life Open

2008-06-04T22:39:00.000-07:00

Another great year on the course at Almaden Country Club. I am really amazed at the generosity of people in our community that give up a day to golf and financially support the work of Silicon Valley Young Life. I am incredibly grateful for our dedicated committee. Jean runs this tournament like it's no big deal. This is her 23rd tournament and she is phenomenal. I'm learning so much from her. Greg served on the committee this year and provided great golfer/YL leader input (I love my husband--he is so great!!) Brent is also very dedicated to being present at planning meetings. People always ask if they can borrow him for their tournaments since it's just his name to ours and I always with a smile get to say, "It's not just his name. It's his tournament, his input, his perspective, his ministry and his way of giving back to the ministry that introduced him to Christ at Leland high school." It's so awesome to serve alongside people that have passion and that pursue their passions to bless others! I love my job!

Energy Block Flavor...Gross!!

2008-05-25T21:48:00.000-07:00

Salted margarita flavored energy shot block-sick! So during Pat's Run we were given these little energy chewy things. We opened and ate them while we were running and It was the most disgusting thing to be running (hot, out of breath, tired) and tasting tequilla(flavoring), salted margarita chewy things! Not my thought of energy! Who made that up??! Seriously! Tequilla is not the taste I want in my mouth as I am feeling like I'm already going to die running up hill! haha

Pat's Run 4.2 Miles! We did it!

2008-05-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

Greg woke me up at 7:15 AM and somehow (I must still have still been sleeping) that I should go with him to Leland High School to run in Pat's Run. Greg was friends with the Tillman family in high school and this was important to him-in honoring Pat.

So....we drove over to Leland, (got lucky with close parking!) paid, got a cool yellow jersey and bib with a number on it and within 45 minutes of waking up I was starting a 4.2 mile run! (Do you know how long it's been since I've run! haha) The run went great, was challenging with a lot of hills, but it was really fun. We ran just about the whole thing and had a lot of fun in the process!

Happy Birthday DAD!!!

2008-05-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DAAAD! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOO YOOOOOOOOOOU!!!

Happy Birthday Dad! Wish we could be with you! We love you!!

Mama Mia!!

2008-04-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

My old roommates Barb, Cindy and I had a girl's night out and watched the musical Mama Mia in downtown San Jose musical theatre. It was incredible! I have seen in previously in Las Vegas with my roommates Amanda and Brook. It was fantastic the first time and then so great again!

I absolutely LOVE this muscial. It makes me want to get up and dance and sing! It's the perfect musical to see with a group of girls. I loved spending time with my old roomies! We need to get together more often : )

House Hunting

2008-04-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

Ok seriously! Here's my soapbox for the day.... House Hunters.... stupid show! All they show is $200,000 homes or million dollar apartments in San Fran. Not realistic! And not helping me as Greg quite often gives me a reality check of what a $600,00-$800,000 home will buy us in San Jose. What's that you ask? A small, old, track home. Depressing.

Israel 2008 (To see ALL pics. see album link below!)

2008-01-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

Seriously! It snowed in Jerusalem! So crazy...I thought we were going to the desert!

The Temple Steps that were dug up recently.... they continue on deep under the city.

Capernaum

Mt. of Beatitudes

I had to peek through the wall to get this picture. It's the Western Wailing Wall

I took way too many photos in Israel... Here's a link to ALL my pictures. Click Here! (Or type into your browser: http://picasaweb.google.bree.yl

Israel 2008-Ceasarea by the Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

2008-01-25T14:42:00.000-08:00

These were the public restrooms years ago....they were very public! It was in the main entrance/walkway to a colosseum used for horse racing!

I had this great opportunity to visit Israel with a group of Young Life staff and friends from Northern California. I really had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be absolutely amazing. I was quite tired by the time I got there because I had just spent weeks in Florida for All Staff Conference and training after that. I brought along my amazing Grandma Pat with me! She is such a trooper!!!

All Staff Conference 2008 in Florida

2008-01-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

ASC 2008 at Orlando World Center! Greg and I had no idea what to expect as we flew to Florida. We had only heard of ASC from our friends Chris and Ashley and when they got back from ASC 2004 they could not stop talking about how fun it was! It was like camp for adults! Everything was new, a surprise at every hour. There were phenomenal speakers that were encouraging us at every corner. We met up with friends from around the country that we hadn't seen in awhile and met so many new friends. There were about 4,000 YL staff there! We can't wait for ASC 2012!

There were so many surprises that blew each of us away. Young Life is known for excellence in all that we do and when you put every staff person in the world into one room, you can excpect nothing but the very BEST from every aspect!

When you're entertaining adults that entertain high school students as their job you have to bring in the professionals to get a laugh....so that is what they did.

*Jeff Foxworthy was there and he hosted "Are you Smarter than a Young Life Vice President?" Jeff Foxworthy is also a volunteer leader at a Wyldlife Club (for Jr. High) Can you imagine having a comedian at your Wyldlife leader!!?! Jeff also gave a stand-up comedy including his Redneck jokes as well as You Know You're On Young Life Staff When... it was funny at first and then he moved onto a more serious note of encouragement and the realities we YL staff and leaders face when working with kids. Kids' real lives, their real hurt, their real pain, their real joys. It was such a gift to hear Jeff Foxworthy (whom I was never a fan of before this trip but now I'm a huge fan : )

*Jack Hanna (a famous wildlife conservationist who is a regular on The Late Show with David Letterman. He came on with some crazy animals, a snake, an armadillow, a mountain lion (Puma). The most hilarious scene came from one of the upfront Club program (funny guys) volunteered his wife to carry the Python snake and the snake proceeded to wrap itself in between her legs and poked out from behind her. She couldn't move and the guy wouldn't grab the snake off of her. It was so awkward and hilarious all at once!!

*Nicole C. Mullen and Jars of Clay musical guests.

*6 phenomenal speakers that inspired each of us and affirmed us in our call to Young Life staff.

*Kids shared their stories that have been personally affected by Young Life and their leaders that invested in them and shared with them Christ in huge ways. It was so neat to hear the impact that YL has made on their lives and how visibly important this ministry is in the lives of our high school friends. I personally get to experience this everyday but it was just a great reminder of the mission we're in and how incredible it is in the lives of kids.

One talented Dad!

2007-12-29T15:35:00.000-08:00

I have one talented Dad! One day he decides he wants to make something out of wood. The next day he is incredibly talented and making beautiful masterpieces! He also made me an absolutely gorgeous Jewlery Box detailed with our favorite song that he used to sing to me when I was little (and still does sing to me). For some reason I can't get the picture off my computer, but as soon as I can I'll post it here!

Christmas in Tahoe!

2007-12-26T16:04:00.000-08:00

We spent the day after Christmas in beautiful Lake Tahoe at Eric and Genie's newly finished amazing house!! It is really incredible! Joining us was Greg's mom's side of the family! The snow was beautiful! Being with family was great we played games, had fun with a nice white elephant gift exchange, snowball fights, snowmen, snowboarding and resting in the beautiful house! I don't have all the fun pics on my camera! I'll have to get them!

My Wedding Bouquet has been preserved!! So Amazing!!!

2007-12-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

I have never met another person that has the wonderful privilege of having their wedding bouquet preserved. I have seen wedding bouquets that have lost all their color, the petals falling all over the dresser each time it is bumped and a smell that should not be coming from such a beautiful bouquet that brought to life the white backdrop we like to call the wedding dress. The bouquet brings the bride into the color palette chosen to represent a soothing, formal, and rich experience. Without the bouquet the bride sticks out in an unpleasant way. I loved how my bouquet smoothly tied me into the 25,ooo rose petals on the walkway and how it calmed my nerves as I stood alone before the ceremony started.

So, it was a TREMENDOUS GIFT I RECEIVED AT CHRISTMAS FROM SUSIE-MY WEDDING BOUQUET PRESERVED AND FRAMED!! It now graces a wall in our bedroom and it brings me back to the best day of my life each day that I look at it!

Thank you Susie for a gift that I will cherish forever!

Christmas in Biggs

2007-12-25T16:18:00.000-08:00

When you have a big family and don't live in the same town, you get 3 posts about Christmas! haha We always enjoy Christmas with my family and love the warmth and comfort of being home. We had a new addition to Christmas this year-Miss Mollie Byers.

Our First Christmas Together! Christmas 2007

2007-12-20T15:52:00.000-08:00

Greg and I live in a cute little condo in San Jose. Although it is quite cute, it's also quite little! I had all of these grandiose ideas for decorating but when it came down to it, there just isn't enough room! We did have a beautiful tree though and enjoyed Christmas!

So if Greg were writing this... he'd say something like..."Whoa I didn't know so much went into decorating! Do you really need to buy one more thing? Tradition? We have to start traditions now? The tree looks fine, no the ornament doesn't need to be moved for the 10th time. No, you don't need handmade cards and fancy paper...pajamas on Christmas Eve? What? Did you water the tree today? Bree relax it's perfect.... "

So needless to say I was a little OCD about Christmas. I wanted everything to be perfect, traditions to be followed, new ones to begin, photos to be taken, etc. etc. etc. All is well in the Haskell home...just figuring out this whole married thing and gelling of two families : )

Erica's Birthday Tradition- Bucks 2007

2007-12-16T16:51:00.000-08:00

Gotta love tradition! Here are this year's annual Birthday celebration pics from Buck's Lake. Happy 25th Birthday Erica! This was also Lacy's first time up at Bucks. Not much snow this year.... each year there seems to be less and less snow. We enjoyed a night at the Lodge and Lace experienced her first Tree Smacker- welcome to the club Lace!

Christmas Tree oh Christmas Tree!! Our first!

2007-11-28T22:05:00.000-08:00

Our first Christmas Tree! The day after Thanksgiving I couldn't wait any longer so we went on quite the endeavor to find the perfect tree. As traditional as we are, we did not go out and cut our own tree. I hate the thought of cutting down trees when someone's already grown them for that purpose at a tree lot....so we're traditional but also a little tree hugger-ish!

So we sought out the perfect tree (in the wild mountains off 85 and Almaden Expressway! ha) We ended up finding the perfect tree and even some mistle toe.

We got the tree into my car and brought it home....then realized we needed a stand, bought one, then I see Greg with our kitchen scissors trying to cut off some of the branches!! What! Our kitchen scissors! haha Anyway it was a ton of fun putting it up and transforming our little condo for the Christmas season!

Barb's Wedding!

2007-11-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

Barb and I were roommates our freshman year in Fremont dorm together at Cal Poly! She just married her high school sweetheart and I had the awesome privilege of standing by her side on her wedding day! She was absolutely beautiful! We spent the night dancing at her great reception- I had so much fun seeing all my college friends!

The baby has arrived! Miss Mollie!

2007-09-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

Travis and Andrena had their little girl yesterday! We are so glad that she waited to come until we returned from our honeymoon. I got to see her today and I'm absolutely in love. She is so small and precious! She has completely melted my heart and I adore her! Love, her Auntie Bree

Newlyweds on our Honeymoon!

2007-09-23T13:45:00.000-07:00

Whoever invented the honeymoon is a complete genius! Funny that the planning of the very ceremony of bringing two together as one is the one thing that draws couples apart for months and months (In our case 14 months!) Without our honeymoon I don't know how we could have jumped back into everyday life. I think we would have failed miserably.

Our honeymoon was incredible! It provided the space to rest, relax, have fun, experience adventure, and spend time together for the first time as husband and wife. We had so much fun hanging out together, suntanning, reading, snorkeling, 4-wheeling, biking, swimming with sharks, and laughing. I'm so thankful that we took 10 days away to regroup and learn how to be a new family. In the Bible the honeymoon lasted for a whole year- wouldn't that be sweet!

Bora Bora Overwater Bungalow

2007-09-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

(This was not our view... our view went straight out to the ocean without another bungalow blocking an inch of sight!)

If you ever go to Bora Bora or Tahiti you must stay in an Overwater Bungalow. They are incredibly expensive at about a grand a night but it is worth it! At least once in your lifetime. When we arrived in Bora Bora we had to boat to our hotel, from there we walked on very lengthy docks to get out to our Overwater Bungalow. It was breathtaking! We were in awe! The view that surrounded us was the most beautiful teal, clear water ever! We had a glass bottom coffee table that opened up to feed the fish!

Bora Bora and the French Polynesian delicacies!

2007-09-21T13:18:00.000-07:00

Lobster Ravioli (one of the only familiar items on the menu) and Greg with his traditional steak (of some sort) with a bleu cheese dressing (the only option available at EVERY restaurant! haha)

View from lunch one day. You can canoe across to that little tiny island and eat lunch out there too.
Last dinner of our honeymoon at a very ritzy beautiful restaurant! I want my house/outdoor living space (in my dream home) to look like this!

View from lunch one day- breathtaking

The food was quite interesting on our honeymoon.

MORNING 1

-No coffee in the room. What?! No big deal, we're not that hungry but we'll go to the buffet and grab light breakfast and some coffee.

-Breakfast Buffet $67 PER PERSON! We had NO idea! We got the bill and thought, "Wow Oh my gosh! We just had the most expensive wedding possible and there's no way we can afford that all week-can't imagine what dinner will be!! We're going to lose a LOT of weight in the next 5 days. " (Because the remaining 5 days in Bora Bora all our food was paid for already.)

Lunch 1- No more of that $130 for breakfast. So we rented bikes for $12 from the concierge and headed down to the local market to grab some food. (Which mind you almost nothing was refrigerated or familiar! Yikes! So we bought: a tiny thing of Skippy Peanut Butter (all they had was chocolate flavored Nutella- yack!) I brought our own Starbucks coffee so we grabbed some filters, white bread (yack again) and that's it. No coffee pot in the room so you probably thinking what do we need the filters for? Well we heated water and held the filter over a cup and drank our fresh brewed coffee ghetto style! It took teamwork to hold the filter and pour H20 at the same time : ) That was our breakfast (and sometimes lunch for the next 5 days : )

Dinner-Awesome!

You have to take a boat to go to a restaurant. To eat dinner we had to make a reservation at the concierge and then the chef- yes the chef! Would come pick us up as well as a few other couples and that is all who was at the restaurant that evening. The chef and maybe one other waitress would take our drink and food order, cook the meal, we would all eat and then wait for the other couples to finish. Then we would all leave together after a few hours.

Our Wedding September 2, 2007

2007-09-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

Here is our Wedding Album on a digital show if you would like to see it!

Click Here to watch it!

http://www.ablakephotography.com/slideshows/haskellalbum/

We had the most amazing wedding ever! One could not have asked for a more beautiful location, gorgeous flowers, amazing people, and just an absolutely perfect day!! Our photographer Ashley Blake from A. Blake Photography was phenomenal, our caterer was precise, my brother made beautiful wrought iron vases that looked like our candelabras! Susie and Sarah did the flowers (with the help of Lacy) my dad coordinated the day of transportation of all the decor and so much more! Greg's parents put on our rehearsal dinner. We had Chico Strings quartet grace us with beautiful music.... so much more... More pictures to come!

Yikes!! Wedding is almost here!! And I haven't even been home to plan!

2007-08-20T22:07:00.000-07:00

Okay I'm starting to get a little nervous.... I've been gone since...well almost the entire summer!

I just got home from a 5 week Assignment in San Diego

Then went to Woodleaf for a week of camp

Then had my bachlorette party in Livermore

6am morning after my bachlorette on the 18th I flew to Canada on a Sea Plane to visit Becca at Beyond Malibu

Then had my bridal shower in Chico

Moved into our new condo (Thanks mom for helping me!)

And I'm getting married in less than two weeks....who planned all of this traveling?!

Bridal Shower

2007-08-18T16:22:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Toni threw me a great bridal shower! I definitely was showered with a lot of love, gifts, and laughter! My family was there, Greg's family was incredible-they drove up and back in one day, my girlfriends and extended family friends! I loved every minute of it! Thank you Aunt Toni and Sarah!

Bree's Bachelorette Party!

2007-08-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend with my incredible and beautiful girlfriends! They are simply and intricately amazing! I really cannot explain how much this wedding planning has taken away from my time with my friends. I loved spending the weekend with them wine tasting in Livermore and dancing in The City! They spoiled, embarrassed me, and made me feel incredibly loved and blessed to have friends like these! Thanks for EVERYTHING girls!

San Jose Young Life goes to Woodleaf 2007

2007-07-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

We just got back from an amazing week at camp. I loved every minute of camp- no sleep, lots of messiness, breaking down walls with kids, deep conversations, adventure, challenges, and lifetime friendships and memories.

5 Week Assignment in San Diego

2007-07-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

The night of our Young Life Golf Tournament I left for my 5 week Young Life assignment to serve at Young Life's Oakbridge camp outside of San Diego. Yes that's more than a month away before our wedding (and lots more traveling to come) Crazy? Yes!

I served as a Work Crew boss where I got to spend time encouraging and overseeing high school students that volunteer to serve other people their age for the sake of serving Christ and allowing kids to experience the love of Christ. It's pretty incredible to watch high school students give up a month of their summer to serve in the manner they do! Each of the kids on work crew worked very, very long days and trekked through the five weeks with smiles on their faces and a real joy without complaining that could only come from God. We did play a little throughout and one of the days was a beach day. We even had an all out pancake war in the dining hall after breakfast one day- it was AWESOME!

My first Brent Jones Young Life Open

2007-06-02T22:32:00.000-07:00

I served on the committee for the Brent Jones Young Life Open this year. It is the main fundraiser to raise the budget for our Young Life area. This was the 22nd annual tournament. It was held at the beautiful Almaden Country Club. Our golf committee is very talented and passionate for the work of Young Life. I enjoyed serving alongside them: Brent, Jean, Greg, Scott, Scott, Todd, and Kristi. I very thankful for their countless hours of work and planning to make the tournament successful. The day was beautiful and each of the 144 golfers walked away from a great day on the course!

The Adventures of Greg!

2007-05-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

Greg riding the rail at Squaw! Sweet picture!

Greg's Division 1 Intramural Championship Team!

This is Greg! jk...Greg took this pic at the Mountain Dew Sports Tour!
Icer Air in San Francisco

Greg being a goofball at club!
Rail Jam Greg and the YL guys set up in San Jose. We brought the snow home from Tahoe and then they built a box and rail for a Young Life event!

Greg is quite the adventurous guy! He loves anything outdoors, athletic, adrenaline, speed, height, technique and challenges! He also has a passion for photography in sports! Some of these pics are him, some are photos he's taken of other peeps! More to come when I can get some pics off his computer!

Tahoe with Friends

2007-03-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

Aaron and Ricky

Greg annoyed with Bree ;)

Bree, Erica and Becca
Chris Pletch (and his sister came out from Texas too)
Favorite coffee place! So cozy inside! I love it : )

We bombarded the Eric's grandparent's cabin with 8 friends and Eric Genie and Ginger! We snowboarded, ate, played games and watched movies! So much fun!

Tahoe with my fiance!

2007-02-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

Traveling has begun to take a small toll on me as I've been away from my wonderful fiance for weeks now. Greg and I got some quality time together in Tahoe amidst our busy schedules. We love the beautiful mountains, snowboarding and just the time we get to spend together.

New Staff Training- YL Staff know how to have fun!

2007-01-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

I spent two weeks in Colorado at Young Life's Frontier Ranch. It is a beautiful property but it was so freezing! We studied hard- I took two Master's classes from Fuller professors and learned a tremendous amount. Something that Young Life staff know how to do well is have fun!! So we worked hard and played hard! Here are some of the playful pics! I made some great friends from across the country and world too!

Colorado, Breckenridge, 2 Best friends!

2007-01-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

Becca and I headed off to Breckenridge, Colorado (I was on my way to New Staff Training for Young Life) but before the two week intensive began we had to play! And play we did! Greg would have loved to come but he wasn't able to. He and his brother Joe spent some time in Breckenridge a few years ago! It was an absolutely beautiful trip!

Rose will you be our Flower Girl?

2007-01-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

I flew out to Denver and spent some time with my cousins Melissa and Steve and their daughter Rose. Rose has this favorite flower shop near her house. At this flower shop she apparently has this little routine. She'll walk to the back of the shop and into the refrigerated room where she'll lift up her shirt to the let the cold air get on her tummy then she dances around and smiles. So precious.

So I went by the flower boutique and had them make a beautiful bouquet of roses with ribbon hanging off like a princess bouquet. I had it placed in the refrigerated room with a note on it asking Rose to be my flower girl. So... just like clockwork Rose took me on a little tour of her favorite flower shop and she went straight to the back refrigerated room where she soon spoted her bouquet! She was precious! After we went home and looked at her mom's wedding dress and Rose proceeded to dress me up as a bride and herself as a flower girl. I loved my time in Denver with her!

Tahoe with the Azevedo's

2006-12-30T17:22:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Gret's birthday in Lake Tahoe! Fun weekend! Poor Gret stayed in the lodge while we snowboarded a half day. We went on the strip for New Year's the next night to ring in the new year.

Christmas 2006

2006-12-25T21:04:00.000-08:00

Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love the holidays at home as the house is transformed into a winter wonderland of delicious smells, warm fires, stockings, Christmas trees, Christ's birth! Here are a few pics from home...

Erica's Annual Birthday Party-Bucks 2006

2006-12-16T16:27:00.000-08:00

Since we were in middle school or high school I can't remember, we've been celebrating Erica's birthday party at Becca's cabin in Bucks Lake. I look forward to this sweet time with my friends each year. It is saved on my calendar each year!

Wedding Plans begin... Location Location Location??

2006-11-06T19:52:00.000-08:00

My mom and Erica came down to San Jose this week to check out wedding locations such as Villa Montalvo in Saratoga as well as Wedding dresses! I tried on my first set of gowns! So surreal! I think it was even crazier for my mom! She definitely teared up! We waited 5 months to begin wedding plans so that we could settle into San Jose and my new job. So now it's begun! Research, research, decisions, and more! So fun!

Engagement Party September 24, 2006

2006-09-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

Time to celebrate! Invite the friends, Invite the Family and open the champagne, because we're getting married!! Greg's family hosted and put on a wonderful engagement party to celebrate our good news! The party was at Tom and Jennifer's house put on with the help of Kim and Genie! Thanks everyone for an awesome celebration! You love us too well!

Eric, Genie, Ginger and Bree

2006-09-24T00:11:00.000-07:00

The home of Eric, Genie, and Ginger: beautiful tulip tree in full bloom in their front yard.

Bree's out front at her place to rest her head on all her pillows.

Greg's Aunt Genie and Uncle Eric have invited Bree into their home until Greg and Bree get married. They are so amazing! I (bree) feel so loved by Greg's family and feel quite welcomed to this huge city whom all I know is Greg's family. Great start to living in the city thus far. I (Greg) am so happy that my family has opened their home and their hearts to my fiance and that they'll get to know Bree and Bree will get to know them throughout the next year! yea for Eric and Genie!

Do you know the way to San Jose?

2006-09-01T23:38:00.000-07:00

One of Bree's favorite places...the yard at home in Biggs.

Biggs or San Jose?

Beautiful town of Biggs.... Bree's hometown. 1500 friends, pre-schoolers graduating 12th grade with their same classmates, our 10 acre ranch with horses, pigs, cattle, views of the smallest mountain range in the world, The Buttes, harvest moons and so much more. Islands of rice fields, lakes, heat, sports, 1 tiny post office, library, Double H with 1 gas pump, 1 bar-The Pheasant Club, 4 Churches, Grien's market, my dad's office and dirt roads... not much more the small farming town.

Or, the slightly larger 974,000 folks in Greg's hometown of San Jose. Theatres, Sharks, Downtown, Great Bear Coffee in LG, artwork, architecture, small shops, Santana Row, Starbucks on every corner, bookstores, ethnic foods, mountain biking, great temperature, busyness.

San Jose it is! We made a choice to settle down in San Jose. Greg has been blessed with a job that challenges him and allows him to use his Cal Poly engineering degree and project management skills. Bree has taken on the amazing challenge of San Jose Young Life that only God can orchestrate and direct. We are leaning in close to the Lord as we are both in positions that are much larger than us. We're thankful that God has brought us to places that we can use our gifts and serve in areas that bring us great joy and fulfillment in our calling in life.

Kentucky Family Summer: Big hats, thick accents, bring on the heat

2006-08-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

For the first time in my life I was able to go out and visit my Great Grandmother Nettie in Kentucky. She came out to California on my first day of Kindergarten as well as my high school graduation. This was a huge treat! Thank you Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Eva! I traveled out with my grandparents and Aunt Barbara! So fun to be with her and see our similarities!

Kentucky is beautiful! Rolling green hills as far as one can see, no fence lines in neighbors, just green grass that rolls from one yard onto the next. Horse ranches with not white but black fences (surprising to me too!)

We went to visit Louisville, home of Kentucky basketball! Louisville Slugger where they manufacture all the bats for the Major Leagues. Hiked to the Natural Bridge, visited the homes my great grandma grew up in and raised her children in, went on a boat ride on the Kentucky River (pretty dirty river-but still pretty!), and visited Church Hill Downs.... and yes we snuck into the real Jockey's jerseys! My favorite quote from the trip was my Grandma Nettie. With "Hey! Did you know what?"

First Assignment at Woodleaf

2006-07-22T23:03:00.000-07:00

For months and months Chris Blake and Scotty Hansen and I prepared to serve at Woodleaf on assignment as the Program team. Chris is wonderfully organized and Scotty is hilariously witty and humorous! We headed up to Woodleaf... mind you I was SO exhausted, Greg and I got engaged and my mind had not stopped being in la la land, I had pulled two all nighters to finish my senior project at Cal Poly designing a winery and vineyards complete with a resort and spa, finished packing all my belongings to storage, and with Lacy's help created my program costumes. I was exhausted! God was amazing and gave me a surreal energy to lead songs upfront and awesome events for 400 kids all to break down walls so they could hear the good news of Jesus! Through this assignment I realized I loved being upfront, I loved getting creative and I loved the amount of detail that went into pulling off camp! Woohoo! First assignment with Young Life and I loved it!

Will you marry me? Yes!

2006-07-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

"Will you marry me?" "YES!!!"

Greg proposed on the cliffs in Shell Beach. It was a perfectly chosen location as our first words of love where spoken there years before. As the sun set and the waves crashed we walked to the gazebo on the edge of a cliff. We were welcomed by the friendly pelicans looking upon us with interest. Little did I know this was to be a moment of interest, a moment that would remain pleasantly engraved in my memory for a lifetime.

Greg spoke with a shaky voice and a slight nervousness. For a moment I thought to myself, "Is this it? Could he be proposing? No, that would be crazy! I'm finishing my huge senior project, graduating this weekend just graduated, moving tomorrow, and I'm leaving in two days on my first assingment to Woodleaf serving on the Program team..." I quickly graced my hand on each of his pockets and there was nothing there so the thought of engagement escaped my mind.

Greg continued to share his heart with me in a depth I had not heard him express before. The sun continued to set, the waves were making a beautiful sound and I was in heaven with the man I loved. As we hugged and kissed Greg dropped to one knee and I quickly asked, "What are you doing?" I was completely oblivious to all the signs of him really proposing! He asked me to marry him and to be his wife. I immediately said, "YES!" I hadn't even looked down until he told me to and there was the most beautiful ring I could ever imagine!

Not only were the pelicans watching this wonderful moment, Greg had asked our dear friends Chris and Ashley Blake to capture every moment. Ashley was hidden like the paparazzi in the bushes and Chris was on the cliff with a large zoom. Greg said that we were not alone and at that moment Chris and Ashley came and celebrated the moment with us!

Kevin and Kristen's Beautiful Day

2006-07-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

One of Greg's best friends, Kevin, got married to an amazing woman, Kristen! We absolutely love them and wish we lived closer to them. They got married this weekend at Big Bear which is Kristen's home town. The rehersal dinner was on a boat on Big Bear. It was such a wonderful celebration of their lives together and a ton of fun to be with all of Greg's friends!!

Cal Poly Graduate!

2006-06-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

I have a great family! They know how to celebrate people well. My family came down to San Luis Obispo for my graduation from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. My dad rented a house in Morro Bay and threw a great graduation party! I love my family!

Jay and Gret's Wedding

2006-06-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

Jay and Gretchen had a beautiful wedding in Lake Tahoe. Growing up with Jay and becoming great friends with Gretchen, it was an honor to stand by her side on their big day. It was so fun to watch Jay get married. We celebrated well and danced with good friends! Gret was beautiful and Jay was so happy to see his Bride! It was a day I won't forget!

Greg came down for my birthday!!!

2006-02-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

Long distance is not so fun! We miss each other like crazy and are putting a town of miles on our cars to see each other- but it is SO worth it! Greg came down for my birthday which made me SO excited! I love spending time with him!! Here are some cute shots from night! Love this guy!

Bree's 23rd Birthday! Thank you LACY!

2006-02-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

My roommate Lacy is so amazing! She is really one of the most talented and gifted people I know. She can make anyone feel like the most important person ever! She blesses me all the time in the ways she lavishes her creative artistry upon me! I love it! Well she did it again! She threw me an awesome 23rd birthday party! (My 22nd birthday we spent watching The Notebook and balled our eyes out the entire night because it was so sad! haha) We celebrated with the Young Life Crew, Old Roomies Vera and Sarah, All my new roomies and some Biggs Crew that were in town! It was a blast!

Happy Birthday Gregory P

2005-09-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday too YOU! Happy Birthday too YOU! Happy Birthday dear Gregoorrry! Happy Birthday too YOU! Happy 25th Birthday!

2005-07-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

It's not often that in life we get to evaluate our purpose, map out our future and reflect on our past. I volunteered at Woodleaf, one of Young Life's properties. I had the chance to grow personally and spiritually and I was surrounded by people from all over the country who like me, wanted my live to count for something.

I spent the month at Woodleaf- one of my favorite places to be. I was challenged to take my faith to a new level and learned how to serve like Jesus. Hundreds of kids lives were impacted through the month we served and it was incredible to watch lives change and kids having the best week ever. It was hard work and a lot of fun! I got to serve alongside one of my best friends- Cecilia Kolonie, be with Ann Shackleton and Scott Lisea and built some amazing friendships that I value to this day!

Hawaii

2005-07-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Sunset Dinner Cruise

Our crazy Captain!
Our dinner cruise Catamaran

We took an awesome vacation to Hawaii and enjoyed Honolulu!

We surfed, snorkeled, rented a car and toured, went to Pipeline, sunset dinner cruise, Dole Pinapple plantation, etc. Wonderful trip! Our favorite part was touring around the whole island during rain storms, seeing the secluded beaches, beautiful mountains and of course lounging on the beach!

Tree Swing and Family

2004-10-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I love being home. Our home is surrounded by huge beautiful trees. In our front yard there is the coolest swing. You don't sit on it, but it's a circular piece of metal that you spin really tight then hang out and go for a wild spinning ride. Greg spent some time with my precious cousin Sarah making her super dizzy. She has the sweetest laugh and I got the privilege of watching, taking pictures and laughing a lot!

SLO YL goes to Woodleaf!

2004-07-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Green Family: Bree, Chelsie, Beau and Ariel!
Greg and Bree hanging out by the Woodleaf pool

The San Luis Obispo Young Life crew headed up to Woodleaf for the kids' best week of their lives! It was an amazing week of changed lives. I also had the amazing privilege of going with 3 of my cousins: Beau, Chelsie and Ariel! It was soooo awesome!