MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas! This has been the best Christmas yet. I feel SO blessed and lucky to have been surrounded by friends and family, from BOTH sides! We got to ride in Castillo...


My coleagues and I brought cheer to our patients the entire month... Riley the therapy dog was a huge help! Look at him! How can you not feel better with him at your bedside? Such a good dog...

Brian, Jane and I stomping out disease in a festive way...

Dan got to meet more of my co-workers at our work Christmas party. From left to right: Dan, Moi, Jane, Eddie, Destiny and Brian.

The men and boys hitting high notes during Christmas Carols at the 30th annual Family Christmas party (Started by Dan's family and two or three other families 30 years ago and continues to be a tradition today!)

Dan and I outside by the firepit at the Frailey's home.

Nice home, great Holiday party!





Then Christmas at OUR home...

Dan and I in the spirit at home on Christmas Day. (Yes, I did dress like that for work that day)
The Hallada's John, Leslie, Nancy, Dan. We missed you, Laura! (Dan's other sister who lives in New Jersey with her husband Ron and their kids Erica and Ryan)
MIKO really enjoyed the gifts he got from Auntie Laura's cat. Then he played with the bow all night. After he finally got it off.

THEN, we celebrated Christmas with my parents and brother Ivan, my sister in law, Eliza and my two adorable nieces. (We missed you Ervin and Allie!)

My sweet (youngest) niece Eden, checking out the biggest present Santa brought...
Nevaeh opening her box-inside-a-box-inside-another-box present... it wasn't all that exciting once she got to what was really in there...."Oh. Clothes..."
My sister in law Eliza, and Jenn (my sista from annudda mista' whom I've been friends with for a million years...she's part of the fam) looking smashing for Xmas...
I love my man! You made this the best Christmas ever!

And now for my favorite picture of the Season: The Nativity Scene as seen by my four-year-old niece...

Please note that Baby Jesus is walking away perplexed. There is a lizard in his bed, Mary is not sure what to do about it, Joseph is making a run for it about to get on the camel, and the last of the Kings is about to flee the scene...

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Beautiful surprise..."She said YES!"

I know by now most everyone has heard the news. But since this is my first post into a blog ever, I felt strange not mentioning that first.

Dan proposed to me on the edge of Figueroa Mountain on December 2nd, 2007 after an amazing weekend of riding Motocross at Castillo Ranch track.



This was the spot we had had one of our first dates in 2005 and Dan wanted to re-enact it. Only instead of sandwiches and drinks we had a proposal. Yes, I was completely and totally surprised...and of course, delighted. We had finished riding and in retrospect now I know why Dan was stalling in getting going. We were headed to the Cold Spring Tavern for bbq tri-tip sandwiches and I was starving. When he told me we were taking a "short detour" all could think about was whether or not I should have a snack and risk ruining my appetite for the tri-tip or not.




Needless to say after we walked out to the edge and enjoyed some pre-sunset lighting against the mountains and he got on one knee and proposed... I wasn't hungry anymore. It was a beautiful surprise. It was perfect and sweet and everything a proposal should be. I said yes!




Us at the Cold Spring Tavern later on that night... after our tri-tip sandwiches!

Outside the Cold Spring Tavern by the fire after the band was taking a break. What a great end to a perfect weekend and a perfect day!