Happy Anniversary (oh, and Happy New Year)

It was a bit over a decade ago that I met B.  A decade.  That just seems like so much longer than it feels.  Or maybe it feels like longer than I care to admit, even to myself, since I can't seem to remember a time that I didn't know him.

We met in a bar.  Not just any bar, but a college pick up joint.  At least he was still in college.  Grad school but that still counts.  I, on the other hand, had been out of college for almost a decade already.  This was not my usual haunt but being a good wing woman, I was there with a couple of my really good guy friends.  The boys loved coming to this particular bar (and they were a bit closer in age to the patrons) because all of the girls from the nearby university stopped by to dance.

So I tagged along.  And danced.  While in Rome...

And then I was being asked to dance by this dark haired, dark eyed cutie.  I wasn't really in the mood to dance anymore as it was closing in on 2 am, it was a Thursday and I had to work the next day.  But I did.  He was just too cute and polite.  And then I realized that he had an accent (If you knew B back then, he really did have a thicker accent).  I asked where he was from and he said Caracas.  I laughed.  What were the odds that I met a Venezuelan boy in North Carolina?  I told him I lived there for a couple of years when I was young.  His turn to laugh.

It was closing time right after that one short song (Hot in Herre by Nelly) and B asked me for my email address.  I thought that a bit odd.  No phone number, just an email address.  He explained later that it is easier to make contact when it is over email and your feelings are not hurt as much if there is no reply.  Pretty smart actually.

We spent the next two weeks emailing each other, trying to get together, but a huge blizzard made it almost impossible.  Freak thing in North Carolina.  A snow storm that knocked out power for days and kept everyone housebound for over a week.  And then it was Thanksgiving and then he had finals...Finally, just before Christmas we caught a break and went to our favorite bar for a drink - both of us had water weirdly enough.

We then both went on our way for the holiday's.  He to Paris.  Me to Colorado.

Three weeks later we had our second date.  This time a movie and a trip to the emergency room.  Turns out B had contracted a case of pericarditis - a cold that inflamed his heart, made much worse by the flight home from Europe.  They gave him some strong drugs and sent him home.  Quite the start to our dating life.

But it all worked out.  Obviously.

Three years later on a snowy New Years Eve we were married in a picture perfect church in Colorado.  We had family and friends.  We had drinks and good food.  We almost had Hot in Herre as our first dance song, as a nod to our very first dance, but thought that would be a bit to shocking to my almost 80 year old grandmother.  We did have music and we did dance.  We toasted the New Year and our new life together.

That was seven years ago.

Still the best decision I ever made...

Young.  young.  young.  late 2002

My birthday in 2003.

Ready (and blurry) for a great wedding.  2004

My favortie wedding.  2005.

We sure love weddings - 2006

B's last birthday before we became a family.  2007.

Our family.  2008

Date night party.  2009.

Family style.  2010.

Just before the big move.  Big move.  2011.

Big adventures.  But haven't they all been these past 10 years.  2012

A Holly Jolly Christmas

Last year, we stayed home for the holiday's.  We had some family come down to Santiago but it was still not the same.  I guess that is what happens when you start a tradition and then break with it.  So,  this year we were determined to get back to what passes for normal.  And that meant travelling over 27 hours to get to my parent's place in Breckenridge.  In the 10 years B and I have been together we have only not celebrated there twice - once the first year we were dating and then last year.  Before B, I had been coming here for 7 years.

I wasn't really in the Christmas spirit when we packed up to leave.  It was 90 degrees that week in Santiago, the girls were in the pool almost every day and I didn't put many decorations up because I didn't want to have to take them down in the 90 degree mid-January heat.  I was sort of Bah-Humbug the whole month.

Until I got here.  And it was instantly Christmas.  For all of us.  Our moods turned festive.  We were once again where we belonged.  We wrapped and put presents under the tree and in stockings.  We had happy hours and big family dinners.  We had a fire and snow falling outside.  The girls went sledding and played in the snow...Stinkerbell was fascinated as she had not seen snow since she was 19 months old.

We are still here in Colorado as I write this.  We are taking the girls skiing today for the first time on the mountain.  Stinkerbell's very first time!  I think I am more excited than they are.

We had a fabulous, traditional (for us) family Christmas.  I thought I would leave you a few pictures to peek in on that magical time.  The girls are at the perfect age.  Their wonder and joy at the whole season are infectious.  I could do without the 5 am wake up call to go open presents, but then again, that is part of the fun.  And we made them wait until almost 8 am before we let them touch any.   It may seem cruel, but in the general scheme of things it wasn't so bad.   Because in the meantime, MadHatter regaled each of us with the tale of how she heard Santa's say Ho Ho Ho as he left the house and how the reindeer's bells jingled outside.  Stinkerbell was amazed that Santa left them a note thanking them for the cookies and even ate most of them.    She made me read it many, many times.  Both of them didn't want to leave the side of the tree.  Just in case the presents magically disappeared just as magically as they appeared.

We opened.  We played.  We laughed.  We drank mimosas and we ate our traditional Kringle.

Perfect Christmas.

Christmas Eve.  All dressed and ready for opening their stocking.  Then hearing the Night Before Christmas read by Nana and Grampa. 

Santa Came!!!

We put the girls to work before they could play with their presents.

And then the rest of us spent our time opening ours.  Slowly.  With a lot of talk in between.  While the girls played with ALL of their new things.  For about 5 minutes each before going back to the beginning and doing it again.

12 Days of Fidget (The Sequel)

Fidget is our elf on a shelf.  She came to visit us the morning of December 1st and has been wreaking havoc in our house ever since.  If you missed the first 12 days of her antics, click here.  She has been up to her usual shenanigans, and even traveled over 6000 miles to find us when we arrived in Colorado.  Without further ado, the last 12 days of Fidget, in pictures...

December 13 - Fidget wrapped our guest bathroom toilet in festive paper.

December 14 - She got invited to Barbie's house for a party and fell asleep in Barbie's bed.

December 15 - She figured she deserved a rest so she took a candlelight bubble bath in the master bathroom.

December 16 - That Fidget is all about herself!

December 17 - She didn't simply turn our milk pink.  According to MadHatter she brought that milk special from the North Pole from Santa's fridge.  She even told me how different it tasted!

December 18 -  Fidget packed her bag (not very well) and even put on she snow boots.  She left us a note saying that she would meet us in Colorado tomorrow when we got in.

December 19 - Fidget was waiting for us in the window when we arrived to Breckenridge!

December 20 - Getting into the spirit of Breck.  She hitched a ride down the mountain her first night.
(and Santa sent her to us with a skirt because she needed something to keep her warm here in Colorado)

December 21 - Naughty elf got into the fudge, the cookies, the candy...

December 22 - Sugar High!!!  At least she left us some for our chocolate chip pancakes this morning.

December 23 - Playing Pool.  She was just about to make the winning shot.

December 24 - Time to head back to the North Pole.  But she left a great note that brought smiles from ear to ear.  Especially when they heard that they finally got to hug her!

Until next year Fidget, we will miss you!

The Anatomy of a Christmas Card

Each year, since B and I got married at least, our Christmas card has featured a picture of the family or one of the girls.  And each year, it has been an undertaking to get said picture.

At first it was because B just hates (hates) having his picture taken.  And me telling him what to wear.  And then telling him how to pose.

Christmas Card 2007

And then it was because it is just hard (impossible) to take pictures with babies.

MadHatter was about 9 months old when we took the first family one.  I had such high hopes for this picture.  I had been waiting for it for most of my life - when I would have a family so that I could have a family picture.  And it shouldn't have been too hard because she was such an easy baby.  Agreeable and poseable.  And then the unthinkable happened about a week before the photos were to be taken - she learned to walk.  And it always seemed to be away from us.  But, after my girlfriend snapped something like 900 pictures (not an exaggeration), we had a winner.

Christmas Card 2008

The next year, we had MadHatter and added Stinkerbell.  And this time Stinkerbell was the hard one.  She was only 4 months old and didn't have the smile on cue thing down yet.  In fact, she suffered from severe reflux, was a bit fussy at that stage and just wasn't super cooperative.  Nothing new for a baby. And with MadHatter just about hitting the terrible two's, we should have known that it would be a miracle if we were all in the photo, much less all looking or smiling.  Again, after about 1500 pictures, we got something we could use.

At least we are all in the picture.
Christmas Card 2009

And then we gave up on trying to put either B or I in the pictures.  In fact, we stopped trying to take it ourselves.  We outsourced it and had the two girls photographed in studio.  It was just a lot less stressful.  Since we already had the stress of moving to another country looming, packing the entire house and saying our last goodbyes to friends  I did not need to add the stress of getting the girls dressed and pretty and taking the pictures.  Studio it was even if we hated paying for a picture I knew we could take ourselves.  But they had a bit better luck.  With B and I in the background making complete fools of ourselves trying to get the girls to just look at the camera and not cry, much less smile.

I knew that 2011 was going to have to be me doing the photographers job.  We were going to be in a new country that I didn't really speak the language.  I wasn't going to have a lot of luck sourcing a professional photographer, I didn't know if they even had studio's and I didn't know anybody well enough to ask them to take pictures of my girls.  It was going to be me, or we were breaking tradition.  

Anyone who has ever tried to take a picture of children, especially young children, knows that it is an experience.  I liken it to shooting skeet.  You know you have a target.  You know your target is going to be moving.  But until the exact moment you are in position to shoot, you have no idea what the exact trajectory of your target will be, the final velocity or what type of weather forces may affect your shot.  Multiply that uncertainty by about 100 times if the children you are shooting are your own.  Then you might as well be shooting white skeet in a blizzard that happens to be taking place in a tsunami.

But I got lucky.  After shooting about 500 shots.  Most of them with Stinkerbell crying or pouting.  MadHatter just gave me her pouty look.  In fact, I got a lot of fun shots that could never be used on a Christmas card but that as a mother, I love.  I also happened to get three I could use for our Christmas Card 2011.

This year I had an ace up my sleeve.  My girls were getting older and starting to understand Santa.  I simply asked them one morning if they wanted to send Santa an up to date picture of them, you know, so he made sure he had the right girls on his nice list.  Resounding YES!  

I knew the only way this was going to work was if I was all prepared, could get it done in 10 minutes and Stinkerbell was well rested.  I shipped the littelest off to bed and asked MadHatter if she would help me find a place to take the pictures.  She said she would, if I would curl her hair "just like Stinkerbell's but all over, not just in the back".  Anything to make you happy baby!

Face scrubbed, leather chair dragged into the back yard and MadHatter's hair curled (though not in her official clothes - couldn't get those dirty) we headed into the back yard.  Where she proceeded to vamp and play and give me some of the easiest minutes of photographing her I have ever had.  I decided not to use the location, but I do have a couple of these now hanging in my house.

It turned out the back yard wasn't what I wanted.  I needed a new space and I needed it fast.  Stinkerbell was going to be up soon and there is a short window before she gets hungry and needs a snack.  Finally, I hit on it.  The perfect spot.  There is a large green space right at the end of our driveway.  And a huge tree to shade us from the mid-day sun.  When Stinkerbell woke up all smiles and ready to take her "Santa pictures" I dressed the girls, grabbed a blanket and my nifty fifty and headed across the street.  It took 10 minutes.  I knew they were done.  And so was I.  I just hoped we didn't have to do it again because I made a mistake.  They gave me their best.  Did I give mine?

I went back into the house to download the images.  And I couldn't help but laugh.  I got some great outtakes...

And then, I reviewed my files again and found that I had hit pay dirt.  These girls gave me pure gold this year for Santa.  I could look at these pictures all day and stare at the beauty that is my girls.  And I don't mean that in a physical way.  When I look at these pictures I see the love they have for each other.  What it means to be sisters and how you can be annoyed with each other, be bored with each other, fight with each other and yet, still know that there is no one that loves you quite as much as your sister.  I see their personalities shine through so clearly - MadHatter so calm, so sweet and caring, so much the little lady already and she is not even 5.  Stinkerbell my joy, my energy, my little love.  These pictures capture a moment in time that I will never have again and I am so thankful to them for giving it to me.  For now, I will always have a way to remember them, at this precise moment in time.  Christmas 2012.