Baby.

The official cyber announcement. 

Baby Castellanos is expected to make his or her grand entrance into the world

around February 4, 2013. 

("2013"... I always have a hard time transitioning to saying/writing a new year.)

We, along with our families, could not be more excited!

As expected, I will be keeping the blog updated on baby's progress. 

images from a noteworthy day.

Photos from the day the little line on the stick turned blue. 

We ate breakfast as IHOP. 

Took a nap with a kitty.

Took pictures of flowers.

Took a walk downtown.

Wandered around the City Creek Mall.

Tried a new (to us) restaurant in the foodcourt.

Took more pictures of flowers.

Snapped a shot of the part of the neighborhood.

Watched a kitty play in a bag.

Took a picture of our first apartment building.

And my feet. You're welcome. 

On quitting my job.

Today I did something I don't think I'll ever regret.

I quit my job.

It's funny how you can love a brand, a store, a group of co-workers, and hate the management who governs you - management who wants to keep you around because you are of a rare few who is getting a degree and who could have an "awesome career" with their company - the same management who belittles the people who work under them and passes off the tasks their don't want to do to their employees just because they can.

Notice how quiet it's been around the blog lately? That, I blame, on being stretched thin. Between preparing for graduation, working full time, and interning at the Alzheimer's Association, I barely had time for me - or for my husband. 

I think we often get sucked into the idea that life/our career/job/etc. is as good as it's going to get.

It's not.

The past few months I've spent a lot of time thinking about the future saying things like, "when I graduate, I'll finally be able to do this ___." and "when I have more time I/we can go here ___ or do this ___ like we've been wanting to!"

While attending the wake and funeral of one of Matt's friends earlier this month, the frailty of life hit me. Questions like "why wait?" and "what do I really want out of life?" and "how can I make our life and the lives of others better?" and "how can I be better? a better person? a better wife?" Life is really too short to wait until the opportune time to change or to do the things we are passionate about. Why waste time doing things that don't make us happy, that don't fulfill and enrich our lives as they should?

I realize I am young. And I know that many people will not agree with the life that Matt and I have chosen for ourselves. I know that so many people have different opinions about how our lives should be and when we should do things. But I also have come to realize that I've been living my life for others for too long.

So I'll pursue my dreams because life is too short not to pursue your dreams, and it is much to short to spend time doing something you don't absolutely love.

I quit my job, but I am not a quitter.

a warm day in march.

The other day we took advantage of the beautiful weather (that has since decided to be snowy again) and went to a little nearby park. Mochi came along for her second outing since we got her last fall. This time she got to experience snow and enjoyed munching on the grass. It was such a tease, that weather. We're so beyond ready for some warm weather around these parts.

it seems that the weather has finally realized that spring is approaching and we did not have enough winter. i think good ole mother nature is making up for it by dumping loads of snow on us. it's cold (duh). But our heater still doesn't work, and our windows are still single-paned, and our walls are still thin. cold + snow + broken heater + california-natives = misery.

but we're making the most of it thanks to a frequent furry visitor and our little bun. 

Where'd bunny go? She was juz here.

hai. may i has some chocolate?

Tonight I realized that my camera is full of many many pictures of my little critter and the neighbor's kitty. And a bit of what I see outside the window by my desk. 

Mochi loooves giving kisses to her mama and papa.

And even though the recent weather has made Matt and I more home-bodied than normal, I'm so happy with the little things we get to enjoy every day. 

The other day...

I realized that the countdown can officially begin to the much anticipated day that we will become dog owners. In six months our lease will be up and we will be moving! Honestly, we can hardly contain our excitement. We've been digging through the interwebs at local breeders and shelters. We already have a name picked out, much like that time we had picked out Mochi's name months before we finally got her.

Speaking of the Moch, she has recently developed a gnarly double chin.

glorious. 

Stop.

I keep telling myself,

"when I graduate I'll have time to do ___________...

and this _______,

and this____________,

and definitely this ________!"

I think I need to put a stop to that. I need to stop letting myself be tired and lazying around the house after work, or lazying around all day on my day off. I need to get up and do all of those little things that I know will make me happy and keep me busy doing something fun. So cookbooks, crafts, photography, drawing, and painting, I'm bringing my A-game! We're going to have a fun year, and we're never going to let the things I love to do remain in my head. That creativity needs to be let out!