Seattle Half Marathon . . . For Diana

It's been an emotional month for my sister Gina and the rest of the family.  Sadly, Gina lost one of her best friends in early October.  It was unexpected and so terribly tragic. Our family has been friends with their family for more than twenty years and the loss of Diana, has affected us all.  It is so hard to lose anyone in general but when someone is taken so young, so full of life- it makes the sadness a little more unbearable.  As family and friends have rallied around Diana's family, they have also taken Diana's many close friends under their wings as well.  Together as a family of God, everyone has coped together and celebrated Diana and her short yet beautiful life.

One of the things Gina and Diana had planned to do this year was run the Seattle Half Marathon together.  In fact, in the weeks before she passed away, Diana had begun training for her first ever half marathon!  As the date for the Seattle Half Marathon approached, Gina and many of Diana's friends and family turned the race into something much more significant that 13.1 miles.  The race would be a way to honor her and her plan to run this half marathon.  Step by step, mile by mile, her biggest fans would help her dream become a reality. 

The support of those who loved her grew into something much bigger than anyone could have dreamed.  Approximately thirty people showed up this morning wearing 'Team Diana' t-shirts and prepared to embark on a physical and emotional journey in her honor.  From our family, Gina, Jill, my Mom, and I signed up to run the race. None of us had trained and if you can believe it- my Mom was going to be running her very first Half Marathon.  She amazes me.  She is such a great source of strength for all of us. 

It was bitterly cold this morning as we climbed out the car right next to the starting line. Thank goodness Mom had sewed us homemade ear warmers the night before!  The traffic was horrible and we were so thankful that my Dad agreed to get up so early and drive us there!  Randomly, we met up with Gina's friends (in a crowd of over 10,000 people) and we were given mermaid pins (one of Diana's favorites) to pin on our race bibs.  As I looked around at many of Diana's friends, all wearing 'Team Diana' shirts with a picture of Diana and her beloved niece Maria on it, I got choked up.  Her life was really so short.  Too short.  I was so inspired to run this race for Diana.  We all knew she would help us through it.

Jill and my Mom ran together while Gina and I ran as partners.  The first few miles were a breeze.  In fact- most of the race went pretty well.  Because we didn't train, it definitely wasn't easy but mile by mile we ran and inched closer to the finish line.  As we tired out towards the end, the race definitely became more emotional.  In any race I've ever run, the end is tough.  However, I have never experienced fans yelling to me, Go Team Diana!  It literally took Gina and my breath away.  We'd get lost in our own body aches and then realize we are here, we are aching, we are so fortunate.  And just like that- Diana would give us strength. 

As we neared the finish line, I looked over at Gina and her cheeks were wet with tears.  As I turned down my music I heard her sobs and saw her shoulders shaking.  This was it.  The moment where she and Diana were supposed to be . . . finishing the race together.  I gently put my arm around my sister and that's how we finished the race.  My Mom and Jill finished just after us and the look of satisfaction and accomplishment on my Mom's face was incredible.  We all finished.  We accomplished this amazing feat for ourselves but in large part for our friend, sister, niece, aunt and daughter who smiled at us from heaven.    

Gina and I saw a quote on a young man's shirt which moved us both to tears and summed up the day in which we honored her beautiful friend. 

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,      

I have kept the faith. 

2 Timothy 4:7

We love you Diana.

Great Trip Back Home

I think that the fact that my trips back home keep getting better is directly related to the fact that my kids are getting older.  So much is easier now that they are getting more independent and more mature.  Airports are easier, sleeping is easier, and they seem to entertain themselves more which leaves me with more time to catch up with my family and actually relax for a while- go figure!

Aside from the big Thanksgiving dinner, we had no real agenda.  As always- I made sure I got to see both of my Grandmas and we even got a chance to see Santa and get the kids' picture taken with him.  They all loved it- except for Emily who bawled her eyes out.  I might be the only Mom in America who thinks it's cute to see their baby cry with Santa but I can't help it!  It's not like I pinched her or something . . . she was just freaked out (and I can't blame her- but I did make her sit there against her will). 

It was fun to fly into snow and experience that for a few days and then have it melt away so we could actually get across town!  The best of both worlds, I suppose.  We were able to visit downtown Seattle for a bit, which was fun!  We went downtown to register for the Seattle Marathon which was the following day.  More on that later!  We spent a great deal of time at my parent's house which is what I love the most!  Gina and Damien spent hours putting together a hideous puzzle of Catalina Island.  I have to admit that we all did kind of hijack it by the end and finish it for them but it was still annoying! 


The cousins ran and ran around the house and just had fun playing together.  The three older kids are easy peasy these days but that little Emily . . . well- she is not.  She gravitates towards my Mom's stairs and it drives me crazy!  I want to give her the freedom to go up and down but she doesn't follow the rule of going down on your tummy and tries to walk down them!  It scares me to death!  For the first half of the trip- she listened to me and didn't try to go up or down them.  Then a little birdy (my Mom) thought that she would teach her the correct way to do it (thinking that Emily would be a good girl and follow Nonna's instructions) but Emily just took advantage of the situation and would make a break for the stairs in the hopes that she might make it down a couple before we caught her.  Oh- how different life will be a year from now!

We had an awesome time in Kirkland.  Because we rotate holidays in order to make it fair to both families, we will be coming up before Christmas in order to spend time with my family and still have time to make it back down to California to have Christmas with Damien's family.  Phew.  That was a big sentence.  So in less than a month- we will be on a plane heading back up for some more fun!  I wonder if I'll have time to unpack before I pack again?

Kevin Nealon, Baby!

Gina and a few of her friends had purchased tickets to see Kevin Nealon.  It sounded fun but honestly, we were really tired and not up to it.  Gina left and about an hour later, Damien asked me, 'Hey, do you want to see if you and your Mom can get tickets to the show?'  I didn't think I wanted to but then I thought of the experience I could have with my Mom!  I got on the phone and they had two tickets left!  Gina was already at the venue so she purchased the tickets and my Mom and I rushed to get dressed (i.e. not look like we just changed out of our pajamas) and get to Bellevue for the show.

The show was ridiculously hilarious!  We sat about fifteen feet away from Kevin and the experience was just unreal!  I had high expectations for him because he was a main cast member of SNL!  I figured if you are funny enough to be on SNL- you should be funny doing stand-up, too.  His timing was so good.  Seriously, his delivery was flawless!  He joked about his time playing Hans and Frans and also had fresh material that was so funny my stomach hurt!  Ah, it was just what I needed.  I am so appreciative that Damien came up with the idea and offered to watch the kids so I could go have a great laugh while bonding with my Mom.

Toward the end of the show, he had a little bit where he would start telling a story and then pause while waiting for an audience member to yell out a word and then he would work that word into his act.  I swear, he used words Gina yelled out for five out of the eight words.  I would list them all but they might not have been so appropriate.  Funny?  Yes.  Appropriate?  No.   As if the show weren't great enough- we got to meet him and take a picture with him after the show!  Who does that? It was an amazing night and one that I won't soon forget!!!

Thanksgiving . . . In the Snow

I have really been looking forward to flying up to my parent's house for Thanksgiving.  We decided to take the kids out of school one day early to stretch the trip a bit and I am so happy we did that.  Preparing for a flight is a lot of work.  I don't worry about the airport mayhem or any hassle the flight might bring.  I only worry about two things:  1) Packing for all of us and 2) Getting to the airport on time.  Something about doing laundry for days in order to find every one's clothes and pack them makes me crazy.   And because we usually take a minivan taxi to the airport, I worry that the taxi won't be here as promised (it has happened before). 

Thanksgiving has been approaching quickly this year.  I have found myself questioning if it really could have arrived this quickly.  I was really looking forward to the whipping winds, the falling leaves, and brisk air that I have missed so much lately.  I love Thanksgiving in Washington.  It is a time that makes me feel most at home.  So many memories.  Such great times.  So when I got a call from my sister who informed me that the Seattle area had been hit with a major snowstorm, I stopped in my tracks!  Thanksgiving . . . Snow???  I can't remember a Thanksgiving when it snowed!  Power outages and wind storms?  Sure.  But snow?   That was just plain crazy!

Snow + Seattle = Pandemonium.  There are times in San Jose where rainstorms paralyse the city and the front page of the newspapers tell a dramatic story about falling trees and other such nonsense.  What a lot of rain does to the Bay Area, snow does to the Seattle Area.  Think tons of untraversible hills, snow, black ice, cars in ditches, cancelled schools and you pretty much can imagine how bad it was.  Even worse was that we were due to fly into the area when it was going to be 16 degrees!  We decided to hire a car to take us to my parent's house so we wouldn't be stuck at the airport like we were last Christmas!

The morning we flew out, the taxi picked us up at 5:45 a.m.  Yep.  My kids were thrilled.  Um, no they weren't.  It was an early morning and I couldn't find the courage I had possessed months ago when I thought flying out early to beat the Thanksgiving travel traffic was a good idea.  Thankfully, the taxi arrived on time and we got to the airport without incident.  Gina was flying up with us and it was so helpful to have two extra hands!  The flight into Seattle was smooth.  The car we had booked to take us home was ready for us and the drive was no problem at all.  Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive!

We hunkered down and enjoyed the calm of the day before Thanksgiving.  My Mom always hosts Thanksgiving and has been doing so since my earliest memory of Turkey Day.  She is so good at the prep and her system just runs like clockwork.  She really is amazing.  An idol of mine, for sure!  The kids were so excited to go out and play in the snow!  We bundled them up and let them loose and they stayed out there for over an hour!  We hung around most of the day and helped my Mom prep for the fast approaching holiday.

On Thanksgiving, I woke up early with Emily and went upstairs to see Michael, Claire, and Matthew already awake.  They were kneeling on Nonna and Grandpa's couch and looking outside at the most beautiful sight.  It was snowing!  And it wasn't a couple of snowflakes- it was really coming down.  It was so beautiful.  Emily, who was witnessing her first snow, thought it was so amazing!  We let her go outside and feel the cold flakes against the warmth of her face.  Matthew was working hard on making a good snowball to throw at this brother.  Claire started on the base of her snowman and before I knew it- she had made a great snowman!  By the time Damien got up, the snowfall had slowed and the flakes were gradually turning more wet.  We had to enjoy this before it melted away!

Our family and friends started arriving around 5:00 p.m. and it was so wonderful to see everyone.  My Mom was busy in the kitchen while I enjoyed catching up with my Nana, Aunts, Uncles, friends, and cousins.  I am so very thankful to have an extended family who is so amazing.  Damien and I were seated at the 'B Table' once again.  I am not sure we will ever make it to the 'A Table'.  But like we always say, the 'B Table' has the most fun!  I had my kids wear their Christmas outfits at Thanksgiving because we won't be in Seattle for Christmas.  They looked so cute and I was so proud of them.  I can't believe the last time we were here for Thanksgiving (two years ago) I was newly pregnant with Emily!  How time flies.

My Mom cooked like mad in the kitchen.  The house smelled so good, I could hardly wait for dinner.  Damien was busy carving the turkey while my Dad, Ron 'The Potato Boy' Sacco worked on the most popular carb of the evening.  The mood lighting was set, the food was ready, it was time for the eating to begin!

Dinner was wonderful.  My Mom's guests were delightful.  I loved watching all of the second cousins run around with each other!  Emily spent a great deal of the night wearing her white tights and her black mary janes.  She was bare chested and made me smile every time I looked at her.  She is seriously too much!  we played a fun dice game at the end of the night and Claire won the jackpot of $25!  She couldn't believe it!  Her face was priceless.  Matthew was busy with his friends.  They ran around with the big kids but also took time to play alone.  Michael was on cloud nine with his big cousins Courtland, Cole, and Blake.  They basically played in the theater and whacked each other with pillows.  Hmmm.  Must be a boy thing. Sounds a bit crazy to me but they had the time of their life in there!

It seems silly that it takes a holiday for me to be more reflective and realize what I am indeed so thankful for.  Thank you God for the abundance of blessings you have given me.  I am such a lucky woman and need to remember to recognize daily the shining gifts around me.  It was a wonderful night and I feel so lucky to have such an amazing family.  Love to you all . . . even the 'A Table'.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Gina Moves to 'The City'

It's big news in our house that my sister, Gina, moved down to San Francisco.  When I heard that she was going to move down to California but still live an hour away, I asked 'Why don't you live in Willow Glen so you are closer to me?'  The answer was obvious.  She wanted a new start, a change of pace.  Living close to me would just let her stay in that same comfortable place she has been in for a while.  If change is what she wants and this move makes her happy- I am behind her 100%.  She made this move for herself and I am happy that she is sticking to her guns.

Damien grew up in San Francisco so he has a huge fondness for the city.  Gina loves it too, which is great!  I on the other hand- have a ways to go before I would say I love it.  Maybe it is because we never really stop in San Francisco and instead drive through it as we go to Damien's parent's house.  Maybe I get a tad bit annoyed with all the congestion and traffic as we take out-of-town visitors to the big sights of San Francisco when they visit.  Whatever the reason, I am committing to learning more about it and finding the love in my heart, too.

Today, Emily and I decided to take a little road trip to see Gina.  I sensed that she wasn't quite settled and could use some visitors.  After dropping off the three older kids at school, and stopping at Safeway to get Gina some groceries- we were off!  The ride was quick and traffic easy.  Emily was even asleep in the car as we pulled up to Gina's!  This is when the wheels started falling off the truck.  There was no parking around her house at all.  I drove around for twenty minutes and finally found a spot!  Little did I know I was four San Francisco blocks away from her house!  I loaded up the stroller with a case of water, a 24 pack of diet coke and other groceries I knew my sister would appreciate!  Then I realized I would have to hold a sleeping Emily and push the stroller, too.  Conveniently- Gina wasn't answering her phone.  So off I went- not knowing the cardio workout that was coming. 

I turned the corner in Gina's Russian Hill neighborhood and saw a massive hill.  OMG.  How in the heck was I going to push this stroller up this ridiculous steep hill while keeping a heavy sleeping Emily asleep on my shoulder?  I thought of the Little Engine That Could (not joking) and started chugging along.  Sweat dripping, lungs burning, pathetic looking, mess of a journey to Gina's.  When she finally saw me she was shocked at how disheveled I looked!  It was hard!  Two giant freaking hills . . . in a row!!!  She was a sight for sore eyes and we continued the remainder of the two block walk. 

Gina's place is really cute.  It definitely has an old San Francisco style (attached walls and with buildings packed close together) but really cool.  Views of the financial district, Coit Tower, and the Transamerica building are visable from her living room.  I'm beginning to think San Francisco is a prettier city than I thought.  We hung out for a while and then decided to take a walk and explore!  I wanted to help Gina see what fun little shops and markets were in her neighborhood!


We walked for about forty-five minutes looking at the different kinds of markets, parks, and restaurants.  It was so fun!  Emily was really well behaved so we got to have a lot of fun and talk while we walked!  We ended up walking through Chinatown, Union Square and back up to Russian Hill.  How awesome is it that you can see so many different kinds of neighborhoods in such a short walk?  We happened upon a sweet little deli where we enjoyed lunch while watching the fascinating people and trolley cars go by.  Combine that with a warm, sunny San Francisco day and it was perfect!  Emily and I walked Gina back home and then gave her a kiss goodbye.  I can't believe she actually moved.  She has talked about wanting to do this for years.  Whatever her motivation, whatever her dreams are- I hope it works out for her and she finds what she is looking for.  I know we will enjoy seeing her more often and I look forward to hopefully falling in love with San Francisco, too!

Turning Thirty Five

For some reason- I have been dreading turning thirty-five.  I can't quite figure out why I feel this way!  I feel young, my life is rolling at a great pace, and I feel like I've 'still got it' but something about turning thirty-five has me a little overwhelmed.  If I had to guess, I think it has something to do with getting closer to being forty.  Thankfully, I had time to think about things and realized that dreading a silly birthday would be such a waste!  I know when I look back at this post ten years from now I will think about how young I was at the time!  I don't want to say, 'She should have appreciated how young she was instead of dreading one silly day!'.

Gina moved down to San Francisco at the end of October and it just so happened that Natalie was in town to help her move in!  Of course I had to take advantage of my sisters being with me on my big day so we made a plan to spend a night on the town in downtown Los Gatos.  Dinner was great.  Hilarious conversations and good food made me so ridiculously happy.  We had such a good night together.  What a great start to my birthday weekend!

The following night, Damien, Gina, and I went to a play that starred our great friend, Keith.  We met up with a lot of friends beforehand and all went together.  Again, a night full of laughter!  Afterwards, we all went back to Keith's house to hang out and at the stroke of midnight, Keith cued up Fiddy Cent's, It's Your Birthday and the whole gang sang/rapped me into my thirty-sixth year.  In that moment I accepted that age is just a number and breathed in all the love people had for me in that room.  I am one lucky girl- that's for sure!

On my actual birthday, I played in my soccer game early in the morning.  I am the second oldest on my team.  Yes, we have a handful of twenty year old girls and at times it makes me feel so old!  But I had a great game today and felt healthy and strong out there.  Thirty-five felt great!  Afterwards, we went and watched one of the four soccer games my kids had today.  For the last two years, their Jamboree has fallen on my birthday which makes my birthday weekend plans include eight soccer games!  I love it, though.  It is really what my life is about!  I mean, how cool is it that we were all getting ready for our soccer games together???  Later in the day, Gina and I managed to drag the kids to Starbucks for my ceremonial birthday eggnog latte (courtesy of my Mommy).  It was divine, as usual!  We ended the night gathered at a delicious sushi restaurant in Willow Glen with Damien, the kids, Gina, Mark, Jocelyn, and their boys.  That too was fabulous.  The day kept getting better and better.

What a weekend.  How silly I was to worry about a number.  I should just look within and realize that I feel better than ever and celebrate THAT!  I truly am blessed!  I am surrounded by an infinite amount of love.  I have been given such amazing gifts from God that still carry me though my day to day life.  I am healthy and able to play sports and even got a birthday goal!  I am grounded by my wonderful family.  I get to live my dream each and every day as the mother to my beautiful children.  I have a husband who adores and takes care of me.  I feel so supported and uplifted by my friends who keep me going day after day.  I am so lucky.  My wish, as I look forward to this next year- is to stay positive, feel empowered, make sure those around me know how much I love them, and take time out for me, too.  A BIG thank you to anyone and everyone who enriches my life.  You know who you are.  Thanks for everything.  And in terms of getting older . . . who wouldn't want to grow old and gray with this guy?  Not this girl!

Cousin Gabe's Birthday!

Life has been so busy lately.  Luckily, the last few days have been fairly quiet and restful.  So, when my sister-in-law asked me if I wanted to join them at the local mini theme park on my nephew Gabe's actual birthday it sounded quite nice!  Happy Hollow is a sweet park that is less than ten minutes from my house.  It has rides for the kids, giant play structures, a mini zoo, great little restaurants, and a petting zoo!  For the entire family, a year membership (two adults and up to four kids) is only $95!  We only went once this summer so I was happy to join Jocelyn and Gabe for this birthday!

Matthew and Gabe become better friends as the days go by.  They had a harder time last year.  I think that the ten month age gap was just too big for them to overcome.  Now that Gabe is older, they really love each other and even take to calling each other their best friend.  Gabe's brother was in school and so were Michael and Claire- so it was nice to just have the three little kids to watch.  I think they liked the fact that it was just them, too!  They weren't worried about playing with the older kids and instead settled on doing things more age appropriate!

The kids had a great time.  The boys went on roller coasters, trains, the carousel, and so much more.  Emily loved riding the rides but also loved watching her brother and cousin whip around on the rides.  The day was perfect.  I didn't think that Happy Hollow could be relaxing but with a few less kids and a mid-week trip (crowds were small) we had the best time.  Happy Birthday Gabe!!!

Emily is 17 Months

We have one crazy girl on our hands.  We are crazy in love with her but she keeps us crazy busy.  Do you see a theme here?  This picture of Emily was taken in our backyard.  She kept trying to stand up on our outdoor chairs despite the fact that Mommy was saying, 'No!'.  When I went over to her to tell her again that I didn't want her to do that because it wasn't safe- she ran away laughing at me.  I absolutely love this picture because I see this little smirk all day long when she tests me!  I know that years from now when I see this picture it will help me remember what it was like to raise little Emily!

I wanted to write down the things that Emily is into these days but instead- I think it would be easier to talk about the things that she is NOT into.  She is not into things that she can reach easily.  She prefers to climb and balance precariously on unsafe structures which makes me have repetitive heart attacks all day long.  She is not into listening at all.  Wait- she is a good listener but if I say to her, 'Emily, please do not push that button again!', she will most definitely stare me down and then in slow motion- push the button!  Well, we've been having a lot of time-outs and little hand spanks (think of me tapping her hand).  Emily loves to push the limits and I think I have a few more gray hairs to show for it!  Emily is also not into car rides, keeping clips in her hair, leaving the toilet alone, television, pacifiers, sleeping soundly, and eating eggs. 

On the flip side, Emily is one of my most happy and smiley babies!  She is such a good girl!  It is just hard when she is in her 'I am going to win and no one will beat me' mood.  I can't blame her though because I have those moods, too.  Each day it is getting easier and easier to mother my sweet girl.  She is getting more independent and requires less from me each day.  I am not too worried about this because she still loves and needs me so much!

Emily is growing like a weed and now weighs 32 lbs!  I really don't care how much my kids weigh but the fact that she is tipping the scales AND spends a great amount of the day in my arms is tough!  My left bicep looks great!  The right one needs some work!  She is starting to run and it is actually kind of scary!  I can't take my eyes off her or she is gone!  Right now Emily is working on breaking though four molars at the same time.  Not fun for her at all (not fun for a Mommy of a teething baby at night, either).

She is trying to communicate a lot but is getting increasingly frustrated.  She calls both Matthew and Michael 'Ma', calls me 'Mom', calls Damien 'Dad', and calls Claire 'Te'.  Not too bad!  She knows a lot of words but because I usually don't have time to work with her on her speaking as much as I would like (instead we are rushing out the door to soccer practices or school) we usually just give her what she wants.  Emily loves to laugh and has a great one!  Her laugh reminds me a lot of Michael's laugh when he was younger.  It is so guttural and just contagious! 

Emily's hair is ridiculously curly!  I LOVE IT!  I don't think it has gotten any longer because as soon as she grows more hair, it just curls up more into ringlets.  I love this because this is what my hair was like when I was her age!  Wild and crazy.  Her eyes are still huge and blue.  Emily is just such a character.  There is no other way to describe her.   Sadly, I don't see so much of a baby in her anymore.  She is seeming to be more two-ish by the day.  One thing we know for sure is that Emily has us all wrapped around her sweet little finger (that probably just touched the button I told her not to) and we love her so much.

GOING PRIVATE

The time has come where I feel that it would be best to make my blog private.  Will you still be able to read my blog?  YES!  However, in order to do so- I need to give you access to it.  Once I go private, you will just need to accept my invitation one time (via your email address).  I am putting this post out today and am going to be refreshing it for two weeks in order to give people a chance to visit.  If you would like to be given access to my blog, simply leave your email address in the comments section.  I am not sure who really reads this blog but don't be shy to leave your email.  I don't write this blog to get comments nor do I write for recognition.  I write solely to have a written record of our life (for my kids to look at later on in life) and I also write to let friends and family keep up with us!  So, if you read my blog and have never left a comment- don't worry.  Just leave me your email so you can still follow our crazy family as we traverse through this bumpy and beautiful journey of life!  I hope to hear from you!!!!            -Lisa