the essay that got me in...

Unlike most transfer applicants to the Sonoma State Kinesiology department, I can speak from experience and say what a distinguished program it truly is. I can say this because I was a Kinesiology major at Sonoma State for almost two years. The first semester into my fourth year at Sonoma State I was forced to make the hardest decision of my college career. I was only two semesters from graduating when some family and personal issues arose causing me to make the difficult decision to take a break from school, knowing full well that I would most likely have to start the application process all over. I am happy to say that I am now in a better place than ever to get my degree in Kinesiology to pursue my career in Cardiac Rehabilitation.

Only a semester into the Kinesiology department at Sonoma State I knew I had chosen the right major. After receiving a 96% in Anatomy 101 with Dr. Nosce and being asked to help teach her lab the following semester I felt as though I had found my calling. This course in particular is what sparked my interest in Cardiac Rehabilitation, making “lifetime physical activity” the perfect concentration for me. Along with anatomy, I continued to excel in all of the classes within the major. I especially enjoyed the outside opportunities that being in the major presented. Being part of “Saturday Sidekicks” is still one of my best memories at SSU.

I feel as though I contributed well to the major while I was there and would continue to do so, should I be accepted to the program again. I genuinely enjoyed being part of class discussions, projects and extracurricular activities such as the KIN club and Saturday Sidekicks. I am greatly looking forward to being part of the Sonoma State Kinesiology department again to accomplish my academic goal.

baby talk.

Funny things Kenley is doing:

1. Calling me "Jess."

2. We have to wait for the garbage man every Tuesday morning to wave hello from the kitchen window... not that she knows that its Tuesday but she ALWAYS hears him coming.... I think it makes his morning too. She calls him the "GAH-GUY"

3. She is obsessed with the Minnie Mouse doll that Torrey got her at Disneyland. She has to come EVERYWHERE with her.

4. Her new favorite signs are "dirty" and "clean"... she says them both really well too. I would HIGHLY suggest the "Signing Time" dvds to new moms... I loved learning ASL (American Sign Language) with Kenley and I'm convinced its why she speaks so well. Learn more HERE. I have the first three dvds and have borrowed the rest if anyone would like to borrow mine!

5. Her hair is kind of a mess right now but Im doing my best to keep it out of her face and just let it grow out of this awkward stage. Im on a mission to keep her from having bangs!

This weekend my two best friends from college, Danielle and Lauren are coming to visit. Gavin will be in beautiful Fresno of all places for baseball, so they are coming to keep Kenley and I company.  This has been Gavins finals week and he has been even more busy than usual if thats possible. He is studying like CRAZY when he's not at practice or work.

Kenley and I are off to walk/hike Mt Rubidoux (our favorite place we havent been in a while)
HAPPY HUMP DAY!

can you two please hurry up and get here already?!?

ode to the flat chested female.

When I stumbled upon this article today, it took me back to a less than thrilling moment a couple weeks ago when I went to get measured for a new bra at Victoria Secret. I measured at  32 AA (double A being even smaller than an A cup).... I had to let that one sink in for a moment. I was at the store in the first place because I needed a new bra and wasnt quite "filling out" the ones I have. I figured it was because they were getting worn out??... While I have never had a "big" chest, I dont think Ive ever measured at an A cup. I know full well that if I were to put some weight back on I would have a little more to work with... but if working out 5 times a week, eating "clean" and nursing a baby for 10 months is going to put me at a double A, then double A it is!

I think there is something very naturally beautiful about a woman with a flat chest (and no, I dont mean the stick thin models whose sternums you can see). I just think that a flat chest can be dressed up, or dressed down without being tacky. And I feel like a lot of clothes these days are made for woman with less cleavage. Now, dont get me wrong.... big boobs definitely have their "perks" quite literally. But why not imbrace what Im working with?!? I dont dig the big implants look, definitley not for me so I know I will never get them. Plus I know my man loves the way I look and thats really all that matters right?? (besides how I feel of course)

Thanks for listening to my ramble... and as I always assume, I have a female audience until notified otherwise!

disney bound.

It is so beautiful outside so I just had to take my laptop outside and sit under a tree to do a quick post. Kenley fell asleep on the way home from the store and magically stayed alseep (which she rarelt does) for a nap. She had a quick nap this morning but she was up at 6:30 so I think it was more of a continuation from last night.

We will be missing most of Gavins game tonight (home game vs Sac State) since Kenley and I will be drving out to LA to pick up Torrey and her boyfriend Trey from the airport. I havent seen Tor since Christmas and I cant wait. We have such an event filled weekend packed. Tomorrow morning we are heading to Disneyland! (yes, very brave of us since it is supposed to be 80 degrees and its a Saturday).

Our friend Wes was nice enough to get us FREE tickets through a family connection, so nice right?

Kenley hasnt been to Disneyland since we first moved down here and she was five months old. She obviously didnt have the slightest clue what was going on so I am SO excited to see how she is this trip. She is in love with Mickey Mouse right now and I even got Torrey, Kenley and I Minnie Mouse ears from Kissui.

Im predicting being done at the park around 5 ish (Kenley wont last much longer than that) and making it back in time for Gavins game at 6... where Michael will most likely meet us. I havent seen my UCR baseball family in a couple weeks and cant wait to introduce Torrey to the chaos known as "the sharing of Kenley." haha :)

Sunday I am taking Torrey and Trey to downtown Redlands so they can see why I love it so much. They will get to see my beloved Kissui and eat at the famous "Martha Greens Eating Room"...
(There is also a new ice cream place down there that I tried last night after work and OOOMMMGGG.... IT WAS AMAZING!)

Speaking of work yesterday... holy moses were we busy. Of course I had Kenley with me and it was busy from the second I walked in the door. Thursday afternoons/evenings are usually always busy because its Market Night, but I have never seen it like this. I wore her on my back most of the time but we were both getting tired and hot so she was SUCH a good girl and played with her play-dough in her pack-n-play behind the counter. I love how understanding our customers are too. I had people playing peek-a-boo with her while waiting in line and she was "talking" their ear off about one thing or another :)

Well its nearly 3pm and I havent quite made it to the shower today... even after a morning workout... ewww gross!!

Pictures to come from this weekend... HAPPY FRIDAY!

The Quiet Book

The more that Kenley plays with her "Quiet Book" the more I realized I NEEDED to post pictures of it.
If you remember, I did a post right after Christmas about how Gavin's Aunt Sue, MY Aunt Sue :)... had HAND-MADE Kenley a "Quiet Book"........ This thing is seriously amazing. I must look through it once a day while in Kenley's room.

I still cant decide who loves it more... me or Kenley.

Let me explain each page starting from the top....

On the page with the potted flowers... each flower "unbuttons." Kenley has already learned how to take each flower off... now we are working on putting them back on :)

On the page next to it with the catepillar, each section of his body "snaps" off with little metal snaps. Kenley can get them off and on and loves to put the little circles in his "cocoon."... which is a tiny pocket!

The page with the tree, Aunt Sue said was the hardest... but is actually my favorite :) Under the cloud is a rainbow, under the toadstool is a frog, and you can see the flaps that uncover the ladybug and bird. The little owl is on a string and hides in a little pouch at the bottom of the tree.
The page with the barn, I accidently hid my favorite finger puppets with the barn door. There is also a pig and rooster under there. Kenley loves putting the animals on each finger and knows them all by name :)

The page next to it with the shape/color balloons has velcro on the back of each shape so that Kenley can match each balloon to the shape and color under it. Kenley is getting better at this. (for a while every color was "lellow' and now its "PIIIINNNKKK!!!!")

I LOVE the page with the doll and her clothes all hanging on a line!!! (not to mention the mini clothes-pins that hold all of the clothes up)

The page with the fish will probably be the page that Kenley will figure out last. As of right now she just likes to hide all of the fish in the pocket under the rock.... although she is counting to five right now!

Thank you so much Aunt Sue, for this timeless gift. I cant imagine the time it took but know that the hours that this little girl will spend exploring it will be tenfold the hours that it took to make.

trusting.

Good evening bloggers.

After a productive day at home I was looking to sitting down to do a blog post tonight.

Its been an eventful week so far. Our poor little babe has a nasty cold, which kept us from going to Gavins game last night (which I am secretly kind of happy about because I heard it was FREEZING).
So Kaley, Kenley and I snuggled on the couch with girl scout cookies and listened to the game on my computer. It was funny because there was about a two second delay of what we were hearing from the announcer... so we would hear the crowd cheer and THEN find out what had happened. (yes, we live THAT close to the field.) And when I heard that Gavin was going in to pitch I was tempted to run across the street real quick!

Right now Gavin is packing up to leave for Texas in the morning... although it wont require much packing as he never unpacked from being in Arizona last weekend. Im ready to be husband-less again for the weekend! At least last weekend I was in San Diego with my mom and brother (which was a BLAST by the way.)
This weekend it will just be Kenley and I. We have a few plans for the weekend and a baby shower on Sunday. The baby shower is for my friend Cherith that I met down here shortly after we moved to Riverside and had to go and move to Oregon on me! She really was my favorite mom friend down here and I was so bummed when she moved. Her good friend Amber (who doesnt have kids but I have continued to be friends with) is throwing her a shower in Redlands on Sunday. I am excited to see everyone and Kenley is excited to see Cheriths daughter Brooklynn who is exactly one month younger than Kenley. Cherith is having a little boy this time around and I have a feeling is going to give me baby fever. I am obsessed with the boy stuff at Kissui right now so I cant wait to spoil him :)

Part of the reason I needed to do a post tonight was to update everyone after the doctors appointment I had on Friday. I saw Dr. Riley again to follow up after my third round of blood tests. Everything came back in the "higher range of normal" this time, which is good enough for me. He suggested that I follow up with Dr. Sawyer and "stay away from doctors for a while." He called my DHEA the higher range of normal meaning that it will be something that they will monitor throughout my life and keep an eye on as I get older. I was thankful for this news and appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers.

So with that behind us for the time being I have something else that I am requiring prayers for... and that is for one of my very best friends at home, Chelsey. With her permission of course, I am asking that everyone really be praying for her. Chelsey and I have been best friends since the 5th grade. We went to one of the private K-8th schools together in Napa and then parted ways when we went to opposite public high schools, her at Vintage High and myself at Napa High. As high school progressed and we became busy with sports, friends, boys etc and not being at the same high school we started to drift apart slowly. Looking back on it, I never thought of it that way but we definitely werent as close as we have been in the last couple of years. Even in college I always knew that no matter how frequently we talked she would always be one of my very best friends and had always been there for me.
When Chelsey found out that I was pregnant, she was so quick to be extremly supportive and has been AMAZING with Kenley ever since. She threw me the most amazing baby shower and has spoiled Kenley since the day she was born. (remember the giraffe outfit??... ya, that was Chels)
Generous is the word I think of when it comes to Chelsey. Generous, along with beautiful, humble and talented. She has one of those natural, capture-the-attention-of-the-room beauties. She is humble in that she would never tell you that by the age of 24 she had opened her own salon, while coaching the girls JV basketball team at Vintage High... not to mention her job as a waitress that she has had since high school. Despite how many things she has her hand in, she is talented at each and every one and is always so professional.
Last week my Chelsey found out that she has a rare cervical cancer that is usually found in women over the age of 65. Adnocarcinoma is the name they have given it. She was already in surgery less than a week after finding out and is awaiting more extensive results after a biopsy done during the procedure. Please help me by praying for positive results from this biopsy and a swift healing after the surgery she has already had.
The times that I have talked to Chels since all of this she has kept such mature, positive perspective on everything... and the best way I know how to describe it is "reasonable." She understands the seriousness, yet has kept an open mind and is taking all the right precautions.
Until recently, I didnt know what it was like to have your health in question... almost like nothing feels quite right when you dont. So I pray that God has His hand on Chelsey through all of this and gives her the peace that only comes through knowing and trusting Him.
I love you so much Chelsey!! I wish more than anything I could be at home with you, snuggled up watching our favorite show Cougartown and eating ice cream. Please know that there are so many people loving you and thinking of you every moment.

recreating a picture from 8th grade graduation

The Adventures of Kenley and June

I am currently trying to keep my mind busy while I close in on the last hour or so of my fast that I am supposed to be doing for a blood test at 2:30. I havent eaten since 8pm last night and I am starving, light headed and weak. Something I forgot to mention in my previous posts was how low my blood pressure has been in the past couple of visits to the doctor. The doctor attributed it to over-exercise and possibly all of the blood I have lost in the past 18 months. So I am giving myself a little of a break this week and definitely not working out today as I can barely lift my fingers to type.
Today they will be testing my 3 testosterone hormones, the DHEA (for a third time) and my insulin levels (hence the fast). I see Dr. Riley again on Friday to go over the results of the lab work and then we will go from there. My mom and brother will be here Friday so I am trying to look forward to that instead :)
Gavins family left this morning. We had such a fun weekend... watched lots of baseball, ate good food and crafted our lives away yesterday.
I am so excited to show what the products of our craft day were!

MEET JUNE!

I have wanted a cloth doll for Kenley for months! (ever since I saw a similar one on Etsy) She is totally into babies right now and always goes straight for her friend Mae's baby dolls whenever she is at her house!
Of course the seller on Etsy wanted for $50 for it... Patty and I were determined to make one on our own.
June (named for the month that Kenley was born)... is made entirely from scraps of quilting fabric that Patty picked up at an estate sale.

The lace on her "tush" are scraps from Patty's Grandmothers sewing collection. Patty, like myself, is a lover of all things old and vintage...and is actually starting an antique warehouse with a couple of her friends in which they are renting out corners of space to vendors to sell their vintage finds and hand-made creations. It should be up and running in March. She brought pictures and it is in the awesome building right in the heart of Cloverdale. I cant WAIT to see it.

Anyway we worked all day on June and her friend "Chloe Cumulus".... (if you dont get the name, "cumulus" is a type of cloud)

Kenley already has been carrying the two of them around and tucks baby June into her "bed" that Grandma Patty brought (also an estate sale find.)

My plan is to take pictures of Kenley with June throughout her childhood and make a hard-bound book. "The Adventures of Kenley and June"...

There are lots of baby dolls out there but Kenley needed the perfect one :)

...and in the mean time Grandma Patty is going to making "outfits" for June and possibly one to match an outfit of Kenley's.

Thank you Grandma Patty for making our vision come to life xoxo