Team Tiny Tot

We met this really awesome couple back when we lived in Sedro-Wooley, WA. Laura, Keiffer, Calista, Bridget and Tennyson Marino. Anyone that's been following our travels will know that that was a long while ago. Kaity was only 8 months old. She's turning 4 in September! Anyway, the Marino's, which back then was just Laura, Keiffer and Calista) totally reached out to us when we moved there even though they were relatively new as well. We moved to Riverside, CA after our 6 months in WA and just a few months after we got to CA the Marino's moved to San Diego. We were able to spend some more time with them during the year we were there.
What I'm trying to say in all this is that we know them, spent time with them and think the world of them. This isn't some strange family we've heard of through a friend of a friend.
Through A LOT of thought and research they have decided to adopt a child from Russia. I've been following their process so far and it's crazy the amount of money, time and energy that needs to be spent to do this. I was reading their current blog post (www.tinytottale.blogspot.com) and I really wanted to do something to try and help. At this point, we aren't able to help in a significant financial way but reading on their website (www.teamtinytot.com) I've learned that there are so many other ways to help. One way is to spread the word. I can do that. I have posted a picture on the side of our blog of "Team Tiny Tot". To find out more about why they have chosen to adopt and what you can do to help them along their way go to:
www.teamtinytot.com
www.tinytottale.blogspot.com
Or you can find them on facebook
www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Tiny-Tot/401215149934568

Remember, there are so many ways we can help!

PaPa-PaParazzi

Cameron's family came into town the night of the 4th to spend a couple of days with us before heading off to Lake Tahoe. We didn't do anything spectacular because we all got head colds. Fun. But lucky for us, Cameron's parents wanted to see us enough to put up with our coughing and sneezing. And like the great people they are, they took my two loverly children with them when they left for Tahoe. The girls were so excited and so was I! Cameron was able be here for most of their visit but was called to sit reserve (TDY is the fancy airline name for it) in Los Angeles. He left at 1pm and wouldn't be able to go to his hotel until he got "off" reserve at 9pm. I figured that since his family was going to be leaving early the next morning that I should fly out to LA and spend Friday night and all day Saturday with him. Again, because they are so great, they were more then happy to let me go. So that's what I did. I caught a flight that landed me in LA at 8:55pm so that we could catch the hotel shuttle together. Perfect. This is the hotel that Cameron get paid to stay at and have a little get-a-way with his wife:

 

The room decor was modern but the building was old. It was very nice. We didn't know how nice until Saturday night when we were waiting for my airport shuttle. But before all that, the hotel was about 2 miles from the beach and I couldn't be that close and not go. We got our walking shoes on and walked to Dockweiler Beach. We got there and we ate some lunch while watching the waves and getting a little more sun then we intended. I always forget that you can get burnt through clouds. We went to the wash station to wash the sand off our feet. There's two buttons, one for the shower and one for the foot rinse. Well, I wasn't paying close enough attention and I pushed the shower button as Cameron was standing underneath. I can't tell you how funny it was. Oh man, it was great. Not only because he got wet but because I did it on accident and he knows it so he can't retaliate. Anyone who knows Cam know that he loves to get people back. Not this time. He had plenty of time to dry off on our walk back. We went back up to our room all tuckered out and fell asleep watching MythBusters. That show's so cool. We went down to the lobby to wait for the shuttle back to LAX. Man, were we under dressed, or should I say "overly" dressed. It was something off of BET or some music video. 

It looked like some rapper was having a private party. These are not actual pictures but they could have been.

Heck, if I knew any of these people in these pictures they very well could have been there. There were girls showing up in nothing but metallic bikini tops and short skirts with 5 inch heels on, Mercedes, Range Rovers and even a Ferrari rolling around in the valet parking. I guess when you think of a typical LA private party this would have been it. It was so funny to watch all these people come and go in the lobby, try and pick up girls and looking for their "boys". I can't do it justice. It was the most entertaining 15 minutes I've had in a while. I got into the shuttle with a couple from New Zealand and as soon as the door closed we looked at each other like, "did we really just see all that?" You just kept waiting for paparazzi to pop out some where. All this was going down in the lobby and we could have been people watching that whole time! haha It was a really great mini vacation for us and even better because it was all paid for!

 Now the girls are in Tahoe with Grandma and Grandpa and Cameron's still in LA. It really is nice to have absolute peace and quite some times. I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday afternoon because I am sure going to enjoy mine!

Every Good Villian Has One

I had a request to update the blog::ahem::AMBER. I told (that person) that there was nothing new in our lives but I guess that was a little untrue.
So here's a little back story. Every good villian has one...
Ever since I was in high school I wanted to be an athletic trainer. I think it started because one of my brothers went into sports medicine at one point...don't quote me on that. Anyway, I did a little job shadow thing with the trainers at Pacific Luthern University my senior year and I loved it. I got to stand on the sidelines of a football game and was nearly crushed by giants. It was awesome. Just trust me on that. Well, I didn't do a lot of planning. I didn't really know what I wanted to do other then play softball in college. Turns out, that's a bad way to plan out your college selections. Long story short, I didn't apply to any schools that had the program. Life went on, I got a little more confused, a little more off course and I pretty much forgot about this dream of mine. And I looked at it like a dream. Nothing acheievable. Well, a few weeks ago I found out (very randomly) that Cal Sate University-Fresno has an Athletic Training degree. 15 mins down the street from my current location! Amazing! Coinsidence? I think not. I looked into what it would take and it turns out CA is anal retentive in just about every aspect of their life here. Seriously, some of the laws are very stupid. Well, education is no different. I recieved an A.S in general studies hoping beyone hope that I wouldn't have to take any more general education classes when I decided to go back to school but that isn't going to happen. I've missed the deadline to start at Fresno State this fall but I have to take 3 more classes before I can even be admitted. SO, I applied to Brigham Young University-Idaho (where I previously attended) to be an online student this fall and I found out this morning that I got ADMITTED!! Yay! It's been kind of stressful that last couple of weeks, thinking about going back to school after being out for 4+ years, what classes are going to transfer, blah blah blah, it's done. I'll start online classes September 10th and submit my application for Fresno State October 1st. I'm so stinkin' excited. I never thought that this would happen.
Alright, so it's a silly update but that's all I have for you.
Cameron's working his tail off trying to keep bringing the bacon. We see him for about 1-2 days a week. He's still really enjoying it. Breanne is registered to start public school 1st grade August 20th and Kaity is on a wait list for Pre school. Other then that, we are loving our CA weather, free flight privilages, swimming, going to the library, riding bikes, chasing squirles, lizards and the occasional bird.