Introducing ...

Jax!!!

STATS:

Full name: Jaxson

Breed: French Bulldog

Color: Cream

Date of Birth: January 15, 2010

Place of Birth: Hunter Ridge Kennel, OK

Jax has wonderful folks looking after him there until he is old enough to travel on his own.

We're so thrilled about Jax becoming a part of our lives!
Below are a few pictures ...

ONE WEEK OLD - JANUARY 29th

TWO WEEKS OLD - JANUARY 29th

THREE WEEKS OLD - February 5th

We'll continue to post pictures and more details at homecoming  :)

Gocco Wedding - Part Deux

It's been awhile since I've posted anything here ... Let's catch up.

Ken's left ring finger was mangled in a car door on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Rush to the ER.

Many hours, three stitches, a broken finger and high as a kite, he was allowed to go home. He didn't feel much pain thanks to the Percocets but there was the constant changing of the dressings. Gruesome.

The next few days after that were a blur as he caught a severe cold on top of it. Two more ER visits in the days to follow uncovered an ear infection and a stomach/flu virus.

I had my own surgery the week after "the event" above.

And lately, I've been in training for work then working before and after training was over. It has not been a good New Year for any of us here quite yet.

On a lighter note, both of us have loved our food changes. Since Food, Inc., we're both much more conscious of our food. Ken is taking it a little more extreme than I am but that's ok. It's all part of the fun. He is a lot more involved in cooking so we end up spending more quality time together. Overall a win-win situation.

More recently, we've bought and made grass fed beef burgers, free-range & antibiotic/hormone free roasted chicken, homemade peanut butter, potato chips and a lot of organic eggs :) Also throw into that a fancy mandolin and requests for a Kitchen-Aid mixer, food processor and a bread maker (Ken's requests!!! Boy, our registry will have a few of these gadgets).

Neither of us are fanatics about this but we just have a heightened awareness.

I am getting back to planning our formal reception and renewal ceremony later this fall. Small steps make this process easier but a lot of help also doesn't hurt! I have on hand MANY helpful hands, hearts and minds as well as a TALENTED event planner extraordinaire (who also happens to be a very good friend of mine) who has signed on to sort out my jumbled ideas.

First part consists of DIY projects. I only have one word that inspires me to undertake such things.

GOCCO.

All will be revealed as I will chronicle it all here as I fumble, fail, try again and hopefully succeed!

Food, Inc.

For those of you who haven't yet seen this, give it a look-see. The things you see may startle and surprise you. There is a lot going on in the food industry that we know very little about. Considering food is a universal importance, it should strike horror into all eyes watching.

Since we've watched this, we've been making more of a conscious effort to know where our meat is coming from and how it is getting into our hands. This doesn't mean we've taken up farming and butchering the meat ourselves but it is about awareness and taking a wholehearted interest in the details in our lives.

All this heightened sense of consciousness has also bled into other aspects of our lives that doesn't necessarily show obvious relevance.

We take a little more time soaking in the mundane minutiae of our daily lives and taking pleasure in it. It was almost as if we had been living in Plato's cave and we had been released to see the true images of the gray shadows we thought to be true. And now in hindsight, we're returning to the cave to see if others will also entertain giving the truth a chance.

Where am I going with this?

The past few months have been utter shock, awe and horror muddled into an emotional volcano that sputters searing pain from within out to the fallout experienced by others close by. And yet, we're tied to this volitile collapse and for now, we only see the devastation. Over time, we'll see if our ashes will create fertile ground or hardened rock.

At the moment, my plumbing is undergoing serious scrutiny. We are trying to be patient. We are trying to avoid negativity and are shunning ignorance altogether. We've used this space to express great joy, unspeakable pain and many moments in between. We'll continue to do so regardless of how many people do or do not read it. Thank you for those of you who are out there and have gone through a similar experience.

There is none so other than a kindred spirit connected through tragedy to aid the healing.

Who said "Feeling is healing?" That is so true.

Your Resolutions

The start of a new year is drawing nearer each passing moment ...

tick tock, tick tock, tick tock ...

and what are the types of things we're so determined to stand firm on next year?

Are we convinced that this is the year we'll lose those pesky ten (maybe more like twenty) pounds gained over the holidays?

Is it decided that we'll make more time for ourselves, our children or our spouses?

Become a better friend, a more caring sibling or a considerate neighbor?

Whatever it is that you're hoping, wishing and dreaming about for 2010, there is little consolation that these things don't happen on their own. These things must take on a life of their own and more than just a slight modicum of effort on ourselves for it to materialize.

Thank you friends, family and e-samaritans for unfailing support, renewed energy and exemplifying the magnitude an act of simple human kindness can impress on a person.

Wishing everyone out there a safe and Happy New Year! See you in 2010!!

End of Year Musings

We're almost to the end of the year and there a lot of erratic emotions wildly flying through our hearts ... not quite sure where to settle down. The holidays are bittersweet and the bite of loss is sharp. To cope and make it through each day, it is and was important to remind myself of the things I am thankful for.

Everyone is doing their countdown of the "Best of 2009" so I adapted that to my own liking here.

NARIA and KEN'S BEST OF 2009

JANUARY

Enjoying the wedding planning and setting a date.

FEBRUARY

Deciding a wedding theme and searching venues in a few different states.

MARCH

Planning and booking our annual joint family vacation.

APRIL

Found a venue!!!
Thanks to a wonderful suggeston - much appreciation!

Many, many birthdays!!!

MAY

Bridal dresses, the Knot and my birthday :)

JUNE

We're pregnant!! Oh Happy Day!

JULY

We're sick and preparing for vacation.

AUGUST

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!
No laptop!
Enough said.

SEPTEMBER

We're married!

Finishing first trimester and seeing 3-D ultrasound photos.
We're in awe!

OCTOBER

Shy of our next exam, Nari is born and became our personal guardian angel.

Most beautiful little girl we ever saw!

NOVEMBER

Becoming a "Mrs." on plastic and fried turkey.

DECEMBER

Ending the year - we're so ready for twenty-ten.

I forgot how wonderful it is having a living Christmas tree.

I also keep forgetting that a real Christmas tree means it also needs watering ... oops!

Don't worry though! It's still alive ...

... and holding all of our ornaments ...

... complete with a trinket admirer.

From one family to yours, keep loved ones close and warm your hearts by the fire that creates.

We exist to enjoy the adventures that these connections spark.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a Wonderful Kwanzaa everyone!!!