Post Red Eye Flight
I rallied to celebrate the luck of the Irish. Sheppards pie-check, guinness-check, my favorite Irish bar-check and a second location to a fancy place in the VIP section with my high tops and white v-neck-OY! check, check. Ended the night with a burger and fries right before bed. It was a good, long day. 
Thanks for the cozy hoodie Squires!
This is the song we sing to each other!
Hey Girl by Lady Gaga. It’s a family favorite. We use pens as microphones and we get into it! We sing it loud and proud. 
Yes, they like to swing while holding my hand… There’s a timer and then I switch sides to hold hands with Blaize. This.Is.Love
Hey Girl, hey girl if you lose your way, just know that I got you! Blaize, Pepper and I sing this to each other as Kai silently watches with big eyes. Haha
Hey Girl, we can make it easy if we lift each other. We don’t need to give up on one other. Singing with my girls is so awesome!
It’s beautiful and so sweet.
Steering the catamaran in Honolulu
Yep, I love boats. That’s all.
I meet a lot of people at work and in life for that matter. Rarely do I meet people that inspire me with my mouth open. But it’s been happening a lot lately. One of the reasons I love people and love to travel is one of the many reasons I’m a flight attendant when I don’t have my mom hat on.
Wearing my favorite apron
My favorite passengers in 2017 happened close together, which is unusual. Both were in first class and one was from Eugene-go figure?
One woman was in her 60’s and had an attitude and energy that’s hard to explain. She was awesome! I wanted to chat with her alnight. She was cool with my airplane jokes and was a school counselor for her JOB. She was looking for a new gig and applied as a flight attendant within the past year. Like many of the people I get to work with I would love to work with her. She was with her husband and he was on the aisle but felt our love connection so kept his pie hole closed. Haha!
Another favorite passenger was a woman who introduced herself to me in main cabin last Spring. I’m hoping that she sees this blogpost and reaches out to me. She found me online years ago when I was pregnant with my momo twins and hospitalized. She followed me on my blog and recognized me on the airplane?! Whaat?! It’s a small world.
She also had twins and experienced a high risk pregnancy (not momo twins but had complications of her own) As I was cruising down the aisle pouring the diet coke, she introduced herself, briefly told me how she knew me and then said she’s taking this solo trip to get her “head straight.” She was on the divorce train and said she admired and felt strength from reading my old blog. The amazing part to me is that she had the balls to say hi and share what she did with me from the WINDOW SEAT! She had a shy demeanor with a quiet voice, she had two strangers sitting next to her and going through a major life transformation. Wow! I love “real” people who are trying their best to make real connections.
She asked if we could get a coffee sometime and I said, sure! I would love to get a coffee with any twin mom, ANYTIME.
So, I love a good challenge especially with self improvement stuff. Recently, I’ve been encouraging a mom friend to workout. She had all the good excuses of WHY she couldn’t workout. I listened for awhile and tossed ideas toward her for months. Finally, I said-TODAY do it today! 15minutes on your bike at home is it. Commit to a 30 day challenge where you try to workout for 15min for 30 days in a row. And if you miss a day or two, doesn’t matter. Just do it. She did it and sent me a text picture of her workout stats. She continues to send me a text picture of her workout weeks into it. Haha! 
Mom selfie
I thought about doing a yoga or gym challenge but that would be sandbagging myself. it has to be something a little scary but something interesting and doable to hold my attention. I thought about matching bra and panties for 30days. Now that would a stretch and BORING. If I match once a week I feel like I’m crushing it. #justsayin
My intention is to share, give you a giggle and maybe inspire you to challenge yourself. Then it came to me during yoga (as many ideas do) that I would do a 30 day challenge of writing. That sounds awesome. Challenging and a little scary-my kinda goal!
Also, the last time I did this 30 day writing challenge was over 5 years ago. I was pregnant with my high risk twin babies and hospitalized. Crap, that was a tough time.
Today, my focus is different but it’s always a good idea to shake things up as the seasons change if you ask me.
I hope you come with me on my 30 day challenge and hope it will inspire something new and invigorating for you.
So, I came back to spin classes after a tumultuous 10 months off. The turmoil is still going but I’m tired of waiting for a “good time” to get back on the bike. So, I hopped on that spin bike 3 weeks ago and had an awesome workout with an amazing instructor.
Then I did it again. My second spin class in 10 months was 2 weeks ago. She was also an amazing instructor. Not sure if I get more physically or mentally from these classes. The jury is still out. As the NOISE rises, so does my self care. I will always take care of myself and my people-it’s in my blood.
If you are like me and in the thick of it and don’t have time, energy or desire to workout-get yourself to a group fitness class. It will change everything. Because, life is happening and waves are coming whether we like it or not. Better to have the sparkle in our heart from a great workout when the waves come crashing in.
May fitness and health be a priority this year and always, my friends.
Seeking more adventures, life balance and lots of laughs next year! Only 16 days left in 2017 and I couldn’t be more excited. 2017 rocked my world in so many ways. I’m ready to say farewell, goodbye and hello to the new year. 
Doing a 360 degree spin jump this summer
As I reflect on the past year, I shake my head. It’s like the saying goes, 2 steps forward and one step back. Or 2 steps forward and 4 steps back in my world. One big change for me is that I’m focusing on what I want, instead of what I don’t want. I used to reiterate what I don’t want because I thought that list was easier to swallow. When the noise rises, so does my self care. A friend was surprised that I did anything other than yoga. Wait, what, you go to the gym too?! Haha! Yeah, you could say that. Running, spinning and gym time is way easier for me than the yoga. However, the yoga is my best effort toward self love and self care. It’s what I need but not usually what I want. #justsayin
I’m ramping up the self care and gettin’ after the good stuff. Focusing on the fun, the travel and the mom life (the best life) this next trip around the sun.
So, I dragged my tired, puffy self to burncycle this morning. I haven’t been for over 10months and it left a mark. I will be walking funny for days… But, I’m looking for a new outcome 2018 so gotta put my money where my mouth is. There is no butt kicking quite like a cycle class. And, I LOVED it!
Here’s to an awesome last couple of weeks of 2017 and a bigger and better 2018!
Let the good times roll, my friends.
This is Five!
Birthday Pedi’s!
Pepper LOVED every part of birthday mani and pedis- especially the massage. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Haha!
Dying to share my Christmas Tree story and give credit to the 5 grown men who grunted it out with me. But, life happened today-hard and fast. Kinda like a Monday and always with my 3 little ducks in tow. Christmas tree story soon. I suppose it isn’t that unusual because I’ve been hustling a real Christmas tree by myself for as long as I can remember.
The difference is that when the kids were little, I could strap them into the carseats and onto me with the ergo. This year, they were running around like wild animals at my annual holiday work party. Still can’t believe how good our tree worked out with a few extra helpers. It’s an 8 foot tree that “we” strapped to the top of my tiny car during a huge rain storm.
Julian sporting Kai’s blue gloves and Kai loving his new white gloves.
After 10 days and nights in a row with my little people, we’re still gettin the fun daily! We hit the streets for a romp in the park and to hear the singing tree in Jameson Square again. So awesome! Then we were craving hot lips pizza and Kai had some gloves he wanted to give the pizza guy. His name is Julian and he’s a super cool guy and listened to Kai’s stories with great enthusiasm. They traded stories (mostly Kai talked and Julian listened) and gloves. Kai gave him a pair of his coveted blue gloves while Julian slipped Kai a pair of Hot Lips white gloves. I love this town so much!
Julian, do you want to be my Man-Nanny? Haha!
Good times. Classic Starbucks bathroom poop party.
Of course, it would be weird for my little ducks to make the 10 minute walk home without an urgent poop alert. They love to poop in public. Pepper claimed she had to poop so bad about 2 minutes after leaving hot lips pizza where there are lots of bathrooms. Oh well, we shamelssly charged into Starbucks, asked for the bathroom code and handled it. At least we didn’t have the double stroller in there. All that space for Kai to sit on the bathroom floor and enjoy his new gloves. 🙂
Yep. Santa flys in on an airplane complete with Mrs. Claus and a scad of elves in tow. This is my favorite part about our holiday kids party. Yes, there are bouncy houses, kids games, with arts and crafts. This year there were even hot cocoa stations with the usual cotton candy station but nothing is as cool as Santa cruisin’ in on that airplane if you ask me. 
Santa coming to high five the kids before he mounts his throne for photos
My little ducks watching Santa arrive! 
Pepper gettin’ it on the bouncy houses! 
Kai fished like crazy this year!
Christmas 2017. Kai is always so BUSY during pictures. Haha
I never even hesitate to sit on Santa’s lap with my kids. I don’t know why but I realized not many other parents pop onto Santa’s lap with their kids?! Sure, I heard Santa laugh and grunt a little when all of us snuggled him for the picture. All I could think of was how hot he must be. With the beard, the suit, the boots and the hat UNDERNEATH all those people for hours. Haha! Poor Santa!
Stop by tomorrow for the story behind our Christmas tree. It took 5 grown men to help us but we did it! We have a real Christmas tree in our apartment and I’m so happy.
babymama3pdx 