February

February. . .You have come and gone so quickly. How can I sum you up? Remodeling. . .Remodeling. . .Remodeling.

Yes. . . we are new home owners. No. . .we do not live in our new home. We are still hotel living. The home was ours on January 28th. Construction began February 2nd and it's still going. It will be going for quite a while. But we are going to be brave soles and move in once the upstairs is complete. Target date for this is the weekend of March 13th. Keep your fingers crossed it will happen.

Everything people say about a remodel is true. I'm experiencing every last little detail of it. And I've learned I have expensive taste and need to tone it down. I blew my budget on the master bathroom by about 500%, oops. :) But I love it! And that's what counts. Who cares if it would be one full year of Maren's college tuition at a private institution. We'll make it up. We've got a few years. But from here on out, I must put on my frugalista hat; otherwise, we may be in trouble.

I'm not going to bore you with all the crazy details, but know they are crazy. Derek is fully consumed by it; and I have officially turned into an accountant.

Outside of the remodel, February was also full of birthdays.
- Derek's mother Kathy, February 10th
- a belated birthday Party for Serena, President's weekend.
- Carley's, my friend Ann's daughter, second birthday on the 19th
- Hanna, our niece, 13th birthday, on the 18th

Needless to say, there have been a few birthday celebrations. And Maren was able to experience a birthday party prior to her birthday. So, she was able to have some people show her the ropes. Of course, I forgot the camera for Serena's birthday party. Laura and Tom had a big bash for her. And the weather was amazing. Maren had to be outside crawling all over the ground, digging in the dirt, eating rocks, getting filthy. Meanwhile, Serena was like a little princess in her beautiful little Korean ceremony dress and being passed around from one welcoming arm to the next. Everyone had a great time. A few days later, Maren and I headed to Stockton for Carley's birthday party. Carley's party was at a place full of bounce houses for kids. And there was even a little section for toddlers. Maren had a ton of fun and swallowed a lot of germs. :)






And the final thing for February is another job change for me. I am now running Performance Management for Google globally. What does this mean? I don't know. :) That's what I'm trying to figure out. So, work has gotten a lot crazier. That's good though. I'm happier at work when it's crazy. And I feel more accomplished, which makes me feel alive again.

Good bye February. . .hello March.

Shana