Embracing Life: Celebrating the past, present, and future!

Every week is an adventure in our crazy world and the last couple weeks were no exception as we celebrate life; Past, Present, and Future.

The Past:

1 year ago we lost a pillar in our family hierarchy, my Grandma who we lovingly refer to as Gigi. It’s extremely difficult to write this section, but she was so important in our lives I feel I must continue. Aside from just being in existence because of her and my Grandpa, who survives her, I owe much of who I am to her dedication to my life and character. She was a profound mentor and confidant to me and many who had the honor of knowing her. She not only ‘talked the talk’ she backed up her beliefs with action and unending love. She was able to see 8 of her GREAT grandchildren and our kids looked forward to spending their Friday nights with Gigi and Gipa as Sara and I enjoyed a date night. Our 4 kids grew very close to her and, while it is still earth shattering in the wake of her passing, the enrichment and memories they enjoy will always be treasured.

To celebrate her life my immediate and extended family all went out to ‘The Old Spaghetti Factory’ in the beautiful Downtown San Diego. We chose that place because it’s a family favorite and as my brother, cousins, and I, all grew up together our grandparents took us there MANY MANY times. In fact it was at ‘The Old Spaghetti Factory’ where Sara and I announced, to Gigi and the rest of the family, that her first great grandchild was on her way. Every child made her and Gipa’s life even brighter. While the anniversary of her passing is an emotional time for all of us the celebration was a time filled with laughter, love, and really good food!

The Present:

Each month we have a family day with our family on Sara’s side. It’s always a hilarious time filled with stories, laughter, incredible food, wonderful cocktails, wine, and, often, my favorite…Scotch Whiskey. It’s a time for the cousins to literally bounce off the walls on the giant trampoline, play on the play set, and generally bond by getting into mischief.

During this time my brother-in-law, Lucas, was brewing up some new beer with his impressive setup. It’s mesmerizing to watch him meticulously perfect his craft. It’s an impressive meld of art and science and the result is always delicious!

This month’s family day was extra special because we also celebrated my wonderful mother’s birthday by enjoying Mexican Food, margaritas, and above all good conversation.

Each week Sara and I have date night and often times we have double dates with people we love. We’ve found that dates often start much earlier than the actual date night. In this case we were able to start our day at the beach with our kids and some of our favorite people in the world, our sister and brother-in-law, on Sara’s side, Lisa and Jay. We always have an unpredictably boisterous and hilarious time. Jay’s face cracks me up in our pic together and perfectly demonstrates our random humor. So much fun!

The Future:

We also celebrated the marriage of our cousin on Sara’s side, Shannon, and her fiance, Preston. It was a small and romantic wedding on the beautiful Coronado Island. We wish them God speed on their journey through life together!