A 'Chicken Dinner' 85th Birthday!

Ryan's grandmother turned 85 on Sunday. Joyce and Rick hosted a little party for her at Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant right next to Knott's Berry Farm. It was fun to go back there since none of us had been there in ages. 14 of us celebrated with Grandma Barbara including Craig, Ryan's uncle, who was in town from Portland. As Joyce commented, the food was OK, but the company was EXCELLENT! We all had a great time visiting with each other and catching up. Ryan and I were amused by Grandma Barbara's absolute excitement on opening our gift to her. She and I share a love of Brighton jewelery so she adored her necklace and earring set. Too fun!

Dress Shopping

Kara was in California for the weekend for wedding related activities (since it will be in Orange County on October 10, 2009). Plans are underway! My mom, Kara and I went wedding dress shopping all day Saturday and part of Sunday. We hit some of the old spots from my dress shopping days including the place where I bought my dress in Huntington Beach. It was a really fun day and I enjoyed sitting back with Mom, not having to be the one taking on and off these monsters! Kara was surprised at how exhausting the experience was. At least she found two dresses that could be THE ONE. On Sunday, I was able to try on several bridesmaids dresses (since I have been elected as the Matron of Honor) and found 3 that we all really liked. No final decisions yet, but things are in process! Kara's a bit overwhelmed by all the details yet to plan and needs a break. I remember feeling the same way. Here are a couple pics of the experience (of course, these are not in the running so we don't spoil the surprise!).

The BIG 3-5

This is quite overdue, but better late than never. We had a big celebration for Ryan's 35th birthday. His actual birthday was on January 28th so we began the week of parties on the 25th at Joyce and Rick's house for a family birthday dinner. Prime Rib is Ryan's favorite so it is the traditional feast. Grandma Barbara, Nana and Pops, my mom, Shawn and Brianna and Hailee, and of course Rick and Joyce were there for this lovely meal. Everyone was so generous with some nice gifts as well.

On Saturday, January 31, we threw a birthday bash at our place including friends and our parents. It was a lot of work but went well and was really fun. It was amazing to see everyone gathered from so many walks of our lives, including co-workers, high school friends, neighbors, softball friends, and a couple of my old friends that have now become close with Ryan. The fun part was the "roast" and toast. We did not have too much participation in the roast as people were a little hesitant to speak in front of the big group, but we did get a few good stories. Ryan completed the toast with a tribute to his parents that were celebrating their 40th Wedding Anniversary on February 1st. Now, that is one heck of a reason to party! Happy 35th, Ryan. May the next 35 years top the last!

Kara Is Engaged!

It's been a big weekend for the Netro family! Matt proposed to my sister on Valentine's Day in New York City, one of her absolute favorite spots. I couldn't imagine a more perfect engagement for her. Matt planned a surprise trip from their home in the New Haven area, CT, to New York followed by a horse drawn carriage ride, walk through Central Park, special passes to the top of the Empire State Building and a gourmet dinner at the Waldorf Historia Hotel. Although she knew the proposal was going to happen, seeing the ring box, rose and champagne had her overwhelmed with emotion in that moment. The tears flowed and she said YES! I'm so excited that this was the proposal of her dreams by the love of her life. Congratulations, Kara and Matt! As a side note, Matt was very sweet to call our parents, grandparents, and myself the night before to tell us of his plans and ask for our blessing along with any advice. That call meant so much to me (and Ryan since he originally picked up the phone). What a Valentine's Day for Kara and Matt!

Ryan and I had a really nice V-Day, celebrated on the 15th to avoid the restaurant crowds. We had an amazing seafood dinner at Scott's Seafood and followed it up with a viewing of the Twilight movie. Unfortunately the movie was a cheesy version of the book I had read but our fun day together did not get ruined in the least!

Time to Share

Now that my doctor has given us a clean dose of health on the ultrasound, bloodwork, etc., it's time to share the news with our parents. I'm so thrilled to tell my mom and dad that they will be grandparents for the first time. Joyce and Rick have been dying for Ryan and I to start a family so they will be just as excited. We have planned a lovely evening, inviting them over for dinner to surprise them. What a fun Valentine's treat! Is it weird that it's Friday the 13th?! I'll just knock on some wood and forget about it.

It's Official!

I had my first doctor's appointment yesterday. It was just with the Nurse Practitioner to perform a basic exam, answer some questions, and send me off to get lab work done. She scheduled me in for an Ultrasound that same day. I did get scolded a bit ... so I suppose I made a mistake in exercising as I always do - lift weights at a challenging pace, cardio sessions until I am in a sweat (which takes a lot), etc. Whoops! The Nurse highly suggested that I tone down my workouts to a much lower intensity. She said the baby is growing substantially every day and my body is working very hard to support it. No wonder I've been so tired but without any morning sickness, I thought I could go about my regular schedule. Lesson learned! The Ultrasound was amazing - I saw a little tiny "person" and a fluttering heartbeat. I was able to bring home our first "baby pictures" to show Ryan. I took care of the blood work today so I'm extremely anxious to get feedback on all these tests. We're praying all is ok! The next formal doctor's visit with my OBGYN is in 4 weeks.