more may

on may 14th, i left for another work trip to Portland. i've talked about Portland in previous posts, but i just need to say again that i seriously love that city. my company's home office (and one of my clients) is located there so i get to travel there more than anywhere else. this trip was our annual training session, where all account managers from across the nation come together to learn and collaborate with each other. it's a really good opportunity to grow and meet new people. and i get to travel with my friends (co-workers) which makes work travel so much more fun. the rest of may was crazy busy at work. an entire week was dedicated to prepping for finalist presentations, which by the end had me wanting to pull my hair out.

as usual, i can't let may pass without acknowledging two of my favorite dates of the year. may 13th and may 26th are special days for me and nic. 12 years ago on may 13th, nic and i danced for the first time. little did we know then that we would be dancing together for the rest of our lives. on may 26th, i officially became his girlfriend. (cheesy, i know) this year on may 26, nic and i had a fun day in LA to celebrate. it started out with brunch at what is becoming one of my favorite places to eat...the griddle cafe on sunset in hollywood. it is seriously amazing, particularly the french toast. hands down, best french toast i've ever had. nic had the red velvet pancakes, which he loved. then we went and hiked runyon canyon. this is one of my most favorite spots in all of southern california. not only is it a great workout, but it has some of the best views of the entire city. and you have a very good chance of seeing celebrities, which i personally think is awesome. after the hike, we hurried over to santa monica where we had a couples massage at burke williams. did you know that certain cities prohibit couples massages? santa monica is only one of two burke williams locations that allow for couples massages down here. this was also nic's first experience at a big spa, and i'm happy to say that he liked it enough that he could be convinced to go back. we ended the night at cafe rio, eating yummy comfort food. it was an awesome day.

on memorial day, nic and i continued our celebratory efforts and decided to take our bikes to el moro canyon in crystal cove. i'd love to say that it was awesome and easy, but that would be lying. it was hard for me. i'm not a very experienced biker, and the hills were very steep (for me). but it was a really fun physical challenge, which i loved experiencing with nic.

after the canyon, we rode down PCH and grabbed lunch at Ruby's Shake Shack, which is a little restaurant overlooking the water. the burgers and shakes are extra good, probably because you're outside looking at the beach.

may did not disappoint as one of my favorite months of the year :).



a little bit of may

my sweet sister-in-law was due on may 5th, so nic and i were contemplating a trip home. we have been able to be home around the time when our nieces and nephew were born, so i really wanted to be home for this one. we went back and forth on whether or not we were going to make the drive, but on thursday night at 11:30, nic woke me up and told me we were going. so we packed up and started the trek home the next day after work. sometimes i feel like we are pros in navigating through LA traffic and sometimes i think we're schmucks. this time we were definitely pros, so it was a nice start to the weekend. on the way into town we were able to slide by jon and kristin's house to say hi and play with alysse. it was late, but i'm glad we were able to catch them awake. alysse was SO cute to play with and wasn't scared of us at all. we don't get to skype very often, but i really am thankful for it when we do. without it, alysse, addi and fletch would have no idea who were are.

i'm very sad to say that although kristin was dilated to a 4 throughout the weekend, she did not go into labor while we were there. but, we got a lot of great visit time in with the family. and we were also able to be home for the 'goodbye to sweetwater drive' party at bri and sum's. it's nights like these that make me melancholy for living in the bay again. bri and summer sold their first home in martinez and are now living in an adorable home in Lincoln. i can not wait to see the beautiful new house and am so excited for them and their new adventures in sac town :). that night summer also asked to be able to photograph me and nic to help expand her repertoire. i thought she did a great job, particularly with the editing, so i'm stealing them off her blog and posting them here. these are also the only pictures we have from this weekend. if any of the fam has any others, please forward them along...

as usual when we are home, we were able to spend sunday with my family; going to church and eating a big family meal (and playing guitar hero). these are some of my favorite days and i'm really going to be sad when tanner finally moves out of the house. if my parents don't have empty nest syndrome, i will have it for them. with daniel on his mission and rachel at byu, tanner is the last of the 'kids' to live at home with the parents. by the end of august, he'll be at byu, beginning his adult life. ahh...i'm getting so old. and i hate that i say that, because it makes me that much older. anyway, all in all, it was a great trip home, and definitely worth it, even without being there for the birth.

then, on May 11, sweet little Ella Michelle Mattingly was born.

she is such a sweet, sweet baby. we can't wait to get to know her more as she grows. congratulations Jon and Kristin!!