The Proposal (30/30)

Most likely you have to be from California to recognize the reference to the Getty. It is an art museum that opened while Briahnna and I used to live in SoCal and it probably is one of the most beautiful places in the world (especially on a clear day).

It was getting close to our first year anniversary and I was ready to pop the question. In fact...I had been feverishly working on my special project.  I had the ring (an english poesy ring that Katy was so kind enough to drop a hint) and a carved wood box with about 100 slips of paper of all the things I loved about B written on them. The ring was to be nestled in the middle of all the rolled up pieces of paper (they looked like little scrolls).

I even knew I wanted to do it at the Getty (but had not picked out my spot yet).

What I did not plan for was our actual one year anniversary.We were going out that night and on my way home from work...I picked up a card, some flowers and a bottle of ginger ale (because I had drank all of hers the night before). I must admit that looking back...it was a pretty boneheaded move. Imagine my surprise when she pulls out a journal where she chronicled the past year with little vignettes and special moments we had together. I was beautiful. I on the other hand felt like a heel. I knew that in just a few short days...I would be asking Briahnna to marry me but for that moment...I had to live through the disappointment I caused.

At least I picked out a cool restaurant. It was a little place called Bahooka in Rosemead next to where my parents used to live when they were first married. It was always a place where my family celebrated big occasions so I was carrying the torch.

After getting past the initial hurt feelings...dinner was excellent and I was ready to finish out my plan.

A few days later I had my friend Jeff drive me to the Getty and I picked out the perfect spot to propose (see the 1st picture in the post). It had a view of the gardens and Santa Monica beach (see 2nd picture in post).

Jeff later helped me surprise her by dropping me off at her work (UCLA) and I used her car to drive over to the Getty. We made it up to the balcony area and I knelt down on one knee and asked her to marry me (probably in front of some Chinese tourists). She said yes...and the rest is really history.

I know this is my 30th post...but there are so many more things I could write about Briahnna, us, and our family. When you take all the little moments that happen and piece them all together you get a really extraordinary thing (a life). It has been an unbelievable pleasure to be a part of B's life for nearly a decade. I know there will be many more memories in store for us.

This is for you my darling. Happy 33rd Birthday! I love you immensely.

Your Tim

Mall Rat/Deal Shopper Extraordinaire (29/30)

Something you may know about us... we like to hang out at the mall.

In fact, on days when we have nothing to do...sometimes we like to walk around the mall and just window shop. Including people watch. This was true even before kids. On a side note...Briahnna is a huge fan of Cinnabon which are often located at the mall. Even on our recent trip to California we hung out at some of the more famous high-end outdoor malls in Los Angeles. This is probably totally uncool to you...but it turns out to be a safe and fun place for us.

Above all of this is Briahnna's uncanny ability to sniff out a deal. She is the queen of the clearance racks/aisles. We can be anywhere and if we are not getting at least 50% of something...B is not really happy with the purchase. This is something I really appreciate about her because while I like to take my time with a purchase...Briahnna can really score some good finds. This is especially true with the groceries. She has been the main grocery buyer since we got married but in the last 5-6 years she has also become quite adept at using coupons. You know...the "I took 75% off my grocery bill" coupon stories. This is something that I just don't have the focus to do...so I am very thankful to my wife for being so good at what she does...

And of course that she loves a good mall...

Geo-momma (28/30)

File under...adventurous momma. One of our hobbies is geocaching. If you are not familiar...here is the link (http://www.geocaching.com/) Here is B with a Batman and Robin theme "cache" that she and Jadyn found in a hole in the side of a dirt wall.

This is my last photo entry. The last few will be longer.

See-food (27/30)

At Joe's Crab Shack...

One of B's favorite thing is seafood. Specifically crab... Something about her and food that takes lots of effort to eat. The same thing goes with artichokes. Deliciousness...

New Year's Day (26/30)

Also...a favorite photo of mine. Taking a walk on the first day of 2012. Lots of personality in this group right here. I wonder where the kids get it from...

Katy (25/30)

Such a beautifully mundane moment in Phoenix, AZ.  The person in the background was one of B's most beloved friends and college roomates (she was quite special to both of us).  She passed in January of 2006 due to her battle with cancer. Kaite undoubtedly changed B's life with her example of living and loving like Christ. We can only hope that we can follow her example.

City Slicking (24/30)

This was taken at the Los Angeles Farmer's Market on Fairfax. One our favorite places to people watch. We also loved to hang out at the Grove (super posh outdoor shopping area) that was right next to it.  She is always game to explore our local environs. 

The Caddy (23/30)

During an anniversary  trip up to San Simeon, CA we scheduled a round of golf for me at a course that had great off-season rates (see brown fairways). Briahnna was a trooper and served as my chauffeur and caddy.  She looks pretty good behind that wheel.

Bo-tan (22/30)

Love this one. I don't even know why Briahnna has a surprised look on her face...but believe me...there are always lots of surprises when we are together. This was taken at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in 2011.

iMac (21/30)

Before Briahnna, I was a PC/Windows person. Since we have been married...we have bought almost exclusively Apple. This was our office/workstation at our first apartment in Pasadena. I know you can only see a sliver of the iMac but...don't we take a pretty good picture?

St. Paul (20/30)

This is B on top of St. Paul's Cathedral in London...we had just hoofed it to the top and were taking a much needed rest (as well as enjoying the view). London...still one of our favorite places.

Tom's Favorite (19/30)

Around my work Briahnna is known for her baking prowess. This includes her butterscotch/chocolate chip cookies. One of the paraprofessionals I work with at Kincaid practically begs B to make them every year. She is happy to comply.

Teeth (18/30)

One of the more famous Briahnna faces. As I was perusing the photos this one came up more than once.  She's got some spunk...

The Puzzler (17/30)

Briahnna loves puzzles...it has been a long time since we had the time/room to work on a large puzzle together but this is how us young marrieds tackled a night in Pasadena before the kiddos came around. By the way...she also loves Boggle (aka Scramble), Sudoku, and it is/was (probably still is) to finish a LA Times Sunday Crossword puzzle in one day. Love that woman.

Our First Baby (16/30)

Our first baby. This is Dante our first dog (Italian Greyhound) who is 8 weeks old in this picture. Briahnna (and me) would love to take naps with our doggie. This is one of the more special photographs. This photo project is turning out to be too much fun.

Date Night (15/30)

One of my favorite pics of Briahnna (you have seen this on her Facebook profile). We ate at Red Sky Tapas Bar (not topless bar) and dreamed...planned...and reminisced. Those are usually the best dates.

Inception...Blog Edition (14/30)

So...as we prepare for our California trip...I am up against a time crunch. Here is what I am going to do...

I will be posting a series of photos for the next couple of weeks as we are on vacation (a series within a series) with only a few sentence commentary (twitter length).

Here is the first one... Just like this one because my kids can't stand to be away for their Mommy. We met B for dinner at her work last night.

Weeding (13/30)

Today the family did some yard work. And my wonderful wife...in all her pregnant glory was out there with the rest of us pulling, chopping, pruning and clearing. Even in midst of the chaos of getting ready for our trip she is ready to work...not to mention she is at work right now. Thank God it is the last day before she is off before our trip.

We have talked about how weeding is a good spiritual metaphor...it does not take long for things to get out of hand if you are not willing to do some maintenance. Very thankful for this reminder.

Morning Person (12/30)

It is funny that I am writing this post on a day that Briahnna is working the day shift (working a double) and actually got up earlier than I did...but here it goes anyways.

Normally, Briahnna is not a morning person.

We do not have your typical schedules...and because we work opposite schedules (I work days and Briahnna works the evenings) we don't have to have any childcare.

So when you add up the time that we are actually together...B and I...it is not a whole lot. We have to make our time together count and with everything that we have to do it can be a challenge. The truth is that Briahnna gets the short end of the stick. She has had to work every Friday night for the past four years. Because I have a staff meeting after school every Tuesday...B chose to take her days off on Tuesday and Wednesday. This creates a problem with schedules and routines coupled with her working every other weekend. I know it gets confusing to try and plan anything with our friends.

We thought that there was a light at the end of the tunnel because Isaiah will be turning 3 this September and we could think about what B was going to do when the kids became school age. Now that numero tres is coming...the clock has started over.  I think it has taken some time to make an adjustment mentally to what this will mean for our family.

All I know is that Briahnna is a rockstar for continuing with our schedule the way that it is...she cares about our family and we all have become stronger for it.

Oh yeah...so Briahnna is not a morning person. Definitely a night owl...I am fast asleep by the time she is starting to get tired. Me on the other hand...love to get up early and enjoy the stillness of the morning. Suffice it to say...our schedule is not for everyone but I am happy to be on such a great team with my wife.