Happy Birthday Dad!

Although most of the country considers yesterday a historic day because of the inauguration, I consider it a historic day in commemoration of my Dear Old Dad! Yesterday was Grego's birthday. I'm so grateful for his example as a loving father, a man of integrity, hard work & learning. To celebrate - the whole family got together for dinner & dessert. It was so fun to be together & spend time chatting & bantering as adults. I'm so grateful we all live close for this brief window of time. We took some family pics. Enjoy!

PS. As everyone was wearing cheesy Obama shirts around town yesterday, I was wishing I had made a shirt with my Dad's picture on it! If only I had been so clever ahead of time to prepare. :)

A New Start...

Hi Friends -

So I'm a little late with the New Year's resolutions this year. As many of you know, it was a rough holiday. And just as I was hoping to get my feet under me, I got sick. Yuck! Serious headaches. At first I thought it was a migraine (that lasted for 3 days). Then I finally saw a doc and went on meds to treat a serious sinus infection. BTW - sinus headaches often feel like migraines. FYI. I'm finally doing a bit better. But the headaches still come & go. So we'll see if further follow-up is needed. I'll report back to you all...

But I do want to say that I'm optimistic. I love new starts. I love change. I even love Mondays. So here it goes... a new year, a new single life, a new haircut. Soon to come a new body (a much needed diet is underway), perhaps even a new job or new city (pending the outcome of this scary economic slowdown). Anyway - I'm off to a new start. And I believe talk is cheap - so I'm making myself accountable - to all of you! :)

So... stay tuned for the fabulous adventures of Maren J. And for now, I'm of course keeping busy with work, basketball season, teaching Gospel Doctrine, piano lessons, being super aunt, planning someone else's wedding (no joke... it's a long story...), and trying to keep balance.

I wish you all a fabulous New Year! I love hearing your adventures and of your fabulous families. And even if we don't talk too much - no worries - I blog-stalk all of you. :)

Take care...Lots of loves...
Maren

Joy

This Christmas season has been full of mixed emotions for me. I have felt great joys & deep sorrows. As I sit here now, on Christmas Eve, I reflect on my blessings & the things that bring me the greatest joy & peace. It is truly through my Savior, Jesus Christ, that I have peace of mind & heart. I am grateful for Him and His example and His succor at this time.

And as I think about this Christmas season of 2008 - there are 3 things that have truly filled my heart with joy. In no particular order, here they are:

1. My Little People. I love my role as favorite auntie & work hard to retain the title. :) Here are a few pics from this month. With little Jack (Heather's) and Sassy Miss Sage and little Maggie (Melissa's). So fun!

2. The Bell Choir. It sounds dorky - but playing in the bell choir has been such a treat! I have loved learning how to play, learning the music, growing friendships & performing in several Christmas concerts. Of course I'm not in this pic b/c I was taking it, but here you can see the bells lined up. Too bad I don't have video!

3. Caroling with the Lang Gang. This happened just a few days ago on Sunday night. My bro Jake & I headed out with the Lang Gang to spread some Christmas cheer. The pictures speak for themselves... it was so fun!

Friends...

A few weeks ago, my dear friends Jamie & Nick blessed their little baby Andrew. It was a fantastic day. So many of our old friends got together, it was like a little reunion. And it was really wonderful to attend their ward & feel such joy in family & friends. That's what life is all about - joy in our posterity & dear ones.

This month I also had another mini-reunion with some old Berkeley friends as we celebrated Jerry's 30th birthday. Congrats Old Man Hsieh. :) It was fun a night out for dinner in LA. Unfortunately I didn't get a pic of the whole group, but here is me (with my new short hair!!), Jerry & Michelle.

Football...

Okay. That last post got too long, so I split it up. But the fall always means one thing... football season! The sad reality though - I was so busy that I didn't attend a single Cal game all year. So sad! And I only watched 1 on TV. That alone says how crazy things have been.

But for local sports, I'm still loving my role as our ward sports director. It was flag football season for the guys. Here are a few pics of my guys... they look like a motley crew, but we didn't do too bad. We actually won the league, but lost in the first round of playoffs. Way to go guys!

Now on to basketball season... my favorite... :)