The Dillon Family

After high school I moved out to Yonkers New York to live with a family of 3 kids. I was going to be their live in nanny, and I was so excited to get to be in the "Big Apple".

Laurel was 4 years old when I started working with the family. She was just starting Pre-School at the end of the summer, and she was excepted into a private school called "Pearls". She is such a smart girl, and can be really sweet. Laurel liked to draw me pictures and ask me questions about my family and friends back home. The mother, Melissa, would walk Laurel to the bus stop in the morning on her way to work, and I would pick her up in the afternoon. Then we would have a snack, and watch "The Wiggles". We had a lot of fun dancing and singing together.

Malcolm, 2 at the time, was with me all day while Laurel was at school. We would get up in the morning and watch "Little Bill" or "Sagwa" and then make a lunch for ourselves. Malcolm was addicted to the "Bobo" (pacifier) so we worked for a long time on going an hour or two without it. He was also potty training, but we were not very successful with that. During the day Malcolm and I would go to the park, head out to the zoo or play games in his room. He was a really fun kid.

Aubrey was only 3 months old when I moved to the city. She was still breastfeeding, so I had a really hard time with her during the day because she was so hungry. She refused to take the bottle, and Melissa and I must have tried every nipple on the market. Soon enough she gave in, and then she was so much fun. When I felt brave enough, I would take her in the snugly and Malcolm in the stroler to the Museum of Natural History. She was very content most of the time.

Although I had grown so attached to the kids, I left New York to live close to family. I felt that I needed to be home, and Melissa was going to quit working to stay home with her kids. When I moved back to Washington, I really missed the family, and I had a hard time withough my kids.
However, I was lucky enough to find out that they were going to move 10 minutes away from me!! I was so excited, and I couldnt wait to see the kids again! They came and suprised me at my work, and I couldnt believe how big they had gotten in the short time I was away from them.
I still watch the Dillon kids every chance I get, and I love to take them out to movies or ice cream. In April, a new Dillon was brought into the family, and they named her Dana. She looks a lot like Laurel did when she was a baby, so hopefully she grows up to look like her big sister. I love the kids so much, and I love watching them get big! Laurel just got baptised, and Malcolm is in school now. Aubrey is a trouble maker, but is one of the cutest kids ever.

The kids were a part of my wedding, and did such a wonderful job! Malcolm made the best ring bearer, and spiked his hair into a "fo-hawk" to match Matts hair. It was the highlight of the ceremony! The girls were the prettiest flower girls. Laurel kept a very serious face while walking down the isle, and Aubrey did such a good job walking "right foot, left foot." However, she did have a little problem standing still in the line, and ended up accidentally lifting up a bridesmaids dress with her giant calla lily. Baby Dana came dressed to match my wedding colors, and she was still so tiny. She was passed around to everyone, and we got some really cute pictures of her first wedding!

Hawaii

It was a Wednesday, and I was at work when Matt called and said that he was going to take me out to lunch. So I drove to my apartment where he was loading my suitcase into his trunk. He wouldnt explain what he was doing, but I knew he was up to something considering it was my birthday that weekend, and I was expecting him to propose anyday now. We started heading to the airport, and at this point I was freaking out trying to guess where he was taking me. When we arrived at the airport we got in line, and the ticket agent anounced that we were going to Honolulu!! I was in shock! I had never been to Hawaii before, and I had heard Matt (who was born there) talk about how wonderful it was and now I was going!!

We landed later at night, and went straight to the hotel. I couldnt sleep because I kept dreaming about what we were going to be doing, and I knew that he could pop the question any time. The next morning I called friends and family (who for the most part already knew his plans) and told them where I was. We ate a quick breakfast and headed out to the beach. We layed around for a while, and played in the ocean. It was so hard for me to believe where I was.

We rented a convertable, so it was fun to drive around the city with the top down and I was so amazed at what a beautiful place Hawaii is. We drove to the other side of the island and snorkled at an area called "Sharks Cove". The waves were really choppy, and we were surrounded by rocks, but there were so many awesome fish to see. We also explored the little tide pools around the area and found some cool creatures in them.
Matt had heard about a waterfall in the jungle called "Manawili Falls" so one morning we set out to find it. We got lost on the mountain, and ended up having to turn back, but we got to see a lot of things that we would have missed had we found the falls. Bugs were eating us alive by the time we reached Manawili, and we didnt realize that the water in the lagoon was going to be so cold! Neither of us ended up swimming, but it was still a very beautiful scene.

We did some shopping at night, and ate at most of the restaurants in the area. We drove up to a view point called the "Pali Lookout" where you could practically see the whole Island. It was so sureal. I kept waiting for Matt to give me a ring, but I was held in suspense until the last day on the Island.

Matt drove us to the Polynesian Cultral Center where we ate a dinner and watched a Luau. Then, at sunset, we headed over to the Hawaiian temple, where Matt sat me down, got on one knee, and asked me to marry him. The ring he gave me was so amazing, the sky was a ownderful orange, and I was in Hawaii with the most amazing guy. I was in bliss. It was absolutly perfect, and of course I said yes.

We spent the rest of the time at beaches, watching the sky change colors, and the ocean refect it. A storm rolled onto the island as we were leaving, and it was the perfect ending to a perfect surprise.

Camping Trip 06

On Labor day weekend, Matt and I took a camping trip to Naches Washington. We left Saturday morning, and arrived at our campsite that afternoon. The spot was perfect! Right along the Teiton River, tree covered and a good distance from other campers. The only problem we had was with the bees that were swarming our food. Saturday night I took Matt to the Dave Matthews concert at the Gorge for his birthday. It was packed full of hippies and liberals, but it was a really good show. You really cant go wrong at the Gorge because there is always a beautiful sunset, and nice views.

We got back to the campsite late that night, and crashed. Matt claims he didnt sleep very good because he kept hearing things in the woods, and felt obligated as the "man" to protect me. MY HERO!! We did live through the night by the way. The next day we hiked up a trail to a place called Iron Stone Mountain. It was a huge rock formation, and I have yet to find out how it came to be. Matt and I climbed to the top, smashing my hand in the process, and ate a lunch on the summit. Because it was Sunday we felt that we should have a mock "Sacrament Meeting" so Matt gave a lesson and we read scriptures on the mountain.

After dinner that night we fell asleep for a "nap" and didnt end up waking up until the morning. We packed up all our camping gear and headed out to the Oregon Coast. We drove a few hours until we got to Cannon Beach, where we ate a lunch and then flew our kite which we named "We're gonna need a bigger boat." Its from Jaws...the kite looks like a shark. Matt explored haystack rock, looking for sea animals in the low tide, and I took pictures of the beach. It was a very nice day when we arrived, and the clouds soon rolled in which made some really cool "tsunami" effects over the ocean.

The trip ended that night, but we had a lot of fun, and everything went really good. We were well prepared with camping supplies (not to mention we were staying 20 minutes from a Fred Meyer) and got to see a lot of really neat places.

The Carribean!

For our honeymoon, Matt and I took a Cruise to the Eastern Carribean.

We left the night of our wedding (yeah) and flew into Florida to get on our ship, The Elation. The first 2 days we were at sea, but that was fine with us because we had a lot of sleep to catch up on. There is also a lot to do on the boat such as tanning, eating....eating, and then we ate a lot more. The food was wonderful! You can eat anything, anytime because it has 24 hours service! We probably ate more self serve ice cream, than I have my entire life. Not to mention we ate it in the middle of the night so as to not let it "go to waste."


Our first port was St. Thomas. We had heard good things about this island, however we were not really impressed. We took a tour down to an Aquarium that spiraled down into the ocean, and then spent an hour on Coki Beach. Then we headed into the city and did what the island is famous for-Shopping. However, unless you are there for cheap jewelry or purfume, you are out of luck. We were very frustrated with the stores there and the fact that they had nothing that spiked our interest. There was one place called "Del Sol" where we purchased a t-shirt that changes color in the sun! Rad, I know.


Second, we arrived in San Juan, which was AMAZING! We took a bus tour through the city and after stopping a a beautiful beach, we walked around an old army fortress. It had wonderful views of the ocean and the island, and it was really neat to explore. After the tour we headed into the town and did some more shopping, and we loved the city. It was old and very european and the building were so cute! It was our favorite port.


Grand Turk was where we ended up next, and this was a very differnt island. It was very desert like, and very un-inhabited. The people that lived there were very few and had tiny, run down homes. Matt and I walked down to the Govenors beach and snorkled only to find nothing, then layed out on the sand. We also got to head down to Jimmy Buffets Magaritaville, where we used the gift shop for its air conditioning.


The last place the Cruise took us was an Island that the Carnival Cruise line owns called Half Moon Cay. It was so beautiful! The water was an amazing blue, and the sand was perfectly white. We played in the water and built a small sand castle. We had a wonderful time there relaxing and enjoying our last day on the cruise. We also got to go swimming with sting rays, and it was fun for me to watch Matt hesitantly enter the water for his first time. You could even swim down and touch the rays, and we saw a huge puffer fish!

After the cruise we stayed a few days in Miami, and we were able to go to the Miami Metro Zoo, and the Everglades before Matt got sick with the Noro Virus. Although the rest of the trip was spent in the hotel room, it was still a perfect honeymoon.

You better belive we will be cruising again!!

Adoption

My husband Matthew and I have started looking into adopting a deaf baby. We both use American Sign language and are very active in the deaf community here in Seattle. I have always felt like I should use sign more in my life, and when Matt mentioned that he wanted to adopt a deaf child, we both knew it was the right thing to do.

We have decided to have our own kids first, but there is definatly an adoption in our future. I have spoken to a few agencies in the area, and all are so amazing and supportive of our decision. There are so many special needs children out there, and it breaks my heart every time I read about one. I know I will be blessed to bring one into our lives.

As for now, we are just reading up on all the important facts and steps to adoption, and when the time is right, I know the Lord will bless us with the baby meant for our family.

Grease

While we were dating, Matt and I were involved in a production of Grease the musical. The theater that put it on is called Auburn Ave Dinner Theater, and they are going out of business at the end of this year, and its really sad to me. I have a lot of friends from there, and the people you work with in shows become family.

Grease took up a lot of our free time, but we loved it. Matt played the part of "Sunny" who is the dirty, teenage T-Bird that tries to act cool and cover up his immaturiy. Matthew played the part wonderfully!

I got the part of "Sandy" which was a miracle in itself! There were hundres of girls auditioning for her, and all of them were better than me at dancing. I thought for sure I was out, but then I got called back, and told they wanted me to be Sandra Dee! I couldnt belive it, but she was a great part, and it was so much fun working with everyone.

I am really going to miss being in shows at AADT. However, we made good friends that we still see, and Matt and I made a good impression on a director that works in other productions, so hopefully she will use us again.

Watch for us in Hollywood!

Courtney

I have worked with Courtney for over a year now. She is a deaf/disabled 26 year old girl that I assist on the weekends. I help her get ready in the morning, and interpret for her during the day. Right now we are working with the Special Olympics Bowling League, and its been really good for both of us. We have a lot of fun, but recently Courtney has started to have seizures, so the doctors have put her on some medications that make her really groggy and grumpy.

Courtney can not walk on her own so she has to be held onto at all times. With the medication dosage she is on, she is really unstable, and its really hard physically to balance her all day. Especially during bowling.

Courtney and I used to go everywhere together. We loved trips to the Zoo, and eating out at fun restaurants, and we would have the best time at the Seattle Science Center. However, now its so frustrating to be around her. She is not the same. She is short, and bossy and really spacey. Its hard to have fun like we used to.

I know I shouldnt complain. After all, when Courtney is asked what she doesnt like about her life, she doesnt mention the disabilities that she has. She simply replies "I dont like red sauce on my pizza."

I should feel blessed to be with her, and stop wining about the little things.

Intro to my life

This is my first time blogging, so we'll see how it goes. I am constantly inconsistant (if that makes any sense) so I doubt I will be good at updating this, but here goes!

I was born in Mesa Arizona, and then moved to Washington when I was 7. I graduated from Eastlake High School, and then moved out to New York to work as a nanny and acheive stardom. After failing in the music industry, I moved back to Washington where I got a job working as a Veterinary Assistant. As much as I loved working with the animals, it didnt pay very well and I hated where I lived. So I moved up north to work for my dad as a graphic design artist/receptionist.

That move changed my life dramatically. There I met the love of my life Matthew, and after 3 months of dating, he suprised me with a trip to Hawaii, and a magnificent tension set diamond ring. Four months later we were married in the Seattle Temple and took a wonderful honeymoon trip to the Carribean. It was so much fun! I highly reccomend cruising if you have never done it before.

Matthew works up north staffing hospitals, and I am still working for my dad. I am also finally working on some music playing the keyboard in the family band. It sounds totally lame I know, but I get to sing, play and earn a little money.

Marriage is incredible, and we are busy with our dog Brisbane, our 2 cats Armani and Princess, and the newest addition to the Aprecio Zoo, Tina the bearded dragon. Matt and I love to travel, and we are taking a trip to Disneyland in 2 weeks, and hopefully head out to New York before the babies start coming! I guess thats if for now!