The Villaflor Family

Blog Resurrection

2011-12-28T22:03:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

I am attempting to blog again. One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is to journal. I have a "marriage journal" that started when Brice and I got engaged, and a "baby journal" that started shortly after I had Jackson.

I figured a good resurrection would be to add some recent journal entries. Beware: If you choose to read my blog, you will really be inside my head. When I journal, I just let the words flow...it's going to get personal...

12.23.2011

Dear Babies,

You two are sleeping so soundly in your beds...Dada is at work, and I wanted to take some time to "be still," which is sometimes hard to do; especially at this time of the year!

Jackson, this year--I see that you are starting to get interested in CHRISTMAS. You have been excited to hear Jingle Bells and Christmas songs. I think you're more into presents too. You haven't gone overboard...yet. I hope that Dada and I teach you to be excited about giving gifts...more so than receiving gifts.

Jaelyn--you don't really have a clue about gifts...I think you will be more excited to rip the paper and bows than to actually open gifts and realize you are going to keep it!

It has honestly been pretty easy this year. We haven't bought a lot since we are low on $...which has made it a whole less busy. Luckily, you are young, so you probably won't really notice. I am excited to be able to enjoy what it is really about. I hope we can talk about Jesus' gift to us; coming to earth to be our Savior. And of course, I want us to enjoy each other.

Tomorrow, we are going to be with Auntie, Coley, G-Pop, and Nana Chris! I hope Dada can get some/all of work off.

Love you, Mama

12.24.2011

Merry CHRISTmas! Today, we were at G-Pop and Nana Chris' house. We opened presents and had lots of fun. My favorite part was taking a nap all together in Nan's room. Jackson-you are so cute...no matter how BIG the bed is, you always squeeze in right next to me. I love it!

I enjoyed watching you open presents. Jackson-you enjoyed opening gifts. Jaelyn-you liked playing with the bows. You had a "Mackeen" car you were playing with--you were content the whole time we opened gifts with that.

My other favorite part was going to church as a family. Poor Dada had to work all day today. :( I hope he doesn't work in retail next year...we will see about that!

My other-other favorite thing was getting to just be a family. We were invited to a friend's house for a nice dinner, and I am actually glad we didn't go. I know we would have enjoyed if we did, but, to just be was perfect. We just picked up a pizza on the way home from church, and sat around the table.

I prayed over dinner, because Dada was changing his clothes...I said a pretty quick one, since it was late for you guys to be eating. We started digging into our pizza, and were suddenly interrupted. "WAIT, WAIT!" you said (Jackson). You put down your pizza, folded your hands and said, "And thank you also for the cross, and please help Nana Barbie feel better. Amen." It was so thoughtful for you to pray that way. I usually say, "And thank you for dying on the cross to save us," at the end of each prayer, and I didn't this time. It was so thoughtful, I was almost in tears.

Then after dinner we showed Dada all our presents, and all 4 of us played on the floor. We were all laughing and being silly. OH MY...I LOVE you guys SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much. Jackson, you have been initiating hugging and kissing more, and Jaelyn, you have just started kissing. You two make me melt!

Merry Christmas, Babies!

Love, Mama

P.S. I can't wait to open stockings and presents as a family tomorrow.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Home

JJ's 1st Birthday

2010-05-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

Home

It has been many moons since I have written...and time has flown by oh so quickly! Jackson's first birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and it was so much fun...Here's a couple of recent pictures: One of him in the bath, one playing on a car at church, and the rest are from JJ's real Bday. Brice, JJ, Grandma, and I went to Longhorn's BBQ in Castaic, and it was yummy!

It is so hard to believe that he's already a year old. It really goes by so fast! We are so blessed to have such an amazing son. Brice and I keep talking about how he seems to be getting more and more fun! He is growing such a good sense of humor. He thinks everything is so funny. I just love the sound of his voice! He is so precious. And now, thinking of him being a big brother. He is going to be such a good one for his little sister! We are enjoying him so much, and want to soak him all up. Blessings until next time...

2009-11-01T22:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some pre-Halloween pictures. We took JJ's first trip to Lombardi's Ranch. He had lots of fun. As we sat him by the pumpkins, he loved to touch them, and also he loved playing with the hay. He even went on the very top of the huge stack of hay (with Da-da's help, of course). For those of you that don't live out here, they have a little train, petting zoo, animals, and even a "scarecrow alley".

I love this picture of JJ with mama, and JJ and daddy. Unfortunately, we weren't able to take a family picture all together. Next year we will for sure. I can't believe we are starting to celebrate the holidays for the first time as a family. It is so cool to be a mama! I can't wait until my favorite holidays: Christmas and Thanksgiving. We had lots of fun on his first trip to a pumpkin patch!

Here are some pictures taken on Halloween. He started the day in his "I love my Mummy" shirt. He's was so cute in the shirt. Then, it was off to church for the "Harvest Hang Time."

We only stayed for a little while to make an appearance and take some family pictures. When JJ gets older, he will enjoy the Harvest Hangtime more, when he can play in the bounce houses, play the games, and get candy. :)

Our cute little dinosaur was quite the hit! He's about the cutest thing Brice and I have ever seen. I can't imagine having another baby...I'll be too worried that he/she will never match up to how amazing JJ is. He is such a good baby, and starting to be even more fun as the days go on. He now interacts so much, and brings so much joy to our hearts.
Thank you Lord for such a huge blessing. Just last night, Brice went into kiss JJ after he was asleep. He took a while, so I went in his room to discover Brice crying tears of joy. He and I both are so overwhelmed sometimes by the joys of parenthood. We couldn't ask for more.

I will write more soon to give some more updates of events that passed.

Pray!

2009-09-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

Pray, pray, pray!

Brice takes the written test for the LA County Fire Department next Wednesday...Pray that God will help him think clearly, and do his best, and of course, pass!

I'm praying, and believing God has great things in mind for us.

Our Sweet Chickadee

2009-09-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

~Our little chickadee is so precious! Here are a couple of adorable pics of JJ right after bath time. He loves baths, and that happens to also be one of mama's favorite part of playing with little Jackson.
~It has been quite a while since I've posted...our sweet boy is already over 4 months old!

How time flies! Right now, we are hopeful that I may be able to stay home in the future and not have to work full time anymore. Brice got a letter from Los Angeles County Fire Department last week, inviting him to take the written test on September 30th.

We have been praying for about a year that God would direct Brice to the career path he should be on, and the Lord has seemed to be quiet for a while. We know He is still there, but we (especially me) have been really struggling with me having to work full time. I have really been about at my whit's end and really trying to lean on faith that God knows my heart and my strong desire to be at home with this amazing, sweet blessing from above.

Then, out of the blue, God opened this door. From what we here from other firefighters, getting a letter from LAFD is almost the same as winning the lottery. It doesn't seem to matter what background you have, what education you have, or who you know; it's really luck. We know luck had nothing to do with it. Grace has everything to do with it. So, we now have a glimpse of hope as this could be in our grasp. We are moving forward, believing God will work it out. Brice also takes the CPAT test next week, which he's already passed once. Brice feels very confident that he'll pass with no problems.

So, I will try to post more often, especially adding more pictures of our sweet boy. Jackson is just amazing. He ate a full serving of rice cereal for the first time tonight. He didn't really love the idea of eating slowly from a spoon; he'd rather just drink out of the bottle. But, he did really well! He is rolling over both ways now, and still learning to laugh. He doesn't really belly laugh yet but I can tell that he wants to laugh. I love to tickle him and kiss him!

Until I write again...

Laundry

2009-05-31T23:34:00.001-07:00

So, who would have thought that laundry would all of the sudden get enjoyable? I just can't get over how cute baby clothes are! I know JJ will out-grow so many of these oh-so-precious outfits very soon, so I have got to enjoy it while I can. I love him so much and want to document that he smiled at his mommy for the first time this week. It just made me melt! I love all of these "firsts". Yay for him being 5 1/2 weeks already! It's going too fast...

Introducing...

2009-05-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

We welcomed Jackson Jett to the earth on April 23 at 9:05 a.m. His birth was text-book, and we felt it went great! Contractions started around 9:00 a.m. on April 22nd, his due date. We kept track of them, and they started progressing throughout the day, and at 6:00 p.m. they were about 6-7 minutes apart. We had not eaten dinner yet, and I wanted Panera, so we headed off there. I thought, "I'm not gonna eat until after I have the baby, so I want one last quality meal before we head to Kaiser. So, Panera it was. As we were driving, the contractions got more severe due to the bumpy roads. They were about 5 minutes apart while we dined...so, we ate fast and headed back to the house to grab our stuff. (P.S. We saw Renelle there with her study group, and the ladies were freaking out saying, "Lady, you better get to the hospital!" But I knew we'd be ok from what we learned in our class...We also saw Nick Wasniak there, one of our dear friends. He was excited that we were getting so close!)
Here's the last pic of me before we left for the hospital...my last prego pic! So, we arrived at Kaiser in Panorama City around 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. and they checked me out. They monitored me for a while and then had me walk around for a while to help move me along. Brice was an amazing coach...He helped me the whole time. He was encouraging and did everything we learned in our class. After getting an epidural, they broke my water around 6:30a.m. and I progressed very fast after that. I went from 6 cm dilated to 10 cm in about an hour, which was awesome, and they had me start practice pushing around 8:00 a.m. He was born only an hour later. I actually couldn't believe it when I heard him scream. I thought it would take longer. So, he was 5lbs 15oz and 18 inches long. He's just a little guy, and oh so cute!

Here is a picture of my First Mother's Day, which was nice. It was a beautiful day. We relaxed and watched the Lakers at my parent's house. Brice and my family made it special for me with gifts and cards...Thanks guys!

Brice and I were just talking today about how much he's already grown. We can't believe that next Thursday he'll be a month old! Wow! He is gaining a little personality too, with fun faces and noises. We are in wonder as we look at God's creation...the connection between a parent and child is indescribable.

We do want to always protect our marriage and have time for us in this new journey. We believe the example of a godly marriage will be invaluable for him, and an important piece to him understanding God's love. (We will soon attempt to go on our first date without Jackson...We've agreed to go a minimum on once a month.)

More than anything, we pray often that JJ will meet God at an early age. And that we will be godly parents; loving, patient, gracious, kind, fun...that we will only aide him in knowing Him. That's our goal. Our new purpose in life.

Tea for Two

2009-04-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

About 3 weeks ago, Brice and I had tea together. I am always having tea with my girlfriends, and I told Brice I'd like him to come with me sometime because it's so fun and tasty! He was very thoughtful and actually got me a gift certificate to The Tea Gardens for Valentine's Day and said it was for us to go together. What a guy! So, we went and enjoyed good food together. I was explaining to him that "tea" usually takes a minimum of 3 hours when I'm with girlfriends because it's really about the social gathering. He and I were done in about an hour. Ha! But, I didn't expect him to be my girlfriend...He's my husband! Thanks again babe for going with me to something I enjoy...You're the best hubby ever!

Last Bit of Showers...

2009-04-02T22:51:00.001-07:00

Well, in the last few weeks, I was able to have 2 more showers. The first was hosted by my

Mom and Judy...however, Mom spent some time in the hospital up to the day before, and Judy was sick the day of the shower. So my best friends Renelle and Laina also stepped in to help. It was such a wonderful shower with mainly family. It was so nice and lovely. Thanks everyone!

Then, my sister and friend Laina hosted a shower with my friends. It was so cute with the jungle theme. Renelle decorated the cutest cake I've ever seen. It also was another lovely shower with some of my closest friends. I was so happy to enjoy such a wonderful afternoon! Thanks ladies for being such a blessing in my life!

I can't believe that I am less than 3 weeks away from my due date!!! I am getting so anxious and excited to see his little face. What will he look like?
When will he come? Will I be able to do it without drugs like I want?
Will everything go smoothly?
I want him to look just like Brice, but he wants him to look like me. Good thing we know God is in control of all! We can't wait! We'll keep you all posted!

Life as we know changing

2009-03-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day at work before being out for maternity leave. Part of me is very excited to finally be able to breathe and rest...The other part is in limbo, as I don't know what my future holds. BUT, I do know that God knows, which gives me peace. Pray for both of us that we will trust God with our future, and rest in His peace.

Baby Shower (#1)

2009-03-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

Thank you Stephanie and Renelle
for hosting such a wonderful joint choir shower for Amanda and I!

We are so blessed to have wonderful examples of godly mommies and grandmas in the choir. Everything about the shower was so wonderful! The food was so delicious, the games were fun, and the ladies were so generous in giving us such amazing gifts! It really touched me to know that some of the ladies from choir even took the time to prepare handmade items for my little sweet pea...It was so special to me. I shared with some of the ladies that I don't have any grandparents left in my family, and that I am so thankful to have a whole new set of family with the choir. Thank you, thank you, thank you! May God richly bless each of you!

Valentine's Weekend

2009-02-28T22:56:00.000-08:00

I am so glad Brice and I were able to enjoy a relaxing weekend in San Diego for Valentine's Day!
Brice was singing in a men's quartet (which was incredible, by the way!) Sunday morning, so we left after church was over. We made great time, and arrived at my parent's timeshare in the afternoon. As you can see, the room was very nice. I even took a picture of the lamp for my sister, the bird-lover! Cute, huh?

Sunday night, Brice surprised me by taking me to a local playhouse. We were in the second row for the play "Love Song". It was a romantic comedy and was very well-done! It was super fun and we laughed out loud quite a bit!

For the rest of the trip, we just relaxed and watched Fireproof. Which, by the way, if you haven't seen, it is a must-see! It was quite lovely to have no plans for a couple days...Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us enjoy the timeshare one last time before Baby Boy comes into the world next month!

Love is in the Air

2009-02-14T16:28:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day...
Brice, I am so glad we have so much fun together. I am blessed to be married to you! How I love you...Let me count the ways...I love you because:
1. You love God
2. You love me for me...whether I'm all dressed up, or at the house with no make up and my comfy pants: you still think I'm beautiful
3. You make me laugh
4. You have the most adorable dimples of anyone I've ever known
5. We can have so much fun doing everyday activities: making dinner, cleaning, watching tv, etc
6. I've known you for so many years
7. You're my best friend
8. You're really hot
9. You're creative
10. You're passionate
11. We can't stay mad at each other for more than a few minutes
12. You're the father of the baby in my belly
13. You are comforting to me when I'm sad or stressed
14. You help me keep a grounded perspective
15. You know me well
16. You have a great smile
17. You're adventurous
18. You aren't afraid to cry with me
19. You're athletic
20. You accept all people: you're not judgmental or "clicky"
21. You like animals
22. You are an amazing singer
23. You give good massages
24. You like sports...I love watching sports with you
25. You like being outdoors: camping, surfing, etc
Just to name a few...
Love you babe!

A VERY Busy January...

2009-02-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

Well we started out the month with a happy new year at our good friends' Josh and Laina's house. Brice had to work and didn't get to their house until about 11:45. Josh, Laina, and I sat around, practically falling asleep, asking each other, "Is it midnight yet?" "Nope, it's only 9:30!" Well, I think we all realized we are finally there. Old.

Ahhhh the good old days are gone of hanging out in a filled house with young adults, wondering who we would be standing next to when the ball dropped! It is funny what change will come in only a few short years.

We also did our yearly tradition of seeing a movie at Grauman's Chinese Theater. This time we saw "Yes Man" with Jim Carrey. It was definitely laugh out loud funny! Before the flick we indulged ourselves at California Pizza Kitchen. (We're stoked about getting one here in Valencia soon!)

We also painted the nursery with the help of my loving dad, mom, and sis! Thanks guys for helping with this not-so-fun task! Your help means so much to this prego!

Meet the newest addition to our family: Chai. She is a sweet kitty who we adopted from our friends Ricky and Barrett. They had moved, and she needed a new home. We are so happy she's a part of our family now!

In addition to all this, we also enjoyed attending our friends wedding: James and Tinna we love you and are so glad we could be there on your big day! I was also able to enjoy 2 lovely teas: One with Renelle, Mom, Lindsay, and Bev, and the second with Mom, Renelle, Judy, and Jill for Judy's birthday. Happy Birthday my wanna-be-mom!

Lastly, Brice and I were able to enjoy a breathtaking day at the beach. We enjoyed breakfast at our favorite diner Pete's in Ventura. Then, we drove to Carpinteria for the remainder of the day. Oh how great it is to be with my sweet husband! We are trying to get "time for us" in as much as possible before baby boy comes in April...as we know it will be limited forever after that! We did some window shopping, and of course went to Rainbow Ice Cream Shop, where my ultimate favorite ice cream is...Kona Chip. It was an absolutely beautiful day and we really needed the breath of fresh air. Thank you God for giving us a glimpse of Your beauty!

We also enjoyed walking across the street from us and taking in the sights at Castaic Lake. It was very nice and relaxing. Thanks honey for a wonderful walk in the park!

Over and over we realize how blessed we are. We are given so much more than we deserve. "Thank you God for choosing to give us grace when we deserve death. Please continue to shower us with Your love as we enter into parenthood. Bless our son as you have blessed us so graciously!"

New Look

2009-01-03T17:12:00.001-08:00

Question:
So...what do you think of our new look on our blog???

Check Out These Elves!

2008-12-19T10:34:00.001-08:00

Click on the link below to enjoy an awesome Christmas thing...

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/0x2AhpPWoz2xez5CaZjc

It's A...

2008-12-11T18:57:00.001-08:00

It's a Boy! We're super excited to be having a baby boy mid April. My due date keeps changing slightly, but now they say April 16th. So, I'm definitely over halfway! Yipppeee! We'll keep you posted...

2 Years and Counting...

2008-11-18T19:09:00.000-08:00

Last week we celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary. To my surprise Brice had planned a one night little getaway in Santa Monica! It was super fun! Here's a picture of the view from our ocean-side hotel room. Also, Brice got me 2 dozen long stem red roses (representing our 2 years of marriage) that were delivered to our room. They were breathtaking! How romantic! The first day (last Monday) when we arrived, we walked the pier and of course 3rd Street. We relaxed, ate lunch, at checked into the hotel and got settled. I was even able to take a nap! :) Later in the evening we went to a wonderful restaurant...
Houston's. I ate the best steak I've ever had! It was a marinated in a Hawaiian sauce, then cooked to perfection along with some maple syrup sautéed carrots. Brice actually had a sushi & salad plate there, and it was also quite delectable.

If you're ever in the area, you should definitely eat there! Then...we were off to the movies. Madagascar 2 was light and cute!

The following day, we woke up, ate breakfast, did some shopping on 3rd street and ate lunch at no other than Bubba Gump's on the Pier!

Then, Brice had yet another surprise up his sleeve...

Ice Skating! It was fun. My balance isn't as good since I'm pregnant, so I had a death grip on Brice, as I didn't want to fall and hurt the baby. It was so enjoyable, and quite laughable too!

Then, it was off to Ventura to the Pierpont Inn, where we got hitched. This was the most wonderful part of the trip in my opinion. We were able to reminisce, and more importantly pray together...thanking God for two great years, and asking Him to protect our marriage for 5, 10, 50 years from now. We realize how easy it is to become relaxed in marriage, since we're doing well right now. We humbly asked God to preserve our love for each other, fueled my our love for Him; and to help us this next year, as life as we know will never be the same again. It won't be just the 2 of us anymore, and we want to keep us a priority too. We always welcome your prayers too!

Thank you Brice for a wonderfully planned overnighter! As I've already told you, it had a perfect balance between fun, rest, romance, and surprises! I am truly blessed to be married to such a wonderful man who loves God, and loves me despite my many imperfections! I love you!

Hey...Guess What?

2008-10-14T13:16:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess it's official. I'm pregnant again! I am just over 12 weeks along! We're excited! God is so good to us to bless us with our little seasame seed. We've had 2 ultrasounds to far, and it's so cool. The first one was great, and we could see the heartbeat...and that's about it. It just looked like a bean. Then we went again only 2 weeks later, and it looked like a baby: arms, legs, eyes, nose, mouth, and all! It even waived at us a little bit. Wow! Renelle and Coley got to come and see it. Coley confused, was a little "I thought the baby's in Auntie's belly?" He didn't understand that it was a picture of the baby inside of me. Too cute! Praise God!

Yipppeeee!

2008-09-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

Praise God!

We've been praying and believing that God will provide, and He did; just like he promises. Brice was just hired at Olive Garden. He had his second interview on this past Saturday, and started on Monday. He is training this week, and will probably start serving tables next week.

We are so grateful to see God's hand in our lives!

Weekend Getaway...

2008-09-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Brice and I were able to getaway to Big Bear for a couple nights. We enjoyed staying at the Best Western on Friday night, then stayed at my parent's timeshare on Saturday. We really liked doing absolutely nothing! We just dinked around town, window shopped, and of
course ate breakfast at the famous Grizzly Manor. They have the biggest pancakes you will ever see! If you're ever in the area, you've got to try it, but be ready to wait a while for a table! Thanks Mom and Dad for making it possible for us to chill and enjoy each other's company in God's beautiful creation. Until I write again...

Good thing GOD is in control!

2008-08-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

Well...

The Lord has thrown us a bit of a curve ball. Brice was very unexpectedly laid off from work yesterday. As he worked for Camping World (which should be called RV World), business was very slow due to the decrease in the economy, and the climb in gas prices. Brice's supervisors were very upset to have to lay him off, but were forced by corporate to do so.

We were in a lot of shock to hear of the news that yesterday. But, we got on our knees before God and asked him to direct our path, and lead Brice. The good news is that Brice is taking the CPAT (Physical Agility Test) in less than 2 weeks and after that, he can apply for the Fire Department. So, we'll see what the Lord does. We have a peace that God is in control, and he knows our future. Pray that we will stay focused on that truth!

Happy July!

2008-07-30T18:14:00.001-07:00

Hello There!
I'm trying to get better about posting more often...
We'll see how I do. I've included some pictures of our 4th of July day at Santa Barbara. Renelle, Coley, Jamie, Brice and I spent the day in BEA-Utiful Santa Barbara. We had so much fun. I've been trying to get my family to come for years, as this is Brice and my 6th year of the tradition! We really enjoyed relaxing and hanging out down there...and not to mention awesome fireworks. Sadly, the music started skipping in the middle of the fireworks presentation, so they stopped in the middle. But, it was all still worth it for sure. We are all so lucky and blessed to live in such a wonderful country in which we can worship our Lord freely, and have so many unnecessary blessings daily. Thank you Lord!
We enjoyed each other's company, rented a surrey-style bike, had a picnic, laughed, played volleyball, and even met up with our good friends: The Lively's!

Aside from the 4th, Brice and I are doing pretty well...all things considered. We have much to be thankful about, and are trying to stay focused on the truth that God desires good for us, and that He knows our future. With our recent miscarriage, God has really given us comfort in our time of pain. HE has also allowed us to grow together in ways we wouldn't have if it didn't happen. So, thank you Lord for this trial, as it causes us to learn more about your character and the love we are so blessed to share. Thank you also for those that have also loved and cared for us during this trial. We love you all! :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-05-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

Last month I was able to celebrate my Birthday with family and friends. We had a wonderful dinner at the fabulous private room at Sicily...one of my all-time favorite restaurants. I am so blessed to have wonderful people around me. My amazing sister and best friend Renelle set up the room with candles and beautiful fresh flowers. Thanks for making it special for me, my BFF! I was able to have my Dad and Mom, BFF Renelle & the sweet Coley, my dear friends Josh & Laina, Jamie and her parents, B. Smith, and the amazing Steve and Mary Lively. Thank you Steve for singing my favorite song for me...It was fun to also sing some of our old ones together! My friends Nick and Ellen also were able to join the party later, which was awesome. Thank you so much to all of you for joining me. I was sad that there was a limit on the room, as I would have liked to invite a few more close friends.
I will say that this birthday was somewhat weird for me...I don't know, it just felt different. I think it is just all that my family has been going through for the last few months. I guess I felt that there was "something missing"...But, I know that my God is sovereign and faithful, although I fail Him all the time. I continue to focus on Him, and forget the pain, but it is not easy. It is just so hard to miss someone so badly, wish they'd come back, but have a feeling that they never will. I just have to continue to get my comfort in Christ, and I am so thankful how much Brice helps me with this. Brice is such a blessing in my life, and really helps me when I'm too emotional about it all. He encourages me to find my stability in God, and for that I am so thankful.
Thank you again for all of you that could join me for my birthday. Your love and support warms my heart. Love to you all!

A Much Needed Update...

2008-04-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

Hello All,
I hope all is well with everyone...
Here are some pictures of us at church on Easter. We were so glad to spend it with my family at our home church. Here's some of us with sweet Cole who we love soooo much, and one of us.

We had the wonderful privilege of being a part of the choir this year, which has been such a blessing. We also sang in the Passion Play which was on Good Friday (And "Good Saturday"). It was a very powerful depiction of Christ's life and the last of His days here on earth. It was very intense to sing, and quite emotional to sing. We were so glad that some of Brice's family were able to come out to see it...Mike and Barb, Beau and Katy, Michelle, Ryan, and family...Thanks for coming all the way out to see it. We hope you also were moved.

Life has been challenging and different, but we're just trying to continually seek God, and be involved with His People. We are so thankful for our church family, and our families at this time of calamity in my family. God in unchanging, and has a plan in all of this. It's just so heavy on my heart all the time, and I just wish there were things I could do to change things, but I can't. I can only love others, and pray...and pray...and pray.

Today, may you tell your friends and family how much you love them, and praise them for the good gifts and talents God has blessed them with. It's important to tell people, because you never know when they'll be gone (not only by death, but also by distance).

Blessings and God's love to you all...

Thankgiving in Victorville

2007-12-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

Hello All~
Sorry it's been so long (again) since we have updated...our camera broke a few months ago, and it's been tough to update without a camera. But...this last weekend we purchase a new camera during all of the sales so we will be better about posting now...

Here is some pictures from visiting Brice's family in Victorville...
In the first pic on the left you see Brooke and Em being silly...and the one to the right is Barb, Brice, Brooke, Julie, and Chase as we play a friendly game of "Apples to Apples". Then there is normal pic of Em and Brook. The last picture explain why you don't see Tye in any other pics...He was busy fighting the fires in Malibu.

Of course on our way home, we had to stop for a world famous milkshake from...

Until we write again...

American Idol Try Outs!

2007-08-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone. Here is when Brice and I tried out for American Idol last month. We went down and stayed with Shay in San Diego for a couple days and really enjoyed our time with him. We spent MANY hours waiting in line to get a wrist band, and to actually try out for American Idol at Qualcomm Statium in San Diego. Here are a few pics of us there!

We're back...

2007-07-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone...

Sorry for the long time-no write. My camera recently broke while Brice and I are on vacation, and I don't like leaving posts without new pictures. But, I'll try to update you all anyways more often. Well, it is certainly very hot here...104 degrees today to be exact.

Here are some pictures from our Hawaiian Cruise in April. We were generously blessed by Brice's dad Rom to go on a Hawaiian Cruise. It was so much fun! The next few are on of the excursions we did...Botanical Gardens...B-E-A-UTIFUL!

What a cute couple!
Here's a couple at the active volcano...It was sweet!

Yes...That would be my B.F.F.!

We had a Blast...Thank you Rom!
I'll try and write more. I hope you enjoy!

MAHALO!

2007-03-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Hello All! We are less than two weeks away from going to Hawaii again. We are kind of considering it to be a second honeymoon. Rom, Brice's Dad has been super generous (again!) and is treating us to a fabulous 7 night cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. We finally convinced Dad, Mom, Mike and Renelle to come. We are so excited to share this incredible vacation with them! Until we write again: Mahalo!

It's OFFICIAL...

2007-02-25T22:50:00.000-08:00

Hello All! Brice and I are now officially married...
We just got our actual marriage license in the mail today. Yeah! Now I am officially Emilie Villaflor! Yippeeee!

2007-02-18T00:48:00.000-08:00

Our Hawaiian Honeymoon!
Hello Everyone! Here is one picture from our honeymoon. We were blessed to be able to spend a week on the beautiful garden island of Kauai/ This picture has a gorgeous lighthouse in the background. We just missed the last tour for the day, so we weren't able to see it close up. But, it was great to see it from afar. There will be more photos to come...
Love, The Newlyweds

Happy New Year!

2007-01-13T18:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone. It's been many moons since we have posted anything! We finally got our internet up and running, so look for more blogs to come. We love you all, Brice and Em

Here Comes The Bride!

2006-07-06T00:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe, after five and a half years of dating, we're actually engaged. It is soooooo exciting! Brice, you've made me the happiest bride-to-be of all! I am blessed to have a man like you that is so gentle, caring, and so darn handsome! You mean so much to me. I can't believe we're actually getting married. I love you!

Meet My Kitty!

2006-05-08T22:45:00.000-07:00

This is Ginger. She's so precious. I got her last week from a family who had kittens, and needed homes for them. She is quite a handful, and oh so cute!

Welcome Zachary!

2006-05-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

We were so honored in welcoming Zachary Roderick Nish to the world this week. Congratulations Steve and Morna on having such a handsome, healthy, adorable, and precious young boy! I am so glad that we were able to meet him so soon after he was born.

I hope we get to see you three again very soon!

The Best Birthday Ever!

2006-04-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was my 24th birthday...Yes...On April Fool's Day! Friday, the night before, we were up late with Mike and Renelle, my friend Billy and his girlfriend watching one of the most lame movies ever...The Transporter 2. It had some cool scenes, but was very unrealistic. Anyways, the main point is that we were out very late. Then, Brice informed me that I needed to be ready to go at 8:00 a.m. the next morning for my birthday. WOWZERS! "Okay," I said. He was gracious and changed it to 8:15 a.m. I agreed to be ready, although I had no idea where we were going, or what we were doing. So, I of course was running late, and I think we left around 8:30 or so. So, we got in the car and started driving..."But, where is he taking me?" I thought.

A few minutes into the drive, Brice handed me a piece of notebook paper. I started reading it. The first side of the sheet was a birthday poem Brice wrote for me. It was very cute and thoughtful. Then, he told me to look on the other side. To my amazement, there was a 3 by 5 puzzle chart that had blanks for me to fill in. All of the fill-in blanks were numbers. The questions were like these: "Emilie normally wears __ rings on her fingers," "Emilie has had __ real boyfriends," and "Emilie and Brice have been to foreign countries __ times in a group together," etc. They were very cute trivia statements about me, and or us as a couple. Then, each row in the chart represented one of the 5 letters in the word of our destination. In order to figure out the puzzle, I was required to look at the poem he wrote me on the first side of the paper. The first column signified the line of the poem, the second column was the word to look at, and the third column represented the letter of the word to look at. (And everyone says we women are detail-oriented!) The first letter turned out to be P. The second I, third S, fourth M, and fifth O. Which turned out to be PISMO BEACH!!!!! I hadn't been there in so many years. Some of my last memories were camping as a young girl with my family at Pismo Coast Village. It rocked!

So, for the drive up there, which was pretty long, Brice said that I could rest if I wanted to, since we were up so late the night before. So....I did! It was great. I still didn't know what we were going to do in Pismo, but I was very excited to go. When we got into Pismo, Brice pulled out another piece of notebook paper. This time it was a clue. It listed a couple of clues, then I had to guess where it was. The first statement was, "_______ splash, I was taking a bath...." and the second one, "We have a famous one of these in Saugus that is very old." It turned out to be Splash Cafe!

I had never heard of the place, but as you can see, there was a very long line out the door to get into the retaurant. It turned out to have the best clam chowder I have ever tasted. We shared clam chowder in a bread bowl, and an order of fish and chips. It was delicious.

After lunch at Splash Cafe, we walked along the main street, and walked on the pier. The tide was pretty high, and the weather was gorgeous. (According to the weahter man, it was supposed to be raining!)

Next, we took a walk on the pier, where Brice bought me a necklace and bracelet set. It's made out of shells, and it's so cool. Brice kept looking at his watch. I continuously thought, "I wonder what we're doing after this?" So, finally Brice said, "Okay, we better head out."

In the car, he had me read another message on a piece of notebook paper. It had antoher clue, which said something about looking back at the clue on the previous chart. I still wasn't quite sure what we were doing. Brice ended up taking me to:

None other than Pacific Dunes Ranch. Brice made one of my lifetime goals and dreams come true. He took me horseback riding on the beach!!! Oh my gosh, is he awesome or what? It was a little bit emotional for me, since my horse Blackie died on Christmas Eve. This was the first time I had ridden since that. It was so nice to ride again. I can't explain how special this was for me. Brice did an amazing job of making me feel so loved, like a princess. It was awesome. Here's me on cowboy!

I had the time of my life!
After we went riding, we went back to the main street and did some window-shopping and dinking around. We stopped at a candy shop and had some treats, and then we headed back home. After that we went home to go to Greenhouse Cafe to meet family and friends. Thank You Everyone for making my day special!

Youngest vs. Oldest

2006-03-05T15:34:00.000-08:00

Here's the brother's battling this past Christmas at Tye and Julie's. It was so awesome! Good times with the family.

BRICE SAYS, "Who do you guys think is winning?"

Hello Everyone!

2006-03-01T22:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our website! We hope you like it!

This is us at Ricky and Barrett's wedding on February 12th. We were both honored to be a part of the bridal party. Doesn't Brice look handsome!?!

Love, Emilie