We are officially back in San Jose for 1 year. Actually November 22nd, is the official 1st day back for Aidan and myself even though Michael arrived on 11/7/08. Anyway, without further ado, here's the last year or so in review!
November 2007:
Aidan and I went to Disneyland with Kurt, Maryam, Mitra and Kian in early November. This was Aidan's first trip to Disneyland. He had a great time, but didn't understand the concept of waiting in line. We did a day and a half at California Adventure Park and Disneyland. Ojiichan was a big help since Michael couldn't go on the trip because he was packing up our belongings to move back to the Bay Area. He still remembers going to Disneyland with his cousins and how much he loved the Teacups!
December 2007:
This was Aidan's first Christmas back in the Bay Area. He got to sit on Santa's lap. Mommy forgot to get a gift for Santa to give to Aidan but luckily my cousin's came through. Turns out Aidan was more concerned about the candy cane Santa was passing out! He had a nice time with all his cousins and they had so much fun together. That's something we really missed being in Hawaii.
January 2008: Diane was busy in January making all of her client's printed items, bouquets and centerpieces for her wedding. This was Diane's biggest order to date. We took some time to take Aidan to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He had a blast looking at the sharks... We couldn't find NEMO, so he was a little upset about that. He especially liked the wave generator exhibit. The day we went, it poured rain and Cannery Row was shut down due to a gas leak. 
It was like we had Cannery Row all to ourselves. February 2008: Michael decided in February to make a change from selling MI
NI Cooper cars to BMWs. He really likes his managers and many of the other sales guys he works with. In his first 2 months selling BMWs, he had sold 12 cars in one month. He's had good and bad months, but he's good at what he does and his management really wants him to stay. Michael is definitely a "people" person and so, who knows what 2009 has in store for Michael at BMW.We also celebrated Aidan's 3rd birthday. We kept his CARS themed party really small and didn't go all out like we had the 2 years prior. It was just his cousins and his friends Maddie and Adam. He loved having his favorite cousins and friends to celebrate his birthday with.
March 2008: 
We decided to take a trip to Disneyland to meet our old neighbors who lived next door to us when we lived in Ewa Beach. The Rose family was headed to David's new post in Ohio so we decided to meet them at the "happiest" place on earth so we could reunite and the kids could have some fun. Of course we picked Spring Break and March Madness week to go... NOT GOOD... Michael hates amusement parks so the especially long lines weren't a good way to spend Michael's first Disneyland experience with Aidan. Regardless, we had fun spending time with the Rose family and we're looking forward to possibly doing another get-together in 2009. Aidan loves Trevor and Trent! Michael managed to meet some of the Kentucky team's alumni, players and parents at the hotel.
On the way down to Los Angeles (we drove down), I got a call on my cellphone which I let go to voice mail because Aidan was talking too loud. Much to my surprise, it was the producers from the Martha Stewart Show. I thought it was a joke, but they found my Etsy site and though my stuff was very unique. After we returned from Disneyland, I rushed them samples of my work and the following Monday they made the decision to have me on the show. So within 2 weeks, I had to prepare my segment, get flights, hotel, etc because my air date was April 1st. The really sad thing is that Aidan got sick at the end of March and got an ear infection so we spent Michael's birthday in a walk-in clinic to get Aidan's ears checked out. Needless to say, we kind of skipped over Michael's birthday. Of course, he still doesn't let me live that one down.
At the end of March, I taught my first out-of-state student, Karen Pedevilla, who came all the way from Indiana to take clay classes with me. She actually was one of the first ones to share in the good news that I was going to be on the Martha Show. Karen finished 11 classes in 5 days! She's hoping to come back next year to finish the rest of the curriculum so she can eventually teach in her hometown. April 2008: 
April 1st.. The April Fool's Day Show on MARTHA! Diane's BIG BREAK! So I flew out on March 30th on the red eye flight to NYC. Got there on March 31st to do the prep work with the stylist team and went on the air for a live show with Martha Stewart on 4/1. The whole premise of the show was deceiving the eye and even though the flowers look real, they are made out of clay. Seth Meyer stole my 2nd segment. What an AMAZING experience that I will never forget. I was so NERVOUS but the production team at the show are so professional and very positive and encouraging. I got so much interest from the show for classes, finished products and more. Almost all my Etsy listings sold within a week or two after the show. I know DECO Clay Craft Academy and Island Heritage were bombarded with orders for clay and books too. This really put CLAYCRAFT by DECO on the mainland map!
I was really amazed at how much exposure I received just because of my little Etsy storefront. Up until my show, I didn't sell anything and then a couple of days before the show, some buyers purchased the items I sent to the show so I had to tell them they had to wait until it came back from the show!
May 2008:
At the end of April and into mid May, Diane, Aidan and Ojiichan went to Oahu to check on the house, tidy up, take clay classes and try to visit with family. Michael couldn't get away as he had just started his new position at BMW.
We had a nice time on Oahu, it was a very busy 3 weeks. Diane had clay classes to attend, try to pack up more things to bring back to California and straighten up the house and throw a lot of unused things away. Ojiichan was a huge help in that respect. He did all the yardwork, organizing odds and ends and helped watch Aidan.
Aidan had a blast going to the zoo, the park and the aquarium. We even spent time with Uncle Thomas, Auntie Renate and all our cousins.
During my stay there, I was contacted by a WeddingBee.com blogger by the name of Miss Pineapple. I was shocked, but she had expressed to me she saw me on the MARTHA show and saw my Etsy site and her wedding was going to be without fresh flowers. So we discussed flower options and colors and for the most part we agreed she would be hiring me to do her bridal bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres. As soon as I returned, I worked on her samples. The day she posted about my work and how she was hiring me to do her flowers, I got 15 serious inquiries. I think many of them turned into orders.
June - August 2008: Let's just say, the whole summer was a big blur... with all the orders I took in with my business. For the most part, before the Martha appearance, most of my orders were for invitations and wedding details, but the clay flower business skyrocketed after that. The majority of my orders through the fall were all for bridal bouquets! I did hire my Auntie Lil to come and work for me which was a HUGE help. She helps cut my cardstock, do assembly, etc. If it wasn't for her, I would not be able to continue at the pace I have been.
In August, I taught 2 more students from Texas and Canada! Tracey and Vista were both really nice and they did a great job learning all the techniques. They are busy practicing and trying to start building their clay flower business. They hope to return in March to try and finish the 2nd curriculum so they can be certified to teach.
September 2008: We decided even though Diane's summer/fall wedding season hadn't slowed down that we would still squeeze in a trip to see Michael's family in Barnegat Light, NJ. The beach house was recently finished and it's a 3-story house. It's very homey and comfortable. We got to meet Dylan for the first time, Aidan's younger cousin on the Phillips' side and spend time with Grandma! Aidan had a blast on the beach. The jellyfish were in full force, but we had lots of fun meeting old friends of Michael's and learning how to make Irish soda bread from Grandma!
Aidan and her play 
together a lot and I had a chance to meet Isabella and her mom at a playdate after school. It's funny to hear Aidan talk about her and how much he likes her or thinks she's pretty. He's only 3!!! Good grief it's already starting. :)
Okay, so now it's been a year since I've posted on our family blog. Just been a tad bit busy! Hopefully I'll be better this year about posting pics of Aidan and what our family has been up to more! One can only hope!
So, I've been really bad about posting on our family blog, but things have been so crazy and we've all been sick.. Seems like when one person feels better another one is sick. If you ask how I've been, it can be summed up in one sentence, "I've pushed myself too hard for too long and my body decided it had enough and had to shut down for a while." I was literally sick from after Thanksgiving to the 2nd of January. Aidan had croup, Michael had a cold in his back which would leave him sleepless for many nights and me getting one relapse after another.
You would think things would slow down since it's not technically "wedding season", but it hasn't stopped. I haven't had time to spend with Aidan and I think he was acting out to show mommy that enough was enough. So after 5 days of almost pulling my hair out and his... I decided to take a little break from work before I ramp up on another big order and spend a little time with Aidan. So he showed me how good he has gotten on his tricycle (when he's looking forward and not backwards or out in the street) and we played with the Lincoln Logs he got from his Uncle Jim and Aunt Helen for Christmas. So he was much better behaved. Who would have guessed. LOL.. I hope to spend a little more time each day with Aidan so he doesn't feel so neglected by Mommy. Doesn't help too because Michael is working longer hours due to layoffs at his work and hasn't had a day off in quite some time.
I thought I would post after the new year, but we got some good photos from tonight's Christmas Eve festivities, so I thought I'd share them. Aidan had a GREAT time with his cousins. He doesn't often get to see a lot of his cousins (my cousins' kids) so he was on cloud 9. We knew this year he wouldn't be afraid of Santa. Aidan is a very outgoing child. As soon as Santa came in, he was stuck to him like glue and waiting for him to give him his present. He got to sing Jingle Bells and then Santa started passing out gifts. He kept wondering which one was his. He finally got it and he was so happy. 
Anyway, these are a few photos from this evening's festivities. It was so good to see my relatives that we haven't seen in 3 years. Since our wedding in fact. I have two aunts who went through a lot this year and it was good to see them and fighting the odds. They have a lot to live for, lots of family who loves them and amazing grandchildren to watch grow up! It was nice to take a break from work (although I must admit, I did work on flowers and some photos for a magazine article) and spend time with family. Aidan didn't want to go to bed, but he was so wiped out, after we read his favorite book Tale of Desperaux, he fell fast asleep.
Merry Christmas to all our families and friends. We hope this Christmas brings you lots of happy times, health and most of all appreciating all that you have in your life.
This was Aidan's first Christmas back in the Bay Area. He got to sit on Santa's lap. Mommy forgot to get a gift for Santa to give to Aidan but luckily my cousin's came through. Turns out Aidan was more concerned about the candy cane Santa was passing out! He had a nice time with all his cousins and they had so much fun together. That's something we really missed being in Hawaii.
It was like we had Cannery Row all to ourselves.
NI Cooper cars to BMWs. He really likes his managers and many of the other sales guys he works with. In his first 2 months selling BMWs, he had sold 12 cars in one month. He's had good and bad months, but he's good at what he does and his management really wants him to stay. Michael is definitely a "people" person and so, who knows what 2009 has in store for Michael at BMW.
September 2008: We decided even though Diane's summer/fall wedding season hadn't slowed down that we would still squeeze in a trip to see Michael's family in Barnegat Light, NJ. The beach house was recently finished and it's a 3-story house. It's very homey and comfortable. We got to meet Dylan for the first time, Aidan's younger cousin on the Phillips' side and spend time with Grandma! Aidan had a blast on the beach. The jellyfish were in full force, but we had lots of fun meeting old friends of Michael's and learning how to make Irish soda bread from Grandma!
Aidan and her play 
together a lot and I had a chance to meet Isabella and her mom at a playdate after school. It's funny to hear Aidan talk about her and how much he likes her or thinks she's pretty. He's only 3!!! Good grief it's already starting. :)
Michael also had a hernia operation to repair the other side in October as well. The surgeon found a couple of other things that she had to repair while she was fixing the hernia we knew about. Michael had a couple of sports related injuries that we think may have been caused while we were in New Jersey - carrying a heavy wooden pool table might have been the culprit... Michael is recovering. The recovery process is abotu 6 weeks. He listened to the doctors... sort of. He didn't carry Aidan for at least 5 weeks, but he went back to work and overdid it a little and on those days he really felt the effects of the surgery on his body.
It's hard to believe November is almost over. Lots to still do as I have multiple holiday orders going on at the same time and I will be heading to Maui to coordinate a wedding for 4 days in early December. 
and was good about sharing and not pushing Brandon. :)
