Aloha!

Thank goodness it was time for a vacation! It's been a long time coming and we all needed one badly. We had a Bayani family vacation on Oahu and stayed at the beautiful Ko Olina Beach Villas. It is so beautiful out there. Ko Olina is my favorite spot in Hawaii and after going to all the islands, Oahu has always been my favorite. As many of you know, I am NOT a nature girl at all so my idea of a perfect vacation is sand, sun, and shopping. All the other islands with maybe the exception of Maui is way too rural and nature-ish for me. I mean seriously, a vacation is no vacation unless you do a little swipy of the good ol' plastic. Oh yes... and did we do some swiping... Monsieur Louis V got a pretty good visit from us (yay!). After the year that Ben and I have had with work, it was SO well worth it.

This was Izzy's second trip to Hawaii... the first time was in my belly on the Big Island. One year later, here she is, soaking up the sun and loving the water as any good water baby should. Funny thing, I'm not much of a water person so she takes after her daddy there. I was just so happy she got to wear all her little outfits.

Izzy with daddy on the beach. She had a lot of great milestones on this trip. She took 5 steps all by herself without holding on to anything and we actually got it on tape! She can mimic us really well and now wants to clap your hands for you. She can drink from a cup pretty well with a little bit of help. I can't believe all she's accomplished in one week.

Here's Miss Izzy lounging on her floaty. So I was super annoyed that the floaty I bought did NOT come with the canopy that it was supposed to. I was soooo disappointed. Anyhow, it was a great floaty all in all. Izzy got the idea that she was supposed to relax so she ended up almost falling asleep since she was comfortable. Overall the trip was great. She was a super good baby on the plane and Hawaiian airlines has excellent customer service and gave us our own row with an extra seat for Izzy and we didn't even pay for it - both ways too! We always make sure we take direct flights and it's so worth the money. The extra customer service is well worth it. I don't know how we would have done it with her being on our lap for five hours. So far, all the plane trips she has taken she's gotten her own seat.... thank goodness. Now it's all about getting adjusted for home... ugh, back to the grind!

Tough Decisions

So it's no surprise to anyone how much I HATE my boss. I think that I say it almost 20 times a day to everyone I meet including random strangers. I have always felt that to keep the balance in our lives we should be able to really despise one person because no one on earth can possible like everyone.

Before I continue, I would like to explain that I am looking for solutions:
1) Actively looking for a new job.
2) Asked for a transfer and was first told yes, then NO.
3) Tried to really SUCK at my job but in my years in retail, you have to really really do something bad to get fired such as KILL someone, there are some seriously stupid people in retail.
4) Have kept a log of every horrible thing my boss has said and done to me (which I later found out doesn't matter because others have tried it)

Which brings me to where I am at now: Recently had been approached with a high possibility of becoming a teacher at a private school. I've always wanted to teach and had a taste of it during college. It was tremendously hard but I really enjoyed it. That was ten years ago. Anyhow, the opportunity came and I find myself at a crossroads. As with all teaching jobs, the pay is extremely low, so low you can't even imagine. I think kids at In and Out Burger will end up making more than me. On the other hand, there is no other job that allows someone to end up with almost 4 months of down time and with Isabel, there's nothing I'd rather do than hang out with her at home. Well almost. In this day in age (especially in California), I feel that with these decisions, money has become the decision maker 99% of the time. You lose all sense of confidence. Will I be comfortable knowing that I make less money than a person who never even graduated high school? The other angle which I find even more daunting is, will my family and friends accept that I will have taken a huge step backwards from all that I've achieved the last ten years? I feel that the second is a scarier thought. There are those who will say that they are "supportive" but I truly feel they are scared shitless of my decision. Then there are those who want me to do it but are secretly loving the fact that I've taken a "different" option. Oh yes... we all have people like that in our lives....

So this is truly a dilemma. Unfortunately, I think money will win out in the end. Even the most supportive people in my life are hesitant to help me make this decision. The sad part is, I know my absolute hatred of my boss is driving me to really dislike everything around me. It's becoming a poison that practically consumes my every being. Am I willing to let that take over? I don't think there is a happy ending to this problem.

Swing Away

I forgot that I took this photo on a recent trip to San Francisco. We found a park by Haight and Ashbury so Izzy and I hung out for a bit. I think she was a little groggy from her nap. There was a dad and a little boy swinging next to her and they were going to really high. She was totally into watching them. She loves looking at other little kids. It was a really cute little park. Izzy's wearing the pink sandals that my mom bought her from Taiwan.

Hanging Out

Izzy looks perfect in an orange colander hat. I thought it was funny how the colander fit her head perfectly. However I don't think she liked it very much...

Izzy and daddy just hanging out playing the Xbox. I believe Ben was playing Grand Theft Auto... Yup. She's used to it by now!

Interesting... I think she's plotting something.

She's such a crack up! Her laugh is the cutest thing ever and she's at the age where she knows how to play. She can read expressions and be totally receptive of facial expressions. It's hilarious! I picked her up one day from daycare and she totally speed crawled from the other end of the room to me and was all over me, wanting me to hug her and pick her up. The moment she did that, I was so amazed to be her mommy. Watching her be so excited to see me was an incredible feeling! She's such a smartie pants.

Baby Fashion Show

Yesterday we spent the day in the city doing some shopping. Ben hadn't been up to SF Center since it was remodeled years ago. It was so exhausting! Izzy was good for the most part but she was super tired by the afternoon.

In preparation for our upcoming Hawaii trip, I took out some of the bathing suits that Izzy has never worn and had her try it on to see if they still fit. They are totally cute! We're starting to pack and organize for the trip, there's so much to bring!

This brown suit is from Auntie Kate. She looks great in it!

Keeping the Little One Safe

We haven't started to baby proof our place yet since we still have one month left or so before we move. I found a baby play gym at Toys R Us and thought it would be great. Too bad we didn't have an electric pump and it took forever to blow up. Then she liked it for about ten minutes and it was over. It to FOREVER to get back into the box!

We devised a little play area in our living room surrounded by ottomans and so far she's been loving it and the cost was free!

P-Touch This

I've been wanting a label maker for awhile now and I finally got one on Friday. It's the coolest thing! Since Izzy is starting daycare next week, I've been going nuts labeling everything that she's bringing. On Saturday, I spent the afternoon organizing her room and putting her small clothes away, labeling every box of course! The P-touch is a dream machine.

A weight has been lifted off my shoulders and surprisingly, I'm really happy about it. We had been looking for homes in Pleasanton for awhile but a few weeks ago, after going to a few open houses, I decided that we should stay in San Jose for a bit longer. We both like the location of where we live now and it's convenient to everything: HP Pavilion, SJ Airport, and of course Valley Fair. Also, I like having access to all the restaurants and Asian plazas. Most of all, we wanted to feel financially free and not having to be tied down to a huge mortgage. I want to maintain our current lifestyle without giving up luxuries such as traveling and high end jeans! Moving to Pleasanton would force us into a position where being a stay at home mom would be out of the question. Since Izzy still has 4 years to go before we decide on school, we thought that we should take a breath and slow down. Being near my parents is a total plus and although Pleasanton would be only an hour away, being able to have my mom take Izzy at any time is such an advantage. I love the Pleasanton area and what it has to offer and that will always be a place we will consider but right now, I couldn't justify moving to a smaller home at a much higher price tag. Plus, at our current rate, private schools are still an option. I just feel so much better now that there is a plan in place!