Tug Boat Keeps Us Busy!

Well. . .we figured it out. Having a puppy is not easy. . .But, it sure is rewarding. Every day we watch Tug Boat grow up, learn new things, have new adventures and we can't say much more than we love our little puggle.

I have new nicknames for him every day from "Bubba" to "BoBo" to "Little Chicken". He is truly our little man and a constant source of entertainment.

Now that he has all of his shots, we happily take him to the dog park three to four times a week, he is also sleeping about seven hours a night, and has fewer accidents in the house (as I type this though, he's peeing on the floor). His favorite toy seems to be a stuffed duck given to him by his Uncle Derek and Auntie Janelle and Cousin Roscoe. He loves nutra dent bones. He can chew one for hours which gives us just enough time to clean up the mess he's made in the house. He's mischievious and cuddly, sweet and a terror all at once. Tug Boat is the prodigy of his puppy school classes, a friend of everyone at the small dog park, and knows commands like "sit" (taught to him with treats by his Auntie Smoke) and "wanna go outside". He truly is a joy. If we are this enamored with our puppy, we fear what we are going to be like with our children. :)

Surprise! Fancy Nancy turns 50!

This year was monumental. My mom (or Nancy Mom for Brendan) turned 50 in a lavish Hollywood themed celebration in San Jose. Though Papa and I went back and forth and back and forth as to hosting an indoor party or an outdoor party, the outdoor party idea (Papa's) won and in 40 degree weather, we donned our glam gear to celebrate my mom. If anyone knows my mom, they know that the "surprise" element of the party was lost along the way with the snooping, constant questioning, random interrogations, etc. However, it was a blast! We're thinking we are going to have to host another party so she'll remember. . .

My mom is the cornerstone of our family, an inspiration to all, and a constant source of love and encouragement. Happy Birthday Mom! We love you!

Bi-Monthly Update - Michael Franti and the lovebirds

Ahh. . .here we are. One week away from the month of May. Things have been. . .well, busy to say the least. We've had a great time with each other, visiting with our friends, celebrating with our family, and just being blessed in general.

In February, we had the opportunity to become rebel rockersat the new Nokia Theatre in downtown LA. Michael Franti and Spearhead - check out some of their jams: http://www.spearheadvibrations.com/index2.php -- We went to this concert with our friends Brandy, Steven, and Val. It was a good good time with good good music and lots and lots of jumping around.

Our friends Steven and Brandy are getting married in June. And we're so so excited for them!

Congratulations Shawn and Katharina!

On January 31st, 2009 a very dear friend of mine, Shawn married his long time love and best friend Katharina in Coco Palm, Bodu Hithi, Maldives (check out their "destination wedding" not bad, right?? http://www.cocopalm.com/boduhithi/location.html) . Shawn is wise, and fun, and adventurous and lives every day to it's fullest and Katharina is one of the most beautiful women I know. Their happiness and optimistic outlooks on life makes them a perfect fit for each other, and you can't help but want to smile when you see their true love in action. To say that Shawn and Kat have come a long long way since they met at a dance club a number of years ago is an understatement. Their love has endured the test of time and distance and they are now living happily ever after in Vienna, Austria. Shawn and Kat, we wish you every happiness in your new adventure together, and we are looking forward to celebrating with you this summer and in Italy!

Happy Birthday. . .a bit overdue

Happy Birthday Papa!

We had been meaning to put up this post right around his birthday (Jan 14th). But as a birthday gift to himself, Papa decided to give himself a new lease on life. So instead of partying it up on his birthday, he spent his 50th (wink) birthday recovering from a heart surgery that has left him more spunky than ever. We hope that the year ahead is filled with much health, love, peace and happiness to you. Thank you for everything you do for your family. It does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. We love you.

One Year Ago Today. . .

One year ago today, my best friend, Brendan McMahon asked me to be his wife! He planned a spectacular engagement day complete with clues leading up to relaxing spa treatments, an amazing beach side dinner in Santa Monica, and brunch at a beautiful ocean restaurant in Malibu. My life has changed for the better over the past year of being engaged and now married to Brendan. Here are 35 Reasons why I love my husband. . .

1. My husband rocks! He is into great (albeit, sometimes weird) music, and is a fantastic drummer

2. Brendan is one of the most fair people you'll ever meet

3. Brendan is not good at "betting" - he owes my papa two meals, and my brother a dinner

4. Brendan's TiVo is ALWAYS full

5. Brendan is a good kisser (I knew this before we got engaged, but for my parents who are reading this, we only started kissing after we got married)

6. Brendan eats everything I make (and likes it!)

7. Brendan is very good looking all dressed up and very cute all dressed in sweats and a t-shirt

8. Brendan goes to the gym with me in the mornings so I don't have to go alone

9. Brendan is optimistic

10. Brendan is fun

11. Brendan is a planner

12. Brendan makes the best BBQ'ed swordfish I've ever eaten

13. Brendan makes friends really easily

14. Brendan can eat Mako Bowl five times in a row

15. Brendan likes dancing

16. Brendan likes dancing funny with me in the living room

17. Brendan does not like to be disturbed while he's sleeping

18. Brendan loves to read

19. Brendan likes cereal

20. Brendan watches my shows with me and actually watches them so we have conversations about the characters afterwards

21. Brendan makes every effort to love my friends and family

22. Brendan likes to give back

23. Brendan is not tech savvy

24. Brendan is good at organizing and coordinating but not so good at remembering where we put checks

25. Brendan compliments my outfits

26. Brendan surprises me at work with flowers

27. Brendan is not perfect, but he's perfect for me

28. Brendan calls me throughout the day to see "how I'm doing"

29. Brendan goes along with my goofy ideas (Captain Stubing, Ugly Sweaters, matching outfits)

30. Brendan is an encourager

31. Brendan is patient

32. Brendan thinks about my well being

33. Brendan puts in the extra effort when I'm too tired to

34. Brendan believes in people's boundless potential

35. Brendan makes me want to take action

It's a Boy!

Hello Friends and Family! We have a very special announcement. . . On January 23, 2009, there will be a brand new member to the McMahon Family:

Tug Boat Willy McMahon

Tug Boat is a nine week old puggle that will be joining our happy family. We are so excited to meet him and will provide you with updates as soon as he's home. Wish us luck as we begin our new adventure as "puppy parents".

The Couple's First Christmas as Mr. and Mrs.

Mia and I celebrated our first Christmas as Newlyweds alone in our Toluca Lake Townhouse on Tuesday, December 23 (moments after I giftwrapped Mia's first gift) on the sofa between our tree and fire place (unlit). It was nice to share some alone time together before boarding our American Flight to Boston the next day to see some of our Northeast Family and Friends.

Watching the weather all week we were nervous about travel delays due to storms. We lucked out without Mother Nature getting in our way but the plane's fuel panel needed repair. For this we waited nearly an hour next to a slightly odd woman at the gate who had her mind made up that we wouldn't get out that day. Listening to her I started to wonder what it would cost to scalp two Celtics/Lakers tix the next day outside the Staple Center. Seeing as the Celts lost embarrassingly it was just another reason I was glad we actually did make our flight on Christmas Eve. I remember seeing that woman outside Logan Airport as I looked for my brother Jay who was picking us up. The woman gave me the "We made it" thumbs up.

Jay brought us to our mom's house in Watertown, MA, which is about 7 miles directly west of downtown Boston. Much of the snow had melted or been washed away with recent rains.

After catching up with my mother and brother we hit the sack.

Christmas morning we went to church with my mom at St. Patrick's where I was brought up. After mass Mia and I (mostly Mia) wrapped the gifts for my family that we had shipped.

We spent the afternoon at my Aunt Sally and Uncle John's in the next town, Waltham, MA. Unfortunately, my brother suffered a shredded tire and we had to change that in the driveway.

Minus the Celtics losing to The Lakers it was a nice Christmas. I was happy to have Mia with The McMahons in Boston this year.

While we were in town we got to see Mia's Nouno and Nouna (Godfather and Godmother) as well as her Yiayia and Papou (Grandmother and Grandfather). We spent a night at their Tewksbury home and got to see Mia's Uncle Steve and Aunt Penny's newly constructed and beautiful home.

We also saw Mia's Uncle Peter and Aunt Barbara as well as some of her other relatives.

We hit downtown Boston twice, once for a cocktail party at The John Judge Estate on Beacon Street and again later on the trip for an afternoon walk through the snowy Boston Public Gardens.

Our friend Pete Caruso took us and our friend's Bob Kelly and Pilar to see Boston College Eagles Men's Hoop team beat the University of San Francisco Dons in a non-conference game.

Other than my absent mindedly leaving my iPod on the plane and forcing me to deal with American Airlines baggage people, the trip was a success.

It's nice to be back in LA and we're ready to get 2009 started. I have a feeling this year will be filled with exciting challenges and opportunities. And Omelets.

Happy New Year!

Bye Bye Thomas!

On December 14th our friend Thomas left for Naval Boot Camp in Great Lakes, IL. (we hear the best time to head to Illinois is in winter!). Thomas has been a good friend for a number of years and recently decided that he wanted to change his life by joining the military and ultimately becoming a physicians assistant. We are thankful for his friendship and for his dedication to our country. He truly does have a heart for service, the tenacity of a great leader, and the compassion to care for our servicemen. We wish him all the best! See you on the other side of bootcamp, buddy!

So. . .Thomas packing up and leaving was a total bummer and we really do miss him. But on the flip side, on December 20th, we moved Smoke into her new place (which was Thomas' old place) and now I've got two of my best friends (Smoke and Tiffy) just two blocks away. Yay!

Baklava Making Lessons

Being Greek has many perks. Like the inherent knowledge that if you don't know how to cook you'll never land a husband, never make friends, and no one will ever come to eat at your house. Another perk is that I am born into a family of great chef's. . . my mom being one of them. Her baklava is acclaimed and through the years it has got her things like a husband, promotions, and various catering jobs.

We thought we would share the love with Tiffy and Val Brown so they too have the secret of Baklava making success. Though the process of baklava is grueling and requires much stamina and endurance (see Tiffany limbering up) for their first attempt they were pretty freakin' rad at baklava making.