Nella's Story

I sat down on the couch Sunday night and read a story that was shared by a friend, and I am now sharing it with you. It is powerful, encouraging, heartbreaking, so inspiring, strengthening, and overall, a beautiful story about how precious life really is. This is the story of little Nella Cordelia. The challenges we face, no matter how big or small, come to us for a reason; for us to look at the positive and know that life really is beautiful.

It's just a name...

I went to the Social Security office a few Fridays back to change my last name. I never thought a name change could be so emotional. I cried all the way to the office, and when the lady handed me the recipt when it was all finished, the tears came again. It's so common for women to take their husband's name. Everyone I know has done it: Grandma, Mom, aunts, friends, cousins.

Well, my new card came in the mail today, and it is SO strange to see "Angela Louise" with a different last name. My first two names have been attached to my last name for 29 years. The 3 names were buddies... pals...BFF's. The whole thing is bittersweet, I guess. Don't get me wrong, though, it was my choice to take on my husband's last name, and I'm happy I did! It will just take some time for me to get use to it. I never thought I would have these feelings over a name. I just feel so silly...

Just a spoonful of sugar...

Is that all it takes to make the medicine go down? I remember liking the taste of cough medicine when I was little. I guess I grew out of that one... yuck!

This weekend was spent doing nothing but sleeping, watching movies, taking 2 pills every 4 hours, and eating lots of chicken soup!

I'm hoping this next weekend will be more productive... :)

End of the year recap

Well, Christmas is over and its a brand new year! We were busy this past weekend putting all of our decorations away, and we finally took our poor dried tree out to the curb. I took advantage of the quiet weekend to clean, unclutter, and reorganize the house. Spring cleaning done a little early! Before we move further into the new year, I'd like to share a little bit of our holiday season:

Mike and I had breakfast with Dad and Linda on Christmas Eve. We went to Egg Plantation in Newhall... very yummy! It had been a few years since I'd spent Christmas with my dad, so I enjoyed having that time with him.

Christmas Eve night was spent at Mom & Bob's house. We had about 30 people over for dinner. Lots of food, family, and fun! I love going "Home" for the holidays. Mom's house is always so cozy and welcoming. Here's a photo I took that shows a little family history:

The mirror belonged to Bob's grandmother; the ceramic lit Christmas tree was made by my grandmother Teresa Trotta; the glass basket was used for the favors at my grandmother & grandfather Trotta's wedding in 1938, and the buffet belonged to my great grandmother Angelina. My mom had it, along with the dining room table and chairs, shipped from Dearborn, Michigan to California.





Mike and I woke up Christmas day and opened our gifts together. Mom and Bob came over for breakfast. Then we all headed to Bobby & Betty's for a while, before Mike and I went to his aunt and uncle's house for Christmas number 4!


Mom & I cooking breakfast



Family trip to Disneyland for Mom & Bob





New Years weekend was spent in Kernville. A place to:

curl up by the fire
play games
eat lots of comfort food
throw rocks into the creek
sip hot chocolate and take in the gorgeous views and fresh air
celebrate a 12th birthday
snowboard & ski
admire the snow
be with family and friends



Jordan's 12th Birthday!







Mike and I came home to SNOW!! It was amazing!

For the new year, I bought a bunch of yellow and white daisies to put around the house. A friend of mine told me yellow is for "Luck" and white is for "Pure & Clean". I chose to use Daisies because they're always happy and make me smile. I just love how they bring sunshine into any room!

HELLO!

It's a new year and time for new things! I've decided to start this blog as a way to document my life and share my stories and photos. I'm still learning my way around this site and how things work, so forgive me if I mess up on posting photos, links or other fun things we're able to do on here. I'm really excited to start this and to receive comments from ya'll.

The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie of all time. I have quite a large collection of everything from books, plates, dixie cups, music boxes, posters & paintings to dolls, videos, ornaments and more. I have my mother to thank for this. She, too, has a special place in her heart for The Wizard of Oz. She decorated my nursery in everything Oz and rainbows, and even wore a 1970's t-shirt with a rainbow on it during a lot of her pregnancy with me; I was destined to be an Oz fan. Here's a photo of one of my newest Oz ornaments:

There truly is no place like home. "Home" is where I:

feel safe and warm

am creative

can be cozy

can be lazy

love to cook

curl up to read a book

Just this past November, I married the man of my dreams. The wedding was held at The Dana Powers House in Nipomo, CA. We had the ceremony out near the orchards, and the reception inside the barn. I love everything vintage, rustic, and country... this place has it all! I'll share more about the wedding in a later post. Many fun photos to share. But for now, I'll leave you with a photo of me and Mike seeing each other for the first time that day.