Investing

The rest of 2021 was focused on achieving all the goals I outlined at the beginning of the year; investing in our future financial independence and, more importantly, investing in experiences that will continue to pay memory dividends for the rest of our lives. These months have been filled with lots of laughs, learning experiences, firsts, stress, and challenges, but I can see the hard work paying off. The groundwork has been set and I’m looking forward to what’s to come!

Staycation – Denver, CO

Goal – Mommy/daddy mini-getaway – CHECK

We decided to explore Denver like we would any new city and had a blast. A quick weekend trip less than an hour from the house was just what we needed to recharge.

Stop one of our staycation, first mani/pedi for Ty. I know he loved it!

He asked the technician all sorts of questions, “What’s that?” “It’s lotion, did you think it was mayonnaise?” LOL

Stayed at one of the oldest hotels in Denver, the Oxford

Drinks and people watching at Union Station then off to dinner

One last meal before heading back to the family – Breakfast at Rioja

Friends

Found lots of opportunities to hang out with these lovely ladies, always down to do just about anything, even just sit around drinking and snacking

Snow!

Vaccinations

Worth capturing this memory to look back on how insane this pandemic has been and what we all lived through

Aprille’s 30th Birthday

Ty’s Birthday

Momo Post Surgery

Breckenridge

Rented an Airbnb for the weekend that fit the whole crew

As long as I’ve lived in CO, this was the first time we’ve ever gone in search of the Breckenridge Troll! Thank goodness the ‘hike’ was really short

Date Night

One of many dates Ty and I squeezed in over the year. Definitely did not hit the goal of going every month, but we’ll take what we can get!

Mother’s Day

Ty had to work a shift on Mother’s Day, so it was the kids and I hitting up my favorite spots

Plant store to find more green babies to add to the growing collection

Lauren’s Pre-K Graduation from Primrose

AJ’s 7th Birthday

Little fun at the park to burn off the cake

Botanic Gardens with Lola

House Guests

We had so much fun hosting the Cercenia family when they PCS’d to Colorado and waited for their house to be built. The kids were instant BFFs

Ace’s Commissioning into the Space Force

Cousins!

Magnolia

I dove headfirst into the real estate investing pool this year. We sold our home in Killeen, TX that we owned and rented since 2006 and used the money we made towards a triplex in San Antonio. To follow along this journey, check out my Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/ctydingco_property/

Day Date with my older Girls

Our favorite things to do is head into Denver to explore the local thrift shops and get some yummy grub

Mr. Man got into something in the backyard that left him with these very expressive ‘eyebrows’

Hawaii

Goal – Big family vacay – CHECK

9 days on Oahu with the family was a huge success. Not a bad way to end the kids’ summer vacation. The last time we were in Hawaii was in 2008 when Ana was only an infant. I knew AJ and Lauren would love the beach and water as much as their dad does and boy was I right – everyone got 10 shades darker!

Day 1- All packed and ready for the airport

I was a little stressed about the rules and procedures related to the pandemic. The younger 2 needed a negative COVID test at least 3 days before our first flight and we had to upload all our vaccinations and test results into the HI government system. The process to verify all our information in CA was pretty straightforward and quick, but I definitely had nightmares we missed something and would be turned away.

We made it! Stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki and checked out the hotel’s beach resort the morning of day 2

Hanging out by the hotel pool eating spam masubi from the ABC store

Day 3 – Pontoon boat trip to the Kaneohe Bay Sandbar

Best pontoon captain out there! We’ll just ignore the part when the coast guard had to redirect us and get us back on course…hahaha

So cool to stand in the middle of the ocean! It was a bit cold and raining, but we all loved it.

Stopped by Kailua Beach after the sandbar

Of course, we had to check out the BX & NEX

After dinner photo op at SALT in Waikiki

Dinner at Liza and Joe’s new house in Mililani

Day 6 – On our way to meet up with the Johns family at Bellows Beach

The waves were a bit crazy here, I could not get Ty out of the water

Day 7 – a few photos at the hotel before heading up to the North Shore

Of course, we had to stop at Giovanni’s for lunch. Crazy long line to get food, but oh so good!

Day 8 – Breakfast at the Disney Aulani hotel

Hanging out at the Ko Olina Lagoons after breakfast

Thanks for all the memories, Hawaii. We’ll be back soon!

School Year 2021-2022

First day of school for our kindergartener

First day of school for our first grader

Cousin Alyssa’s 18th Birthday Party

Chasing Fall Leaves

We were a little late this year, but we were able to find some patches of yellow/orange for our annual fall pictures

40th Birthday

AMEX lounge at DIA on the way to Seattle WA for a few days with my man

Museum of Pop Culture – Contact High exhibit

Cleaned up and ready for cocktails and dinner

Spent the next couple of days driving and exploring the Olympic Peninsula

Stayed in this little cottage in Forks, WA – Twilight fans should know this place well

New Ink at the Needle Lounge in Lakewood, WA – David Baisa is incredible and a Filipino from Guam!

One more stop to get pastries before flying back home

Jojo’s 17th Birthday

Day date with mom and dad for the birthday girl

Halloween

Dad’s Birthday @ Ocean Prime Restaurant

Lauren’s 6th Birthday

All she wanted for her birthday was to get her ears pierced, so I took her to a legit artist, to get them done. Definitely hurt more than she expected, but she was a champ!

Thanksgiving

Sophia – Elf on the Shelf

For all the parents out there that do Elf on a Shelf, here are some things we did this year for inspiration. We’ve been at it for at least the last 5+ years, so we’re running low on ideas!

Friends

Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning

Ana’s 14th Birthday

Bruno Mars Concert – Las Vegas

For Christmas, we decided to give Jo and Ana an unforgettable one…tickets to see Bruno Mars in concert along with plane tickets to Las Vegas!! I have to admit that it was also a gift for me as much for me as it was for them. The 3 of us took a short girls trip to end the year right. What an experience!