Slumber Party!!!

What can I say, I have the most amazing friends a girl could ever ask for!  Ever since we found out we we would be leaving for Poland the girls and I had discussed getting a girls night in order.  So a week ago Saturday my friend Ashley came to pick me up so that we could spend a beautiful afternoon at Tiny Boxwoods with the rest of the girls.  This is a fabulous cafe hidden in the middle of an upscale nursery in Houston.   They serve a variety of delicious salads, sandwiches and the best ewwy gooey sooo soft but yet crispy on the outside chocolate chip cookies!  Seriously delicious!!! And to top it off they have bottomless mimosas so I bet you can guess where we spent our entire afternoon?  After finishing off our time at Tiny Boxwoods the girls and I treated ourselves to a much needed Mani/Pedi.  From there the four of us headed back to my house to get our slumber on!  As soon as I walked into my kitchen I was surprised with balloons, cupcakes, and champagne.  They even went completely out of their way to pick up my favorite chips and salsa as well as my favorite hummus!!! And on top of everything they had brought gifts that will soon become useful while I am in Poland.  I swear those girls can be very sneaky.  I was completely surprised!

So we got in our Pj's, turned the music on, and pooped the cork on the champagne as we let the night begin.  It was almost as though we had reverted back to high school as we played UNO, danced like we were 15 year olds, took silly pictures, and even did a little Justin Timberlake and Britney watching.  As the night was coming to a close they surprised me with a slideshow of pictures of the gang throughout the last 3 years.  I have to say I am so grateful for every single one of their friendships. True friendships are soo rare and I  have been blessed to have had all three of them together here in Houston.  A year will fly and I will be back before they know it! LOVE YOU GIRLS and THANK YOU for making me feel soo special!!!!!

Sneaky Friends!

Los Quatros Amigos!

Sweet Card!

Mia even got a gift...her first scarf!

Mia loves to Slumber!

Silly girls!

Dancing with Props!....We will never grow up!!
LOVE IT!

Meet sweet Claire

Three weeks ago my dear friend Catherine gave birth to a BEAUTIFUL baby girl "Claire" while we were on our family vacation.  With me working my last 2 weeks and getting things ready for our overseas move I was unable to make the drive to Arlington to see baby Claire until recently.  With work out of the way I took advantage of having the week off and I FINALLY made the drive with my Mother to meet her! It  was an emotional meeting for sure.  Surreal to see Catherine as a Mommy and unbelievable to see this perfect little person! It  makes me sad that I will miss Claire growing up her first year but I am thankful there is Skype!  Its amazing what technology can do these days!   Here are some pictures of my few days with Claire.........

Tia Monica & Claire

She looks like she is gong to be
a good Grandma someday! =)

Such a good Baby!

Already knows how to
hold up the Peace Sign! 

Mother and Daughter

Snug as a bug...as Cat will say

Soooo Sweet!!!

Farewell HHSS!

The last days of work came and my co-workers graciously came together to celebrate me going away.  We all got together at Taco Milagro for some Margaritas and some Salsa Dancing! The evening could not have been more perfect and I could not be more grateful to have worked with such amazing people. I don't intend this being the last time I see them.  Hopefully after our year is up I will be back  before they know it!!!

The Pacific Northwest + The Portillo Family = Unforgettable Vacation

Just wanted to share with you some pictures of our recent family reunion in Vancouver, Canada.   My Grandmother along with most of the Portillo children were brought together for my cousins wedding.  Although sadly we were missing a few, it was the perfect time to get everyone together and enjoy the craziness of what it means to be a part of  "The Portillo Family".  Josh and I, along with my parents and sister decided to make a big trip out of our family reunion in Vancouver and started it by flying into Seattle.  We rented a car and drove south to explore Portland. After spending a day there we drove west thru Oregon's beautiful wine country to visit some local wine vineyards.  From there we went on to spend a few days on the gorgeous Coast of Oregon and stayed in BEAUTIFUL Cannon Beach, a place that some day I would LOVE to return.  We continued on the drive up the coast to Seattle, a FANTASTIC city that I wish we had spent more time in.  From there we finally make it to Vancouver to meet our family to kick off all the festivities.  While we are there we manage to take a trip to the beautiful island of Victoria and visit the gorgeous mountains of Whistler, the home of the 2010 winter Olympics.  The trip was full of unbelievable scenery and priceless family memories!  Something the family hopes to relive again on a cruise in 2012.

There were sooo many beautiful pictures taken on this trip, it was hard to pick which ones to share.  So here are some of my favorites................ .....

Portland, Oregon

Josh posing at the Chinese Gardens
Portland

Dad in his Element: Oregon's
Wine Vineyards

Wine Country, Oregon

Beautiful!

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Seaside, Oregon

Seattle, WA

Wine Tasting in Seattle

Abuelita's  Grandchildren

On the Ferry Ride to Victoria

Victoria, BC

All the Ladies

Cheers!

Beautiful Butchart Gardens

A Pod of Dolphins

Winter Olympics 2010

Whistler, CA

Beautiful Fall Colors

Shannon Falls

 Vancouver, CA

Yum Yum!!!

Silly Girls!

The Portillo's
#7 & #8 We missed you!

Strolling thru Stanley Park
Vancouver, CA

Vancouver sure is Pretty!

Farewell Dinner