Holidays, Bday's, 3 Funerals, Pumpkin Carving, Marathons & TCF!
It's official! We changed out blog to The Silva Linings after a popular vote and the excessive use of our hashtag (mostly by us of course) #thesilvalinings. Here are some updates from the past 6 months.
GO HUSKIES!
We got to cheer on our huskies on an incredible football season. Even though they didn't end up winning the national championship, we are still devoted fans, well at least one of us. Fun fact, Jaime and I both went to UW (quite a few years apart from each other).
TWINNING
When we are going out or running errands we end up dressing like twins half the time so this picture was warranted. Jaime always blames me for trying to match him...and now I do it just to annoy him! #because
FACETIME WITH FAMILY
On Sundays we do out best to go to church, spend time chatting with family, spending time with each other and enjoying some quiet time. Skype sessions with Hamilton have been my favorite lately. Just look how precious this child is. (I still think I'm his favorite but the good thing is I have a least a couple more years where I'll never really know....)
MOLLY MOONS
We have officially made friends with the Molly Moons employees of U-district to the point where they are usually able to recognize us and know our order. I also happened to make friends with the manager and told her about some of our upcoming surprises for our marriage celebration she was very excited to hear about! I really should be getting paid to market their business.....
OLD GEMS
I was able to go through some of Jaime's old family books and found this gem of his birthday party part and piñata his nana made for him.
PUMPKIN CARVING
One of my most favorite things to do is host my girlfriends over at my place. Our lives are so crazy it's not every day (or even every month) that we get to see each other! This year Jaime got out of cooking for the whole crew and I decided to throw a pumpkin carving party. We chowed down some grilled cheese and tomato soup and Emma came over to help me make some desserts. We have so much jamming to Jaime's oldies mix and carving our pumpkins. I didn't get pictures of them all but here are a few!
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| I clearly suck at this.... |
I stopped by Ma and Pa's to say hi to this little munchkin! I love seeing the boys whenever we stop at their place! Can't get enough of these guys and wish we saw them more!
PARAMOUNT 4 YEAR CELEBRATION, SENDOFF FOR JAIME
As you probably know by now....Jaime is no longer coaching full time at Paramount Strength and Conditioning. We had a brunch to say goodbye and celebrate 4 years of Paramount's existence. These two crack me up!
November was a very tough month as we found out our Tio Ernie had a devastating stroke. The moment we could, Jaime and I made the drive to Spokane where he was airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital. It was really tough to see him so uncomfortable but I was really glad to be there to support our family and really appreciated how hard those ICU nurses worked to keep him as comfortable as possible. It was so interesting for me to be on the other side as a family member with their loved one in the ICU and it gave me a lot of perspective on how I can always strive to be a better nurse.
Mari had mentioned that Tio Ernie was asking for Jaime when he was in the hospital. When we arrived, Jaime spent some time reading from Tio Ernie's bible and the passages he had recorded over the years. I waited outside the ICU room to give them some space and the spiritual care lead from the hospital came to check in on our family. She teared up when she saw Jaime reading to his uncle and said "Clearly he's already in good hands and I'll let them be."
This is the only pic we have from the weekend.
LAUREN HILL AT MCCALL HALL
I surprised Jaime for his bday with tickets to see Lauren Hill at McCall Hall. Honestly though....we all know she's incredible but I wasn't a big fan of the concert. We were hoping to get more of her R&B hit's and she managed to turn them all into an upbeat rap battle.
JAIME'S BDAY DINNER AT DELFINOS
We went out to Jaime's favorite pizza place for a quick family bday dinner for him the same weekend. We were sad Ma & Pa were still in Eastern Washington but it was great to see my parents and really happy that Tito (Saul Jr.) and his family came.
BDAY SURPRISES FOR JAIME
I also gave Jaime a bday present I had been preparing for quite some time and judging by these candid photos I think he liked it! I know, I know I'm a creeper.
Emma and Josh also spoiled Jaime with a Portage Bay brunch! Those two are just gems. Also Jaime was just a little excited about both his and my meal.
TIO ERNIE'S FUNERAL
Tio Ernie passed away on Jaime's birthday (November 13th) so we headed back to Eastern Washington for his service. I was very proud of Jaime and his composure throughout the emotional month and weekend at his funeral. Jaime was asked to give the eulogy and he delivered a beautiful speech. Connie also spoke on behalf of Tio Ernie and it was a wonderful service.
After we drove home we had to drive to Thai Tom to re-vive ourselves. If you've never been there, you never had THE BEST Thai Food. We traveled all over Thailand and eaten all over restaurants here and nothing else compares. These cooks know me so well they don't even have to ask what I want: Pad Thai with double chicken 2 stars baby. Clearly I get addicted to certain types of foods....
WEEKEND GETAWAY TO PORTLAND
Over the span of a month I think we traveled to Portland like 3 or 4 times. We hit up the Nike Employee Store and did some serious damage to our bank accounts. We did however discover Blue Star Donuts which is our new favorite place which happens to be next to our favorite burger joint called Little Big Burger.
We tried Ox restaurant which has the best empanadas. I wasn't a fan of the "bread crumbs" Jaime made me try which were "code" for thymus....yes that part of the body you're thinking of is exactly what he made me eat.
After some emotional weekends it was nice to be able to escape for a weekend and spend some time together. We discovered our favorite little Portland Hotel too.
THE CUTEST BERNAL FAMILY
Garret, Cami and Hamilton get a shout out on this "update" because they have the cutest little family and most precious little baby Hamilton. Here are their holiday photos thanks to Cami for sharing with the family. This kid melts my heart.
I will admit this little Camden, my Nephew on the Silva side of the family gives him a run for his money. Can you tell how much I love these kids!? I love being an auntie.
TIME OUT FOR JAIME
Carter decided to put his Tio in time out for accidentally throwing a mini football that hit him in the head. It was hilarious. He said "TIME OUT TWO MINUTES" and pointed at the wall. He proceeded to watch Jaime and make sure his hands were on the way. No one could keep a straight face!
NEW FITNESS GOALS
I've been working out some shoulder kinks lately, long story. With only a few weeks to prepare, I decided to train for the Seattle Half Marathon. It was interesting training for a long distance running after focusing on Crossfit and not having run over 3 miles in over 3 years. Even though I was pressed for time, it was so refreshing to be able to have a realistic fitness goal to work towards.
The day of the race was freezing and it took me a little bit longer to warm up that I had anticipated. Jaime woke up and dropped me off at the start line but I arrived 15 minutes after the first wave had started. This meant that I had to sprint my freezing bum off to get to the pacers I wanted to follow. My goal was to stick with the 2 hour pacers knowing I had started 15 minutes after their start time. The entire time I was thinking about my shoulder and how badly I wanted to be able to overcome the frustrations I was experiencing by setting a new personal best time. It really fueled me those 13.1 miles and I refused to give up on myself when I was tired. Plus, I had a very cute husband who was literally freezing his face off following me at check points and around the course to cheer me on.
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| The best signs, EVER |
I owe all of my fitness accomplishments to him. I've never felt healthier or happier with my body and athletic abilities since we met. He has taught me about nutrition, a healthy diet (carbs, fats & proteins), sparked my passion for Crossfit and taught me how to be confident with a barbell and weights. I used to avoid them because I didn't know what to do. I couldn't hear Jaime cheering for me at the finish line but the second I crossed the line I saw him looking at me with a very concerned face.
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| Listening to my nike app for my final time, the concentration! |
He knew my personal best for a half marathon was 1:58 and I just wanted to beat it. I didn't care if it was by a second I wanted a new personal best. The time at the finish was over 2 hours and wasn't accurate for my specific time because I started late. I completed my nike app run and it said my time for 13.1 miles was 1:57!!! I could finally celebrate and he was able to relax knowing I wasn't going to be depressed the rest of the day. I grabbed Jaime's hands and they were cold as ice but you were have never heard a complaint from him. I remember telling him how much it meant to me that he was there at the start, he was there along the course and he was there at the finish.
GRANDMA MARIA'S FUNERAL
This winter was definitely tough for our family as Grandma Maria joined Tio Ernie in heaven. She passed away on Thanksgiving day and the family scheduled her funeral for December 5th. While talking to Pa I mentioned that I would be happy to help with her service in anyway and he told me he would be honored if I sang for her. It's always hard to sing under emotional circumstances but I was grateful for the opportunity to represent our family and honor her life through song.
I was only able to run through one song prior to the service and couldn't have done it with Jaime running the audio. I sang "Nearer my God to Thee" in Spanish and English, the song from my Lullaby album which is a Billy Joel cover called "Goodnight My Angel," "Be Still My Soul" and "God Be With You Till We Meet Again." While singing the last song I got choked up looking at Grandma Maria rest in piece in her casket. The lyrics say "Good night my angel now it's time to dream and dream how wonderful your life will be. Sometime your child will cry and if you sing this lullaby, they never die that's how you and I will be."
I had only known Grandma Maria for a few short years but it was clear she was both a kind and very strong woman. I'll never forget the way her face lit up when she saw Jaime walk through the door to visit her in the nursing home. I'll never forget the way she grabbed my scarf and smiled when she ran her hands through the fabric. I know she was telling me how much she loved to knit. I'll never forget having her in our home and laughing at her blank stare of utter disbelief that I single handedly carried her up and down our stairs to help her use the restroom. I never forget sitting with her at Tio Danny's house and being so at peace admiring the silence and beautiful scenery. Most of all, I'm just grateful for the son she bore because without her, there would have never been a Saul Sr. and never a Jaime Silva.
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| Silva Family |
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Nilda, Claudie (Isabel), Danny, Delia, Saul & Leti
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ADRIANNA'S BDAY
This year I had a very wonderful and simple bday. Even though we were busy with another funeral, I did get to enjoy:
-My favorite breakfast in bed thanks to my amazing husband
-A personalized rendition of some Mexican birthday song on the guitar from Connor
-Dinner at my favorite restaurant with my babe (The Palisades)
-The cutest photo from my favorite little person in Honduras
-The best lip sync. video of 50 cent's "It's Your Birthday" from Garret, Cami and Hammer (wish I could upload it)
-FaceTime with Carter/Cam & Jan
-Lovely calls and/or texts from almost everyone including my Dad, Mom, Dallas, Saul Sr/Jr., Rosario and friends
FESTIVAL OF THE NATIVITY
One of our favorite parts of the holiday season includes going to the Bellevue South Stake Center's Festival of the Nativity. They feature beautiful nativity sets from around the world, have multiple Christmas programs and have activities for all ages to Celebrate the most wonderful part of the Christmas season: The Birth of the Savior. Jaime came to this with my when we were first dating and said he remembers reading a scripture passage that hit home and made him feel like he was finally on the right path in his life. We missed the year before because we were traveling, but this year we got to go back and find that passage that had meant so much to him: Luke 15 and the parable of the lost sheep.
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| My Mom and Step Dad Dallas volunteered at the event |
CFI HOLIDAY PARTY
We also got to be part of Crossfit Issaquah's (now called Transform Crossfit's) holiday party. As you can tell, it was pajama themed!
NUTCRACKER
Jaime admitted that he wanted to see the nutcracker and I really wanted to go to Salty's for brunch so we decided to make a date out of it. I love that Jaime has to get his holiday show in the for year! We had great seats and couldn't believe how incredible the sets and costumes were!
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| Our second annual Santa photo |
NORDSTROM HOLIDAY PARTY
We shopped at the Nordstrom annual Holiday Party and stuffed our faces with hors d'oeuvres.
FAMILY WHITE ELEPHANT
This year instead of hosting a big party with friends we decided to host a family white elephant party. This was very fun for us because it was the first time as a couple we were able to have all of our family in our home. We cleaned like crazy, made our Costco run and decorated the house to be extra special. We started off the night thanking everyone for coming and Jaime asked Connor to bless the food but in Spanish. We had a large spread of appetizers and enjoyed lots of treats.
After we had played the saran wrap game which got pretty heated! If you know my family you know we are competitive and then Jaime's family is just crazy so it was a bunch of fun! Thanks to Garret and Hammer we had a very nice saran wrapped ball with lots of prizes to unwrap with the running clock.
After we played the white elephant game. The most unique present award went to Garret and Cami who decided to get a live fish and live hamster for their while elephant gift. Dad ended up with the hamster and was very concerned and stressed out. He kept trying to convince everyone to trade him. He felt bad for the little guy and ended up purposefully leaving him at our house because he didn't want a pet. I found the hamster nearly escaping through the side of a box that he had chewed off! I gave him to Garret to give back to dad and I guess my dad insisted that Garret return him because he felt bad keeping the animal in a cage.
The real MVP of this night goes to Cami. She came early in the day to help me prepare everything. I'm so grateful to have a sister in law like her. Honestly, she's the best I could have ever asked for. She just jumps in to help out, never complains, is always supportive and never makes excuses. Plus she whips my brother into shape when needed and I love that she always has his back. So thanks Cami, without you this family night wouldn't have been a success. Thanks to Garret for keeping Hammer busy so Cami could help out.
We made everyone take a picture under the mistletoe too!
You can bet I had the place all cleaned up within an hour of the guests leaving! Thanks to Jaime for being a champ and helping me clean!
XMAS WITH THE BERNALS
We did xmas this year with the Bernal family. We stayed up late as always xmas eve and opened presents. Even though we were dead tired and had to go to church early the next morning we stopped by to say hi to the Silva family. When we walked in Pa nearly jumped out of his chair and said "I was just about to say this night is only missing one thing and then you guys appeared!" We said him to the whole fam and then crashed.
Clearly this whole first xmas was about Hammer and how excited we all were to give him presents...but for him it was just about eating everything...
SUNDAY CHRISTMAS SERVICE
We went to Church xmas morning and took our annual family picture with of course Hammer being the star attraction. Just look at this kids bow tie! What a dapper little man he is. Notice all the men have red ties.
At moms we played the most intense game of monopoly and card game I have ever played. No one died but we did almost strangulate each other.
We also got to Skype with our favorite Bernal who will be making her way back to us before we know it! Well the skyping actually consisted of us all fighting each other to get in front of the TV while Cami and Jaime sat at the table and wisely stayed out of the mess! Izzy always lights up the room with her smile. This time she was in the mission office and we didn't get to see little Honduran children waving to us in the background which I'll admit I missed, maybe not so much the stray animals.
TCF SIGNING
We celebrated a big milestone for Jaime which you will hear more about in the next update. But for now I will leave you with an already outdated picture of the gym and a monumental photo from the day he signed the final contract to his business. I'm not sure who was more proud, me or his parents!
RAMSEY'S FUNERAL
Well if Tio Ernie and Grandma Maria wasn't enough, I also said goodbye to another important person in my life. Ramsey Oliver Coles passed away unexpectedly on December 29th, 2016. I had just worked night shift the night before. I could barely sleep all morning because my phone was blowing up so much that I just ended up turning it off. When I woke up I had calls and text messages from friends pleading me to call them back. I called my friend Mackenzie who told me the news about Ramsey's death and my heart sunk. It's like years of memories flashed before my eyes and it just didn't make sense to me how his life so suddenly ended.
I have never been to such a beautiful funeral in my life. The reading, music and speeches from Max, Gabe, Gabby, Martin, Kiernan, Tristan and Maddie were simply beautiful. They recounted Ramsey's life, spoke of his accomplishment and so eloquently referred to the brother they love. They made us laugh which I believe is such a pivotal part of the grieving process along with crying, anger, confusion and sorrow. I was so grateful to have the opportunity to sit with high school friends and be part of the overflowing congregation that met to honor Ramsey's life. I was so grateful to have Jaime there with me and even though it was weird to introduce my husband to my high school friend at a funeral, I was glad for the opportunity to see everyone.
Gaby Barrios gave a beautiful speech at Ramsey funeral on behalf of the women and friends he had had over the years. She invite me to share a thought about Ramsey or a memory. This gave me the time to think through so many beautiful memories from my childhood. Here is what I had to say:
"I met Ramsey the first day he toured IMS after his family moved to Mercer Island. Since then I have been fortunate to stay connected with him over the years and have been so grateful for his love and friendship. The beautiful thing about Ramsey is that you never questioned whether or not he cared about you, you knew. He let the people he loved know he cared about them because he would reach out and show up. Another characteristic I respected about Ramsey is that he never cared to conform. He loved being a thought provoker, sharing his odd humor and was perfectly comfortable being unique, being Ramsey. I have always appreciated his example to embrace and love who he is."
After the service we went to The Beach Club for a gathering of some of Ramsey's close family and friends and I got the chance to catch up and hear about everyone's life. I'm really grateful to have had the opportunity to see so many of the friends I have some great childhood memories with and it's always so nice to hear about the success of the people you care about.
Even though I always joke with Ramsey's family about being each other's 8th grade crush, it was our friendship later on in life I always remember. We butted heads in high school for a few years but decided being friends with each other was something to valuable to throw away. Even though we didn't see each other often I always loved catching up with Ramsey when the MI crew would get together or the random times I would see him on the UW campus. I remember meeting him for lunch in college and talking about our ambitions and the careers we wanted to pursue. I talked about how I wanted to become a nurse and how I loved working in the hospital setting. He told me he was happy for me and laughed saying "Adrianna Bernal always knows what her plan is." He talked about his dream of getting into medical school a joked about not being sure if he would make the cut. Flash forward a few years later Ramsey did accomplish his goal and was on his way to becoming a doctor and you can bet he never boasted or bragged about it. Just like he never bragged about the work he did in India teaching English and befriending to many little children who looked up to him.
Gabe shared a beautiful story about how he had traded a new pair of shoes he had purchased with a homeless man whose shoes were torn and damaged and I bet Ramsey did small acts of kindness like that every day that we will never know about. About a year later after meeting for lunch, my friend threw me a surprise birthday party and I remember being so stoked and surprised that Ramsey made it out. It meant a lot to me that he made the effort to be there even though he knew no one else at the party. If you know Ramsey you know he always has something clever up his sleeve and for my 21st bday he gave me a small bottle of Jägermeister. He said "I thought it would be fitting for the Mormon on her 21st bday." Funny thing is, I saved that bottle and you can bet I re-gifted it back to him the next year for his bday and we both couldn't help but laugh.
Confusing as Ramsey's death may be, it's always a reminder to reach out and love those around us. This life is so precious and anything can change in a matter of moments. My heart goes out to Ramsey's family and especially little Maddie. I remember the nights I would house sit and stay with her when Martin & Jenny were away. I took her to Nordstrom and convinced her into buying one of her first dresses. I loved being able to spend time with Maddie and I know Ramsey appreciated her having time with an "older sister."
Ramsey was fortunate to have so many great friends who looked out for Maddie and looked after her (probably because we all felt bad she had to be hassled by three older brothers!). After Ramsey's funeral I reached out to Maddie because I know that's what he would have wanted. Instead of going out for lunch I ended up visiting with the whole gang. It was so nice to be able to talk to Martin & Jenny and reminded me of the times I joined them for family dinner. I have always admired and respected them and have so many wonderful memories in their home.
Ramsey may you know that you have always and will always be loved.
NEW YEARS
We celebrated new years eve at Morton's restaurant with Emma, Josh, Duy and Alexis. This was a very big deal for all of us because as of the new year January 1st, 2017 Jaime and Duy were officially owners of Transform Crossfit in Issaquah! We enjoyed a delicious dinner at our favorite late night spot and got to toast to their hard work, accomplishments and new adventure.
Here's what I had to say on my post:
"Words cannot describe my excitement for Jaime Silva and Duy Tran. I met both of these phenomenal coaches my first day of Crossfit in 2014 and since then, I have watched them work tirelessly, respectfully and patiently to open up their own gym at the right place and time. Today, in 2017, that dream is a reality.
Crossfit is not only special to me because that's where I met my husband (I swear that was never part of the plan for either of us) but it has both empowered me as a woman, athlete and human to challenge myself and realize we all have endless potential if we are willing to put in the work.
You'll hear a lot of positives and negatives about Crossfit and here's my best advice. Find a gym with knowledgeable, experienced, well rounded and intuitive coaches to set yourself up for success. Your experience, safety and growth is directly related to the caliber of coaches you are working with. Lastly, regardless of what form of exercise you're doing...if it's not fun....you're doing it wrong.
If you're still reading, I can guarantee you that if you ask any member these two have coached, you will hear nothing more than positive remarks, heartfelt experiences, and strong recommendations to be coached under them. You can find them at Transform Crossfit in Issaquah. New year, new you! Set some fitness goals and aim a little higher this year!"
December 31st, 2016
We stopped by the space needle to watch the firework and were in bed by midnight! Ma and Pa called to wish us a happy new year and laughed that we were in bed before them.
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