new website!!!

hi friends!
it's definitely been awhile! our sincerest apologies. we have been working on a new team breuninger website, and it's finally ready for visitors! we will be updating regularly! so please visit frequently and feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and comments!!

www.teambreuninger.com


woot!

marley!

We have the privilege of babysitting the most adorable baby girl ever! Sweet little Marley McGowan steals your heart at first sight! She is constantly happy (except when she's not feeling well, but what baby is?) and always willing to share her precious smile! While only 6 months old, she runs the McGowan household.  It's so fun to watch her daddy (one of Paul's best friends) be her Daddy.

She is our favorite and if you could only hear Paul talk to her, your already stolen heart will melt with the preciousness of their interactions.

Last night during one of our babysitting adventures, Marley is sitting on Paul's lap facing him and trying to reach for the remote. After Paul's warning to her to please not spit up on his pants (like she did last time we were over), he basically tells her "Sorry Marley, you need to learn early on that you can't have that. You'll have to get used to it. It's nothing against you, it has to do with your gender." Except Paul said it way more cuter than that. To thank Paul for his lesson, Marley drools all over his pants.

We love that kid!

snuggies

Reading the title of this post you might think this one is about me and Paul snuggling.

Nope.

It's actually about me and Team Lauren opting out of Monday Man Night and having our very own Monday Movie Night...in our Snuggies.

The guys headed over to Andrew & Jared's bachelor pad for the evening, while we stay at the newlywed pad and enjoyed good conversation, a-laugh-and-cheer chick flick, popped-just-right popcorn, and our ever-so-snuggly-use-your-arms-while-still-staying-warm Snuggies.

As much as I absolutely love living with a boy and hanging out with his amazing friends, having girl night is like drinking an ice cold glass of lemonade on a sweltering hot day. And believe me, I'd hang out with Lauren on a sweltering hot day in Jamul anytime.

P.S. As cheeseball as Snuggies are, (I am almost embarrassed that I own one) I must admit they are rather comfy and practical. I'd definitely recommend sampling one!
P.P.S. Thanks for the birthday Snuggie Jared! A very comfy, practical, and thoughtful gift! :)

paul's creek

Currently, Paul is a substitute teacher. That means he interacts with students just about everyday. Last week a high schooler told him he looks like Joshua Jackson. Yes, the guy who stars in the classic Disney movie The Mighty Ducks, and the 90's teen t.v. drama Dawson's Creek, as well as many other well-known cinema features. The student told him to check out the wikipedia picture especially. We looked it up and laughed. Maybe if teaching doesn't work out, Paul can be Jackson's stand-in or stunt double. What do you think??

 

Okay, well maybe if he tilts his head down, looks up, and we adjust the lighting...

o christmas tree, oh jubilee!

One of our favorite things about the Christmas season, besides Baby Jesus, is the fact that we get to spend time with family (oh, and the fact that the penguin collection can be displayed in it's full glory, for an entire month!)

Our first Married Christmas was a success in spending ample amounts of time with both families. We learned from Thanksgiving that spending half the day with one family and the other half with the other family does not give either family sufficient quality time...especially since the drive to one family from the other (and back) takes 2 hours away from our day.

We decided that spending Christmas Eve with Monique's family and Christmas with Paul's family would solve all quality time problems. And sure enough, we were able to have our fill of family time without rushing out the door!

Here are some shots of our 2-day Christmas Jubilee...

Christmas Eve at Monique's Moms

Grandma & Monique

Grandma opening her gift. Love her smile!

Mom W. being happily surprised!


Cousins: Claudine, Eji, Paulie

Monique's brother Sonny, a true Dodger Blue fan!

Paul & Paulie winning a game of Sudoku on PSP after an intense hour of thinking!


Christmas Day at Paul's Dad & Mom's

Skyping with Paul's brother Derek & his wife Jeannette who live in Malawi, Africa!

Krister (Krista + Sister) taking revenge on her brothers for years of torment!

Missionary Jon is headed to Alaska! He receives much needed (fun!) items for his journey!

Our NEW bikes!

Preparing for the annual Breuninger Family Christmas Exchange!

Lots of family! Lots of fun! We were able to enjoy the much valued company of family as we celebrated the day that Jesus was born to die...so that we could one day pray for Him to save our lives.

thank you!

Well, we have just about met our first obligation as a married couple. Our thank you cards will be going out soon. It's been a couple of years since we have been in school and felt the weight of impending deadlines and, true to form, we are getting these thank-yous out right at the edge of our six month deadline. While writing over a hundred postcards is a significant task, it was actually really fun to go back through our wedding gifts and see just how many people were so generous to us. We took pleasure in being able to say thank you to all those who blessed us so much. So, for those who may have gotten a thank you card and found our blog, here are the first six months of our married life.

When we returned from our honeymoon at the end of May we moved right into our first home, a fifth wheel trailer at Indian Hills Camp. We both got jobs at camp for the summer, Paul working in the kitchen as a Head Cook and Monique as the Resident Camp Registrar. Our return coincided with the beginning of the peak season at camp, so we hit the ground running. Right now, we have nothing but fond memories of our first home, it was so quaint and cozy. So cozy that Paul could not stand to his full height in the bedroom or effectively dry off in the bathroom after a shower. And it was so quaint that we learned how to take 90 second showers so we would not run out of hot water. What helped us get through these quaint and cozy experiences was the unexpected blessing of house sitting for the month of July. Some family friends were gone for the month and we got to stay in their beautiful home. While the home was in Pt. Loma, about a 45 minute drive from camp, the drive was always worth it. Getting home at 8pm and leaving at 7 am was a small price to pay for unlimited hot water and space to stretch.

Perhaps the highlight of our first six months came in August when we were able to move into our dream house! I know, most couples have to wait decades before they get their dream house, but it's amazing how living in a trailer will suddenly put new dreams within your reach. While moving all of our stuff twice in three months was something we could have done without, our new home has made it worth it. We have a one bedroom guest house only a quarter mile from camp. It's the perfect size for us, big enough to dry off in the bathroom but still small enough to take only an hour to clean. Our wonderful landlords live up the hill from us, so the only sounds we hear are the occasional car passing by and the bleating of goats when we step outside.

Life finally began to slow in September as the summer camping rush came to an end and we settled in our dream house. Monique's job at camp is year round while Paul has started to substitute more often. We have already been pet owners, if just for a day, and we are starting to get used to being together...all the time!


P.S. As soon as we can figure out our new external hard drive, we will post wedding pictures as well as bonus pictures of our first 6 months!

dog for a day

We owned and loved and lost our first dog. He was a stray strolling around camp on a hot summer day. His ribs were ripples on his sides. He had yet to grow into his head and paws. He was the sweetest yellow lab ever.

I totally wanted to keep him. Paul said a firm "No." But when Paul got in his truck to go home, the adorable yellow lab ran to the back of his pick-up truck and tried to jump in the bed. As Paul began driving away the dog began his gallop after the truck. Paul stopped and rolled down his window and the dog jumped up greeted him with a friendly smile and that's when Paul became a sucker for the dog too.

We talked about it and decided we'd try to give it to Mom & Dad B. since we can't afford to keep and shelter him. But first we would give him a good bath! Nancy generously offered her backyard. She taught Paul how to be the Alpha Dog. And we had fun bathing, playing, and feeding him. We knew he should have been our dog when he showed us how he can catch a frisbee.

Well, it didn't work out for Mom & Dad B. to keep him so we had to take him to the pound the next day. We did keep him overnight though. We tied him up in our fenced patio area and left our sliding glass door open...in case he needed us. He did in fact need us at 1:00am. He was yelping and we couldn't sleep because of it. So Paul being the amazing husband he is, got up, took a pillow, and a blanket, and let the dog in. Paul slept on the couch and the dog slept on the floor right beside him the rest of the night and into mid-morning.

Paul ended up taking the dog to the pound to find out that the dog indeed had a chip in him. His name is Tahoe.We both agree that Tahoe was our first dog. We still find his fur on the dashboard of our car. We miss him, but Paul likes to say that's the best kind of dog to have...a dog for just a day....

....all the memories, none of the poop.

home sweet home

We’ve been married 3 months and we are just now settling in to a place we feel like we can call home. Our home! No more camping in a 5th wheel, (as much fun as it was! ☺) We are glad to have more space…in fact we have moved into our “Dream Home!” It’s the home that Paul’s brother Derek and his wife Jeannette moved into when they were first married. And it is the home that we drove by everyday heading to our trailer. "Lucky" for us, it became available in mid-July and we moved in first thing--once August rolled around. (A special thanks to Sharayah! She deserves commission!)

We are finally settling in, unpacking our wedding presents, stretching out, and simply enjoying the fact that we are blessed beyond belief!