Happy Birthday Chris!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Chris is a huge fan of fruit, for those of you who don't know him as well, he would have fruit over ANYTHING! I made him this chocolate strawberry cake-thingy.. I hope it tastes better than it looks!
Today we celebrate Chris' big 26! With some help from a few friends & family, I've put together a list of 26 things we love about Chris! Funny Memories, qualities we admire, etc. (In no particular order, of course!)

CHRIS' 26

1. FREAKISH TOES! Chris has the longest toes in history! They are as long as fingers, yes fingers! And what can fingers do? Hold things you say? Pick them up? Ha! Well, so can Chris' toes! Court told me he used to throw tennis balls at her with his feet! Now thats talent!

2. "Chris is very contemplative. I like that about him. He usually thinks thingsthru well before he offers an opinion. Unless it's spur of the moment and hejust wants to argue.It's not just opinion, he thinks most things thru and asa 'fly by the seat of your pants' girl, I appreciate that! He also iscontent with things as they are. I like that about him too. He is okay withthe "now" and doesn't seem to waste much time wishing things were different.Both my observations start with "c" do I get extra credit for that?" ~ Linda (aka Mom)

3."Chris is the coolest combination of great debater and punk rocker. He is the guy who stands at a podium in his nice suit giving a speech to 500 people on the flaws of our nation’s health care system and wows the audience with his knowledge and eloquence. Then, he runs to the back room, rips off the suit to reveal a RVCA t-shirt, skater jeans and a pair of Vans and then rushes off on his long board to the Tiger Army concert.
I’ll never forget the moment you told me Chris wanted sleeves!! That was classic.
Chris is a great guy and I know he and I will be friends for the years to come. I hope some day we end up in the same state so we can hang out more often." -Patrick Wright (Mari's brother in law) ... Also when asking Patrick for ideas for Chris' birthday, he responded "he probably needs another RVCA t-shirt"... Chris has about a thousand of those!!

4. FIRST DATE CHARMER! On our first date, Chris took me on a double with one of his best friends Danny. At dinner, we were laughing about some story, and Chris decides to tell one about one of his former neighbors...he was really excited to tell the story & started talking REALLY loud. He was describing his neighbor (excuse me for anyone who may be offended), "this NAZI CHINAMAN!", i swear the entire place looked at us..it was hilarious!! Great first impression!

5. "Tell Chris that one of the things I love most about him is how thoughtful he is about you. It sounds lame, but I really think you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their spouse.
One of my favorite things about his personality.... he is such a good sport! (Have you seen how sweet he is to the mob of nieces and nephews he inherited on our side of the fam!- talk about patience- my kids think that uncle "spike" is the coolest person ever!)
and well last but not least... I think he is hilarious!" - Lauren Wright

6. "One of my favorite things about Chris is his sense ofhumor. He has the brains of a freakin genius, yet hestill keeps the humor simple for those of us who are alittle challenged intellectually. I felt comfortablearound Chris the moment i met him...and not justbecause you liked him so much. I feel like he and Ican really hang out and spend time together asbuddies. Another thing I love about Chris is how open mindedhe is. He made Carlo feel like he was part of thefamily faster than anyone else, and that made me lovehim even more." -Ammon Carver

7. BIG HEART. Chris loves to give & to share anything of his. He may seem rough around the edges, but he really does have a good, big heart.

8. HE IS BRILLIANT!

9. "I love the way Chris dances...are we allowed to be sarcastic? I really do enjoy it, it always makes me laugh. I (sometimes) loved that he was a good protective older brother." -Courtney Alvord

10. "My funny memory of Chris was when I babysat him as a baby and I took him to the market and everytime someone said he was soooo cute I just said thanks and acted like he was mine. I was so proud of MY baby!!! I had no kids and just loved cuddling with Chris! He really was sooooooo cute.....what am I saying-he still is soooo cute!
Steve and I both admire his drive- we just said today that he is smart, educated and determined! A great combination for a successful man." -Aunt Pam Galvez

11. "Joey and I love Chris!!!
Also Joey loves Chris, because he has such an amazing personality, because it is the same personality as Joey. (Remember when Joey said that?) haha So basically Joey loves Chris, because he loves himself! I also love Chris..well, just ask him what "C" stands for. haha ... It was really funny at the time." -Ashley & Joey (an inside joke apparently!)

12. "I have to agree with Lauren's kids; I think Chris is "so cool". Honestly, since day one Chris always made me feel like I am home and always comfortable. And I know where that comes from after I met his whole family: that is just the way they are. Trust me, "we" notice that a lot and I came to like and respect Chris so much for that. He is such a great guy. I hate how smart he is but that's ok too....lol" -Carlo

13. He is OBSESSED with anything ESPN, History Channel, or Discovery Channel. He could watch these for hours, and usually does! Although sometimes I hate it, and he lets me change it to something like Friends, I then realize why he's the smart one in the relationship, our choices are obvious reflections of our personalities sadly (for me). haha. He is always interested in new things, and wants to know everything there is to know about anything. I love that about Chris.

14. HILARIOUS! Really though, once you get Chris going, its a riot! He has a great sense of humor, and is really hard to offend! (bring on the jokes folks!)

15. Before I write this next quote, remember, I absolutely had NO IDEA this happend, and I do not support Chris' in this situation! haha.

"One of my favorite things about Spike is that he definitely has a good eye for great looks. A Classic Chris Moment was when he told my sister Cami that he actually thought I was prettier than her. Talk about a blow to a girl's self esteem! Although I fully agree with his assessment, I must admit that Cami has never quite been the same (LOL) Chris is the Simon Cowell of judging beauty...brutally honest. His talent of scouting out attractive people was evidenced the most by his selection of Mari as a companion. He couldn't have picked a better wife! By the way, does Chris still take 4 showers a day? Happy 26th Chris!" -Nate Price

16. DANCE MOVES. Chris finds a way to do the most awkward & frightening things when he dances. He dances ALL THE TIME. When he gets off the couch to get a glass of water, he'll do a little gig, when he gets out of the shower, he dances in front of the mirror! The best part about his dance moves is he ALWAYS sticks out his tongue & closes his eyes! LOL! Its hilarious!

17. He's a good example (to me). Most of you are thinking "HUH!?" But yes, its true. Chris is the one keeping me on track. The times I want to eat candy or sugar, he's the first to remind me about my terrible teeth, when I want to ditch church (this doesn't actually happen Mom, don't worry ;) ) he always tells me, no I have to go to church. Whenever I want to do ANYTHING bad, cut in line or whatever, Chris is always there... keeping me on the right path! lol.

18. Honest. Chris is ALWAYS honest. Even if the truth hurts, he'll say it. (sometimes not always a good thing! hah) But I love that about him. You always know what he's thinking and where he stands on any topic.

19. "I think one of the characteristics that comes to mind when thinking about Chris is his outgoing/optimistic nature. He always seems to be smiling regardless of what’s going on around him (although you may have seen a different side on those “bad” days jk). He’s the type of guy that brings energy and interesting conversations with him wherever he goes….Unfortunately we haven’t been able to hang out long enough for me to have a really funny story of Chris….but I’m sure it won’t be long before that changes…" -PJ Carver

20. "I remember Christopher as absolutely the prettiest baby ever, but I might be just a little prejudiced in that opinion. When he started to talk he was impossible to understand which left him very frustrated because he had to repeat everything over and over , and still no one knew what he was saying.
He has been a good kid his whole life (so far) and I expect him to have a wonderful future ahead of him, which will be a lot easier since he found such a sweet and supportive wife I am looking forward to another 26 years of both of them
From his maternal Grandma, Judy." - Judy-bo-booty

21. "I think my favorite Chris story also involves something that I love/admire about Chris:When I was a MySpace virgin (rookie, what have you), Chris and DeLuxxe were showing me the ropes and allowing me to use one of their logins. They showed me how to search for people I knew or groups I was interested. Chris's advice to me at this time was priceless and I have retained it and passed it on. After a great deal of thought, I'm sure, Chris said to me, "Be careful, because some people will just put a weiner on there for NO reason". What I love about Chris is his ability to say what he is thinking clearly without mincing words or confusing the issue. Chris is the epitome of "keeping it real".Chris is the man!" -Mark (aka Jesus)

22.Obedient. Steve was told Chris to throw up as he was holding Chris in front of a bride at her wedding reception, obviously steve was kidding. But Chris did it! Not just any throw up, GRAPE JUICE! All over the bride! That story is one of my favorite stories of Chris! If you don't know it, you need to ask him about it! Although was terrible then, its pretty hilarious now when you think about it! You can't blame a kid for doing what you say!

23. Determined. Very Focused. And Driven. Points that others have already mentioned, but they really are quite remarkable. He knows what he wants in life & isn't afraid to work for it.

24. Happy. Chris is ALWAYS happy, especially in the a.m. Unless he has been doing homework for more than 8 hours, he is happy. If our house is in a bad mood, its usually because of me not him!

25. He's 26 going on 90. I don't know if its all the sitting he has to do with driving & sitting in class & studying, but Chris has trouble moving these days. He moans when he has to get up after eating, and he is always complaining about different joints hurting on a daily basis! Law School has made Chris an old man! Its really funny though, and cute.

26. Ready for cheesy? Here it is! Chris is a GREAT COMPANION. He is my best friend. He makes being married fun. I have learned so much from him, and he is always so patient with me. I appreciate all he does for me, and the sacrifices he has made. I know that school has been hard, and I respect how hard he still works even though he is worn out. I love how he always is up for something new, and always is making sure that Im alright. Basically, I am one lucky girl!

CHRIS WE LOVE YOU! HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY!

The Beach

We had the chance to hang out with Crystal and the gang at the beach on Saturday. Aubs and Justin were so excited to play in the ocean. They were running into the water, rolling around in the waves, and occasionally getting knocked over by a larger than expected wave. Here a few pics from the outing.

5k Run!

We recently completed a 5k in Santa Monica. We signed up for this thing a couple months in advance, and decided to train so we wouldn't embarrass ourselves (and by train i mean run not more than 1.5 miles, about 3 times in the month before the race). Well race day arrives, and we are both sick. I, at this point am ready to die, and would rather lay in bed and sleep. But, Mari gives me a couple dayquil and we're off. It is a beautiful day, nice and cool, perfect sunny weather at the beach. At 9:30, they line us up and the race begins. Immediately, Mari begins weaving through the crowd to near the front of the pack. Mari runs strong the entire time, and finishes third in her age group. Meanwhile, I choose a different strategy. I find the biggest butt in the crowd, and use that to pace myself. 10 minutes pass. Then 20. Then 30. Finally, at 34:30 something I cross the finish line (just in front of some old men who look like they havent seen the sun in decades, a couple of senior citizens, and some housewives with substantial junk in the trunk). But the good news is, I could probably run backwards next time and beat my time.