Happy New Year!

2011 was a happy, healthy year -- we couldn't ask for more!

The boys are in Kindergarden and Preschool, reading every superhero book that has ever been published, riding bikes and razors, taking karate classes and keeping Steve and I guessing what they will come up with next!

Our highlight this year was a trip to France with Steve's brother, sister and their families (rented a house in Provance and had 8 cousins ranging in ages 2-13 running wild -- oh mon dieu!) When we returned in August we adopted a little hound puppy and named her "Remy" after the town where we stayed.

We're looking forward to 2012 and working with the community since the New Year, as always, will be what we make it... Here's to family, friends and a great future!

Gaby & Steve

Puppy Love

Last August we adopted the sweetest little puppy from Helen Woodward Animal Center. She's a Treeing Walker Coonhound and has added so much love and laughter to our lives (and a tear or two as she chews her way through everything but the kitchen sink!)

There were many other dogs, cats and other animals in need of a forever home, so please join us at the Feb 12th 5k Run Walk. Details below or at www.animalcenter.org/events/puppylove

THE TIP: You can bring your pups along for one of the best walks they will ever get! In fact, one of the best ways to get on an exercise routine is to adopt a dog that you will walk daily (just be sure you are ready for the full responsibility of bringing a pet into your home and life).

Freestyle Inspiration

Isn't life great when you're riding high?.... except when you're not.....

My inspiration to blog again came from an unlikely source this weekend. We had just completed a home project to add a garden which left us with tons of dirt that needed to be removed. Our contractor said he could haul it away later in the week but I wanted it gone sooner. So I posted "Free Fill Dirt" on Craigslist but only got calls from people that wanted the dirt delivered.

Then I got a text from someone saying they needed the dirt for a FMX (Free-style Motorcross) event. We texted back and forth, I assumed it was a guy and said I was willing to pay to have the dirt removed. Then I got a call, and it was a girl saying she was on her way. My contractor laughed when I told him who was coming to haul away the dirt ... little did he (or I) know what we were in for!

Turns out Kayla Kahn and her partner Samantha showed up with a borrowed truck and small utility trailer and hand-shoveled mountains of dirt, making back and forth trips to Pacific Beach where they needed to get their ramp set up for an event the next weekend. They were an amazing inspiration of getting things done when you are determined to succeed. How often do we see this anymore??

Kayla described how she is fighting for sports equality so that girls can be comfortable participating -- and kicking butt -- in any sport. I had just read the entry below on a friend's Facebook page about her 7-yr old daughter and told Kayla there are so many girls out there that will benefit from her work.

Click here to read a recent news article on Kayla and Samantha's journey, when they ended up living in their car in Oregon after suddenly losing their sponsor and how they fought their way back to San Diego.

Come check them out Saturday, Jan 14th from 12-8pm (highlight at 2 pm) at Global RV Solutions in Pacific Beach: 2736 Garnet Ave - San Diego, CA 92109.

Admission is FREE, there will be food, music and Kayla on her motorbike! (Event details here)

Please help spread the word, and help make this a success. The girls are launching their own clothing line at the event and working to be self-sufficient toward their goals :)

At one point Kayla said, "I couldn't believe it when you offered $300 to take the dirt -- that is exactly the amount we were short to pay for the kicker ramp." I don't know what exactly a kicker ramp is, but I do know when life just aligns sometimes to show you undeniable inspiration.






THE TIP: If you need something done just roll up your sleeves and make it happen yourself. Also, don't put off anything for tomorrow that you can get done today -- right now!

Improving Neighborhoods

2012 will no doubt be a political year, already we are drowning in daily news coverage preparing for the November presidential election. But what about in our own neighborhoods?

I was very happy to hear that my close friend, Mat Kostrinsky, would be running for City Council to represent newly formed District 7, the neighborhood where I grew up: San Carlos in San Diego, CA. I was even more excited when I heard from Mat that one of his key focus areas would be to improve efficiency and service through e-Government (an area that I have focused on for the past ten years as a founding member of GovPartner and where sadly San Diego is woefully behind).

Mat and I met back in 1999, I had just moved back to San Diego from Washington D.C. where I met my husband Steve and had been working for a US Governor. Mat was working for Senator Dianne Feinstein and although I was in touch with many community leaders for work, I became friends with this particular colleague who stood out from the rest. I got to know his lovely wife, Dr. Jen Kostrinsky, and we had our boys at almost the same time so we enjoyed birthday parties and playdates.

When I was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2009, Mat was one of the first friends who contacted me wanting to know how he could help. He shared the sad news that his sister Hayley was also fighting the same diagnosis (it turned out we were seeing the same oncologist). It was then that I really got to know Mat's family and it was devastating when Hayley passed away in early 2010. To this day, I can see how Mat is driven to do good things in life knowing we can never waste a single moment.

For this past decade that I have known Mat, his family and close friends, I have seen a man who is caring, honest, intelligent and surrounded by a community that loves him as much as he loves them. I saw how hard he worked on a playground project at the same park where I used to play softball as I child. I saw him working diligently at community events and heard from others about what a stand-up quality guy he was. I greeted him at the finish line for the Susan G. Komen walk and congratulated him on again setting a goal to help others.

And now I want to ask you to get to know Mat and support his efforts to become a San Diego City Councilman. Mat is dedicated to our community, to representing the neighborhood where he grew up and to improving San Diego as a whole, for our children and fellow constituents.

In this season of elections it is rare that you get to support an actual friend, but what better way to place the public trust into hands that you have seen tested and that you know are dedicated and decent.

Please visit his website http://www.mat4citycouncil.com and help make San Diego the nation's finest city again, one neighborhood at a time!

THE TIP: Elected office should be something leaders are called to do. Look around you and find people that are trustworthy, hard workers, fair and considerate. Encourage them to consider public service and think about where you too can help out for a season or two... a local non-profit board, planning commission, etc.

Happy New Year!

Photo courtesy of Dandelion Dreams Photography

Happy, happy days!

Hi everyone, what a fall, winter, spring and summer it has been.... Since being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer last September, the seasons all blended together.

But friends and family reassured me all along the way that this would only be a season in our lives and sure enough it seems the worst is behind us.

I'm done with the chemo, surgery, radiation... The final pathology report showed that the 6mms on the pre-surgery MRI were actually benign, which means the chemo, your prayers, everything worked as well as we could have hoped: "complete resolution" meaning I am now cancer free :)

The photo above is of Steve and I at ComicCon, the boys had such a great time that day! Evan just turned 5 and Alec is the sweetest yet toughest little 3 yr old you ever met. I'm having a great time with family, getting back into the swing of things, still fearful some days that the cancer can come back but enjoying every moment of life nonetheless -- perhaps even more than before.

I'm slowly getting back into work for GovPartner. Pitched a column for an international magazine that the editor liked enough to make a two-part series. So it feels good to be writing again and to know I've still "got it" ;)

I don't know if the Friends With Class site will continue. For now, there are so many thank you cards to write, so many friends to catch up with... and I now find myself providing support for a dear cousin, friends and friends' family that have recently also been diagnosed with cancer. We have to all fight this together, you all made such a huge difference for me to know I wasn't fighting alone.

I'm happy to now be able to show others that you can get through anything, you will be stronger than ever and life falls into place once you realize that no matter what happens you will be fine.

Click here if you want to donate to the Susan G Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure, you can support my friend Melissa's team. She's the first mom from my son's playgroup to reach out and organize meals from the other moms, check in on me, just an amazing woman (and photographer, I should add -- check out http://www.dandeliondreamsphoto.com/).

Big hug to everyone, I'm looking forward to start seeing you all at events around town again and excited that some of you are coming in from the east coast for a chance to catch up in person as the summer wraps up!

XOXO, Gaby

PS: I'm planning to attend the Moms In Business Unite Conference in September, and the International City / County Management Assn (ICMA) annual conference in San Jose in October -- let me know if I will see any of you there!

Dear friends, today I write with sad but hopeful news...

As many of you already know, I was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in late September and have been undergoing intensive chemotherapy. My apologies for unanswered email about classes, the holiday family fair or your vmails to check in on how we're doing...

We're actually doing quite well. There is no history of cancer in my family, so this was an absolute shock that turned our world upside down. But my prognosis is good and already Friday marked the halfway point for the aggressive chemo regimen, which I decided to do through a clinical trial. We are praying that my MRI tomorrow will show a reduction in the tumor before I go on to the second round of chemo -- so pray with us!

How can we thank so many of you that have sent cards, meals, care packages...? It has truly left us humbled at the amount of love and well-wishes. We hope this holiday season brings you much joy and peace, and we are excited for the new year with new adventures and opportunities to create memories!

All our love-
Gaby, Steve, Evan and Alec

This photo was taken on the day I lost my hair. I'm actually getting used to the new hairdo and my 2 and 4 yr old boys swear I'm still a Mommy-princess :)

Pegasus Rising

A few weeks ago I was looking for a program where I could spend an hour a week volunteering with horses as a way to calm my mind during this challenging time as I undergo chemo. As many of you know, I have always loved horses. And even though I certainly couldn't ride during this time, even being around them would be theraputic for my soul...

Well I found the Pegasus Rising Program and as it turns out this is a herd of Arabian horses that were rescued last year and is now being rehabilitated to serve as therapy horses for U.S. veterans and others in need.

I had a chance to visit the herd a few weeks ago and it was amazing to see that despite enduring such terrible conditions before being rescued, this herd is still friendly, positive and offering their kind souls to help humans. These are wild horses in the sense that they have not been "broken" or ridden, and I admire the project's goal to keep them this way as they also train them for therapy.

One horse in particular came to me immediately and was so intense in taking in my scent and standing firmly next to me as if to let me know she understood and would help. This was Lady Avalon (above) the lead mare in the herd. As the organization's president, Gary, explained to me this horse also has cancer and seemed to innately understand that I faced the same hardship.

Please take a moment to learn more about this wonderful organization: http://pegasusrising.org/ I went to their site to "adopt" Lady Avalon and can't think of a better gift than helping to keep this herd together so that they can in turn help others in need.

I'll be sure to post more photos and info as I plan to help this organization with the same passion I brought to Habitat years ago. And as I get better I will surely take any opportunity to visit the herd again and embrace the strength and support that only a noble horse's spirit and soul can provide. (below is the herd in therapy with a veteran -- there are heroes all around us!)

Amazing support from amazing people...

In addition to Steve, my boys, two sisters, parents and family, I am even further humbled to see what a wonderful community of friends we have. So many of you have just been amazing in reaching out to see how we're doing, sending books that have helped me keep a grip on things, bringing a meal over when I was just too sick from chemo to cook for my boys, sending lovely scarves for my bald head, cozy socks, mindless magazines and movies to help pass the time...

My long-time gal pals from high school (Ali, Brooke, Beth, Kathryn, Amy, Staci, Molly, Dana, Michelle, Keri) have been relentless in their support from all corners of the country, and the moms in my playgroup (above) have only known me since Evan was born but have just been there getting me through each day. My firm GovPartner has been amazing, and so many of you that I met through FWClass have also been incredibly generous and supportive: Laura at VPG, Liz Dang, my SDBargainMama Stacy... my apologies now because there are just too many to list and there really is a thing called "chemo brain" where I swear my brain cells are most affected by these strong drugs...)

And do you remember way back in the Fall of 2007 I sent out an email asking our friends to "Help find a bone marrow match for Lisa"?

As always you all responded then with generous hearts and showed up at a bone marrow drive here in San Diego to sign up and become part of the registry -- a national registry that ultimately DID find a match for Lisa!

Well, I kept getting emails asking "How is Lisa doing?" and am so happy to report that she is doing great! In fact, Lisa has been a tremendous support for me now, especially since I know the words come from another mom who has been in the same situation....

One message in particular that Lisa sent me sticks with me every single day - as a nurse at Sloan once said to her: "A positive mental attitude won't heal you, but a bad mental attitude will kill you."

Yes scary thoughts come all the time, but thanks to the support from so many of you I have been able to keep a positive attitude and know that I too will make it past this difficult time.

Please be sure to read about the Pegasus Rising Project, which has has provided me support from four-legged friends, and I will post more pics of these new members of my support team soon :)

Is Summer Really Over?

Greetings from Montreal everyone!

I'm in this beautiful city for the 95th annual ICMA conference, and maybe it was the stormy skies last night or the fact that everyone is back to work... but we finally have to admit that summer is over :(

Let's relive our favorite summer memories and extend it just a bit longer... Click here to learn about our favorite summer moment and share yours!

September sure snuck up on us, and the long-awaited Moms in Business conference is tomorrow Sept 16. But guess what? You can win a free ticket... click here to learn how.
One person that is happy September is here is Chef Mark Gold because Eva Restaurant is finally open!

And not just open, but OOOOpened to absolutely rave reviews. Click here to see photos of the beautiful new restaurant and read more... And with the end of summer means time to stock up on a new KleenKanteen and other green favorites at Natural Kidz.

A big THANKS to our friend Kathryn for the awesome 20% off from your full order!! And thank you also to Jill at Facelogic for extending Spa Week - we will be there to face the Fall fresh-faced and ready!

See you again soon!
Gaby & Steve

Natural Kidz - Special Offer for Our Friends!!

Summer is over and its time for us to restock on our favorite stainless steel water bottles and other must-haves from this favorite GREEN website! See the awesome special offer below for our friends and be sure to read about the amazing mom Kathryn who started it all :)

Many of you will remember Kathryn from her hard work to create Walk Their Walk, which has raised over $60,000 that went directly to building two fresh water wells and an elementary school in a remote village in Zambia. In 2008, Kathryn was inspired to launch her new company, Naturalkidz.com. After her son was diagnosed with a serious food allergy, it became necessary for Kathryn to become more conscious of the items she purchases and the lifestyle choices she makes. In order to ensure the health of her son, Kathryn began making small changes toward a “green” home and lifestyle.

Kathryn is fully committed to giving back and will donate a portion of every purchase at Naturalkidz.com to benefit Nature Bridge and the Surfrider Foundation. These charities are dedicated to educating children about ways to preserve the environment and connect with the natural world.

THE TIP: Shop at http://www.naturalkidz.com and Save 20% Off your entire order with an exclusive offer from Friends With Class.

Coupon Code: friendswithclass (input coupon code upon checkout and press apply to see your savings!) Coupon expires December 31, 2009.

SPA WEEK at Facelogic

Eva Restaurant Opens to RAVE Reviews!

Eva Restaurant is finally open, and just about every day I see a new rave review about Chef Mark Gold's new "home" - just a few are below!

Digital City Fall Dining Preview - The Seasons Hottest New Restarants

LA Weekly - "I just left the open house at Eva...it was packed, great vibe, very intimate, gorgeous black & white prints on walls, and of course the food was amazing! I don't know what Mark puts in his dishes, but I always want more...this guys food has soul!!!!"

Urban Daddy - "Just settle in by a window, and soon you'll see what he felt like cooking for you—all the food will come out on platters, to be served family-style, and yes, the all-inclusive price includes some free-flowing wine from bottles opened that week."

Mattatouille - "My dad's main course was a thick slice of poached beef tenderloin, nearly sous-vided (not exactly that preparation, but similar), and sided with an array of browned cauliflower and tender broccoli... My father was completely enamored by this dish, marveling at the combination of earthy vegetables and the stellar tenderloin."

EAT: Los Angeles Food GPS Review - "Gold grabbed the keys only three weeks ago, but the space is already camera-ready."

And our favorite YELP - "OMFG! This restaurant JUST opened and it's amazing! The hospitality of the staff is 5 stars alone!" and "OMFG is soooooo right!!! You know how you usually read these & think...should I believe this? IT WAS AMAZING from start to finish, every delectible little bite of food we ate, appetizer to entree to dessert was inspiring. Eva is your FAV. NYC corner restaurant that you miss so much...smack in the middle of LA... go figure... and the wine... who knew....such a deal... go now before...the masses find it...hurry...why are you still at your computer????? go........"

Favorite Summer Moment

Well we got many more beach days in this summer than last and it was so much fun! The water is still warm in Del Mar and at La Jolla Shores so we're not letting go of those fun memories with the kiddos just yet...

But when we think of our favorite summer moment, it is without a doubt a night that the we spent away from the kids, at the Coldplay concert in July.

It was so much fun, we had great tickets, the band was just terrific and we got to see them with my cousin Poncho and his wife Alicia who were visiting from Guadalajara (they loved it too!)

Click here to see a video we took at the show, and submit your favorite moment via the comments box... we can't wait to hear it!!

Gaby & Steve

THE TIP: Never park in the free parking at Coors Amphiteater where we saw Coldplay! We thought it was pretty cool that free parking was provided fairy close to the theater, but didn't realize that they let out every other lot before that one and so we sat in the car for one hour after the show until they finally opened up our lot!!

Free Tickets to Mom Business Conference!

EXCELLENT CONFERENCE TO EXPLORE YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL DREAMS -- AND SEE THE TIP BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A FREE TICKET!

Moms in Business Unite (MIBU) Conference (About MIBU) September 16, 2009

University of San Diego, Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice

Conference Sessions: 10:00 a.m. -- 4:45 p.m.

Networking & Awards Reception: 5:00 p.m. -- 7:00 p.m.

Highlights of this Wonderful Conference: Guests will enjoy a keynote presentation by Julie Pickens & Mindee Doney, successful mom inventors and business owners known as Boogie Moms®: Check out their latest blog-post about MIBU and enter to win a free trip to the Conference!

The Educational breakout sessions will be focused on four main areas:

Track A -- Getting StartedIdeal sessions for the mom who wants to learn how to start her own business. These empowering sessions will provide a solid foundation for a mompreneur to get started!

Track B -- Running EfficientlyIdeal sessions for the mom who has her own business but wants to learn how to run it more efficiently. These sessions are packed with useful information providing immediate value to any business!

Track C -- Next LevelIdeal sessions for the mom who has an established business and is considering taking it to the next level. These motivating sessions will help inspire you to take the next step!Track D --Inventor Fast TrackThese sessions, presented by MIBU Keynote Speakers, will give attendees a tangible action plan to bring their inventions to market and cover all major components to take their "concept to cart"!

The evening reception will feature: Maria Bailey, host on Lifetime TV Internationally know Award winning speaker, author of "The Women's Home-Based Business Book of Answers" and many other publications. San Diego women inventors will be invited to showcase their "new" product or service and allow conference attendees to select the "best" new product of the year. The winner will be announced in a post conference press release and be featured on the Moms in Business Unite website for a year.

Register now to attend this value-packed educational conference.

Follow MIBU on TwitterJoin MIBU Mailing List!!!GIVEAWAY!!!

THE TIP: MIBU Awards Director and long-time FWClass friend, Elizabeth Dang-Samuel, has purchased a ticket for one of you! Email Elizabeth at edangsamuel@momsinbusinessunite.com anduse subject: "FWC MIBU TIX!" The tenth email will win a FREE ticket to the conference!

Ponyo Loves Sosuke

Given the recent heatwave, we decided to take our boys (2 and 4) to see a movie and pretty much just picked any "G-rated" film that was playing in Del Mar, since we planned to hit the beach afterwards. We were so beautifully surprised by Ponyo.


Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki teamed with Disney to create this animated story of Ponyo, a magical girl-goldfish (voice by Noah Cyrus, sister of Miley) who is rescued by an adorable 5-year-old boy named Sosuke (voice of Frankie Jonas, the little brother of the Jonas Brothers).

Sosuke's mom is voiced by Tina Fey and father is Matt Dillon, add in Liam Neeson and Cate Blanchett and it's a star-filled endeavor, but it is the pure imagination and love and honor of a little boy that is what you will remember.


The drawings are so creative and mesmerizing, it truly is a piece of art. And if you like the modern, hip anime this is a very cool way to spend a few hours.


Click here to check out the movie trailer, but honestly, no matter your age - go see this beautiful film!


THE TIP: It takes a great theater to host a great movie, and oftentimes the surroundings can make or break your movie experience. So I have to give a shout out to UltraStar Del Mar Highlands 8 theater, where we saw the movie.

It is not the most modern theater, but the guy working the concessions actually came INTO the theater to find me to let me know the latte machine had been fixed (very sweet gesture, he must have seen the sadness in my eyes at the lack of caffeine after carting around with the kiddos all day - thanks!)

Full-day conference for mompreneurs

We are excited for a great conference coming to town. The "Moms in Business Unite" conference will take place Sept 16th and is focused to help new business owners get started, existing business owners become more efficient or take their business to the next level, and help inspiring inventors bring their concept to reality!

Date: September 16, 2009
Place: University of San Diego, Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice
Conference Session Time: 10:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Award/Grant Presentation and Reception: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Keynote speakers are the Boogie Moms, Mindee Doney and Julie Pickens, creators of Boggie Wipes which is selling in 30,000 retail stores nationwide.

More details at http://www.momsinbusinessunite.com/

This all day educational conference, complete with keynote speaker, panel discussions, breakout sessions, new inventor showcase, networking, award ceremony, resource marketplace, and childcare to support and promote the growing number of women and mom-owned businesses.

THE TIP: Get a 10% discount courtesy of our friend Liz, just enter "Ameriprise" in the promo box when you register for the conference.

EVA Restaurant coming soon!

Remember the amazing chef we first introduced you to in 2007...? Chef Mark Gold...

We were excited to learn that he had received an "excellent" rating by the LA Times Food Critic and are even more excited now to learn that he is achieving his dream of opening his own restaurant on Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles.

So of course we have to go check out his amazing cooking in his new place.... so stay tuned for our first Friends With Class roadtrip to check out the upcoming EVA Restaurant.

The foodie blog and news world is abuzz with info about this hot new restaurant... Read more at: http://www.foodgps.com/mark-gold-claims-hatfields-space-for-eva/

THE TIP: Mark has something very special planned for Sundays... menu based on what was most fresh at the Farmer's Market that day and free-flowing wine, love it!

From our friend's kitchen to the Today Show!

Many of you will remember one of our first and favorite classes: "Amazing Appetizers" with Chef Marcela at our friend Mickey's house.

Well if you didn't take us up on the chance to cook with Marcela then, Al Roker took the chance last month when he and the rest of the Today Show invited her to their kitchen! What a treat to see Marcela on TV and remember the fun we had with her in class.

You can click here see her Today Show episode and be sure to check out her new website http://www.chefmarcela.com/ where you can get info about her new cook book -- this gal doesn't stop, but we'll be sure to catch her next time she is in San Diego for another great class :)

Casting Call from RJ at Single Dad.com

A message from our friend RJ at http://www.singledad.com/ - pass on to any single dads you know who would be interested in being part of an upcoming TV show...

From RJ: "I have an opportunity to share and we need your help. SingleDad has been approached by a casting director for a SingleFather TV show and I need to cast (2) more Single Fathers who fit a particular category for the show: A SingleDad never married, Widowed Father, and divorced father all apply. Full Time Dad, Full Custody with Children preferred."

You can contact RJ by July 15th at rj@singledad.com and he will ask for a brief bio of how the Father became a single parent, a family photo, an individual photo and anything unique about your circumstances.

And for the rest of us... we'll stay tuned for this new TV show that will certainly be interesting and engaging :)