8th Grade Graduation

Sean graduated from 8th Grade last Thursday. I. Can't. Even. Say (or type). The. Words. Without. Getting. Choked. Up.! Sean has become a very respectable young man before my very eyes. I couldn't be prouder of him. Best of luck in High School, Sean! We know that great things are ahead for you!

Okay, Sean is....let's say "vertically challenged". But, COME ON!!! Did he have to walk in with one of the tallest kids in the class!!?? You could hear the chuckles from the audience, but Sean took it all in stride with a smile on his face.

Where's Sean? Can you spot Sean in this picture? We had a hard time finding him, too! Look dead center in the photo & you can spot some red hair.

Sean & some of his friends. This little cute thing came running up & hugged Sean. Of course being the nosy mom, I said, "Excuse me, what was your name again? You look so pretty, can I get a picture of you & Sean?" This is Marissa. You might not be able to tell, but Sean's face turned as red as his hair.

Yep, that's a Kindle that he's holding. J-lo are you jealous? I sure am!!!

The weekend after was filled with 8th grade picnics, parties, three soccer games, and the start of High School Soccer Camp. Yes, Monday he went to his first High School activity! I wasn't allowed to take pictures at the camp. BUT...there's two more weeks of camp & I just may have to hide out in my car and snap a few photos. Love you, Sean!!!

Cherry Pickin'

This past Sunday, Terri & Mike invited us to go Cherry Picking at a local orchard. It was only a 20 minute drive and we actually didn't have any plans, so off we went. Chris opted to stay at home & waved good-bye to us with the remote control in his hand as we headed out the door.

This is what we arrived to....

Trees BURSTING with cherries!!! I'm a California suburb girl, and I don't get out much, so the sight of these cherries were amazing to me. I walked around for ten minutes before picking a single cherry because they were too pretty to remove from the tree. I got over it & rushed to catch up with the boys. The kids really got into it. They'd pick a cherry and put it in the bucket. And then they'd pick a cherry and eat it. We ate so many cherries, we were feeling a little queasy at the end.

Terri, Brian & Mike

Sean was reaching for a dark cluster. The darker the cherry, the sweeter it is. Did I mention that I don't really like cherries. Cherry pie? Pass. Cherry cobbler? Pass. Don't get me wrong, I ate quite a few cherries on Sunday. They're better than the cherries at the grocery store, but they're nothing that I crave.

Terri & Sean (notice the cherry in his mouth)

Brian had a bucket, Sean had a bucket, & I had a bucket. Are you doing the math? Yep, I spent $25 on 9 pounds of cherries. Did I mention that I really don't enjoy cherries? Oh well, we did eat A LOT of cherries in the orchard. Once we were home, we gave several zip lock bags to friends & neighbors. We had a great time and when the peaches are ready, we plan on going back. Peaches? Yes!! I like those!

I Heart Faces - Silhouettes

Did you fall over? I know, it's been quite awhile since I've updated. But I saw this week's contest at I Heart Faces and I had to enter it. Check out all the other cool "Silhouettes" at

In keeping things real...I have to admit that I took this photo in silhouette completely by accident! This is from our trip to Hawaii (the Big Island). Hands down, this was the best vacation ever!!!

Spring Break Wrap-up

Where did Spring Break go? It was over so fast (& we had 2 weeks off)! We didn't do anything spectacular, but we had a good time hanging out, running errands, being together, and all with NO HOMEWORK at the end of the day! I did have to work a few days, so maybe that's why it didn't feel like a "break".

Here's some of the things that we did......

We went to the movies.

We went kayaking. You can stop laughing now. Yes, I kayaked. It wasn't graceful, but I did it! I'm actually the proud owner of my very own kayak (thanks to a very generous Christmas present from Chris' parents - Thanks Chuck & Toni!)

Even Ginger got in on the act. She took turns riding with everyone, but she only laid down when she was on my kayak. Little does she know that out of the four of us, I'm the most likely one to fall in. Since that day, Toni bought Ginger her own doggy life-vest.

Brian went to the dentist for a filling, Sean got a hair cut, and then we met Aunt Terri at Chi Chi's for lunch.

We took a turn at bowling. Brian won all three games, Sean came in second and all I can say is "thank goodness for bumpers"!

We colored eggs at Dobbins house. She has a family tradition of dying eggs with flowers, onion skins, and tissue paper. The photo is blurry, but you can see the flower imprint. It's really a cool process. If I was more with it, I would have documented the process step by step. But.....I'll save it for next year.

We made cupcakes. Guess who licked the spoon after?

I was surprised that the boys still wanted to make sugar cookies. Most of the time, they cut out two shapes and then sneak away. This year they cut out two batches of cookie dough.

Easter celebration at my house. This is my nephew with the boys, coloring eggs.

Brian, can you breathe?

My nephews (J & R). If you're going on an egg hunt, you HAVE to wear bunny ears!

I guess we were busier than I thought. Happy Spring!

Birthday Club Girls

Here's a picture of the famous Birthday Club Girls. We've been meeting every month (or every two months) for I believe over 13 years now. I started attending the dinners just after Sean was born. It started out as my mom's friends meeting for dinner every month and then the daughters started going and a tradition was born. Over the years we've seen each other go through ups & downs, engagements, marriages, babies, kids, family troubles and the passing of loved ones. These are the women I would call in a crisis and I know for a fact that they would swoop in, take charge, bring food and laughter and make everything all-right. We may not talk to each other every week, but we know that in a few weeks we'll be getting together for some laughs.

Last night we got together at Sisley's for some March cheer. Everyone wore some type of black clothing to mourn the passing of my "30's"!!

From the left: Jen P., Terri, Becky, Me, J-Lo, Bonnie P., Bonnie B., Phyllis
Front Row: Toni, Dobbin (not pictured - Krysty - we'll catch you next time)

Here's the scoop on each one:

Jen P. - She's expecting her FOURTH BOY in June! As expected, her life is crazy! We're afraid to ask if she's going to keep going until she get a girl. Can't wait to meet baby K in June.

Terri - The BEST sister in the world! She makes my day brighter just by hearing her voice.

Becky - Brand new mom to the cutest baby with the biggest cheeks (Sofia)! She's the "Queen" of her blog and for a sleep deprived woman she looks fabulous! I'm jealous that she looks this good after giving birth a couple of months ago.

J-Lo - Some of you might recognize her. She's Almost Famous. Yes, and she is that gorgeous in real life! Jen is also one of the craziest girls I know. Just when I think she can no longer shock me with her antics, she goes ahead & surpasses anything I've ever heard come out of her mouth. Last night this quote made me spit my drink out..."Stephan from Top Chef kinda makes my pee-pee tingle - in a good way"!

Bonnie P. - When you retire, you're life is supposed to slow down, right? Not according to Bonnie. She's the busiest person I know. She's also one of those people you meet and you feel like you've known them your entire life. She's fun, caring and has lived the most romantic love story that I've ever heard. It should be made into a Lifetime movie!

Bonnie B. - (a.k.a. Buckets - I don't even know why, but some people call her Buckets). She's J-lo & Becky's mom. Bonnie has traveled so much and has taken so many cruises, it's hard to keep track. She throws the best showers and cookie swaps and is a great hostess. Bonnie gave my mom a flowering tree when she had her heart surgery eight years ago. It's planted in my backyard and it's known as "the Grandma tree". Every year when it blooms, I think of my mom and Bonnie's family and I'm thankful that my mom made it through her surgery.

Phyllis - I've known Phyllis since I was 10 years old. She's old friends with my mom and I worked my very first job with Phyllis' mom, LaVerne. Phyllis is a hoot! She's always up for a card game, or a trip to Vegas. The best is playing Bingo with Phyllis. She can watch six bingo sheets, carry on a conversation, rip open pull tabs, and eat a sandwich all at the same time. She's amazing!

Toni - Toni is also a long time friend of my parents. She is one of the nicest people I know. She never seems to stress about anything and she has a peaceful, "zen-like" quality to her. She makes beautiful scrapbooks and can make gorgeous things out of junk (picture frames, furniture, etc.).

Dobbin - You can't help but fall in love with Dobbin. She is a positive, bubbly person that has an infectious laugh. She not afraid of anything and is always the life of the party! She doesn't sweat the small stuff and I wish that I could be more like her!

I'm honored to know each and every one of these ladies. We all have different personalities, but a common goal of trying to enjoy life while doing the best we can at holding it all together. Thanks, again girls for a fabulous dinner! See you next month.

High School???!!!

I went to the High School Orientation meeting last night and I just sat there stunned and overwhelmed. I even got a little teary-eyed (for those of you who know me in real life - this is not surprising). Another mom asked me if I was okay and told me to "get a grip" (in a nice way) and then she started getting teary-eyed!

How can it be that this little red head will be starting 9th grade in the Fall? Where did the time go? Does he plan on attending UC or State? What is his career path? We were told, "two years of a language is required, but three years is recommended, which means you'd better put in for that third year." WHAT?? It seemed like yesterday he just learned to tie his shoes!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to Chris that there was going to be a High School Orientation meeting that we needed to go to. His reply, "Why do we need to go? Who's going to be in High School?" At least I'm not the only one in denial.

Happy Birthday, Terri!!!!

Today is a special day!!! Not only is it St. Patrick's Day, but......


It's My Sister's Birthday!!!!

Terri is one of my most favorite people in the world! Even if we weren't sisters, I'd like to think that we'd still be friends. She's one of those people that NEVER lets you down and ALWAYS knows the right thing to say. Whenever I'm having a bad day (week or month) all I have to do is give Terri a call and she gets me laughing. I always feel better just hearing her voice. AND...nobody knows you the way your siblings do. That one person has known you for your entire life, experienced the same things growing up, and is privy to actions and humiliating moments that your parents, or spouses will never know about!!!

Just to tell you what a nice sister she is....when I graduated from high school, Terri paid my way to Hawaii. Air-fare and condo accommodations for two weeks!!! There were seven people on the trip so it wasn't like she needed me to keep her company. Think about it...I was 18, Terri was 21. What 21 year old girl will save for an entire year to take her bratty (& I was) sister to Hawaii??!!! Did I mention at the time that she had two jobs? Yep, styling hair Tuesday through Saturday and working at the local Hallmark store on Sunday & Mondays.

That's the kind of person she is!

At the time, I just thought, "Oh My God - Bitchin - Like Totally" ( it WAS the 80's), NOW....as an adult, I realize how much she had to save up for and give up to give me that opportunity. Come to think of it...I really owe her one. We had a fabulous trip and memories to last a lifetime! I'll have to dig out the old photos to share.
Terri is also my biggest cheerleader. Whatever new venture I try, she's always tells me that I'd be great at it. Even when I'm convinced that my boys will be in therapy one day, she always tell me that I'm the best mom ever.

Terri is certainly a giver and she has tons of friends. She has been with us through life's ups & downs. And through it all, she was there lending a hand, lending an ear, sending a Hallmark card, and making us laugh! Terri has never asked for anything in return and only thinks of doing for others. Terri is a true friend to all that know her, but I'm the lucky one that gets to call her my sister.

I love you, Terri & Happy Birthday!!! May all of your birthday wishes come true!

Vegas, Baby!

Chris whisked me away to Las Vegas for the weekend! Okay, it's been planned for months, but we were so excited to get away without the boys for an adult weekend! Thanks, Grandma Toni & Grandpa Chuck for watching the boys! We had a fabulous time!
We stayed at the New York, New York Casino. This is a picture of it (through the car windshield as we drove down the strip. We were in bumper to bumper traffic for 30 minutes, but as soon as I wanted to take a photo of our hotel, traffic sped up and this is the shot I got.


This is our hotel room. For $30 more a night, you can upgrade to a deluxe suite. We decided to go for it. This hotel room was bigger than our 1 bedroom condo we lived in when we first got married. It took 28 steps from the bed to the bathroom (yes, I counted). And I only tripped on the seat at the end of the bed four times before I committed it to memory that it was there.


Did I mention that the suite had a bathtub jacuzzi? This was the view from our room. We've never had a view of the strip before (it doesn't take much to make me happy). Friday night we gambled a bit, ate a late dinner and had some fruity drinks. We even got carded!! I thought it was because I just had a facial last week and my skin was looking luminous. Chris said it was because we're such dorks and we still don't know how to order drinks from the bar without acting like we're doing something that we shouldn't be doing. Whatever!! The bartender did look at our I.D.'s laughed and said, "OOOPS, Sorry"! I was totally stoked, though.

On Saturday, I got a massage (thanks, Terri & Mike). It was FAB-U-LOUS!!! Probably one of the best massages that I've ever had. Chris played poker in the Poker Room at the MGM. We met up for lunch, saw a movie, did some shopping, and then stopped at the Bellagio so that I could check out their atrium.

The atrium at the Bellagio is spectacular. They change it for every season (or holiday). A few tulips were blooming, but by next week, the place will be a blast of color! Below is a picture of a tulip bed that was in full bloom and it's one of my favorites.

We had a fancy dinner on Saturday night. I should have taken pictures (especially of the dessert), but I didn't want to look like more of a dork than I already am. I shouldn't have really cared because Vegas is full of some crazies. It's great people watching, which is one of my favorite things to do. We gambled some more, drank some more, and went to bed entirely too late! Thanks, Chris for a terrific weekend! Let's not wait too long before we go away again!