Frantic Friday.....

No Flashback.......I am frantically backing for our journey to the Northwest. I hope to blog while we are gone but who knows........You all have a WONDERFUL 4th of JULY!!! If this mouth was a true representation of how I feel right now it would be wide open screaming.....I hate packing and we leave in 5 hours....YIKES!!

I am getting "the look".....

I am getting "the look" and it is not romantic........ I am sure you fellow bloggers have recieved "the look" from a loved one as you burrow into your computer hole. Okay, this is going to be short but I did want to acknowledge getting some lovin from my friend Tonya. If you have not been to her blog yet you must....her enthusiasm for life is contagious!!!

Tonya picked me as one of her favorite blogs (blushing) and I appreciate it very much!! I guess the way it works is I now pick 10 of my favorite blogs and post them here......I narrowed the list down to 5 because again "THE LOOK" is still in the room....and Tonya picked my other 5 . We are also getting ready for a 10 day adventure and the computer is getting in the way of progress.... packing progress....how boring......

So, here are just a few of my favorites.. ......I could have listed so many more that I love......

Wind River Cellars- My friend Joel ( and his lovely wife Kris) own and operate a winery in Husum Washington . His blog just makes me laugh....I love his dry humor and passion for Husum . I might be sucking up a bit too I hope get to his tasting room one of these days and get the really , really good stuff....:)

Because Mom Said So- Rhonda is just Wonderful!!! Thank you for all your wonderful posts on Motherhood ....I love the way you write.....I feel like we are in your kitchen chatting.

Blissful Living- I want to move in this store......no really, I want to pack a suitcase and live there. Sarah can come too but NO SYRUP IN BED!

One Love Photo- Heather will make you want to live a better life after looking at her beautiful pictures.......breath of fresh air , inspiring.......just lovely.

My Road Less Traveled- Misty is one courageous woman!!!

No junk today as far as eating..........of course I had to duct tape that little guy to my shoulder.

That's it........

All these items are going in a locked box......( Al Gore had an extra one) .I can not be trusted with them by myself. My husband can eat all this #$%^$ and not gain a pound , which I find very annoying. I have been hearing this little voice saying "hey don't eat that" and to find out it was this guy....if I were to blow him up to life size our bodies would look about very similar.

Don't get me wrong....I don't want Sarah growing up with weird body issues. I don't think I am fat but I definitely need to be eating healthy so I can keep up with her.....plus like in a past post I can't do SPANX for the rest of my life and I went from cupcake top to muffin top..... so, time to get started on a road to better eating!!!!...........okay , I might have to start this AFTER vacation next week.

Front Row!!

Another Coronado Concert in the Park this past Sunday........I couldn't pass posting this picture of Sarah. She moved her chair to have a better view and a perfect dance spot........she didn't seem too concerned about her parents....hmmmm.

Memory Monday

I missed Flashback Friday.......so , to stay somewhat consistent I thought I would throw in a Memory Monday. This is a picture of my Grandpa at his 90th Birthday Party back in 1999/2000. He was born 9/2/10.......amazing to think of all the changes he saw in his lifetime. I would love to have him make pancakes and sit in his (and my Grandmas) back sun room ( that he built ) and talk about the days events (Of course he could not eat pancakes until he had his daily bowl of pineapple ) .

I was so blessed to have him in my life..... he was one of my best friends. Getting to know him in my adulthood was so special. Things that make me smile when I think of my Grandpa...

* owned his own roofing company ( was on roofs up until his 80's....yikes)

* wine making and entering it in the fair (starting in his 80's)

* "Jingle Bells " played every time this lights were turned on in the basement....he was ALWAYS tinkering with something.....he was an inventor....he had a few patents and enjoyed "figuring out " things.

* singing in a quartet until he was 91 (he like to sing for"old people" at nursing homes)

* baking his own bread

* dedicating his life to making his Ruthie happy (married 67 years)

* wearing toupees...that he ordered through the mail (can you imagine).......thought hair made him look younger

* in his later years always wore suspenders and a bolo tie

* loved being with family....helping family.... he was another good listener in my life ( my Dad was too)

This list could go on, and on....it was fun focusing on him today! Hope you have a WONDERFUL Monday!

"Take that".......YIKES!!!!

Wow...the old saying is true....time does fly....!! We have been celebrating my nephews 3rd Birthday this weekend. First, a concert in the park by Hullabaloo. Next, on to Sea World. What a fun FULL day of Sesame Street water park fun!!! We even made a evening trip back to watch Shamu Rocks that started at 9:30pm. I don't know if we were doing all this for the kids or for making memories for US (parents)............BOTH. We were all troopers.

As I was looking for a picture for this post I noticed Sarah either "gently moving" a child out of her way or a child falling into her hand. My sweet ,sweet Sarah wouldn't push anyone.....yikes!! Sarah's cousin is in a pure happiness zone!!!!

We can call off all the toys for holidays ....... We just need BUGS!!!.....slugs, snails, ants, potato bugs, worms, flies....it was a bug fiesta around here!! Endless entertainment!

"Ah ha" moments at the Zoo

In honor of my good friend (you know who you are) I wore spanx to the Zoo today. I nearly died of heat stroke......whew....it was about 87 degrees. As much as I appreciated my muffin top being pulled in I had to remove it 1/2 way thorugh the day. Note to self, no Spanx in the summer months......."Ah ha" #1

This (picture shown above) is how I get Sarah to wear hats. "Ah ha"#2

Yeah Celtics won!! Hubby so happy !!

Another wonderful weekend

Our friends from Ireland arrived this weekend and we had a wonderful time getting reacquainted and introduced to their newest addition Lily (2 1/2). (Wouldn't you die to have those curls.) Sarah was quite taken with Harry (9) She thought he was pretty cool and spent the afternoon following him around like a puppy. Many thanks to Harry for entertaining 2 funny little 2 year old girls while we enjoyed dinner overlooking San Diego Bay.

Sunday, Fathers Day, was a relaxing day that ended with our weekly Coronado Sunday Concerts in the Park. Every Sunday I feel like I am thrown back to the 1950's ..... families having dinner together , band music, kids playing, friends visiting ........dogs lounging.....just a fantastic way to end a week. All was perfect ....except for the Celtics loosing in game 5 but now we have another game to look forward to. These men from Boston take their Boston teams seriously.......

Friday Flashback

With Fathers Day this Sunday I found it only fitting to share a Friday Flashback picture of my Dad. The back of this picture says I am 2 ½ , just a few months older than Sarah is right now. I can’t get over how young my Dad looks in this picture. I am sure this is the 99th time he has gone through that book with me and it looks like we just got done building something……this same picture could have been taken of Sarah with her Daddy on any evening after he gets home from a long day at work.

I was in a store the other day and a John Mayer song Daughters came on and it is basically telling Dad’s to treat their daughters good to build the foundation for relationships in the future.
My Dad was a great listener, quick witted, funny and very kind. I wish Sarah could have met him. Thanks Dad……I miss you everyday……and I appreciate the great foundation that you (and Mom) built for me.

Let's do it!!

A friend of mine called this morning and said "Do you want to go to the US OPEN and have my husband watch all three kids?" .................hmmmm......should I?.......today is swim lesson day.......will Sarah be a good girl for my girlfriends husband?......................I should be cleaning my house..........................All these things ran through my mind and I remember this post from Kelly's Blog and thought" Let's do it!!"

I am so glad we went....I had a wonderful time chatting (always do) and it was so awesome to watch Tiger and Phil putt on the 18th green! The atmosphere was full of energy , the sun was shining and on top of that the tickets included lunch!! Thanks for the wonderful day and for remembering how fun it is to be spontaneous. Thanks to your husband too....3 kids ...what a trooper!!!

Never gets old.....

Well, we are quite the regulars at Sea World San Diego. Another great day with friends, rides, ELMO and a walrus show. Sarah had the entire sticker off by the end of the Flying Elmo ride.....she has such a sneaky smile in this picture.....hmmmm

BINGO!

I don't let myself go here very often but after reading my friend Tonya's blog it got me thinking about our decision to only have one child. We tried for many years to have Sarah before we turned to science to help us out. Once we decided to go for it we jumped right into IVF (a long hormonal journey)that brought us Sarah. We feel so blessed and 95% of the time I am content with our decision to only have one child but I think tonight I am in the 5% portion. Not much to write about it ....I am not sad I am just hoping we made the right decision.

I found this card in Seattle waiting for a ferry home after a IVF appt. and I will always remember that feeling of hoping we got a BINGO!!..........and we did!!

I am a goat!

I felt like this goat tonight........Sarah is staying up later and later. She is sleeping in longer in the mornings but (whew) tonight I just wasn't up for one more dance.

I always appreciate a cute goat. They hang around with sheep put they always seem to have a little more fun...possibly get in a little more trouble. If you are ever looking for an adorable goat card go to this etsy site Nature Mandala's she has wonderful things.

Friday Flashback

This is one of my favorite photos. My sister looks so darn cute with her short haircut and big smile. This was taken in Lincoln , Montana where we had many wonderful times at my Aunt Carol and Uncle Genes cabin. Thanks Sis for being so special........

Also, a quick thank you to my Fabulous San Diego Sisters for a great night out....you helped me kick off a new year of life with lots of laughs and a great time....Thank you!!

6 Word Memoir

I was tagged by my friend Tonya at A day in my life

This originated over an idea that was prompted by the book written by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser, Not Quite What I was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure. It's a compilation based on the story that Hemingway once bet ten dollars that he could sum up his life in six words. His words were- For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.

Here are the rules:
1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4 .Tag five more blogs with links.
5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!


Laughter, Blessings, Imagination, Wisdom, Love, Poptarts

Wow....this was tough to sum up a life in six words. I am sure depending on the mood a few words might change but these are the 6 I came up with...

Laughter- I can't think of a day with out it.
Blessings- I have so many ,being a Mother is my biggest
Imagination- I have a need to glue things, sew things, paint things and figure out how things are made. Handcrafting items mostly...not cars, lawnmowers etc...
Wisdom- I love to talk with senior citizens and gather their wisdom.......I also love Dennis Prager and his Happiness Hour every Friday (2nd hour). He is full of life lessons and wisdom....
Love- This doesn't need much explanation but I am so grateful for the people I love and that love me....My husband, family, friends....
Poptarts- Are not allowed in the house until I loose 5 pounds ( 5 pounds from the last box of poptarts).....oh so delicious....

I now pass this experience on to
Ann - Dehans Great German Adventure
Michelle- Child Inspired
Erin- Caityn and Sean
Sonja- A Spoonful of Sugar
Katie- The Holmes Family Adventure

Have fun!! Can't wait to read them.

oooo this sounds fun!!

I just signed up for this at "According to Kelly"...here is the link according to kelly...: you're invited, don't forget to rsvp!

Doesn't it sound fun to get something in the mail besides advertisements and bills..........check it out.

Also, don't forget the 3 day walk for a cure drawing for a night at the IVY is June 10th!!

Fully Charged!!

Wow.......what a great weekend.....! We started our weekend heading North on the 101 Highway out of San Diego. We stopped at all the fun little beach shops.......you know, all the shops that most husbands dread. We had a quick fish taco lunch and headed to Newport Beach. We arrived in time to have a margarita and a quick nap by the pool. Evening was saved for Balboa Island. Again we hit all the seaside shops the kind that most husbands find a chair and wait by the door......and ask "what are you looking for?" We took a long evening stroll and dreamed about having a summer home on the island. PF Changs for a late yummy , garlicky dinner and delicious "foofoo" drink and off to bed. We woke up at 9 am........the latest I have slept in in 2 years.......(angel music is playing while I am typing)......a quick hour by the pool .........off to Fashion Island. It sounds like we did a lot of shopping but we really didn't . I think we were recharging our creativity batteries and catching up on life. It was just nice to be kid-less in Pottery Barn and walk S......L......O.....W........

I definitely need to do more recharging........thank you Audrey for your friendship and the wonderful time catching up on old time and making new memories!!