Talented.

I am one proud Mama. 2 of my 3 J's showcased their TALENT at their school's talent show last Friday night.

Jackson: "Singing in the Rain."  (Click to go to You Tube)

 Aww, this kid. He stole the show (in my eyes).

Jillian: "Mississippi Hop Frog." (Click to go to You Tube)

I wish I could put her confidence and positive energy in a bottle to share with the world. She warms my heart.

A quick picture with Nana and Papa. xoxo

Steamed.

A few years ago, Craig gave me quite possibly the worst gag gift ever. 

I hate to clean the shower. He always does it for me.

He thought I would like it but, I don't and so it sits in the Laundry room cupboard.

(It has become the running joke between us.)

So, this past Christmas I opened this large box and this is what I found.

(A clothing steamer. He was excited and I was for him.)

And so, it sat in my Laundry room in the box for a few months. Then Craig assembled it and I moved it to the garage. Where it sat until Craig bought distilled water for it a last month. Then other night, when I looked in my closet and saw all my springtime tops that need ironing, I decided to give it a try.  

So with my sidekick cheering me on, I gave it a whirl.

 

And I like it. Thanks Babe.

Family.

My family comes first, 

nothing means more.

Alone we crawl,

together we soar.

(I borrowed this quote from my mom's kitchen)

I am so blessed to have a Mom like mine;

she is funny, smart, crafty, and young at heart. 

She loves us all and is a fantastic grandma.

I also inherited an amazing mother in law (aka Okie);

she is insightful, hilarious, kind, and also young at heart.

 She too loves us to pieces and is an amazing Okie.

These two women take care of my babes and us. 

I would be lost without them.

Jojo stole my camera.

 We were also joined by my Auntie's on Mother's Day.

My Auntie Sallie who always makes me smile and my Auntie Joanie (my godmother) 

who also takes care of my J's for me. These ladies are LOVED.

Craigers cooked a surf and turf meal for all of us ladies(and gents too).

Sending balloons up to Great Grammy.

Danny and Kimmy also joined us, but for some reason I 

only shot some pictures of these cuties.

 

xoxo

 

Great Grammy.

Yesterday would have been my Grammy's 91st Birthday. She passed away about two months ago of just good OLD age. She never had cancer, diabetes, or was sick. She was just my Grammy. She was everything that a Grammy should be... kind, loving, funny, mischievous, and honest. She made my childhood magical. She painted my nails purple, fed me fudgesicles for breakfast followed by liverwurst on white wonder bread.  She made me laugh and she LOVED me. To be honest, she loved all of us. So today she was on my mind. If she was here with us today she would have walked through my front door and said, "Don't you look beautiful today, it's so good to see you." She was the one that was beautiful and one day I hope to be a Grammy just like her.

(Here she is with my beloved Auntie Joanie and Uncle Phil)

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mama's out there. I hope that you had a phenomenal day and were LOVED.

Lucky Girl.

This guy I know loves to spend time with just me. He loves to plan little getaways for us to spend uninterrupted time together where we can have a conversation that lasts more than 2 minutes or sleep in until 9. He is fiercely protective of me and makes me feel beautiful. He makes me laugh every single day and together we make a good team. He is none other than my Craigers and I am one LUCKY GIRL.

So after I ran the 5K, Craigers and I went down to San Diego for some fun.

The ARTWALK street fair in Little Italy.

After a night out in the Gaslamp District.

Quite possibly the world's best burger joint.

 

Recharged, relaxed, and on our way home to our J's.

Donate Life

On Saturday I ran my very first 5k and it was AMAZING.  I am not a runner by nature, I am a dancer. Growing up, I spent every Saturday on the soccer field watching my brother and sister run up and down the field and it NEVER looked appealing to me. Then something happened (20+ years later), I wanted to run. I was envious of runners and their well maintained bodies. I wanted to give it a try and have a goal. So one day at lunch, Jen (one of my favorite girls ever) told me about the Donate Life 5k at CSUF and we signed up that minute. Then Melissa and Rocio joined us as well. So here we are; hot, sweaty, and so stinkin' proud of ourselves.

                                                       (Jen, Melissa, Rocio, and Me)

P.S.  I've got the running bug now. Jen is already looking up 5K's for next month.