Look Ma! No Hands!

It has been awhile since I posted something more than an album review, dream journal, or something light on content but big on giggles.  Let me catch you up.

Shortly after Christmas my awesome-amazing boyfriend asked to officially move in with him.  I think I've put longer thought into picking out what color nail polish I want to buy, I immediately said yes (it was the easiest decision I've ever had to make and every day I'm so thankful for this life I'm living), gave my landlord 30 days notice, and started moving things to his house, I mean our house (it took awhile for me to get the hang of saying it).  I was all in within 2 weekends (it was too hard to try to move during the week).

Let me tell you.... living in sin is the best thing ever.  For me there didn't really even seem to be any growing pains, it just feels like home. He does most of the cooking, I do most of the laundry, and we share the other cleaning chores, they get done as they need to.  Everything seems to be falling in place.  I never thought living with someone else would be so easy, I don't know what I thought it would be like, this is the first time I've ever lived with a boyfriend, and I'm glad he's the one I'm experiencing all this new stuff with.  My family loves him (which is a great feeling). We have a cute little dog named Bugsy, we spoil him rotten...he's like having a 3rd person in the house half the time.

So that's the big life update. I don't think I've ever been this happy and relaxed in a relationship.  I'm not constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop or for some dramatic disaster to happen.  It just feels good to have a true partner, not just someone who is there for the moment.  For the first time in my life I feel like a real adult, not a kid in a grown up body. It's not nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

Another update is that today I decided to become a Partner in Hope.  I signed up to give a monthly donation to St. Jude's Children's hospital. I've had a nagging feeling for a long time that I need to become involved in something that is bigger than me and my personal world, but I didn't know where to start.  This morning on the drive to work one of the local radio stations was hosting a radiothon to raise money for the hospital and I was moved to donate.  I can't afford to give a lot, but I can afford to give what I used to spend on a monthly sample subscription.  If you want to become a Partner in Hope you can follow the link and help battle childhood cancer. If you can't afford to donate money, maybe you can find a cause that speaks to you and you can donate your time, and if you don't have time or money (hey we've all been there, no judgment) you can share links on how to help your cause of choice, maybe you'll inspire one of your friends to help out in any way they can.

A Mommy and Me Date at the Malibu Getty

Last weekend my mom and I took a drive down the coast to explore the J. Paul Getty Museum: The Villa in Malibu, California.  We had found out about it a little over a year ago when we toured the other Getty Museum which is off the 405 in Southern Ca. 

This was an unforgettable experience, and one that I'd love to repeat.  The museum is full of ancient artifacts, some of which have survived THOUSANDS of years. These sculptures, bronzes, and mosaics have seen more of the human condition than any of us could ever hope to.  They have stood silent witness to the horrors of war and the joys of family and friends.  If they could speak, they would never shut up and still wouldn't be able to tell us everything.

We also ventured down the to Historic Santa Monica Pier and the end to the Route 66 (to get our kicks?). Neither of us had been there before and it was fun to munch on corn dogs and take in the sights.  People watching is never boring on a beach in Southern California. 

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the day, I haven't uploaded the ones that are on my camera yet, but this is the iPhone collection. 

Enjoy! 

Cupcakepalooza and the Bing Wedding

The Newlyweds

 Last week the baby of our family, Brandyn, married the love of his life, the beautiful Miss Taylor. In celebration of this special day we had a big BBQ, and the bride requested some cupcakes for the event...roughly 100 of them.

 The request was for Chocolate Cake with Oreo Buttercream Frosting, Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, and White Cake with a Strawberry Buttercream Frosting.  This time around I did not make the old family recipe for the carrot cake, it takes too long and I didn't have enough time to make it from scratch, I did however doctor a box cake and it tasted pretty amazing, I did use the frosting recipe that is on the link.

Additions to Duncan Hines Carrot Cake: roughly 1 cup of chopped nuts (I used pecans), 1 box of vanilla instant pudding, 1 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple (strained), used butter instead of oil, and milk instead of water.  It ended up being super moist and quite delicious.

It took roughly 3 hours to bake 125+ cupcakes at my aunt's house, thank goodness for double ovens, two kitchen aid mixers, and a talented chef of a boyfriend who volunteered to help.  We let them cool in the fridge over night and came back in the morning to decorate, where I enlisted the help of my guy and my cousin who had also gone to culinary school and was trained in the arts of decorating for the masses.

Real Men Frost Cupcakes

Devil's Food Cake with Oreo Buttercream

White Cake with Strawberry Buttercream 

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 

Cupcake Display (created by Taylor)

Wish You Were Here

Hey Baby Brother,

You would have been 25 in the next couple of days, and I can only imagine who you would be now. I know you were really working on growing up and starting to get your life back on track, you were thinking of going back to school and learning trades to start a career for yourself and to become someone you could be proud of. You were trying hard to put your darker days behind you and you had such a bright future ahead before you were stolen from us.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about you, I keep pictures of you on my fridge at home and one rides in the car with me. I have an orange camouflage trucker hat that hangs on my bookcase above my bed, you are always with me.

I want you to know that I have always loved you, and I still do. Even when you drove me insane as younger siblings are so very capable of doing you have always been someone who is important to me. It's hard to think of you as anyone other than that precocious child who was always into everything and taking stuff apart to see how it worked, even if you weren't able to put it back together.  You always had such a huge heart, and your smile could light up the world. I miss that. I really regret not taking more opportunities to get to know you better as you got older. I always thought that we'd have time when we were older, I never imagined that you could be taken in such a final way.

It's been almost 4 years since we lost you and I waiver between feeling like it was yesterday, 10 years ago, and sometimes I wonder what you've been up to forgetting that you're gone completely. I don't know how to explain that. I guess your heart and brain don't always connect and they don't always make sense. I wish I could call or text you and go grab a couple drinks and watch a basketball game together, spend the day at the beach, or just hang out at a family dinner at Grandma's house.

I hope if you're keeping an eye on us you're pleased with what you see. I hope you know how much you're loved and missed, and most of all I hope you've found peace.

I'll love you forever baby brother, you'll never be forgotten.

A December to Remember

This post is a little harder to write than I had imagined it would be. I started outlining it the first weekend of the month because I didn't want to leave anything out. December truly was an epic month and probably one I'll hold on to for a long time... December was nearly perfect for me and I don't want to let the events of January 1st spoil the memories. Looking back is a little heart wrenching, so forgive me if it's disjointed or awkward.

• Britni's Jewelry Show early in the month my super talented friend held her second annual jewelry show in her adorable home in Atascadero, California. Her work is gorgeous and has a vintage quality that you don't see in many places anymore.  I would recommend her wearable art to anyone... wedding party gifts? totally appropriate, looking for something for your mom, sister, grandma, girlfriend, best friends? she's your girl. Check out her page if you get a chance, and visit her at art in the park in the summer months in Shell Beach, you truly will not be disappointed.
• Last Minute Road Trip, the second weekend in the month my buddy Karla Beatriz photographer extraordinaire made a spur of the moment trip to Orange County to visit The Elitist to do a photo shoot, spend some quality girl time together, and to celebrate (early) her daughter's 3rd birthday. 
• Photo shoot: so it went pretty well considering our model (Elitist) was recovering from a nasty bug and wasn't feeling at the top of her game and we made her get in the cold ocean/swimming pool/and basically dance around in her underwear all day... the unexpected moment was when Karla wanted to practice some different shots and had me crash the shoot. While I'm not comfortable posting the pics she took of me here on my blog, let me tell you I've never seen a photo of myself where I have felt so incredibly beautiful. A month later I still pull up the photos and get lost in them. I promise I'm not that vain, I've just never seen myself like that.
• Camera oops: I was really stoked to have my mom's cannon rebel to shoot landscape/ocean activity pictures with on this trip... except I used the wrong exposure and 90% of my favorite pictures that I took at the beach that weekend were so over exposed that they were just a solid white screen. I guess it worked out okay though, it taught me how to use it before I went to Yosemite later in the month.



Happy Birthday Month Kiddo!

• Aurora's Birthday: this year we introduced "Birthday Month" to the kiddo. Karla and I weren't going to be able to make it back down for the official birthday party at the end of the month, so we took her out for an ice cream sundae at the most ridiculously loud place we could imagine... a perfect place for a 3 year old right? I think it freaked her out a little, but if you're in the mood for a sweet frozen treat with a Carney Barker Farrell's is the place to go. This was her first of 3 (at least) birthday parties, she seemed a little confused by the notion of celebrating on a non-official day, but once the sticker was on her shirt and the ice cream came out, she was down to party.
• Christmas Party with the Field's
• 

  

  At the Field's Christmas Party 2012,
  I was the clear White Elephant Exchange winner.

  • Baking Nightmares: Since the party was potluck style, I chose to bring baked goods as my contribution. It's a standard for me, I enjoy baking, and normally it's something I'm good at. Normally. I don't know what was going on, but I was off my game on the brownies. BOXED BROWNIES for crying out loud. Anyway I made them according to instructions, popped them into the preheated oven and baked for the appropriate amount of time, I stuck them with a skewer to make sure they were cooked all the way through, and while they were still slightly doughy, they were cooked enough to pull them out.  Somehow, despite the fact that I greased/cocoa'd the pan, they stuck...bad... and half of the batch was burned and the other half not cooked all the way. I haven't failed that royally baking since... well the last time I baked brownies. Aren't they supposed to be the easiest thing to make? Can't elementary school students successfully make brownies? Anyway they got tossed and I baked a lemon bundt cake with chocolate frosting and it was a hit... or at least passed inspection. Have I lost my game from taking such a long break from the Kitchen Aid? Guess I better get my ass back in the kitchen on a more frequent basis.
• Cards Against Humanity: This might be the most fun/inappropriate party game I've ever played. It is a lot like "Apples to Apples" except it has more of an "R/NC-17" rating. I suggest playing with your more open minded friends, or read a few of the cards before bringing it out a family dinner. My best advice is that while it's fun and hysterical with the right group, you really need to know your audience.
• babies babies everywhere: this was a family-friendly party and I felt like the pied piper of babydom. All the little ones were so happy, I'm not sure any of them (all under 5 and if my memory is correct there was close to a half dozen of them there) had any kind of fussing or melt downs. I got spit up on a bit, but it's a hazard you face when holding those cute little people. Don't worry, I haven't caught baby fever, not even close, but I do like kids.
• white elephant exchange: Like with a lot of Christmas or Holiday parties there was a white elephant exchange, gifts ranged from Copenhagen dip, cheap beer, orange cones, a Topsy Turvy tomato grower thing, door mats and other ridiculous items. Needless to say hilarity ensued and we were all a little disappointed when the game was over.
• blind wine tasting: the last activity at the party (these weren't listed in chronological order) was a blind wine tasting, everyone brought a bottle of wine, we covered the labels with brown paper bags and sampled each. Some were awesome, some were the opposite, I'm not sure what wine was the winner, but with 12 bottles to taste from we were all in good spirits.
• And the Food! Seeing as how it was a potluck there were lots of foodstuffs to choose from and I'm only mentioning a couple of the side dishes/appetizers. The stand outs if you will. If I left you out, feel free to add them in the comments, and if you'd like to link a recipe that would be awesome too. The main dish was turkey, one deep fried the other smoked, both received rave reviews.
• stuffed mushrooms: okay, so I don't have the recipe for these here, but let me tell you that I have NEVER EVER EVER been a fan of mushrooms, I'll sometimes eat them on pizza and I cook with cream of mushroom soup, but to pick up a stuffed mushroom and eat it... let alone love it enough to go back for seconds or thirds? completely unheard of. I've been pestering my friend who made them to post the recipe, but as of right now it resides in her mom's kitchen and not on the Internets.
• Mini Spinach Dip Bowls my god... these are amazing... I could eat them all night and not feel guilty at all because they're that delicious, probably not all that healthy considering the ingredients, but they have veggies in them right?
• Cheesy Potatoes that will change your life... I really don't need to say much more than that. They.will.change.your.life. again, not the healthiest of side dishes, but it's a Christmas party, you're supposed to eat your weight in carbs.
• Chocolate Covered Bacon: okay, so I don't have the recipe for this one either, but seems pretty simple, cook the bacon to your desired level of crispness and dip in melted chocolate. Total carny food and I love it. Toss in some funnel cake and a giant lemonade and you can go ahead and roll me out of the party.
• Girls' Nights and Birthday Parties



Daryl Dixon:
My Favorite Walking Dead Character

• So our weekly Zombie Nights have reached the mid-season finale of "The Walking Dead" and now need to find meaning in our lives until the show comes back in February. We're thinking of adding other Zombie flicks until then... or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia marathons, or maybe even hitting the gym occasionally... maybe.
• We also celebrated one of the girls' brother's 30th birthday party one week. I had my first taste of Salvadorian food and I fell in love. Seriously, it was SO good. Maybe I really do need to hit the gym, seems like a large portion of this month's post is devoted to my love of food.  There were games to be played and lots of laughs to be had at the party, as it should be. Cranium and Taboo are always fun to pull out of the game closet, and unlike Cards Against Humanity, there isn't really an "appropriateness factor" that you have to consider.
• Surviving the Apocalypse: The Mayan Apocalypse came and went without much fanfare, I woke up, survived and didn't spot a zombie all day... which is a good thing, because in a story to follow, I'm pretty sure the zombies will have me beat in about the first 5 minutes of the outbreak. I thought I'd be tougher, I'm not.
• Cousin Date: My 11 year old cousin and I spent the Saturday before Christmas together, we went to the movies and saw Monsters Inc in 3D, overdosed on junk food at both the movies and Carl's Jr. after, then went and spent the rest of the afternoon with our grandparents and relatives that were visiting for the upcoming holidays. We hadn't done it in a long time, so it was a lot of fun (and just a tad exhausting... I'm not used to being around kids all day long, he's awesome, but it's just more proof that I'm no where near ready to begin the part of my life where I want kids... I may have mentioned that once before in this post).



opening presents is exhausting

• Christmas: Christmas in my families is spilt over two days, Christmas Eve and Christmas morning belongs to my mom's side of the family, while my dad's side of the family lays claim to Christmas Day/Night. This year was no exception. It was great seeing family members that I don't get to hang out with often, it was weird to experience the holiday without the family we had lost this year, and it was the first time I had shared a major holiday with a significant other (even if it was just a couple of hours at the end of the day). Everyone seemed to enjoy their presents and time together... even Mr. Dog even had fun unwrapping his gifts. 



The Granddaughters

• Vacation: I took the last part of the year off for a vacation with the boyfriend. We went to Fresno to visit some of this friends and to take a day trip to Yosemite National Park. We had an amazing time, and I'm so glad that we had that last long weekend together. Even when he was driving me crazy on our 8 mile hike across town it was perfect. We spent a lot of quality time together, had laughs with his friends, saw awesome movies (some on tv, one at the theater), and of course the trip to the snow.
• Yosemite:  I hadn't been to the park in 16 years, and never in the winter time.  It was beyond gorgeous. You can check out the link and see a few of my favorite pictures of the snow and beautiful winter landscapes.  It was probably the best trip I've even taken with someone I've been dating.  We laughed, we fell waste deep into the snow, threw snowballs at each other
• Other Shenanigans
• Our first night in Fresno we saw the movie Django Unchained (the D is silent). It's a Quentin Tarantino flick, and all that entails. It was exciting, funny, violent, and moving.  I'd see it again. It was about a bounty hunter in the South a few years before the Civil War. I don't want to give anything away but in my opinion Jamie Fox and Leonardo DiCaprio deserve an award for their performances.
• After the movie we went to a dive bar called Red Wave for their weekly "Taco Thursday" for tacos and beer with a friend. When that bar closed we went to a more country themed bar to continue the night, then somehow ended up at a house party after that bar closed. Anyway fast forward a couple hours (I wasn't feeling well and I fell asleep on the couch) I get woken up and am told that its time for us to leave by my boyfriend... here leads to a big adventure on our trip.
• The 8 Mile: So around 4 am we leave the house on the North side of town. There's no cab in sight and we set off on foot to his apartment, not exactly sure how long the journey will be.  It took 3 hours and the sun came up on our jaunt. I have never felt more like a hobbit in my life. I was convinced that I had hip displaysia, a sprained ankle, the black lung...when in real life I just learned exactly how out of shape I am and that I'm never going to survive the zombies. We finally got home and immediately went to bed and slept for most of the day. 



Yosemite Coyote
 

• Once we finally woke up it was time to run errands and meet up with some different friends for dinner at my favorite pizza place in Clovis called BC's. They're food is so delicious, they have a wide selection of beers on tap, and both times I've been there I've had a great time.  I'd recommend it to anyone in the area. You will not be disappointed.
• New Year's Eve: was spent with some friends of the boyfriend's family. We played bunco and watched ball drop. There were lots of laughs and it was really funny to see how competitive every one got over a simple game of dice. I didn't walk away a winner that night, but I really enjoyed the evening.  Even though I didn't really know most of the people I spent the holiday with, every one made me feel like I was part of the family and it was great.
• Over 2000+ views :-)  thank you readers! Together we have reached over 2000 views before then end of the year, there's even more now, but I'm not 100% sure what the count was at the end of the month.  I really appreciate all the support and readership.  I plan on blogging thoughout the year as I had in 2012. I look forward to sharing my new adventures with you.

Merry Christmas Readers

So readers, were you on the nice list or the naughty list this year? A combination of both?

I hope that you have a fabulous holiday celebration with your loved ones, whether they be family, friends or maybe even co-workers, and that Santa is good to you all.

Hug your loved ones a little closer this year, and remember the ones who aren't celebrating with us this year.

Yesterday marked 16 years since my grandpa passed away and the Coca Cola Santa I posted the picture of always reminds me of him. I think about him often and like to think that he's my own personal guardian angel. I know he's out there looking out for me. It's hard to believe that so much time has gone by, but I know he's been there for our family every step of the way, we've lost a few other close family members over the years, Uncle Junior, my brother Everett, and Aunt Josephine and I still find myself watching the door for them to walk in sometimes. Christmas time is a time for celebrating family and it feels different when members are missing, but I think it just makes you cherish the ones who are still here more.

Have a safe and healthy holiday friends. I can't wait to hear about your experiences and maybe even a few shenanigans.  Talk to you soon.

Merry Christmas
Love
Lauren

How Do You Say Goodbye?

Last week I had to say goodbye to a loved one. Sunday night (September 16th) I received a phone call letting me know that my great aunt had passed away, and while I was shocked, it was hardly shocking news. My aunt, Josephine, had suffered from dementia for the past three and a half years, and for as long as I can remember her life had been peppered with various health ailments. She had been mourning the loss of her husband for the past ten years and had been looking forward to joining him.

She was a woman who devoted her life to her family. She raised my father and his sister, my aunt Cindy, so that my grandmother could work. She took care of me and my cousins so that our mothers could work as well. She loved her pets (dogs, cats, birds, and whatever strays wandered into the yard), she was a great cook, collected angels, and was hooked on her soap operas.

So how do you say goodbye to someone who played such a major role in your life? I probably spent 90% of my childhood at her house, she was there the day I was born, she was there when I graduated from high school and college, and every important event in my life. She held my hand when I was sick or scared, and she shared my joy on some of my happiest days.

So how do you say goodbye? Maybe you don't. Maybe you just celebrate the life they lived and know that they're finally where they want to be. You are relieved that they are no longer in pain. You realize that you will miss them and that holidays won't be the same without them, but at the same time they're never really completely gone as long as you hold them in your heart. They're never gone as long as when you think of them it brings a smile to your face. It's never goodbye, it's always thank you for loving me and I'll see you on the other side.

Marvelous May

It's that time of the month again... no not THAT time, but time for a little recap of all the things great and small that made me smile in the lovely month of May. In no particular order

• Memorial Weekend in Orange County... God I love chasing the sun and oggling cute boys while I work on my tan and read books on my Kindle, seriously it was the best form of multitasking. Awesome food, better friends, and lots of laughs. Grown up slumber parties are really the best slumber parties. #gummysharksftw
• Celebrating my Aunt Cindy's Birthday... we had a small dinner party at a restaurant we hadn't been to together before and it was great fun, laughs are always guaranteed.
• Mother's Day Weekend... Even though I'm not a mommy, I had a great time celebrating the mommies in my family on this weekend. Family members from all over CA came to visit my mom and grandma. I hadn't hung out with some of them in years and it was great to catch up. Visited my old stomping grounds in Pismo Beach. It blows my mind how much everything has changed and still feels like home. I even had to buy myself a new Pancho's hoodie because it felt weird to not have one anymore after that place being such a big part of my life 10 years ago.
• Super Mom to the Rescue...Last night after a particularly horrific day at work I was loading up my car to go to my parents house for dinner and laundry time. I was emotionally spent and wasn't thinking clearly, this became strikingly clear when I slammed my car door only to realize that I had just locked my keys, phone, tablet, and laptop in my car...this is something that I haven't ever done in this particular car because its really hard to do it. I go to a neighbor's house to see if I can use their phone, luckily they were home and let me, I call home and get the rescue mission underway. 20 minutes later my mom arrives with a tow truck driver not far behind her and he came and unlocked my doors. It could have been much worse of a situation, but I have to tell you the second I heard my mom's voice I almost started crying. Sometimes a girl just needs her mommy.

Awesome April

Oh Bloggy Blog I didn’t forget you, not even a little bit.  April has just been a busy month at work (and at play) that by the time I’ve gotten home at night the last thing I’ve wanted to do is get on the computer and type.  Getting on my iPhone and checking FaceBook is entirely different.

So what has happened in April that has kept me busy, out of (or into) trouble, and has me counting my blessings? All kinds of stuff:

·         Spending Easter with my mom’s family and getting to listen to my 10 year old cousin rock the house on his piano. He’s crazy good.

·         Springtime Concerts with my brother Frank. We saw DIERKS BENTLEY at the Pozo Saloon and a few other acts. Will Hoge has changed my life, okay that’s exaggerating a bit, but I really like him and I would have never heard of him had I not gone to the Stampede. So that’s one thing I can scratch off my New Year’s Resolution list. I wanted to find new music to fall in love with, and I did exactly that.

·         Crashing Bridal Fairs with Meggy, it’s like the pregame to Wedding Crashing.  Baby steps, baby steps.

·         Cousins’ Weekends in Los Angeles (and minimal traffic on the way down).  I got to escape reality for a couple days and go visit Walter and Jake for the weekend, experienced red velvet pancakes, and then my buddy Tess crashed the party in Long Beach for a little girl time after the boys left to other engagements.

·         New Gadgets, I was able to get my hands on a Kindle Fire last week and I don’t think my reading list or library will ever be the same.  I love technology.

·         Shopping days with mom.  Nothing beats Mother/Daughter dates, even at nearly 31 its still one of my favorite ways to spend the day

·         Discovering my own strength.  I finally found it in me to purge some people in my life who were nothing but cancerous tumors on my soul.  I stopped making excuses for them and I stopped allowing myself to torture my heart by trying to keep them in my life.  I have to say my shoulders are lighter, my eyes are drier, and the bruises on my heart are healing nicely.

·         My job. I really like the people I work with (most of the time ;-) ) Plus on Administrative Professionals Day, they bought me flowers, candy, and a Starbucks gift card. They sure know how to make a girl feel loved.

There you have it April in a nutshell. Talk to you next month (or sooner if I get inspired)

Hey March, you were pretty cool!

Okay, so its early April and I never did my grateful blog for March, and it’s not because I don’t have tons of things that were awesome that month, its more because I’ve been in a slump and haven’t felt like writing… I have felt like sleeping, a lot. So it’s a little late, but this is for March.

·         My job:

o   I got a raise and my boss started a quarterly incentive program, so assuming I meet all the demands of each quarter, I’ll get a bonus. So yay me!

o   Also because of work contacts I’ve made I was given two free tickets to PCPA’s musical “Little Women” it was so beautifully done, I cried throughout the whole performance.  I really am lucky to live in a place where we have some really amazing shows.  I can’t wait to see Legally Blonde this summer.

·         Birthday parties:

o   My awesome friend Karla had a kick ass 80s themed party and I danced my face off for at least 4 hours straight, I was sore for a couple of days, but it was totally worth it. I swear dancing is the most fun cardio ever…. Way more fun than Spin Class (which is super fun when you make it Karaoke Spin).

o   My baby sister turned 20 at the end of the month and we took a Sister Shopping Trip in Santa Barbara.  It was an amazing day (even though we had to weather a storm), lots of window shopping, some actual shopping, a visit to Tiffany, so many laughs and just a couple sentimental tears.

·         Star Gazing in the hot tub with Tess and a bottle of wine (and tormenting my brother) was all part of an amazing Girls’ Weekend. It also included manis/pedis, shopping in SLO, Thai food and ice cream, Sunday Brunch...did I leave anything out? Grown up slumber parties are the best way to spend a weekend.

·         Best Friends (and their mommies) coming to my rescue when I had a near panic attack because I didn’t know how I was going to frost 120 cupcakes and a mini birthday cake by myself… Meg and Terry I love you guys!

So this is a short/sweet post, but I do want to say thank you for everyone who has made my life as great as it is. I know that I complain and vent a lot, but seriously? Things could be so much worse, and even my BIG problems will seem small when I look back at this.  I'd rather look back on happy memories with great friends and family than dwell on the things that have upset me.