A.maz.ing weekend

For those of us in the Sacramento Valley who experienced the hottest temperatures of the year this weekend, welcome to Summer!!

My weekend was set up to be another full one; my Grandmother's 90th birthday party and a bridal shower for my Nephew's fiance. I had been led to believe that my son Tommy could not get time off from work and would be unable to make the birthday party. I was very understanding as I knew that he had to take several days off for our Hawaii trip, but still dissapointed. Last week had my mind occupied on other house projects (blogs to come!) and I had put the entire issue to rest.

SURPRISE!!! Guess who shows up at my door Saturday morning??? Yep, yep, yep... My Bubba!

Look how happy I am!!!

Evidently, my entire clan had this plan in the works for some time! Erin & Chris had picked him up at the airport on the way to EG - The sneaksters !!! I do love surprises tho'! Following a re-application of my make-up we were off to the 90th birthday party. Aside from the extremely warm weather it was a super party. My dear Grandma was in great spirits, alert and smiling. The Sweetest moment was her speech thanking everyone for coming to her party, then she said a prayer/made a wish before blowing out her candle.

My Grandma and Erin & Tommy

My three kidlets - Tommy, Erin & Chris

A swim party at my Dad's followed clean-up which felt wonderful and it was nice to visit with my Sister and her son (in from Idaho!!) Returning back to the house I found it so full of bags, clothing, suitcases, dogs and the sound of love!! Erin & Chris spent the night, which had a fun twist; our A/C had a hiccup!! We fortunately had enough fans for everyone, but great timing, no??? Ah, it added to the memories :-)

Sunday I was able to fix breakfast for the family and we hung around in the kitchen yaking away the morning. Erin & I set off to attend the bridal shower leaving the boys to fend for themselves for a couple hours.

Since Mikuni is a favorite for us all we had a nice relaxing meal before it was time to pack up our Bubba and send him back to his 'home'. I have traveled that stretch of I-5 so many times to/from the airport and it never seems to amaze me at how lonely some of the return trips can be...

As I sat at home Sunday evening and listened to how completely quiet my home was again I found myself smiling! I felt so fulfilled, so complete and so satisfied that I have such a loving family. We may have to spend time away from one another, but when we are able to reunite we have the best of times.

Thank you dear family for an A.maz.ing weekend ~

Busting my buttons

There are so many times in a parents' life that you don't think that your children could make you any prouder than at that moment. Each time my children fill my pride cup to the brim and I sit so utterly satisfied they swoop in again to refill my cup!!

This week has been such a blessing for us all and I have to take my stand upon my very proud Mom stage and share the events with you all.

About a year ago my daughter Erin began studying to take the American Physical Therapists Association certification test to become a Clinical Specialist. The specialist certification program was established to provide formal recognition for physical therapists with advanced clinical knowledge, experience, and skills in a special area of practice and to assist consumers and the health care community in identifying these physical therapists.

There were 8408 Clinical Specialists in 2008, each specializing in one of 7 areas. Following a very long three month wait, the results were received... There are now 8409 :-) Yes, Erin's area of specialty is Neurology and is now Kaiser's very own Doctor of Physical Therapy and Neurologic Clinical Specialist!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS ERIN!!! You are so deserving and I am so proud of you ~

My youngest chick (Tommy) left the nest almost a year and a half ago to pursue his career some 800 miles North of his family. Everyday that he has been gone he is thought of and wished so much luck. Although this has not been easy for any of us we are seeing what a brave and strong person Tommy has become. I remind myself often of the single "Home" by Blake Shelton that has a verse that says "I know just why you could not come along with me; this was not your dream; but you always believed in me". Tommy understands that his family will always have his back and support all of his choices.

For the last 16 months Tommy as had a plan; complete training, complete probation and buy a house. Well folks, the time has come... Tommy's offer for his very first home was accepted and we are looking for him to move in sometime in August. I have to applaud him for having a plan and sticking to it to the end. We are so excited to have a place for the family to gather when we visit ~ CONGRATULATIONS TOMMY!! You have done a great job and I am so proud of you!!!

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma

Today marks my Grandmother's 90th birthday ~ "GG Ma" is my Mom's Mom and the sweetest Grandma ever!! We will be having a family gathering/reunion at my Dad's this week-end to honor her.

My Grandma means so very much to me and she is one of the only two people that I will let call me 'Lolly'... Love you Much Grandma!!!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!!!

Today is the day we celebrate the Father's in our lives.

Today I celebrate my Dad ~

My Dad worked hard every day to ensure that my Sister and I had a truly amazing childhood.

He continues to work hard at being a good Father, Grandfather and one day will be a good Grandfather -

ABC's of ME

Thanks to Amanda, you are all privilaged to know more about me!!!

A - Age: 48
B - Bed size: KING size waterbed... Had it since we married 31 years ago!
C - Chore you hate: I really dislike cleaning cobwebs...
D - Dog's name: Kendro, Belle & Caya
E - Essential start your day item: The kava bean...
F - Favorite color(s): Red, definately Red
G - Gold or Silver: Gold
H - Height: 5' 6"
I - Instruments you play: I can make noise on the harmonica
J - Job title: Accounts Payable Technician
K - Kids: Two of the BEST!!
L - Living arrangements: I'm happily married to my best friend
M - Mom's name: Shyrl
N - Nicknames: Mom, Momma, Ma, Mar, Mother Rae, Wootc & Lolly
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: CHILDbirth twice...
P - Pet Peeve: Dishonest & mind gamers
Q - Quote from a movie: "Never, EVER leave your wing man!"
R - Right or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: One Sister
T - Time you wake up: Weekday alarm = 4:10AM Weekends = Depends
U - Underwear: Boxers or briefs??? Seriously, depends on your outfit!
V - Vegetable you dislike: Loves 'em all
W - Workout style: A bit obsessive...
X - X-rays you've had: Teeth, ribs, wrist, elbow
Y - Yesterday's best moment: Speaking with both of my kidlets!
Z - Zoo favorite: I love the monkeys! We raised two of them when I was a small fry!

Please copy and repost so I can hear the ABC's of you =)

Nothing too exciting, just a little info ~

After last weekend it was nice to not have much on our calendar this weekend! We spent most of Saturday on small projects in the backyard and purchased all the material for our next project; we are laying laminate flooring in the guest bathroom, I'll post more on that later! The Fireguy has a busy schedule this week but we hope to have the project complete soon. My goal was to have it completed by the time Tommy & Lindz visit in August, so I'm sure we can make that happen!!

Speaking of Tommy, he has begun the quest of searching for a home in Washington. This whole empty nest thing has been challenging for both Steve & I as the finality of your kids REALLY leaving the nest is hard to adjust to. Steve is having many symptoms of missing his dear fishing/hunting buddy as it becomes a reality for him that the days of spending time on the river fishing and the early mornings laying in the mud hunting ducks is merely a fond memory. We are sure that there will be many more fishing/hunting trips in their future but they will be few and far between. Guess that makes them even more special then, huh? Luckily, we have several pictures of those crazy outdoorsmen and a new room to display them in :-) The report on the first go-round of house hunting was as I recall it to be. You expect to walk in to the first house and it be everything that you had hoped & dreamed it would be; everything that you wanted. Well, notsomuch!! Luckily, Bubba is in no hurry to buy, but now is an amazing time to be a buyer... Patience, my son ~ you WILL find the perfect home. We certainly look forward to helping him move and making that his new home... Although, just so he knows... he is ALWAYS welcome at his old home anytime ((((HUGS))))

Summertime = Busy Weekends!!

We just had one of those weekends that had several events/functions all in two days time!!

Saturday was family day at The Lion King ~ If you have not seen the 'Broadway' production, it is a must... The costuming, set design and music is amazing!! We had gotten tickets for my Dad for Christmas and had the pleasure of having Erin & Chris, my Sister and her future daughter-in-law and Erin's friend Kristi and her Mom join us. The day was made even better since we ate at Mikuni in midtown before the show.

Sunday morning Erin & I ran a 5k in downtown Sacramento. The event benefited WEAVE and was part of the Nike Women's Fitness Festival. Erin 'surprised' me by announcing that she was going to run WITH me... something we have not done in the 5 years that we have been participating in various runs!! I can't tell you how wonderful it was to have her right by my side, cheering me on, giving positive encouragement and SINGING!! The time really did fly by much faster having her there :-) Thank you Sissy! I love U! BTW - I posted a 10:10 mile, which is my personal record!! No doubt due to my most awesome pacer ~
We were also blessed to have our fantastic support personnel consisting of my hubby!! He was an awesome cheering section and photographer!!


Sunday afternoon we were invited to a BBQ at the home of a co-worker of the Fireguy. I always enjoy getting to see his fellow firefighters and their families! So many little kiddos and even more on the way!
It was a really nice crowd and their backyard is so perfect for entertaining ~
We were only able to stay a short time at the BBQ since we had to race back to Elk Grove for a birthday dinner for The Fireguy's younger brother!!
All in all it was a great weekend as I was able to enjoy time with family which means so much to me ~ Hopefully you all had an amazing weekend as well!

Favorite things - May

Good grief! I totally let May go by without my favorite picks for the month!! So without further delay here goes...

Although I have had these lovelies (Brooks Adrenaline GTS 9) for a couple of months I had to boast about them! After having been properly fitted at Fleet Feet I no longer have ankle discomfort or knee pain!

Together we have transitioned back into running and made the path much more comfortable. We have completed one race and have two more scheduled this summer!

Next up is this amazing lotion! I have been a fan of the 'original' Jergen's lotion and spotted this:

This moisturizer softens your skin and is infused with subtle light reflectors. It gives your skin a hint of sparkle and feels wonderful! This product also bears the signature Jergen's scent, which I adore.

Lastly, I have to share a tea that I found in Seattle! It has become a favorite for Steve & I and lo and behold I cannot purchase it here in CA!! Good thing I happen to have connections in Seattle that can support our addiction :-) MarketSpice tea has several blends, but the Orange-Cinnamon is our favorite. This makes an amazing cup of tea to relax with! I'm hoping to try it as iced tea, since the valley heat is not for warm tea!!

Room makeovers

Since Bubba moved out over a year ago we have been saying that the Fireguy was going to use his old room as his hunting/fishing/rafting room. Slowly we have been migrating Bubba's things to storage and got to the point that we could paint.

Here are the before and after shots!













I got the brainy idea to try painting and add a chair rail. The Fireguy was so patient with me and took on the challenge. Together, I believe we can accomplish just about anything we set our minds to! The project turned out very well with only the mini blinds needing to be installed (on order!!) and perhaps a valance or swag and it will be presentable. There are a couple of pictures that have been out in the garage forever which we are excitied to frame and hang in this room proudly. Next up is the new roof and installing new flooring in the front bathroom! I LOVE working on little projects...