7.27.2009

PRAYING FOR STELLAN

Stellan is back in the hospital...please join me in praying for this precious baby and his family.

7.23.2009

THE GIRL'S GOT SKILLZ!

News flash!

I was chatting with A on her way home from work tonight and we were talking about all the new things Gracie was up to....trying to crawl, getting from a sitting position to her knees, "talking" (ba-ba-ba-ba-ba) and her newly acquired fear of men and I remarked that it was probably time to lower the crib down to the lowest setting, because the next skill she would master would be pulling herself to stand.

Grace is now 6 1/2 months old and I said she'd probably start pulling herself up by 8 months old, so looking forward, it would be a good idea to plan for that now.

It was not a half hour later that A texted me this picture with the message "Speaking of pulling herself up! I literally just sat her down in there and turned back around and...surprise!"

Look at that face...she knows exactly what she did! Little miss....you are so smart! Is she precious or what? Can you tell I love my grand-daughter?

7.21.2009

ANNIVERSARY ADVENTURES

The Renown is a beautiful yacht. It was a fairy-tale wedding on the water in San Diego. Surrounded by family and close friends. A day in paradise. A day I will always remember. The day I married my soul-mate and best friend.

We were married aboard the Hornblower Yacht 'Renown' on July 20, 2002. Here we are that day with Captain Goben, who married us.

And we began celebrating our 7th anniversary by going on a Hornblower Brunch Cruise on Sunday. It was a beautiful day to cruise the San Diego Bay. We were aboard the Hornblower Inspiration, a much larger vessel than the Renown.


And the Captain was Captain Goben, who married us seven years ago! How cool is that?? He posed for a photo with us.
Later that day, we attended a digital photography class together. We learned so much about our camera and taking good photos! We are so excited to get to start capturing wonderful images.
On Monday, we took the day off of work and spent it together, working a bit in our yard and floating around in the pool in the afternoon. Then it was off to enjoy a delicious dinner at the Fish Market. After dinner, we took some photos using our newly learned skills from our photography class. Here are a couple of the photos I took.

I am so thankful for my husband and our marriage. He's the BEST and I am a very blessed woman.

7.13.2009

CURIOSITY

I'd love to hear from all the wonderful visitors to my blog. Please introduce yourselves (if your new to commenting here) and just gimme a shout out, if you've wandered in before.

So to get the conversation going, I'd love to know what your favorite summer guilty pleasure is.

Mine is a stack of magazines, a tall ice cold drink, a comfy chair in a quiet shady spot where I can spend the afternoon reading.

What is yours?

HOME DEPOT TALE

I have a home do-it-yourself project story to share.

It involves about 15 trips to Home Depot and 8 times more frustration, labor, money and time than we planned to invest.

It does end happily--thanks to the efforts of my husband and "baby" brother, David. I am so grateful to them both.


But I am not going to tell that story tonight.

The memory of the whole ordeal is still too fresh.

For all three of us.

Instead I am going to share another Home Depot Story. It's short and sweet.

This, of course, is our grand-daughter, Grace, who just turned six months old on July 10th and is sitting up by herself and taking her first real cart ride! What a big girl!


Oh my. Not only is she smart, beautiful and an accomplished shopper, but she is also very fashion forward, coordinating her bib color with the cart and Home Depot theme. Precious.

Now, isn't that better than a story that will probably scare you off of home improvement projects for a long time?

I think so, too.

7.10.2009

FOURTH OF JULY

I didn't take nearly as many photos as I wanted to, but here are a few that I did. This is the view from my parent's deck out toward the ocean. The "marine layer" was coming in and so this picture is not that clear.



We had a great time together. There was lots of delicious food -- hamburgers, corn on the cob, yummy fruit salad, coleslaw and a "to die for" turtle cheesecake! *swoon*
The weather was just right for relaxing on the deck.
Here are some photos I took of the fam....my baby brother:

And my eldest son, C and his beautiful girlfriend:


The hosts of this great party, Mom and Dad (whose birthday we were also celebrating):


My younger brother (yes, I am the firstborn) and his beautiful bride with our mama:

And last, my sweet hubby and me:

Here is one cool photo of the fireworks shows that were in the distance. There were about eight different shows going on at the same time. I know you are asking about those green lights in the sky--wondering....could that be a UFO?
It does kind of look like the Mothership, doesn't it? Right out of a movie....the movie, Independence Day....and it WAS Independence Day, after all.
Well, hang up the phone. Don't call Art Bell or consult the media.
Those green lights in the sky were a reflection from the high school ball field stadium lights at the at the bottom of the picture.
I know...I was disappointed too.
But it's still kind of cool isn't it?

POOL TIME

Saturday, July 4th was a glorious summer day.

Here is what I posted about that.

"We lounged on the patio and in addition to getting some sun, and noshing on some fresh fruit for lunch, I went through about one third of the piles of magazines that have collected and put away for a day exactly like that.

We are going to be going to my parent's house tonight to celebrate both the fourth of July as well as a belated celebration of my dad's 75th birthday with our family! My parents have the most beautiful covered deck that has a view all the way to the ocean and we can watch a variety of fireworks shows at the same time.

It's supposed to be in the low 80's today and we're going to be enjoying our yard and pool today.

Float around and relax. Stay cool. Refresh. Revitalize. Well, that may be going a bit too far. I may need a spa day to actually revitalize myself, but floating around is very calming and such a great stress reducer for me. Our pool is surrounded by lots of greenery and flora which is a calming influence.Ahhhhhh....and the pool temp is 80 degrees.....Calgon, take me away.......or is that going too far?

Hope you all are having a wonderful Saturday, too. "
We're going to be doing more of the same this weekend too!

7.09.2009

SO GOOD TO SEE YA

My son, T has been in Jacksonville (going to school in the Navy) and we last saw him in December, when he was home for Christmas. Since he has been in school, he is unable to travel home.

However, T was able to get away for the long 4th of July weekend and visit his friends, Sarah and Bobby (and meet their brand new twin girls) in Virginia Beach. He sent this picture of the three of them. It is such a good picture. He looks great!

(Wow, new mama Sarah looks fantastic! It is hard to believe that she just had twins 10 weeks ago! Dontcha think? ) Their precious baby girls are adorable too! Congrats again Sarah and Bobby!
T is planning to come home for a visit in August, the same time that A and Gracie come for a week! Yippee! It will be wonderful to have all my kids here together!

7.07.2009

FAVORITE PHOTO BLOG HOP

This is my current favorite photo taken of Grace on the 4th of July. I just love her sweet expression! Apparently, she has inherited her family's fondness for corn on the cob!


MckLinky Blog Hop