Happy b i r t h d a y , Sis

From learning by you every step of the way . . .

Through the s i l l i n e s s


. . . & the nights where it's

just us girls

I've always felt [[so ]]lucky to have you.

Happy 22nd birthday, Tiffany. You are so precious to me and the love I have for you simply cannot be put into words.

Just another day at work

I love my job. I babysit two little cuties: a seven month old and a two year old. Though the nine and a half hour shifts definitely take their toll, I have so much fun with these little ones that it doesn't even matter.




Meet Brooke. She is probably thee most laid back baby I have ever encountered. All she demands is a full tummy and enough sleep and this one's good to go.

And this would be Ashley. She's a little fireball, let me tell ya. She's an easy one, too. Her cares in the world include playing with her cars and Play Doh creations.

Today we decided to go on a walk. Ashley loves exploring outside, and I definitely don't mind taking her to do so.

And, of course, no walk would be complete without hunting down the perfect leaf to bring home for Mom.




...or twirling over the crunchy ones, of course.

And can't forget

b a l a n c i n g

along the

w

a

l

l

Ash loves to run, run, run...

Which means I have to keep up.

This does the trick :)

Then Ashley was ready to head for home.

...and so was Brookie.

Today was a good day.

H o w w a s y o u r s ?

Happy birthday, daddy.

Every year when the first of November comes along, your birthday reminds me of how grateful I am to be your daughter. I have so much to thank you for...so much, that this blog runs short of room to fit it all.

Thank you for teaching me to never look through judgemental eyes. And for teaching me that jealousy is completely silly and that sweating the s m a l l stuff is just a b i g waste of time.



Thank you for always making me crack a smile when tears are in my eyes. Your silliness is one of my favorite things about you.

Thank you for the vacations.

Each



And





Every







One







Of







Them.

Thanks for always making sure we felt okay. It is so admirable how even through rough times, you never let us know that anything was wrong,

e v e r .

Refraining from taking things a bit too seriously...I got that from you.

Thanks for being Mr. Cool and never being one of those

clueless-to-how-embarrassed-you're-making-your-kid-feel

kinda parents.

And thanks for all the [ s m a l l ] stuff, too...

like teaching me how to drive

..even after I came an inch short of hitting another car the day before.

And teaching me how to catch those poor little fishies off the back of the houseboat

and how to ride a bike

...and a sea doo.. even if it meant you had to come looking for me, lost on my sea doo in the middle of Lake Powell. Speeding so fast you hit a wave the wrong way and got a bloody nose. Yeah, sorry about t h a t one, dad.

Thank you for being a wonderful father. I love you more than you could ever know. Oh, and...

Happy 45th birthday, Daddy.

J is for Judgemental

Seventh grade I took Home Economics. The class was filled with some people I didn't know but had seen around school, and the rest were the kids everyone knew of. What I mean by that is they were the "popular" ones who acted kind of snooty and closed-minded. Then there was a girl I had never seen before because she had just moved to good old Camarillo.





She had redish brown hair. And freckles. And she wasn't wearing a shirt that had 'Abercrombie and Fitch' plastered across her chest like the rest of us. She was different. What I didn't realize was I was being kind of closed-minded myself because I didn't give much thought into getting to know her. We probably wouldnt click anyway, right?




We were put into the same 'kitchen group' and within a month were the best of friends .

We brought out eachothers' kooky sides. The time we spent together was always filled with belly-aching laughter. We would spill our secrets and vent our problems. We were there for eachother.



My point of this is:if you're one of those people who judge before getting to know somebody, I truly feel sorry for you...you poor thing. You're so closed-minded that you don't even realize that some of the most fascinating people are the ones you have already placed your stamp of disapproval on. People you've never even met yet judge because they dont wear some silly brand or because you've heard a rumor or two about them.



Maybe next time you see the new girl walk into the classroom you should walk over to her and strike up a conversation. You might find that she is one of the most insightful, interesting people you've ever known.

Eye spy an Arrogant DoucheBag [ADB]

I originally wrote this in May 2009. Enjoy ;)



We all have encountered an ADB. They're the guys who feel the need to put their high level of "confidence" on display for the world to see. Ya know, the ones who hafta make sure you know that they ARE the total package.




ADBs get alllll the ladies, right?

WROOOOOONGGGGG! We are not stupid, silly boys. We can tell the difference between a genuine guy and someone who's putting on a show to look "cool". These arrogant douchebags always seem to get cocky and confident mixed up, so I'm here to unscramble the puzzle for you all.







First off, the confident one won't have to tell you how great he is...he can think it, but he doesn't need to say it because, again, we're not stupid; we can pick it up all on our own.

Imagine that!

If he does, however, he's just arrogant.

And a douchebag.

An arrogant douchebag, you see?

You can think you're a great guy, that's 100 percent fine, but there's no need to go prancing around, shouting it to the rooftops.

Another ADB thing to do:tell everyone bullshit stories that YOU think makes you appear a total badass...go on, tell us.

There you are spitting out this detailed total-badass story while everyone around you knows it's a bunch of crap. Just because noone confronts you about it doesn't mean you have everyone fooled. But, nice try.

You know you're not an ADB because you have tons of friends and you're ever so popular. Well, I hate to burst your bubble but, chances are, your "friends" spend more time talking crap about you than they do admiring you.

...ouch.

Another mistake these arrogant douchebags make is talking about how big they are...downstairs. For some reason they think that's going to make girls want to rip their clothes off and jump on top of them...time for a wakeup call if you ask me.

In the ADB's brain, the girl is totally buying it...

but in reality she's probably thinking you're bragging to overcompensate for your lack of size.

So word of advice:be yourself. A real man doesn't have to strutt his stuff. He's secure enough to know he's strong and masculine without having to prove it.

Stitches of life

My boyfriend, Sam, and I went over to his brother's apartment tonight to help he and his family pack up the ginormous truck for the big move to Washington in the morning. While the muscle men were workin' away on the heavy items, Sam's mom decided to show me a picture that she cross-stitched for her first grandchild, born in 2008.

As I look at the picture I examine each stitch she lovingly made. Each one is not significant by itself, but when put together make a beautiful image. This is somewhat like life in a way:each event in our life, significant or not, shapes you as a whole.

When we're born we start out as a stitch, insignificant, but a start to a project-in-the-making. As time flies, our experiences add stitches to our lives shaping us as wholes. We learn from bad experiences...good ones too...and through that grow as individuals. If life throws a curveball, its up to you to roll with the punches.

We eventually figure out that we are affecting others' lives just as they are affecting ours. Your mom, dad, children, grandchildren, siblings, coworkers, friends and more are lives that we touch. Its overwhelming to think we can have an impact in somebody's life by just being in it.

When our time here on earth is up, our learning is complete. Our picture of life is finally finished. At that time the people who surround you will sit back and admire the stitches that made up your life...and the ones you added to theirs'.

Remember when..?

Today in the car with my boyfriend, I was trying to find a good song on my preset radio station buttons to listen to. The song, "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child came on and I got a little excited...okay okay, overly excited. The song brought back childhood memories of making dance routines with my sister. She'd always force me to learn a new one with a neighbor or two, whether we were in the bootyshakin' mood or not ;)

Sisters are so precious. I feel extremely lucky to have mine in my life. It's like a friend who will always be there to chat, laugh, dance 'n' complain about grumpy boyfriends with, no matter how many fights you get into over clothes and make up...ya know, the major things in life.
































I'm not gonna make you read another blog about appreciation, so don't click that X just yet ;)


However I can't stress enough how important it is to really value time with your family members. Totally and completely enjoy the silly little things..

..like creating dance routines with your sister.

Appreciate.

Taking people for granted is something that most people do whether they realize it or not. You can call them any time you want to chat about issues or just go over and visit with them. They're always there for you.

...but what if they weren't?




This morning my boyfriend and I were cuddling in bed, and I started to think about how the littlest things, like snuggling up with your hunny, should be appreciated. You never know if that's the last time you'll be able to do that. I've learned there are so many things in life that can kill you, you really never know if someone close to you could be taken away at any given moment.

Today is the anniversary of my grandpa's death. The last time I saw him was at Camarillo High School and I didn't say "hi" because I was in cheer practice. I am filled with regret every time I think about it. Regretting something..anything, that you did or didn't do, said or didn't say, is a terrible feeling because you don't get a chance to fix it once they're gone.








So maybe next time you're about to say something hurtful to someone you love, you should bite your tongue. Next time you hold your loved one close, squeeze 'em tight and be appreciative that you have them right there, right then.

What's on YOUR bucket list?

I think it is important to make a list of the things you want to do.. accomplish.. experience.. whatever... in life. Putting your dreams on a list reminds you what you have to look forward to, and what youve already accomplished.

So here it goes..

- Make a positive influence in somebody's life
- Do something completely crazy
- Have sex on the beach
- Take a risk
- Learn to play guitar
- Marry the love of my life
- Give my parents beautiful grandchildren
- Own my dream house
- Swim in warm ocean water

- Learn to ride a skateboard
- Help someone in need
- Get up on a surfboard
- Receive a professional massage
- Take a vacation to somewhere I've never been
- Learn to snowboard
- Give vegetarianism a try
- Go on a romantic getaway
- Learn sign language
- Swim with dolphins
- Go on a cruise
- Have my very own garden
- Pickup painting as a hobby
- Learn a new language
- Go backpacking
- Get a tattoo
- Go snorkeling
- Get my belly button pierced
- Ride in a hot air balloon
- Get my very own puppy
- See the world


Well that's my bucket list...what's something you want to experience before you kick the bucket?