50 pounds of food and 50 years of life

it was so much fun! mom's 50th birthday party ended up being a hit. we did a speed yahtzee tournament with almost everyone who came (there were about 40+ people there), ate cake, ate food, laughed and had a great time. mom got a very special gift from justin and april that i'm sure you can read about on her blog. there was alot to do so i didn't really get very many pictures but i'm hoping some will surface soon for me to post. the people that came were a fun crowd and Paul came early to help set up, cook and generally do whatever was needed. it was such a great help, he has no idea how much i appreciated that. anyway...happy 50th MOM! Love you!

work...grrrrrrr

last week was a long week. i had a project due on friday that had me up with finishing touches until 12:45am thursday night. to my satisfaction, my boss accepted it with much praise and great feedback. it was a wonderfully relaxing weekend, knowing this monstrosity was behind me. the hours of research and mental focus were enough to require a small vacation for the come-down. today is monday, its not even noon yet and i have been given THREE revisions to make to this report. normally, this wouldn't seem so bad but for anyone in the business world, you know when a project of any magnitude gets kicked back to you, it will mean many more hours of research. It's not like english class in 4rth grade when you need to rewrite a paragraph or repunctuate a sentence. AHHHHHH, frustration doesn't quite capture the emotion going through me right now. i can't ever recall any other time i've questioned this boss's judgement, i really enjoy working for him. he's fair, honest, knowledgeable and probably my favorite boss to date. this is tarnishing his gleaming record. he has sensed my frustration (probably becuase i just expressed it to him without being very discreet) and is now taking me to lunch. we'll have some interesting dialog, no doubt. Dear Lord, let me be respectful, humble and flexible. i need to remember that i represent YOU and not me. (muffled grumbling)

worth every mile

yesterday was another visit to see mom and dad. there were so many laughs between the three of us, i'm surprised there weren't more trips to the bathroom. a brief overview of the day: mom cheated at yahtzee (and still lost...to me), dad couldn't contort his body gracefully enough to get into into the back seat of my car in less than 25 minutes, while we were all running the dogs...all FOUR of them, dad flung the chuck-it right in front of me and shot muddy dog spit chunks all over me...it was hysterical. here's duke with his replacement, Brody. the day ended with a delicious dinner at el torito...yummy. I love you mom and dad!

ashes, ashes

even though the so cal fires aren't burning in huntington, there are ashes everywhere..... my car looks like it has a bad case of dandruff. the air isn't too bad here at the beach right near the water (at work all day) but at home, which is literally less than a mile from here, it is much thicker and smokier. but a friend's husband is fighting the fires in irvine and he thinks it should be under control very soon so that's a relief.

one more thing...

couldn't figure out how to rotate this picture but this was one of the sweetest moments of the whole day. after everyone started packing up the tables and chairs, my dad put on his beloved Johnny Mathis cd and took my mom out on the dance floor. then someone asked them where to put the folded up tables, my dad answered "i'm sorry, we can't hear you right now. we're in our own little world". here's one of the three of us and a shot at the end of the night of my mom, looking gorgeous as ever.

they did it!

it was a sunny, gorgeous day (though not without its mishaps) and he cried all the way through the ceremony. it was very sweet. the reception had toasting, dancing, a small fire, tons of pictures and more rice than either justin or april could eat for a whole year in china. they are honeymooning at my hotel so i've seen alot of them. they are absolutley on cloud9 and seem to be overflowing with love for the Lord and for each other.

the big day...

tomorrow justin and april say their "i do's"...and i can't beleive how many "to do's" there are! not to worry steph and carrie, i cleared my memory card so i can load up the camera to bring you both along with me to the wedding! i posted a picture of another day i remember not too long ago...

first blog

since carrie & mike and steph & jason started their own blogs, i might as well join the family and start one myself. not that i have too many exciting things to share but i know how much i enjoy reading about them and seeing pictures so here i am....welcome to my new espot.