A wonderful family weekend!

This weekend my Uncle Sam (my dad's brother) drove up from his new home in New Mexico to share his 60th Birthday with us. We were so happy to have him here, I made him a very yummy spaghetti dinner and we topped the birthday off with even yummier homemade carrot cake cupcakes :). He claimed it to be the "best 60th birthday dinner ever!" and I quote :).

The next day he took us out to dinner at CHili's and Nate made a girlfriend through the glass partition, I wish I had remembered to bring the camera these two babies were too cute, they both kept standing up and looking at each other and giggling and waving and if one sat down the other would stand on tip toes to try to see the other, I asked Nate if he thought she was cute and he said "Uh-Huh!" and then giggled and turned red! So sweet!!! He was really good at the restaurant, sometimes its hit and miss with him, but with the little beauty keeping him distracted and unbored he was on his best behavior! Maybe he was trying to impress her..hehe..

Nate also took to his Great Uncle really quickly, by the end of last night he was hugging and hanging out with him without prompting. It was so awesome being able to hang out with my Uncle, I learn so much from him about my dad and what he was like growing up, it's a blessing to me to have that knowledge.
Today was a lazy day as is usually every Sunday, football and naps or now its Football and go out into the heat and take a walk, I keep hoping that maybe I can bring the Fall temps faster if I go out and communicate to Mother Nature that we are done with 100 degree weather :) and to please make it nicer so we can walk more and actually ENJOY it :).

So with that I conclude my tale of this weekends events. Some cute pictures to enjoy :)

The House That Ruth Built

Yankee Stadium has closed its doors after 85 years of some of the most amazing and magically historical moments in baseball history took place there. It's a place where legends were made, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gherig, Yogi Beara, Joe Dimaggio and Derek Jeter just to name a few... The closing of this part of history for me signifies a dream that will never come true...

Becoming a Yankee fan was not something I thought I would ever do or be, while being a fan of baseball seems to be in my blood, it was my moms dream for me to be a San Francisco Giants fan, just like her.... I'll never forget the day I told her I had fallen for the Yankees, I believe she called me a traitor..hehe.. Growing up I never really knew what it meant to feel passion for a sports team, I saw all the baseball memorabilia that my mom and step dad had collected over the years and every year on opening game day for either of their favorite teams the house would erupt with cheering and hollering and look out if one of their teams made it to the playoffs or World Series, pandimonium would ensue in our tiny house.. Finally however in 2001, I completely GOT it. I believe that after 9/11 alot of people fell in love with New York, it became this place where a long forgotten brotherhood and sisterhood re-emerged and since the attacks happened during baseball season, the playoffs no less, many sought a sort of refuge in going to Yankee Stadium and also in the Yankees themselves. What better way to try to get back a small piece of peace and normalcy than by enjoying America's favorite past time.

What sealed the deal for me and reall made me LOVE the New York Yankees, the Bronx Bombers, was during Games 4 and 5 of the 2001 World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to this I had always known that the Yankees were not loved on the Westcoast however for me seeing the magic that happens in THAT stadium with those boys that love what they do so well I might add, still to this day I get goosebumps when I think about October 31, 2001- Game 4, at Yankee Stadium, the score is tied it's a full moon and the captain Derek Jeter takes the plate and hits a walk off home run in the bottom of the tenth to win the game and as his feet touched the home plate the clock struck midnight and he became Mr. November.

November 1, 2001 Game 5 of the series at Yankee Stadium it's bottom of the ninth and the score is 0 to 2 in favor of the D-backs, Posada gets a double taking him to 2nd, a groundout and then a strike out and THEN the magic happens, Scott Brosius hits a HOMERUN and ties the game! It goes 3 more innings with Chuck Knoblauch scoring in the bottom of the 12th, with Scott Brosius's sacrificial bunt! Final score 3 to 2 Yankees!

Witnessing those 2 magical nights that are a part of Baseball history, the aura and mystique of the Yankees and Yankee Stadium are undeniable, even though I wasn't there physically the energy of all those fans made the Stadium pulse and come alive, you could just feel all the emotions of those fans thousands of miles from where I was, but at those moments I might as well have been standing right there in the middle of it all. As wonderful as it is to enjoy the Yankees what saddens me the most is that I will never get the chance to walk the halls of the House that Ruth built....

My wish for the new Yankee Stadium is that it will allow for the tradition of the famous aura and mystique created by the New York Yankees to continue on...

Follow the "foil brick" road

So his road didn't go very far, I happened to catch him just in time. I did learn though that I really can't turn my back for even 2 seconds or I need to grow eyes on the back, sides and top of my head. Maybe its just in their DNA, but boys seem to just KNOW exactly what to get into and when. I don't remember Elissa doing half the stuff that Nate does, but that was 9 years ago, so I suppose I have forgotten or I have selective memory loss :).

Searching for the light in the dark

It's been 2 weeks and 3 days since my mom passed..I keep riding this roller coaster of emotions hoping at some point that it will slow down. I have been trying so hard to get a grip on my emotions, however just when they seem to be in check its as though they ripped right out of my grasp and all I can do is try to hold on for dear life and ride it out..I wrote a poem for my mother the other night while cooking dinner, sometimes its strange places when inspiration strikes...

When night falls and I'm alone with my thoughts
inevitably they turn
to you..

I think of days gone by and I feel
overwhelmed with emotions
Wishes for one more conversation,
one more laugh,
one more I love you...

Life goes on around me in slow motion
it seems..simple tasks
searching for gifts at Hallmark, a nail file catches my eye
"Home is where Mom is"..the world spins
I begin to cry

The words echo "Home is where Mom is"
Yes, you are home and I am left behind
searching for light in the dark...

I miss you mom, so much it hurts...

Happy Birthday Brit!!

To my dear sweet wonderful cousin Brittany...Happy Birthday to you!

I truly hope your day is a wonderful one and I love you and miss you very much!! So in honor of your 23 years on earth here is what makes you so special...To me..

23. You were born! :)

22. You are one of the sweetest people I've ever known

21. You are a great listener

20. You have a wonderful sense of humor

19. You make everyone around you smile

18. You are beautiful inside and out

17. You love without conditions

16. You never judge

15. You're stubborn :)

14. You have wonderful values and morals

13. You're talented

12. You can laugh at yourself :)

11. You can DANCE!

10. You're a great MOM to little Jakers!!

9. You're a great sister!

8. You're a wonderful wife to Ricky

7. You inspire others (especially me) to be better people

6. You're more intelligent than you give yourself credit for

5. You love to share the Gospel :)

4. You're an inspiration for moms everywhere to get skinny! :)

3. You're an awesome Pilates instructor

2. You are my cousin and best friend

1. You are one of life's rays of sunshine in a world that can be dark sometimes

So Thank you to your mom and dad for creating such a wonderful woman, I am so proud to call you family and friend :) Love you Britt!!!

Nate's training for Regis & Kelly's High-Heel-A-Thon

Fun Times!

Just wanted to share some fun stuff that Nate likes to do such as try on Mark's helmet, wear his toilet instead of using it, walk around in my high heels and ride in the bottom of his stroller instead of the seat...Never a dull moment around here :)

Thank You

To everyone who has kept me and my family in your thoughts and prayers I would like to say Thank You. I recently went back home to be with my family to get together to honor my mom and again my visit was bitter sweet. I am so incredibly grateful for the family that I have, they lift me up and show me more love than I thought possible. I would also like to say a special Thank You to my in-laws, the flowers and basket and especially the Card, it means alot to me knowing that I am loved and thought of by you.
Also to my best friend Marylin and my cousin Brittany, Thank You both for keeping my spirits high on Saturday night, hanging out with both of you makes me want to come home so we can get together every weekend :). I miss you both already so much.

The death of my mother has raised questions about life, my life and hers. I believe that every life has a purpose and that every life is meant to teach a lesson. I have often wondered what my life's purpose is, sadly I know the lesson to be taken from my moms. I meant for this blog to be more positive so I will stop here before I get gloomy again. On that note, Thank you Thank you Thank you again everyone for all that you've done and do for me and my family.