"Happiness can not be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude."

Exactly....

GO See This!!!!

my 2 besties or beasties...lol

i had a lot of time to think while in peru. quiet and alone time to think about the things in my life that are the most important aaaand that are the most damaging. seeing the poverty in peru gave me a huge reality check and a new outlook on life. i'll get more into my thoughts about that when i post those pics but more than anything, i realized that no matter how much good in the world or community that i am doing, my job as a mom is the most important and one that needs the most attention. and better yet, this is the job that i love the most even though at times it can be the hardest and most exhausting one ever! the older they get, the better it gets and the more respect i give them, the more respect i get back. they are both so different with their own personalities and ones that i've learned to embrace instead of trying to mold them into what i think they should be. all i can do is try to give them the best direction that i see fit and trust that they will make the choices they need to, to give their lives the greatest outcome...but that's still hard and i find myself still trying to tell them what "i know" is best. but i should know, of all people, that my kids have personalities that give them the desire to know for themselves. hmmmm? sounds all too familiar. man. yep. i'm in trouble. lol. either way. i'm their mom, their best-friend but not one that will allow that friendship to taint my decision when giving them instructions or advice. anyway. i can't wait for them to get even older so that we can go on my "mini adventures" together even more, making memories that they will never forget. that will become embedded in their "inner core" and help them to realize that family is everything. unfortunately that concept can also be a negative one where the family circle can break each other down instead of building one up and that is my biggest fear. i love these 2 and realize that even more when i am away from them. i know and love that they are with me because we need each other. they have awesome imaginations and an innocence that i want them to hold onto for as long as they can! i love them. forever and always. no matter what 2 big people they grow up to become. xoxoxoxoxo! i'm so glad to be home for cartoon parties, sleepovers, pool and water time, and whatever crazy things that we can come up with! let the summer re-begin!!!
ps. and yes. just for the record. they CAN be the BIGGEST little BEASTIES ever!!! but still. they're kids right? they are hilarious though! i love to hear their giddy and out of control laughing! especially when they have me giggling in places and at times when as the mom, i shouldn't be! oops...lol!

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
And now faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love.

thanks dzh for this reminder...xoxo

Keeping Up With Tradition...

REMEMBER THIS??? yeah. exactly. it was impossible for us to break the tradition so the "midnight movie" could not be passed up. plus..."midnight movies" are the best! hehehe (though you HATE them the next day)
you'd have had to have been there to really understand how funny it was, but i finally could not hold back any longer with my sarcastic comments. there is a scene where "edward, bella, and jacob" are in a tent. "jacob" did some weird face thing and it just came out of my mouth.
"i gotta go. i have a big boner" in the most nasalish squeaky perv like voice ever. tara and i laughed...hard! and i know. how old am i??? ooops....we both agree that we might need to go and watch this movie again since we are the ONLY 2 who did not LOVE it. hmmm....? probably not...lol! my LOVE for vampires has been skewed. i will always and only LOVE "angel" and "damon". ;)
until next time girls...xoxo

another video about "ascend humanitarian" for you to check out!
xoxo

THE FIRST VIDEO OF PERU...and yes. just LAUGH at my good "play" gone bad!!! but for the record, it was all "for funny" and looks worse than it actually was AAAAND they were playing right along...i PROMISE!!!

love is the only reality. if you have love, nothing else matters

$$Chaaching Chaaching$$

when carter's dad was out of town, he wanted to surprise him by mowing his lawn. i was all for it! but let me admit that it was one tough "you know what" getting that lawnmower into my car. we figured it out though and got it over there (and it stayed there cause i was NOT EVEN going to try and get that back IN MY CAR AGAIN!...lol)
i love watching him work so hard and this day especially. it was sooo hot, the grass was wet, and the wheels kept digging into the grass and getting stuck. it was so hard for him and i know this for a fact because he finally stopped and just broke down. he started crying as he came over for a hug saying "it's just too hard, mom!" i just LOVE my hard worker so much! it was perfect.
so a few days later he proposed his grand master plan to me again....

1---trailer
2---truck
3---lawn care equipment

"i want my own landscape company. can you, will you drive me around until i get my license?"

lol. yes. yes i can. $$chaaching chaaching$$

carter corbridge the landscaper. i LOVE it!

;)

California Girls...

This SONG says it all perfectly...lol!!!...and every time I hear it, I am reminded of this trip with Thomas to Cali. I was dying with excitement when she called and told me that her father was going to let us use his US Open Golf Tournament tickets that they were holding this year in Pebble Beach! WOW! I mean, I watch it all the time on TV but it was so amazing to actually be there, 10 ft away from the t box, seeing their power, and hearing those balls fly right by us. There are no words that can describe the exact sound. Unbelievable!!!
VIP treatment right to the entrance without having to wait in those long lines. hehehe
The first day was a bit overcast and FREEZING beyond FREEZING but the moment that we saw Tiger Woods, the cold was replaced with...lol...HOTNESS! hahaha
So here is my take on Tiger. He is a complete mess when it comes to his personal life choices but we really have no idea what is going on inside his head. I have never found him attractive, that was until I saw him in person. I will be the first to admit that he is a hottie. His mannerisms, the way that he carries himself, and his athletic talent makes him so attractive! I'm serious and was so surprised that I had these thoughts about him! But yes. He is still a scum bag for what he did to his family. Anyway, we DID HAVE FUN following him around the course though....

LOL...yep! Yum!









Yes. Freezing hands and freezing ears! Thank goodness for the hand warmers...lol!




...throwing balls and messin around
















Day 2 was a whole different day. It was GORGEOUS and a whole new course!!!














And of course we had to hit up the beach for a bit...
...Thomas's feet
...my hmm hmm feet...lol
San Francisco was calling our name so we had to put our mode into the "tourist mode"....
I saw the production of "Wicked" when I was in LA but Thomas had never been so we got tickets to go. It was still so great! I actually enjoyed the witty humor a bit more the 2nd time. I love, love, love going to these productions and it is fun to go see them in different cities too!
And of course, we couldn't pass up "Ghirardelli Square"...




"Full House" flashbacks...lol

"Golden Gate"...
We found this great little restaurant right on the beach while we were at Cannery Row that had the best "Clam Chowder". Yum! Not to mention that everything we ordered was delicious. It makes spending that much on food even better when it's excellant quality! :)

This was a great trip and thanks must really go to Thomas's parents. We met up with them on the last evening for dinner and I just love them. We had such a great time enjoying some funny and great conversation. They are the best and especially since they gave us their tickets for the first 3 days of the tournament. This was perfect because it had not gotten crazy and chaotic quite yet. Plus we were able to take photos and to walk the course with the players that we wanted to watch ie Tiger Woods and Jack Mickelson. hahaha

Anyway, great trip, great memories, and great stories like always. I just can't wait to see what the next adventure will be!? Oh yeah! Mexico for her birthday, the day after Christmas. Wahhhhhoooooo!!! xoxo