Update (in photos)

Hanging with Adam & Linz!

Looks who's in the shopping cart now!

Our adorable niece and me.

Such a cute pic!

At an NLDS game

In Vegas for Mark's birthday

Lucky guy!

With a random relic at the House of Blues Foundation Room.

Having a good 'ole time!

Mark & the Strip

We wandered through the closed restaurant and found a collection of empty wine buckets, a perfect place for Mark to relieve himself!

Self-Portrait!

Like a vacation

Mark had Monday and Tuesday off this week and, boy, does that make today feel like a Monday! I go back to school (at the university) next week so I'm very thankful to have felt like we were on vacation.

We woke up somewhat early on Monday with a list of errands to run. We dropped Mark's car off at the dealership to get his a/c fixed (it hasn't been working for a few weeks) and Mark got a haircut. We then went to Home Depot and ordered a door with a doggie door already installed in it rather than having Mark's dad saw the hole himself, which was the original plan. We also got a new toilet seat as I had broken the last one by standing on it and cleaning the walls. Apparently, I twisted one way and the seat went the other, causing the screw that holds the lid to the seat to break.

After lunch, we embarked on our major endeavor of the day: purchasing a new suit for Mark. We went to an outlet mall not far from us to get an idea of prices then headed to Hollywood, a suit outlet mecca. I must say that, even though we are SoCal residents, walking the star-lined streets of Hollywood is still pretty cool. We went to an additional four stores and Mark had decided on a classic black suit until he tried on a super-sharp grey, pin-striped Hugo Boss. It was the suit that fit him the best all day long and he really looked handsome in it. He was a bit afraid that grey, pin-stripes don't go with enough colors of shirts and ties but I reassured him that, according to Stacey and Clinton, it would be considered a neutral and that he could wear any shirt and tie with it. We left the store for a minute to discuss and then he called his friend Andy to gets the man's perspective. He decided to get it and I think it guarantees that heads will turn when he walks into a room (as if they don't already!).

Being that we were in Hollywood and it was already close to 5, we decided to get some food and drinks and wait for traffic to lighten up. We went to this really neat German bar where the bartender and the regulars are all from Germany. The food was great - even better than Frankenmuth! After braving the freeway, we took a short nap then met up with Mark's GM, Will, at BJ's then closed down The Powwow Saloon, where they have karaoke every night! We finally crashed close to 3:30.

Tuesday morning we forced ourselves out of bed early and went for a quick greasy breakfast since I was feeling a bit queasy from over-indulging the night before and he was moving pretty slowly. We then hit the road to meet up with our friends Dave and Robin and their adorable daughter, Riley, in Del Mar (about an hour and a half south of us, close to San Diego). Robin's brother is the deputy chief of the life guards on his stretch of the beach so we had a prime spot close to the tower. The water was beautiful! So clean. And the waves were totally within my comfort zone, which is really great! After a quick, hangover-curing dip, I got comfortable with Robin, her sister-in-law, and the baby (who was safe under an umbrella) and caught some major rays. Mark, on the other hand, went boogie-boarding for a bit then went out with Robin's lifeguard brother, his 7-year-old son, and Dave for his first surfing lesson. He had a wonderful time and came back to shore exhausted but super excited to try it again sometime very soon. We all then went for a fabulous dinner and margaritas and drove home, where we fell into a deep sleep no later than 10:30! It is almost inconceivable that Mark be asleep by 10:30. I guess the surfing really did take a lot out of him!
This morning, as Mark was getting ready for work, we were talking about how nice the last two days were and how much like a vacation they felt like. We felt rested and he felt ready to deal with the restaurant for the next few days.

A Wonderful Week

When Mark started working in the hiring center and putting in twelve and fourteen hour days, we decided that I was going to take a little vacation and spend a week in Michigan. We've yet to spend a night away from each other since we've been married and, while I know it'll happen eventually, I just don't want to yet. So, instead of spending the money on a ticket for me, we decided to spend the money on my mom so we flew her here for a week. We had a really fantastic time and, as always, it was very hard for me to see her go home. After taking her to the airport, I did some running around, got a pint of Ben & Jerry's FroYo, and laid in bed for a couple of hours.

She arrived last Wednesday around noon and we immediately took her for some delicious, authentic Mexican food. We spent the evening watching home videos, Mamma Mia!, and finishing up the invitations for Erin's baby shower. A nice, relaxing evening together.

Thursday we went to breakfast and then to the Warner Brothers Studio for a VIP Tour. A teacher at school had given me a couple of free passes a couple of years ago so I was finally able to turn them in. It was a great, two-hour tour. We saw Stars Hollow, Connecticut fro Gilmore Girls and Central Perk from Friends. We were also able to walk on the set of Chuck. The magic of movies really is fascinating to me and something that I've always shared with my mom. We went to Mark's restaurant for dinner where I think my mom found a new addiction in the parmigiana encrusted chicken, which is delicious. After dinner we watched the newest Nurse Jackie on demand and I watched my first episode of Weeds, seems interesting.

On Friday, I made cinnamon rolls (something I seem to only eat at my mom's) and we went to my new classroom. I'm moving to the room next door so my co-teacher and I have a much larger space for our program to run in now! We spent hours getting furniture moved around and making my new office seem comfy and cozy. Friday night we had popcorn and chocolate for dinner and saw Orphan, which was really creepy.

Saturday was a very relaxed day. We went to BJ's for breakfast to check out their weekend brunch menu then went dress shopping. (A side note: Mark's restaurant beat the BJ's opening week record so the suits are taking all of the managers and their spouses/significant others to Mastro's in Beverly Hills on August 31. We're getting a limo and everything! The CEO will be there. It's kind of a big deal.)

So Saturday afternoon my mom and I started our quest for the perfect dress. And I proceeded to throw my PMS-induced attitude full force at my mother. I'm sure deep down Mark was thankful that it wasn't him. :) After dress shopping, we went home and each took a little nap. Waking up feeling much better, we went grocery shopping and my mom taught me how she makes mostaccioli. After dinner, the three of us met up with Adam and Lindsay along with her mom, step-dad, and sister, who just happened to be in town this weekend as well. My mom and I ended the evening by dipping our feet in the Pacific.
Sunday was Mark's mom's birthday. We had Chinese food and birthday cake for lunch and relaxed and watched the Dodgers game. We BBQ'd at Adam and Lindsay's place for dinner and enjoyed a great night of discussing wedding plans and playing Cranium.

On Monday, we had a wonderful, albeit hot, day sharing our absolute favorite coasters with my mom at Six Flags Magic Mountain. We went to BJ's for the third time this week. I mean, why not? Mark doesn't get enough of it when he working, right? But it is really good food and we do get it for free.

Tuesday, our last full day together, we went back to my classroom to finish up a couple of projects and my mom was able to meet my co-teacher and all of the administration. They were really great and talked me up a lot which, of course, made me feel good but I know had to make my mom feel pretty good too. She told them that it's nice to know that people love me when she's so far away. I then took her by Cal State Long Beach and showed her where my classes are and we went to pick up the dress that I decided upon. We stayed at home the rest of the evening and relaxed.

Wednesday morning was clouded by the sadness of her departure but it really was a very good week and it was so nice spending time with her. It was great to have her helping me in my classroom and even better to have her helping me pick out a nice dress - both things that I've gotten pretty used to doing by myself.

It's always hard to leave one another but we talk so often that I feel very close to my mom even though we're physically apart from one another. I sure am one lucky girl.

Happy, happy day!

I love birthdays. I think birthdays should be a super special day for the birthday boy/girl and an excellent day to celebrate being you. My birthday always starts several days prior to the actual date of my birth. In fact, I enjoy celebrating my entire birth month.

I always hear people saying things like, "once you get to a certain age, it just isn't fun to celebrate getting older anymore." To which I reply, "Bull#&it!" The purpose of celebrating a birthday, to me, isn't to celebrate living another year or, as some pessimists out there feel, getting a year closer to death. No sir, celebrating someone's birthday is to take one day out the year to make a point to tell the people that you love that you are happy they're alive.

I found myself brought to tears on my birthday this year by the sheer volume of people who extended their well wishes and happy thoughts. Everyone from my students and co-workers to my family to Mark's co-workers and family called or sent cards or emailed or sent me a text message letting me know that they are thinking of me on my special day. I felt truly, truly humbled and blessed to have such special people in my life and I thank each and every one of you for your thoughts.

I had a terrific birthday this year, as I always do. Knowing how important birthdays are to me, Mark always goes above and beyond in making my day special for me. We were recounting all of the birthdays that I've celebrated with him and each one has been remarkable. This year was no exception.

While my co-workers and students had been celebrating with me since the 15th, Mark and I started our official celebration at midnight on the 17th when I opened the package that my mom sent along with one of his gifts for me. We stayed up late watching our TiVoed shows from the past week and enjoying being together.

Mark had the day off so I followed suit and called in sick. We woke up and got moving at our own pace, no need for alarm clocks and morning routines. In fact, I was happily awoken by phone calls from both of my parents and a text message from my brother. While I laid in bed, slowly welcoming in the day, Mark snuck off to finish wrapping my gifts. While it's clear to see why I am the resident wrapper in our home, I absolutely love the effort he puts forth just to make me feel special.

I was shocked and thrilled to open a Nintendo Wii, a Wii Fit, and the Personal Trainer! I'd been wanting a Wii since I first played it at Mike and Kristi's right after Colin was born. He also got me a new bottle of DKNY Be Delicious perfume, my signature scent that I've been out of for a few months, and a new Dodgers bracelet, I get one every season and hadn't bought a new one yet this year.
After opening my presents, we went to breakfast and the headed to the beach. We originally intended on going back to Salt Creek but because we had taken our time getting up and about, we opted just to go to the dog beach at Huntington. We had a great time with King and he even went swimming in the ocean for the first time. He learned to negotiate the waves the hard way (by taking a couple in the face) and it was hilarious to watch as he learned to lift his head and turn away from the water as the waves came toward him. As we were leaving the beach, King was even talent spotted and a lady wanted us to come to the studio for an interview. We opted against it as we didn't quite trust her but, still, Hollywood wants our Kingy.

When we got home, Mark's parents had a vase of flowers, a card, and a cake waiting for me. The card had a really great sentiment about how much they love me. Mark's mom asked me to read it out loud but there was no way I could because just the fact that they had gotten me a card brought tears to my eyes. Mark read it though and both his mom and I got choked up. It was a really nice moment.


Mark had told me earlier in the week that he made dinner reservations but wouldn't tell me where. After taking the strangest route possible and keeping me guessing the entire time, we arrived at one of our favorite restaurants called Dal Rae. We enjoyed a really nice bottle of Strasburg champagne, tableside Caesar salad, a really nice bottle of wine, Chateaubriand (also prepared tableside), and a delicious ice cream dessert along with great conversation and romantic time together.

After such a fantastic day and evening, mixed with a belly full of delicious food and wine, I went to sleep on Friday night thankful for the life that I get to live.

Twiddling my Thumbs (Better settle in, it's a long one!)

After being publicly called out on Angela's blog and then noticing that I'm at the very bottom of Kristi's blog list, as in I'm the most delinquent blog out there, I figured I should do some catching up. I haven't blogged since May 17th and since then, trust me, twiddling my thumbs is something I just haven't had time for. In fact, since May 17th...

My Spring semester classes ended and I earned a 4.0 in both of them. Both classes really should be undergrad courses and seemed to be designed for people who have never taught in an actual classroom. I was so much more challenged, intellectually, in the fall and was a bit disappointed with the courses this semester. I discovered that earning my Master's is more about dedication, determination, and perseverance and that it really isn't about intelligence at all.

We went to Cambria/Paso Robles for the weekend with Katey and her boyfriend, Kenji. Kenji lives in San Francisco and Katey in Tampa. They fly cross-country regularly and, though Kenji is in the same state, I haven't seen Katey since our wedding. We made a plan to meet up halfway between Kenji's place and ours and, aren't we lucky, the halfway point also happens to be a great place to taste wine! Paso Robles is known for their Zinfandel, which is my favorite. Plus, the city of Cambria, where we rented a house for the weekend, and the city of Paso Robles, and most of the wineries within it, are very dog friendly. So, for this weekend excursion, we didn't have to leave the dog behind. He was even allowed inside one of the tasting rooms. The five of us had a great time driving through wine country, singing about "mini sirloin burgers," playing Cranium, and catching up. Well, to tell the truth, Katey and I never have to catch up, we simply continue on as if we'd seen each other yesterday. That's part of what makes our friendship, one that's been in existence since 1987, the best kind of friendship there is. We went to Adam and Lindsay's for a Memorial Day BBQ. They have a great place in Sherman Oaks, about 26 miles from us in Downey. Their apartment complex has a pool, a couple of hot tubs, tennis courts, basketball courts, and a great place near it all to have a cookout. We were able to meet one of Adam's best friends from home who also lives in SoCal. They always have great parties and, as always, we had a great time. Luckily, it wasn't a repeat of last year's 4th of July party. The one I missed. Because I was passed out. The whole day.
On May 28th, our school had our annual Premios de Oro awards ceremony. Translated, it means "Prize of Gold" for all of you gringas reading this. :) I was shocked and humbled to find out that I had been nominated by a colleague and chosen by the PTSA to win the PTSA honorary service award for my dedication to the school this past year. I got a plaque and everything! I tried my darnedst to find out who nominated me but either nobody knew or they were swore to secrecy. It really made me feel very special and appreciated.

We spent an afternoon/evening watching the Red Wings win one of the Stanley Cup playoff games with our friends Dave and Robin and their new daughter, Riley. Even she's a Red Wings fan! June brought with it a ton of exciting events for me and my class at school, all of which were planned by yours truly. We had two retirement parties for one of my paraeducators, an end of the year BBQ for the entire class, I had to plan a presentation for a colleague who also retired, our annual trip to Knott's Berry Farm and, of course, graduation. My co-teacher and I also get gifts for all of our paraeducators, our general education T.A.'s who work in our classroom, the general education teachers who work with our kids throughout the year, and the support staff at the school. The first two weeks of the month were spent running around like a chicken with my head cut off getting all of the loose ends tied up.
I also started my summer session class at CSULB the first week in June. It's a course on Program Evaluation and I'm taking it as an elective. Since I didn't get my credential in California, my undergrad program in Arizona didn't quite match up and I'm short 6 credits for my Master's degree. I had to take electives in the field of education or psychology and, with the limited number of classes offered in the summer, this one just happened to meet the criteria. It meets twice a week and is supposed to run from 5-8:45; however, our instructor has let us go at 7:45 every class session and not one of us has said a word. The first couple of times that she has said "we only have about five minutes left in class" at 7:40, everyone just kinda looked around thinking "nobody better say a word" and nobody has. A few of us were just joking around that maybe our instructor is thinking the same thing. Who knows. It's only a 6-week course and our last class is on Thursday. In fact, I should be working on my final paper and presentation right now...

I went to the doctor the first week of June for a physical and all looks good. Well, almost all. My doctor and I had a very frank discussion about my weight and, although I'm totally aware of my weight problem, I found myself near tears telling him how hard it is to have to have struggled with it all my life and blah, blah, blah. He told me that I could stand to lose, get this, 60 pounds!!! 60. I've known where my healthy weight range is and I was totally aware that it was 60 lbs away but to hear the doctor say it made me feel, quite honestly, pretty shitty. However, I know that it is all for the good of my health and the health of our future babies-to-be. My doctor also recommended an appetite suppressant, called phentermine, which I've been taking now for just over a month. He said it can be a good tool to support my changing habits. I have to go in monthly to weigh in and talk with him before getting another batch of pills. I haven't felt weird when taking it, except for when I take a pill and have a couple of drinks. I started with 1/2 a pill a day and am now taking a whole pill but 1/2 at a time. It's crazy what it does to my appetite. I'm just not hungry. And, when I first got them, I thought it wasn't necessarily going to work because my problem with weight loss hasn't been hunger. In fact, it's just the opposite, I eat even when I'm not hungry or past the point of feeling full. But, food just doesn't have the same appeal to me anymore and my relationship with food is starting to change at the very basic of levels. I'm starting to eat to live rather than live to eat. When I went in for my monthly check up and for my next bottle, I had lost 11 lbs. Works for me! My plan is to use this tool through the summer and be done come September.

After school let out, summer school started right away and, of course, I'm teaching it again this summer. Hopefully, if all goes according to plan, this will be my last summer teaching for several years, if not forever. My first week of summer school was a bit rocky as I was TOTALLY PMSing and, therefore, unnecessarily stressed out. There is another teacher working with me even though we only have a total of 26 students attending. With all of the budget cuts, I was certain that I'd have all of the students for summer school. I'm very grateful that I don't because, when we split the kids into two groups, I have a very manageable 13 students - a class size I haven't seen since I was working at the elementary school. It's a very nice reprieve from the usual 30+ in the classroom at the same time. This week my hormones were more under control and it was a lot of fun. Two weeks down, three more to go...

Mark's been busy lately too. He is on the opening management team for the newest BJ's Restaurant, which is located 1.3 miles from our house! He actually rode his bike to work last week. The restaurant is not even finished being built yet, although watching the progress is amazing. Mark and the other three managers have set up shop in an empty store next to the restaurant and have been interviewing prospective employees for eleven hours a day for the past two and half weeks! Before he started, I kept asking him what exactly four managers are going to do all day before the restaurant even opens. I had NO IDEA how crazy the hiring process was going to be. They have appointments for 100 interviews everyday plus they take walk-in applicants. People are waiting two or three hours just to get an interview. He said it's so hard to turn those people away but he has had to it quite frequently. When it all started, they needed to hire 260 employees and expected to get a few thousand applicants. It's such an insane process, he comes home exhausted every night. One positive thing is, though, that he works from 8 am until about 7:30 every day so we have our evenings off together and he's been off on Sundays and that will continue for a few more weeks. We were joking around that we're like Ozzy and Harriet now with the same schedule eveyday. That's something we have never had.

Mark also quit smoking! (Insert maniacal cheers and applause here) He's been cigarette free for three weeks now and doing a really, really amazing job. He's using nicotine patches to help him out but quitting is not easy and I commend him for giving it a go. I've been reading research to him about how much his body has healed already and all of the positive things that will come from his knocking out his addiction. I really am proud of him.

So, here I am, on 4th of July, sitting at my computer. Mark's working this morning/afternoon so we don't have any major plans. Plus, our baby is terrified of fireworks and has been freaking out every night for the past week and a half since people have been lighting them off. We've given him 1/2 a Dramamine the past couple of nights, something that a friend of mine's vet recommended for her Rottweiler, and that has seemed to help. For those of you who know King, he is probably the most relaxed and mellow dog out there. But, man does he HATE fireworks. Lucky for him, it'll all be over soon. We may go to our friend Dave's place, if he doesn't mind if we bring the dog, or we may go hang out with Mark's friend Mark who is staying at an awesome place for the weekend in Newport Beach. Or, we may just stay in and relax with the dog. Our little family of three.

Another GREAT weekend

We spent this past weekend in Michigan and had such a great time. I was very, very hard to leave and I'm still emotional about being back home already.

Our pictures are on our shutterfly site (www.lajcisinlove.shutterfly.com )
Password: missymark0811. Enjoy!

Reminder

I've spent the last two hours glued to our home videos from the week of our wedding. I don't know if I've ever actually sat down and watched the whole thing without fast forwarding. I know it is the happiest day of any married girl's life but I was reminded, while watching, just how lucky I am. Of course, I am lucky to have married Mark for he is the love of my life, my best friend, my other half. But, I was reminded by this video, just how lucky I am to be a part of the family that I am. It was so special for me, and for Mark, that EVERYONE came all the way out to California for our big day. It meant so much to us then and still means so much to us now. I don't know if we expressed our delight and appreciation enough. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Another thing that I was reminded of while watching this video, was just how much we owe our bridal party - especially the American members. I loved our entrance into our reception but I'm sure it wasn't the most comfortable of situations for our bridal party. For those of you who don't know, about three minutes before we arrived at the reception, we told everyone that we were going to walk in and the party would make a tunnel for us to walk under. Mark and I would then stand behind our chairs at the head table and watch as our party danced "Albanian style" for the remainder of the song. Now, don't forget that four of the girls and six of the guys had never even heard Albanian music before, let alone knew how to dance to it. But, did anyone complain? Of course not. And for that, we owe you guys!

New Pictures

I've added our pictures from our most recent trip to Michigan to our shutterfly site. Check it out at www.lajcisinlove.shutterfly.com. Our password is: missymark0811

Things to Do: 2009

Ringing in the new year allows each of us to start fresh and to think about things that we may want to improve upon or change before the ball drops again. We have several goals for this year...

Family - As many of you are already aware, my plan is to graduate in May of 2010 with my Master of Science in Special Education. In a perfect world, I will waddle across the stage at graduation and we will start our own family before, or just after, I turn the big 3-0. Now, you will probably never hear the words "we're trying" come out of my mouth because, well, that's just way too much information to share; but, our plan is to be pregnant by the end of the year!

Health & Fitness - With our ultimate goal in mind, I am determined to slim down and to develop healthier eating and fitness habits this year. My ideal weight loss is 40 lbs. but, more importantly than the lbs., I really want to become more active and to eat less processed foods. I feel that a lot of my bad eating habits started when I was young and I really want to instill good habits in our children, especially since they will be genetically pre-determined to not be small. In order to do this, Mark and I need to develop healthy habits as well. I will continue to attend WW meetings and will commit to get physical (cue Olivia Newton-John) at least twice a week to start.

Money - I will be setting up my 403(b) this year again. It had discontinued when I changed school districts and I haven't set it up again. I will also be setting up a "Summer Saver" account through my credit union. I only get ten paychecks a year and this type of account will deduct a certain percentage of my monthly checks and put it into a high yield savings account. The money that I stash away each month will be accessible to us without a penalty, which is a definite bonus.

Our Christmas

This year marks only the 2nd time that I haven't been with my family on Christmas Eve. The first time I missed this tradition was the night we got engaged. It goes without saying that Mark had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, he had to work on Christmas Eve. He was home by 6:00, at which time we had a delicious dinner and a very nice evening with his parents; but, I spent much of the day finishing up last minute shopping and running errands. I even did a load of laundry. Like I said, though, once my hubby got home all was right with the world and the night turned out wonderfully. We introduced his parents to "A Christmas Story!" That night we opened our gifts that had arrived in the mail and were humbled by everyone's generosity.

Christmas morning we slept in until almost noon. It was quite nice to not have to be up and about any earlier in the day. We exchanged our gifts to each other - we had already purchased a new 42" HDTV which was our "real" gift to each other but set a $100 limit on little things to open from each other on Christmas morning. Mark, of course, blew the limit - he got me the Wicked soundtrack and tickets to see it again! He had hoped to get tickets for us to see it in L.A. before it leaves but, since it closes next week, he couldn't find any priced within reason so we're planning on seeing it on a long weekend either in San Francisco in March of in Phoenix in July. I actually worked as a stagehand at the theatre where it is playing in Arizona so that'd be fun but it's Phoenix...in July! We'll see. The point is that he is sacrificing yet another evening to take me to a musical that we've already seen, because he knows how happy it makes me.

Later in the evening, we went to see the lights at Griffith Park, near the L.A. Zoo. The Department of Water and Power puts on a show every year and, though the lights are the same every time, we have tried to go every year. We missed last year but this year we were able to take the dog with us on the mile and a half walk through the 40 degree chilliness. People can drive through as well, and we did this the first few years, but it's more fun (and much quicker) to park and walk through it.

Happy Thoughts

I just got off the phone with my good friend, Karen. It's her 29th birthday today and we had a great, long conversation catching up and discussing the difficulties of growing older. It sucks but growing up sure does happen to us all. She informed me that her brother, who lives in Japan, was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma and that he's awaiting further test results to determine what stage it is in. She said that he seems positive and that Lymphoma is actually curable so he is hopeful that it is in a beginning stage. When thinking happy thoughts, please send some her way. I know she and her family could use them.

Yet another reason my husband's so great...

I had a somewhat crummy afternoon today and really wanted to get home to see Mark for just a few minutes before he had to leave for his 4:00 shift. I left school at 3:00 and should have been home NO LATER than 3:20. Unfortunately, traffic was horrendous and I ended up calling him to tell him to go ahead and leave. The frustration of my afternoon conversation with my boss along with the traffic's determination to prevent me from seeing my hubby had me in tears. When I finally pulled up, 20 minutes later, he was waiting for me in the driveway. I gave him a quick hug and kiss and he headed off to work. He arrived 20 minutes late himself but because he knew it meant that much to me, he was there when I got home.

New Traditions

For the third year in a row, Mark and I celebrated Thanksgiving with dinner, wine, and games at Adam and Lindsay's place. This year, we were also joined by Lindsay's sister which made the day that much better. Adam and Lindsay do all of the dinner cooking while I, of course, am in charge of desserts and we all chip in on the wine (we sure do go through a lot of it!). We got to their place around 4:00, had a great dinner (just like my mom and Grandma used to make!) and played several rounds of Cranium, Guesstures, and Pictionary. Instead of coupling up, we picked teams from a hat and, I must add, my team won 3 out of 4 games. Chelsea and I were quite the dynamic pictionary duo. We didn't call it a night until after 3 a.m.! Just goes to show what a great time we had!

Sending Happy Thoughts!

My Aunt Nancy Bogosian, my Godmother, has been in the hospital since last Tuesday for surgery on her colon. I talked with Uncle Memo on Wednesday and he said that the surgery went well and that she'd be in the hospital until at least Sunday. I just got off the phone with her, though, and she is happily recovering at home this evening. She said that she feels really good. A little sore, but MUCH better than she thought she would feel. When thinking happy thoughts, please send some her way!

A New Addition

We have a new little niece! Becky gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Ruby Ann, on Wednesday, October 1st at 6:28 p.m. (Dallas Time) Baby and Mommy are doing well and planning on heading home tomorrow. Congratulations Becky & Matt - we can't wait to meet her!

A Special Day

September 20th has been a special day all my life because it is my big brother's birthday! Happy Birthday Mike!!! I think all girls should grow up with a big brother. It is a special relationship that only those of us who have a big brother can truly understand. 4 years isn't a HUGE age difference but it was big enough to prevent us from being super close as kids. In fact, we had our share of disagreements. I, quite frequently, tell the story of how I would hit Mike for doing a multitude of things (like farting at the breakfast table...) and he would tell me that if I hit him, he would hit me back harder. So, of course, I would hit him as hard as I could then run the other direction and, inevitably, get hit even harder. He once told me a story about a man with a hook for a hand that was buried under our pool and, although I knew it was a ridiculous story, when we would swim at night, all Mike would say was "hook" and I would FREAK OUT! As we got older, I learned just how much my big brother cared about me and looked out for me. Now, as a full grown adult, I truly realize just how special the bond between siblings is. Mike is truly the only person in this world who grew up the exact same way that I did and who has been through the exact same trials and tribulations as I have. He is the one person who can share my perspective on a lot of things. I am so thankful to have him for my brother.

September 20th became even more special 7 years ago (on Mike's 25th birthday) when my dad's twins were born. Happy Birthday Emma and Russell!!! Being the baby in the family, I had never been around newborns. I will never forget the first time I saw them in the hospital. I saw Russell first because he didn't have to be in the NICU and he was laying in just a diaper under a heat lamp. When I saw his beautiful little face, I cried (of course) and knew that these kids were something special. The first time I saw Emma, she was in an incubator and I remember feeling so worried for her especially when she couldn't come home when Russell did. I spent a great deal of time with them during their first year and a half of life - almost every weekend during the school year. It is so hard to believe that they are already 7 years old! They are such great kids and I hope one day that they understand just how special they are to me.

Crossroads

Mark has been thinking for a long while now about leaving his job at BJ's mostly because he wants a schedule that is more conducive for a family man. His friends have stopped calling to invite him places because the assumption is that he is always working. Even when he does have a day off, he usually spends it recuperating from the hellish 60+ hour week he's just had. The company has been good to him and it is a growing company in an economy that is not so certain but he has started to feel like he lives to work rather than the opposite.

At the beginning of June, I noticed a posting for a job with the school district as a cafeteria manager. It is 40 hours/week, 10 months/year - the same schedule that I work. That means, spring break, Christmas break, Monday holidays, etc. would all be days that we could share together. He, of course, turned in his resume immediately. There are four steps in the process of being hired: 1) The paper review 2) The test 3) The panel interview 4) The final interview. He has passed step #1 and will be taking the test on Tuesday. One great thing about this process is that the woman who would be his boss is a friend of mine who is on my softball team. She was super excited to hear that Mark applied for the position but he must still jump through all of the hoops in order to get to the final interview with her.

Knowing that this job with the district might happen and being fed up with his current position at the restaurant, Mark put in his 2 week notice last Tuesday. Well, he attempted to at least. His area director (his bosses boss) told him that she worries that he may not be making to best decision and that he should take as much time off as he needs to figure out what he wants to do. She told him to apply for jobs and try to get hired elsewhere (not in the restaurant business, of course) but that, if he doesn't find anything, his job at BJ's is still there for him. I think this response is incredible!!!

At this point, his plan is to take the next period off (from July 30-Aug 26) to see what happens at the district and, of course, take a trip to MI. When we were discussing this change in his career and his desire to leave BJ's, I never imagined it could work out so well. We will be able to take the vacation we want AND he can wait to hear about the job he really wants before officially leaving the company.

Clarification

I just spoke with a very reliable source that told me that my dad does NOT have an autoimmune problem as I had stated in an earlier entry. He has something called amyotrophic neuropathy which basically means an "unknown" neuropathy. It doesn't change the symptoms at all, he's losing the use of his left hand, but that's what it is called.

Colin

Has everybody met my nephew, Colin Isaac? He just turned 3 months old on the 30th. We love him so much and Uncle Mark and I can't wait to see him in August. How can you not love this face?!?!?!

My mom, my friend

Today is my mom's birthday and, every year, I feel like I just can't do enough to show her how much I appreciate her and the relationship we have. Even 2100 miles away, we still have the kind of relationship I know any girl would love to have with their mom. I love our marathon phone calls and the time that we do get to spend together (lots of times in a movie theatre somewhere). Some day, I'll take her to lunch or to the show on her birthday. For now, though, I guess flowers will have to do. I love you Mom! Happy Birthday!