Happy Birthday to Me!

29 all over again...

Thank you all for making me feel loved and appreciated. It all started a week ago Friday. My parents took Lee and I out for lunch at a nice restaurant on Pine Ave. called Le'Opera. I had thee best Butternut Squash ravioli topped with Sage ever. Great time! On my actual birthday, I went to lunch at El Torito (for free - birthday coupon) with my parents. Ate their delicious buffet - made to order fajitas with hand made corn tortillas. Are you guessing that I have gained 5 pounds? The kids came home and I made strawberry/banana smoothies. Then I ordered my favorite thing: ribs and mashed potatoes (had a coupon at Naples rib company for $10 off). Earlier in the day, Brooke helped me make brownies. We had that with mint and chip ice cream. Brooke's favorite part was licking the bowl and then letting the dog lick it up after her.



I opened up presents from Lee and the kids. They all did a great job of picking out Reese's pieces for me, a few shirts and the MJ movie "This is It." My brother sent movie tickets, others gave me money, Gift card, chips, wonderful cards, facebook wishes and lovely lip gloss. A few kind souls wanted to be nice to Lee and gave me a new piece of lingerie. I am also looking forward to a steak lunch with my favorite gal, Tami. Blessed indeed, right?



I had so much fun on Friday night as 8 ladies came over to my parent's house (they went to a movie) and played games until a little after midnight. I was in heaven! We ate the most delicious pizza cookies topped with ice cream. Yummy! They were all such good sports to let me play about 4 different games with them. Oh what a night...



In addition to a Kohl's gift card, Summer gave me two $10 off of a $20 purchase. So I was able to get a $50 dress that was on sale today for $30, out the door for $20. That was a deal, especially since it is my favorite style and fabric for a dress. Sage found a nice $20 shirt that was marked down to $4. The fun part is always in the dressing room. Sage asking me why I am putting so many things in the cart to only come out of the store with 2 things for me. They just don't fit or look right!



Still have shopping to do. I am looking for a nice painting to go in our front room.

Work hard, then play hard

I lead a fun and BUSY life. Moderation in all things is key to being well balanced. I need to have PLAY TIME! Two of my girlfriends flew down from Utah for a weekend in Palm Springs. Our jaws never tired, even though we talked non-stop the entire 4 days. I miss these gals a whole lot. Thanks to the family members and husband that helped make this possible.

While driving to Palm Springs, we stopped at Glenn Ivy (Corona, CA) for a relaxing day at the spa. I will not be posting most of the photos (courtesy to my friends' wishes) because of the bathing suit attire.

We loved our time in several different pools, baked in the sun with mud all over us and even sat in a mineral bath that was very stinky. It is very affordable, you just gotta try it (all ages are welcome).

We went to In-N-Out

My parents hooked us up at a time share condo, "Cinamaron Golf Course Resort". We had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath place with a full kitchen. Not a care in the world...

We spent a day at the pool, since it was over 100 degrees every day we were there.

We had pedicures done.

While we shopped at the stores along the main street in PS, we found this soap store that lathered us up and let us smell combinations of all sorts of scents. Personally, I appreciated the fresh air outside the store, but it was an experience for sure.

This statue attracted many, including Holli. We had the best smoothies at the Mexican restaurant behind her.

I think we went inside almost all 130 outlet stores, including this new "Brighton" store. No kids and the whole day to shop. We were definitely exhausted, but we kept on going!

We ate at Ruby's on the Seal Beach pier and then they experienced Trader Joe's. They had to take another carry-on the plane with all their stashes.

I have been lucky to call these ladies my friends for about 11 years now. We all bought our first homes together, we lived in the same neighborhood, we went to church together, we had our first babies together, we even spent a week together on Lake Tahoe. There are so many experiences to list, but they are the best and I love them lots! Thanks for coming to Cali.

I highly recommend for moms to get away on occasion.

Less hair at our house

When you are blessed with something good, I believe one is required to share. Sage has donated her hair twice, now it was Brooke's turn to make a good choice. http://locksoflove.org/
Once I felt Brooke had enough hair to give, I explained to her about the "gift" she could give. Today was the day!

She will share the hair and the story with her kindergarten class tomorrow. I am very proud of her decision. Look at how grown up she looks with the new "do"

Libby was also in need of a new style (check out her new glasses as well)

These are the after shots

I kept the longer locks (for the hubby) but added layers to lighten up the heavy load. Sorry, I am not as cute as the girls, but it was noteworthy :)

P.S. Wyland

Lee took some additional pictures. This one is of Wyland up on a cherry picker spraying and fixing up some of the Long Beach Arena.

He also got a shot of me getting Wyland's autograph. I couldn't believe how young he was, early 50's. Personally, I think he has left a wonderful legacy of cleaning up the oceans in a very short time.