30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 23-Favorite vacation

I really don't get to vacation very often. Usually when I go out of state it has a purpose besides relaxation. In fact, in the SEVEN years me and DH have been together we really haven't taken a vacation together. We've been out of state several times but every time was for either family or work...BOO!

If I had to choose I'd say so far my favorite vacation was to Disney World when I was 18. Yeah that's right, I didn't get to go to Disney World til I was 18 frickin' years old. My mom took me to Disney Land when I was a kid but I got to tag along to FL with my sister, Sandy, and her family the summer after I graduated HS. Crazy huh?

30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 22-Favorite city

Hmmm...This is a hard one. I grew up in the suburbs of one of the coolest cities out there...Chicago...but I hate it.

I love Arizona. It's just that simple. If you read my blog you know I'm itching to take another vacation there ASAP. So I'd have to say my favorite city is Scottsdale. Yes people there can be MEGA bitchy but you learn to ignore it. The nightlife is fun, the food/shopping is wonderful, and right now its the #1 best place to raise a kid! SWEET!

30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 21-Picture of yourself

Uhhh is this supposed to be recent? Cause I already did one...and I don't really like the way I look right now so I'm gonna post my favorite one of myself :)

This was taken like 4 years ago at ASU by my cousin Steven. Total blast from the past. He was helping me with a submission I was supposed to do for a reality show (I never went through with it). But it was a lot of fun...

30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 20-Nicknames

Momma

Mommy (my favorite)

Banana

Little One

Annis

Babe

30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 19-Something you miss

If you know me in real life, this is an easy one :)

I so terribly miss Arizona!! I know I am from Chicago, I was born and raised there, but AZ is home to me.

I like it in WA, and don't regret my time here one bit, but AZ is where the heart is at <3

Other things I miss...

-My sisters (and their respective families of course!)

-My waistline

-My memory

-My grandma J (R.I.P)

-My Mercedes-Benz....sigh

30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 18-Something you regret

Ouch. I don't like this one :/

There are very few things in life I regret. Like really, I don't have many regrets. I believe things happen for a reason and what mistakes we make we can learn some type of lesson from them.

However, that doesn't mean there aren't things I wish I didn't do. I have one "incident" that pretty much haunts me. No matter what has happened in life, no matter who it is that I am having the blow-out with somehow this incident ALWAYS gets thrown in my face. The sucky part is, what happened was YEARS ago and the part that should make people made doesn't...the act itself does and although I 100% understand why it's just not fair. The circumstances are never taken into consideration and it's just automatic judging. 

That's all I can divulge folks. I try hard to repress those memories as it caused a lot of havoc on many lives and hurt people when it was NEVER meant to be that way. Mistakes happen. We make dumb choices. All we can do is move on...

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 17-Something you're looking forward to

There's lots of things I'm looking forward to!

-Trying for #2

-School being done with

-My special Thanksgiving surprise for my family :D

-My work schedule to change to only 3 days a week

-Burn Notice to start in 2 weeks

-Move to our new place

-Hopefully a white Christmas

30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 16-Dream house

Houses. Dream Houses.::Sigh::

Right now, I just want a house. That does not have anybody else other than Me, DH, and E occupying it...on a permanent basis. LOL.

My TRUE dream house:

-In Scottsdale, AZ

-4 to 6 bedrooms

-At least 3 bathrooms

-Tile everywhere but the bedrooms

-HUGE wooden front door

-Large vaulted cielings

-Walk-in closets in all bedrooms

-GIGANTIC kitchen

-Center Island thats big enough to actually do some cooking prep on

-Stainless Steel/Black Appliances

-Extra Large Fridge/Freezer

-Living Room And Family Room

-Large backyard with a pool/waterfall

-3 Car Garage

-Doesn't matter if its one or two stories

-1 or 2 bedroom Casita on the back land

-Laundry Room with front loading washer/dryer

My REAL dream house (the one that I WILL have one day):

-In Scottsdale, AZ

-4 bedrooms

-At least 2 bathrooms

-Tile everywhere but the bedrooms

-Walk-in closet in my bedroom

-Large kitchen

-Center Island thats big enough to actually do some cooking prep on

-Stainless Steel/Black Appliances

-Large entertaining Family/Living room

-Large backyard

-Doesn't matter if its one or two stories

-Casita on the back land

-Laundry Room with front loading washer/dryer

30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 15-Bible verse

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.

Love never fails....And now these three main: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8a and 13 

30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 14-A picture you love

LOVE this picture by Ivy Studios. It was taken this past May and I think totally was a prelude to how E's personality would develop in the months to come. He wasn't such a goofball then but NOW is a total ham! Loves to bounce around and make silly faces. Oh and me and DH look pretty happy too :P

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 13-Goals

As far as short term goals I have a few: 

-LOSE WEIGHT. At this point I'll take any loss!

-Learn about photography

-Move out (we're working on this one!)

-Spend more quality time with DH...alone...lol

I know I've got more but I'm drawing blanks (thank-you overnight 16 hour shifts on the weeknds....). BUT here's a reminder on the LONG list of goals I am working on.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 12- What you believe

I believe in 2nd chances. 

I believe that being a mom is the most wonderful "job" in the whole world.

I believe that as long as you learn from your mistakes and commit to not repeating them most can be forgiven.

I believe that family is more than those that are blood related.

I believe that college is better the 2nd time around :)

I believe its ok to eat dessert after every dinner.

I believe it's ok to spoil your child as long as they don't become a brat about it.

I believe manners matter.

I believe in marriage.

I believe in God.

I believe that sometimes you just need a good cry.

I believe the bad times help you appreciate the good times.

I believe that blogging is therapeutic :P

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 11- Favorite TV Shows

TV is a favorite DVR past-time of mine. I don't get to sit down and watch it very often so I have a nice little collection piling up! Here is MOST of what is saved on the tube right now:

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 10- Something you're afraid of

Typing this entry sends shivers down my spine and makes me feel the need to turn the lights on.

I have two fears. Heights- hate them, but I deal with them.

Then there is this :

OMG I LOATHE clowns. My parents let me watch "IT" when I was little and ever since then the sight of them sends me into a panic attack. I freak out during Halloween cause they're everywhere and forget the Circus. If one comes near me I run the opposite direction!!!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 9- A picture of your friends

I like this one :) But at the same time it makes me so sad.

I have the world's BEST friends. They're like family to me and I couldn't imagine my life without them. Two of my BFF's in AZ have been through so much with me, and I am so grateful they are in my life. They fit so perfectly in my life cause they're my "go-to" people for different things/reasons...so it works out quite nicely :) Plus we're in the same group of friends so it makes life easier lol.

Sonja has been one of my closest friends since basically I moved to AZ. She started dating her DH around the same time I started dating mine and that's how our story began :) Ever since then our lives have been pretty in-sync...her's less dramatic of course haha. She got engaged....then I got engaged...she got married...I got married...she got pregnant...a few days later I found I was. That's when the craziness happened. It wasn't enough that our friendship was so tied together, that our in-utero children were even more so connected. It was nuts! Once one baby did one thing, within a week the other would mimic. Sonja went into pre-term labor at about 28 weeks, then I did at 29 weeks (both weekends these incidences happened were of course the weekends of our baby showers!). I gave birth Sept 4th, Sonja did on the 5th. And to this day they still do things one after another...love it!

 A week before we both found out we we're pregnant!

Two weeks before the babies we're born!

Then there is my dear Sheena. We became friends a few years ago but weren't super close like me and Sonja. When I got pregnant something clicked and we "chatted" daily. She listened to my complaints, gave advice, support, eased my mind when I was a nervous wreck...you name it and she was there! Total lifesaver, and no idea how I would've kept sane without her. She is now preggo herself and I can't wait to meet baby Alli!

Here's one of the group of girls:

 Sheena, Sonja (baby Makayla), Laura (baby Blake), me (baby Ethan)

 Mommies and their babies (we found out baby Alli was coming a few days prior!)

And the daddy's (and uncle Ethan lol)

I have made some wonderful friends in WA that have made the move here so much easier, but apparently I'm not as camera happy anymore cause I don't have any pics of us :( YIKES! 

30 Day Challenge Catch-up! Day's 6,7, AND 8!

Yikes I am so behind on this :(

But I DO have an excuse...worked 16 hour overnights Friday and Saturday and a normal 8 on Sunday THEN got super sick Monday with a 102.5 fever. Soooo I wasn't just being lazy I swear!

Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy

This was taken when Ethan was about 7 months old. I LOVE his big, wet, slobbery kisses. He wakes up every morning and grabs my ears and lays a big one on me. No matter WHAT is happening at that moment, those kisses make every tear, every struggle, every pain in my rear worth while.




Day 7-Favorite movies
I love movies. Me and DH watch them all the time...at home that is. See there's this cute thing called a baby that prevents us from leaving the house at the same time (alone that is lol). Date night is few and far between these days but we're ok with that. Here are just a few of my favorites:

I'm sure there are more but at this moment I can't think of them :P

Day 8-A place you've traveled to

While nannying in AZ I got the pleasure of traveling with families (or without if they had to leave me and the kids there :D ) on their summer vacations. And each year it was the same place! Cornado Beach in CA. I just love it there. It's so pretty, peaceful, and just plain relaxing. For the life of me I can't find any of my pics anywhere but here are some pictures of the beach area that I basically would spend the whole week. One year we even stayed on the hotel on the beach...HEAVEN!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 5-Your siblings

I love my sisters. And I miss them dearly. 

Me, Holly, and Sandy 

As you can see we look nothing alike lol. They are both from my dad's first marriage hence the paleness they both are rocking hahaha. Although they are my "half" sisters I never for one second have thought of them as anything less than my sisters. I didn't get to grow up with them unless my dad had them on the weekends or they were coming to visit but I remember some great times of them playing forts with me or taking me to get ice cream. 

As we grew older I became closer with my sister Sandy. She had a baby when I was 10 so I did a lot of babysitting. The average difference between us is 7 years so I think it was easier for her to tolerate me growing up lol jk. Holly is 10 years older than me and I loved her just as much but I do admit we didn't have the closeness until older when I could relate to things she was doing (marriage, babies, etc).

They both live in Chicago which sucks cause I never get to see them or my nieces and nephews. I really wish they would visit up here but hopefully sooner rather than later I will see them (and they will meet their nephew!) 

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 4-Your parents

My parents. Oh boy. What a subject. A HUGE part as to why my life can/was/is a roller coaster. And not just my adult life, teenage years were all sorts of special too. I like to believe that I BELIEVED my childhood was good. I don't remember too much fighting, and I have fun and happy memories of family vacations. So I don't think the drama was recognizable until I was older.

My parents are divorced. They split up the summer after I graduated High School and it has been a long. traumatic. horrific.ordeal every step of the way. There's been picking sides, checking up, dirty gossip the whole road to court and then some after. I hate it. I hated it when they were married and I hate it even more now that I am an adult. I've learned to just put my foot down and say that if I have to have a conversation regarding the other parent that lasts more than a minute I'm walking out/hanging up. Fun times.

I don't have many pictures of my parents as you can guess. The ones I have are only from when they are with E. Sad, huh?

My dad (paw paw) and E.

 I've been a daddy's girl my whole life. EVERYONE knows it too. I don't like the things my dad does/did but he's my dad and I'm his princess. If he has the power to do whatever I want/need he will make it happen. And I love him for that. I just wish the choices that were made we're better. He's dying and it could've been prevented and/or prolonged and it infuriates me. 

My mom (grandma) and E

Oh my mother. We butt heads more than any other mother/daughter combo I know. I'm more like her than I want to admit but it's true. I work like her, I act like her, I shop like her. The one thing I don't do it parent like her. She worked 24/7 while I was growing up so I NEVER saw her. I don't remember her coming to my school for things, she (or my dad) was rarely at my games. Neither came to my state cheerleading competition. It is what it is. I cried and was heartbroken, but I got over it. I know that she had to work to support us, but I can't lie and say I was/am resentful for her not being there for me. I feel like I got jipped in that whole mom/daughter bonding experience. We're working on it now though, and I am thankful for that. 

30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 3:Your first love

Oh boy.

Yeah well I'm LAME and didn't really have a lot of "experience" in the guy department when I was in HS. I wasn't allowed to date til I was 16 and even if I was I was so frickin' shy I don't think I would've. I dated a few guys my last two years but nothing significant.

College came and I met DH. Hate at first sight is the best way to describe it. He moved to WA my freshman year and that's when we started talking. When he moved back, it all went pretty fast. The roller coaster of our love began in March 2004. Like most things in our relationship I knew I loved him first. Then we broke-up (one of a zillion times) and that's when he realized it. We've had our moments but the love is real. I can't say I wouldn't change anything cause there are DEFIANTLY things I would've done differently or not have done at all that affect(ed) our relationship but when I look back, it made us who we are today. And man am I glad we got all the BS out of our system when we were younger. That crap WILL NOT fly with me these days.

During my adulthood there were severe crushes, little flings that usually fizzled out cause DH wanted me back, and I really only believe there was "one close call" that could've competed with DH but I knew better. My heart knew better....he's always been the one <3

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name

It's pretty much self-explanatory. Our life the past few years has been one GIANT roller coaster. With the up's we've had many, many down's. At least there's never a dull moment :P