date night

Obama's enjoy date night in NYC.

This is the first headline I came across this morning and I have to admit that I clicked on the article to read more!

I am totally obsessed w/ the Obama's and have come to view them as some kind of Iconic couple.

I know that a lot of people are not real big fans of his policies but I feel like we all have to admit that his and Michelle's relationship is something for the record books.

It makes me feel good to see the President and his wife having date nights and being affectionate.

In fact, it downright gives me the chills when I think about how they are showcasing black love for all the world to see.

You see, even though its 2009, in a country like ours we rarely see the positive sides of love & relationships being explored and exploited.

It seems our society thrives on the negativity and that breaks my heart.

I love that they go out, hold hands and kiss.

It makes me feel good to see that.

It makes me proud to have my daughter see that wonderful example in the highest of positions. It gives me so much joy to know that my President is in love w/ his wife.

No need to worry about where HIS focus is......have u seen her???

And since I am getting married in a year I think it is a wonderful example for my future husband and myself.

After many years of marriage, two childeren, careers and a presidency this couple is still "hot " for each other.

I can only pray that my husband and I have the same chemistry and bond after as many years.

To all my friends in blogging land......

Do you and your hubby have a date night? and if so how often and what do you do?

Just curious and trying to get ideas and tips on how to keep a marriage interesting......

as always all your comments are appreciated!!

flat stanley

Not sure how many of you out there in blogger land have had the joy of experiencing Flat Stanley but we got ours back from school last week and I was amazed at all the places he's been!

For those of you who don't know- Stanley is a normal boy who is crushed under a bulletin board one day and becomes flat. Due to his size, Stanley can now go any and everywhere!!!

He even gets folded into an envelope and sent to visit his grandparents!!

So we sent Stanley to my Aunt Sheila aka Tia Sheila and to our little cousin Isabella who is the same age as Sweet Pea!

Here are a few pics of some of Stanley's adventures

he visited the library and went to school with Isabella and Solomon

he worked in the cafeteria, helped out in the office and even made employee of the day!!!!

the creative women at Tia's school made him a lunch and gave him a Laker's jersey and basketball

Thanks to all our family who helped us out by taking such great pictures and creating such exciting experiences for him!!

take that auntie anne's!

Ihave been feeling a bit Betty Crocker-ish lately so yesterday I decided to try my hand at pretzel making!

here's the pic from the book

and here is a pic of how my pretzels turned out:

the front set are regular salted and the back set are cinnamon sugar glaze

clearly I will not be taking Auntie Anne's out of business anytime soon

but I have to say"not bad" for my first attempt.

what did YOU do this weekend?

no words

this will be mostly lists and pictures

i'm tired and have had wayyyy too much going on for me to coherently post so here goes:

Cam and I made a red velvet cake w/ homemade cream cheese icing :

she thoroughly enjoyed the batter

I discovered a new peanut butter (roasted peanuts an honey) and thusly discovered a new healthy snack of peanut butter and apples.

We had another play date and made a "pizza cookie" this time.

All in all it was a good week w/ lots of progress made and good times were had by all!

Yes to the Dress?

Wednesday is my "free" day.
My soon to be Mother-In-Law picks my daughter up from school and lets me have the WHOLE day to myself.

Wonderful.

I usually waste the day away running errands and catching up on household chores but today.....

I tried on wedding dresses!!!!!!!

I had seen a few that I liked in some magazines , tore the pictures out and fully intended to bring them with me.

But alas, I forgot them at home......

Since I am on a SERIOUS budget I dragged my girlfriend Ashley to my local David'sBridal to see what I could see and just to get the trying on process out of the way.

Fortunately for me,
Ashley is a really wonderful friend and was more than happy to take pics while I tried on countless dresses and tried to decide on "lapis" and "watermelon" colored bridesmaid gowns

I must say I was quite surprised

a) by the selection and the wonderful price points offered

b) by how much I enjoyed the process

c) that I actually found a few dresses that I can SEE myself in

This makes me VERY happy!

I do NOT like trying on clothes, especially dresses, and was in no way looking forward to this process.

I know thats not really "PC" to say since most brides -to-be are super excited to look for their

wedding dresses but I am a little different.

Chalk it up to years of trying on formal dresses with my mother

-in a communal dressing room no less-

dresses that I was not always interested in trying on and well......

you can kind of see why I have an issue with it.

Anywho - THIS time was different and fun!
And now I'm excited to try on more....... if necessary

I kind of think I've found "the one" but will probably need a second opinion

so to all my married readers let me ask YOU

"How did you know your dress was THE DRESS? "

best policy.

As I continue to navigate this world of blogging and I delve deeper into reading about other people's lives and experiences I absolutely AMAZED by the level of candid honesty that emanates from these writers!

What a wonderful experience it has been to share in other's stories!

their triumphs and joys

the laughter

the tears

the pictures

but its all REAL!

in this age of "Reality TV" and the whole "celebreality" phenomenon,

it's rare that we find such barren honesty in our culture!

It has inspired me to be more honest in my writing and to really get to the heart of matters

Instead of showing you a "glimpse" of life - these women are really baring their souls!

I am so appreciative I can't begin to articulate how much I enjoy blogging and reading blogs.

I know we can all become empowered once we sit behind a keyboard,

a place where no one can see us,

judge us or make fun of us

but it is something totally different all together to sit behind the keyboard,

knowing that your family is reading what you are about to send into cyber space and resist the urge to censor yourself !

So bloggers, WRITE ON!!!!

stay encouraged and continue to do your thing and just be you!!

You are so inspiring even when you think you are not......

you never know who's reading your truth and is moved by it!

countdown challenge - 28 days

Well it's that time again!

The official countdown to my 3oth birthday began on Saturday with the 30 day kick off!

As usual I am extremely excited about it and am really looking forward to this particular birthday!

I feel really settled at this point in my life and am thinking that my 30th year is going to be a BLESSED one!

I can't wait to see what else is in store!

So I was thinking that I should challenge myself for the next 30 days but am not sure what challenges I should take on!

I am already "workin on my fitness" and taking better care of my body so I need something a little more character defining than that!

That is where I'm hoping my blogger friends come in!

What do/ did you want to accomplish before you hit the big 3-0?

Let me know and I will do my best to rise to your challenges and post about them!

Ready, set, goooooooooooooo!!!!

the best gift. ever

My daughter made me the sweetest card ever!

Her "reasons" were so touching!

My emotions ranged from laughter to tears!

notice she included her fish "Swimmy" in the picture of us.

thank you to my lovely Sweet Pea for my card and for giving me the best name in the world:

Mommy!

The Mom Moment

My Redbook this month has an article titled -

"The Moment I first felt, 'I'm a Mom' "

I thought it was pretty interesting given that most people figure you become a mom when you give birth.

Not necessarily true.

The context of the article is about the moment you first feel, that connectedness to your child.

The feeling that you look at them and realize how they forever changed you and what an extension of you they are.

When you are struck by how incredible they are and who you have become because of them.

This is the "mom" moment.

I was the first of my really close friends to have a baby and I distinctly remember knowing that I was a mother but not feeling like that defined ME.

I was slowly navigating this new road and it was challenging , a bit frightening not knowing what to expect but I was definitely up for it.

Then one day, I was watching her play with another child who took something from her and it hit me:

She is my child and I would do ANYTHING for her.

I want to be there for her through all her triumphs as well as the tribulations.

I want to protect her from the bad things but don't want to shelter her.

Most of all, I want her to grow up to be a strong, confident woman who is able to handle the things that come her way.

I am so proud of my Sweet Pea that sometimes my heart feels like its going to burst!

So tell me, what was your "mom" moment?

Friday Flowers

i took some pictures yesterday....check it out....

happy friday everyone!

cinco de mayo

yesterday was such a fun day!

the weather was fabulous, I had a great workout, and then my mommy "play date" with my neighbor!

Sweet Pea and I made friends at the pool last summer and we finally saw them again !(they live on the other side of our complex)

the girls had so much fun playing princess at the pool - I thought I should invite them over to play one day soon.

So with Cinco de Mayo on the horizon I got the bright idea to invite Davece and her adorable daughter Olivia over for margaritas and princess playtime!

The girls wasted no time in getting down to business and, to be honest, neither did we!

So much fun to chat with another mother and compare stories!

Thanks for hanging out ladies!

Hope we can do it again soon!!

We then rushed back to school for Open House/Family Fun Night!

It was so neat to see all the kids work and they were so excited!

The In-N-Out truck was there and we were able to have a nice dinner outside and then were able to enjoy a magic/illusion show where the principle was to get sawed in half!

All the kids were wiggly with anticipation and I must admit it was a pretty cute show!

Wednesday Wisdom.....

This is probably one of my all time favorite quotes:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn't serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,

we unconsciously give otherpeople permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,our presence automatically liberates others.' "

CHAOS - random

My mind is all over the place.

moving a million miles a minute

faster than the speed of light

but NOTHING makes sense

i'm spinning, spinning, not really getting anywhere

Can't FOCUS

sometimes it's hard to concentrate

too many thoughts, ideas, questions.....

not enough time in the day

looking for a new job

looking for a new home

planning a wedding

so many things up in the air

struggling, juggling

need to just STOP

breathe and re-boot

but dont really have the time for all that

What's a girl to do?