Year In Review....

So my friend A. did a recap of her family during the last year and I decided I would totally bite her idea and do one of my own. Here we go- January: I don't remember much from this month so I'll go with we welcomed in the new year. February: my super cool, superhero Ethan turned 3. We had a Spiderman/Venom party ( of course, what else would we have had?!) Also my mom turned 50 this month and I threw her a surprise party. That was a lot of fun! March: took a family trip to Disney World and Sea World. It was Ethan's first time there and he really liked all the rides. He actually enjoyed Sea World more, especially the shark exhibit, we must've went thru it almost a dozen times. April: again a months which trigger nothing significant in my memory, I guess we did normal stuff. May: the school year ended and we took a family vacation to Daytona Beach. We had a blast! The condo is right on the beach and we spent the week hanging out by the pool or on the beach. It was great and the weather was awesome. June: Three words, Costa Rica Baby!!!!! I went on a trip to Costa Rica with my two best friends. We had been planning a trip together for years and decided to take it before we turned thirty. It was so worth the wait. We had the most amazing time! I have so many wonderful memories from that trip. Thanks again ladies, we most definately rocked!!!!! July: Chet's relatives from New York came down and we had a 4th of July party at our house. Fun was had by all. August: ok ok I'll admit it ..... I turned 30 this month. We all went out and had a rockin good time! This month also held my 6th wedding anniversary. ( love you, baby) Also this month Justin & Thomas started there football seasons. yea yea I know, you've heard it before but I just can't help it, my boys are stars I tell you. Thomas has such a natural ability and talent, it's just pure to watch him play. Each game as I watch him, I can't believe how awesome he is, he amazes me each and everytime he steps onto the field. Justin shows such exuberance, he never quits. He loves to play and it shows while he's out there. September: My talented, beautiful son Thomas turned 9 this month. Also, my two best friends A. & K. turned 30. ( ha! now I'm not the only old one). We celebrated our turning 30 with a luau hosted by us at my house. It was so much fun. October: my handsome and intellegent son Justin turned 11. ( OMG, is it possible that I have a son that age? WTF!) November: My gorgeous husband, Chet, turned 32. And of course Thanksgiving. We ate at Chet's parents house. It was delicious, and I have to say I ate way too much! December: We had our annual girls nite out to celebrate the holiday. To say we had fun is an understatement! Christmas came, the kids got loads of stuff, of course and were ecstatic all day. My darling husband spoiled me this year and gave me so many wonderful gifts which I absolutely adore! Thanks again baby, I love you!

So here I sit on New Year's Eve ( at work, I know- how pitiful and sad am I?) thinking about another year gone by. As I remember back I realize that this year has been a really good one for me. Not only did I learn alot about myself this year, I was surrounded by the most amazing people. Thanks to my family and friends for another wonderful year!

Girls just wanna have fun

So my girlfriends and I just had our annual holiday girls night out. To tell you we had an awesome time would be an understatement. Picture this - seven hot girls all gussied up and ready for a night out on the town. Now that we are all adults and have other responsibilities we don't get to do this as much as we would like, so when we do all get together it gets a bit wild. We all seem to regress to our 16 year old selves. It's fun to be able to go out with your girls and forget about "real life" for a bit. There's something special about being with them, you don't have to put on a front or pretend with them. They already know all your faults and, surprise surprise, they still love you. That's what makes girls nights so special, you know you can completely let your hair down and get crazy and they're right there with you. So to all my ladies, thanks again for another memorable evening and I hope many more are to come!

I'll show you mine if you show me yours....

So my beautiful son Ethan has convinced me that we should all be superheroes. Anyone who knows my son knows that he is more than infatuated with superheros, Spiderman in particular. All day long he runs around (most days in full Spiderman costume) warding off evil villians, shooting his web, and protecting me from the bad guys. I have to tell you is melts my heart to no end when he"saves" me from the bad guys and smothers me in kisses all day. Yesterday, as I watched my Spiderman tear thru the house on a mission, I remembered when I was young how badly I wanted to be Wonder Woman. To be able to kick butt and stand for good (and ok I won't try to kid you.. be tall,gorgeous, and wear ass kicking boots) is what originally attracted me to want to be her. But now looking closer I realize it was more about the power she wielded. She was a woman who took charge and was in control. Somewhere along the way I stopped pretending to be Wonder Woman. But now as I watch my son living the life of a superhero, I find myself wanting to be Wonder Woman again. To join him in his quest.It looked like too much fun and let's face it, I still want to be her deep down... so today when he starts his battle against all those who are evil, I will be joining him. Ass kicking boots and all!

Well-behaved women seldom make history

So I saw this quote and it struck a chord with me. I used to think that because I became a wife & mother that I had to become this perfect, goody goody person who wasn't allowed to make a mistake,ask for help, or do anything that wasn't proper "mom behavior". I have since realized(thanks A.) that you can have it all. What I mean by that is I can still be me (the fun, wild, loud, crazy girl ). I was so used to repressing this part of me that I became unsure of myself and was not in a happy place. Thanks to some soul searching, long talks w/ A, and a fabulous girl trip to Costa Rica :) I am happy to announce that yes people that girl is back! And boy did I ever miss her! I realized that I don't have to lock that part of me away, it would be a terrible shame if my kids never got to know the real me. I mean she's the one you all fell in love w/ anyway. I am much happier now and feeling more self-assured than ever. Anyways, what's the point of being good if you're not having any fun?

you have an unyielding moral compass and i just wanted to tell you how much i admire you for that.

K- thank you for always being my eternal cheerleader. whenever i am sad or upset just talking to you and hearing you tell me everything will be ok somehow helps. you are ever the eternal optimist. no matter how many times you get let down, stomped on , or get hurt yourself, you are always right back up on your feet offering words of encouragement for others. your unfailing belief in love inspires me.

so on the eve of us all being 30, i just want to tell you two that i love you and i can't wait to see what the next 20 years holds for us.

to have someone who knows you inside out, who can tell everything about you just by a look, or a word spoken. to be able to look at each other and break out into terrible fits of laughter without saying a word,but still knowing exactly what the other is thinking. i look to each of these girls with a sense of awe. i have had the honor of watching them grow from girls into the beautiful,talented women they are today and i feel grateful everyday for that. we are all three distinct individuals but i think that is the main reason why we work so well together. we each have something to offer the others, to help them along in their journey of life. i know i'm becoming very long winded here but i just can't explain in words how much they mean to me ( i'm going to guess that you two know what i'm trying to say) so in honor of our 30th birthday's and our 19 years of friendship i just wanted to take a moment to recognize you two for being the constant in my life. we have been there for each other through all the good and all the bad.

A- thanks for always being my voice of reason. i want to tell you how much i admire you. your strength and courage and your unwillingness to back down impress me more than i can say.

the trio

A, K, and I have been best friends since we were 11 years old. now as we embark on our 30th birthdays (actually i just had mine) i wanted to take a minute(or hour) to reflect back on our friendship. i still remember the first time we met, clear as day,like it was yesterday. i met A first. i remember walking into english class and scanning the room for a friendly face( i was new to the school and did not have any friends yet) i thought she looked nice and pretty and i decided to take a chance and sit next to her. little did i know how that seemingly small decision would shape my life. we instantly hit it off and were pretty much inseperable from then on. A had met K that year at her church and they were best friends, so naturally she wanted us to meet so we could all be one happy family. well unfortunately that first meeting was horrible and to make a long story short ( those who know us already know this story and are tired of it :P ) we eventually became friends. from then on we were a trio, surviving adolescence, first boyfriends, kisses, disappointments,and triumphs. this brings me to my point here, i cannot imagine my life without these two ladies. i don't think most people understand our bond. we are more than friends we are sisters,we are family. can you imagine sharing every secret, every tear ,every first ,every everything with someone from the time you were 11 and still having those people in your life.

I never thought I'd be one of those people who had to have a blog. But what do you know? Every once in awhile I do have interesting things to say. So till then , ciao.