Day Tripper

I have taken two outstanding and fantastic trips in the last month. In late September, I went to New Orleans with three of my sisters, mom, and auntie. We had the best time and went to all the fun little N.O places. Had beignets (sp?) at Cafe Dumonde, went to Jackson Square, trolled around the French Quarter and walked Bourbon Street at nite. Not advisable unless you like a lot of dirty nonsense but it was fun to hang out w/my fun family anyway. Everything but Bourbon St. I would do again.

We didn't get to a plantation (sadness!) but we wouldn't have made our cruise ship if we had, so next time. Our cruise sailed to Cozumel, Mexico where we spent one horribly hot and humid day. It was plenty. We all did the zipline and it was so freaking fun!! Nothing like going to a different country and sailing through the air on a zipline. It was mine and my mother's 2nd time ziplining, the rest were doing it for the first time. Fun fun.

The entire cruise was a blast and we all had such a great time. Lots of dressing up, fancy dinners, laughing like lunatics and fun fruity drinks on the sun deck. We also spent a lot of time shooting down water slides up on the top deck - so so much fun! What fun to water slide our bodies out in the middle of the ocean. All in all a great fantastic trip! Have not uploaded pics yet becuz I am a Slackin Jackie.


For my birthday last weekend, I went to Seattle (again leaving my husband and child behind - he's such a good sport) to spend the weekend with 21 of my mommy frenz. We had an absolute blast. We rented a big huge house in Port Orchard, WA and it was basically a big crazy slumber party. I so love these girls to bits and pieces and had such an amazing time with them. One of the girls has the same bday as me, so it was fun to spend "our" birthday together.

We did a lot of jabbering nonsensically, drinking, being goofy, playing games, and more jabbering in each others faces. So much fun!! I am very lucky to have a great group of girls in my life and love each of them so very much.


Now just have to plan a family trip to make up for taking three girls trips this year. I have only ever gone on 1 girl trip before, it just so happens my board girls and I decided on this year to do two get togethers and my family decided this year to do a girls trip. Luckily, I have a wonderful husband who is a great sport and was very happy for me to have these opportunities.

Random pics of me and my girls

Disneyland

We took Cal to Disneyland for the first time the last week in July. He had such a great time on the rides and just being there and it was so fun to watch his excitement. Of course, we had a fair amount of our own excitement. It's Disneyland after all.

The longest we had to wait in line for a ride was 40 minutes and that was for Peter Pan's flight, which is always a long line. Several of the other rides, we got right on w/no more than a 10 or 15 minute wait. It was awesome.

Curtis and I got to fulfill a lifelong dream and got to eat at the Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square. It's the restaurant you pass while on Pirates of the Carribean. We have both always wanted to eat there and we finally did! Food was amazing and now we can cross that off. Yay.

We met up with my friend Katie and her family on our second day there, which was so fun. They are wonderful and we had a blast hanging out with them. Cal and Will are only a few days apart and were hilarious to watch.

Cal lost his shoe somewhere between the Winnie the Pooh ride and the Haunted Mansion which sucked cuz they were cute shoes but we still threw him on a few more rides before calling it a day. He didn't NEED shoes, he's still little.

All in all, it was a great trip and so much fun and we plan on going back soon! Okay, probably next month. Disneyland is the best.













Cal and Curtis in front of Snow White's castle

Speed Racer

It seems that I am the fastest driver in Vegas. Last nite, I got pulled over for speeding for the third time in a year. Curtis finds this quite laughable, as I am basically the slowest driver ever in the world. I'm the one on the road in the slow lane that people can't wait to get around. Yes. That is me. Don't hate.

And yet, somehow I seem to fall into these speedtraps where I am going like 10 miles over the speed limit, with everyone else mind you, but they happen to have 57 cop cars lying in wait to just nail everyone. Seriously?

This makes me mad on so many levels. Like there is not anything else going on in VEGAS that we need multiple officers sitting in their cars waiting for the nerdy van w/the lady and tiny child chugging by. Come on.

I'm like a race car driver. Who knew.

East Coast Union

Last weekend I had the opportunity to fly to Pennsylvania and spend a long weekend with some of the most fabulous girls ever in the world.

I joined an online mommy board back when I was pregnant w/Cal in 2007 and a group of us banded together and formed our own forum. Okay, we got kicked off basically becuz of our matter-of-fact manner of conversing but that's neither here nor there. It has now been 2 years of "knowing" these girls and I finally had the chance to actually meet their faces.

What fun! I can honestly say every girl was just as I knew she would be and was just as wonderful as I already knew as well. We had so much fun, stayed in a great house on Lake Wallenpaupack in the Poconos, drank, danced, chatted our faces off, played games and just enjoyed each others company. It was really nice to be carefree and only worry about myself for a weekend and was seriously the best girls weekend I could imagine.

I am so glad I had the chance to go and that my sweet husband took over all family and home duties in my absence.


Cyn, Susan, and me


the view from the cabin - beautiful!


dressed like we're going to a big group Sadie's


my Cyn and me


Sara and I laughing like little trolls



So much fun! Can't wait 'til the next one!

I 5K'd my body!

Hooya I forgot to say, I have finally run a 5K in my life! Two, actually. I ran my first one on May 9th out at a horrible bike trail at Red Rock where I just like dodged 9 1/2 million boulders, as well as bikers, cactus, and other slow goat runners while running in 97 degree heat up and down some crazy hills. I made it through though and came in at 46:08 (music from Price is Right losers would play here). Yes, it took me 46 minutes to run 3 measly miles. Don't judge me. I did it though!

My second one was much better. It was the following Saturday - May 16th and was benefiting the Ronald McDonald House. (Woo woo) It was earlier in the morning and on flat terrain so I was able to shave off 13 minutes w/a finish time of 33:32. (Pause for applause)

Both runs were completed to Bruce Hornsby's "Mandolin Rain." I couldn't have done it without you Bruce. I listened to other music along the way but must finish to Bruce. I had to scroll frantically through my iPod to find him at the second run so he could take me home.

Cal and I before the run at Red Rock

Donna Martin graduates

Okay she did but mostly I'm proud of my sweet husband who graduated from his academy on May 15th. He was in the top 10 in his class of 47 (my smartie) and looked quite dashing in his uniform. Cal and I are so proud of all his hard work and all he has accomplished. It was very nice and could only have been better if a video montage of just Curtis would have been done. Otherwise, it went well and yay for our new officer!!

Easter

We are amazing parents and did nothing for our child for Easter. The weekend before, Cal participated in an egg hunt over at Aunt Fran's and scored some money filled eggs that will go toward funding his Harvard education. (Yes, I am living vicariously through my tiny child.)

I had briefly entertained the idea of taking him to the mall and having his pic taken w/the Easter Bunny, but then was like "That has absolutely nothing to do w/Easter and a giant bunny is super creepy." So that idea lasted a mini second.

I did go and see my wonderful mother play the organ at church so that was quite fun. She did an amazing job and some of those songs were Boring (capital B necessary) so they needed some great accompaniment. My mother is just a phenomenal lady in general. What can I say.

Cal did get an Easter basket from his other grandma and aunt so that was fun. He liked cracking the plastic eggs open but had zero interest in what was inside. Eh. He's 1.

In other news, Curtis is graduating from the academy May 15th. He has been working very hard and we are super proud of him. I know he will be glad to have this grueling nonsense over with. And he is very handsome in his uniform.

My oldest sister came into town last week and this week my next oldest sister is here with her family so that has been very fun. I love having my sissies around! I do wish I got to see them more often but definitely enjoy kicking it with them while they are here.

Much to accomplish today.

Back to school

After 8 million years of being out of high school and much struggling to get through my Associates degree (1 final class in progress), I am finally ready to start at a 4 year university. Holy cracker jack.

I got my acceptance letter from UNLV a few weeks ago and just signed up for my little orientation day. I am hoping there are some folks older than I there so I don't have to be the oldest goat trying to learn something.

I can officially start in the summer but if I don't pass this stupid math class I am taking now, I will probably have to wait until fall. Blah. I guess one more semester won't hurt since 900 have passed already. What's another?

I was just reading my little requirement sheet and I have to take a foreign language. I'm kind of thrilled about this. I feel like, should I take French since I took it in high school and love the idea of learning more, or perhaps German so I can banter back and forth w/Curtis? Hmm. Then there is Latin, which also intrigues me, and also my cute mommy took it. Smart as a whip little mommy.

I realize it will probably take me 65 semesters to finish but oh well. I need to get my dang Bachelors Degree. (capitalized? No? Yes?) Too bad I couldn't pull my life together enough and go to Harvard like I wanted to all my life. But that was the point of stopping there on our honeymoon - I can sure say I went to Harvard! Yeah!

Okay, must take my stupid math test. Ralph.

Monday, Monday

I have just put Cal down for his nap and with the many options of things I could and should do, I decided to shirk all of them. I am good at this.

Cal and I were reading this morning, basically every book he could find. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he knows his animals, sounds, and words even better than I had thought. I feel quite pleased with my small child. He very much pointed out to me a "horsey" and "mice." ???!! Mice? My heart swelled up with pride.

Yesterday he started saying "rice" and "toast", but my favorite still remains when he pats my face very lovingly and says "Mom-my, my mom-my" and smiles very big right into my face.

He is growing so fast. And still, no baby fever here. None. At. All. I will just enjoy the one I have.

So I'm obviously a crappy blogger. For some reason, I haven't been able to upload any pictures in the last few months, so I kept putting off posting until it was fixed. I give up. I'm posting anyway.

Curtis is into week 6 of his new job with the county and is really enjoying it for the most part. He is working very hard and likes being challenged. Okay, at home he is always challenged but in the workplace it is a new adventure.

I am now a full on stay at home mom which doesn't really fit my personality. I suppose I will start seriously looking for a part-time job soon. Real soon. I have started to become an amazing couponer though, which I'm quite proud of. I can continue my relationship with one of my true loves (shopping) and stock up our pantry while saving our family money. Yeah!

Cal is obsessed with the Sesame Street characters and has only recently discovered that I Tivo them. He now requests the "mote" (remote) to turn on "Buht" (Bert) and "Coo-kie". He has become quite the little parrot, much to my dirty mouth's dismay. So far, we're good, but it won't surprise me if he tells some little child on the playground something he hears me say while driving.

I am officially booked on a girls cruise to Mexico with my 3 sisters, mom and auntie this fall. I am super excited and feel badly for whomever dines at the same time as us. I have no doubt that we will be the loudest and rowdiest passengers aboard. I can hear the raucous laughter in my head already. Yay!

I think my child is awake so that is all the fun for today.