Today is Tuesday...not Friday, right?!

Wow...what a weekend...Friday and Saturday were spent up at my parent's house getting ready for Emilie and Brice's Kitchen Shower. Friday morning was actually spent having breakfast with Kristal, Debra, Julie & Maddy, and Becky at Egg Plantation. Thanks girls for including me...it was a great time catching up with all of you, especially you, Kristal! Friday evening was spent with Kristal, Shaun and baby Natalie at Chi Chi's Pizza...it sure was tasty (that was for you Kristal :) and then we all went up to my mom and dad's home for a quick visit. Saturday morning and afternoon was spent readying the house for the party. The shower was great fun and we had a good turn out. Almost all of their bridal party and groomsmen attended and some family on both sides. Brice's mom even took a 10 hour train ride from New Mexico to surprise the two of them! We had a great time, great food, and great music. My dad was able to play some tunes which I know was a good thing for him. Emilie serenaded Brice with a special surprise song...that she could barely get through. :)

And I would just like to mention, that I have an incredible hubby. He spent HOURS on Thursday and Saturday taking care of my parents front and backyards. He mowed lawns, edged, trimmed bushes, washed off patios and the driveway, hosed down the garage doors, and I sure a bunch of other stuff. He has such a good heart and I'm so thankful for his servant attitude. It means so much to me that he would be willing to do all that for my parents. I love you tons, Mikey.

My dad is doing better each day. He still gets tired easily, but that's to be expected, I think. He even ventured out by himself to the post office on Saturday and I sure enjoyed that 30 minutes of freedom. :) He has gone to 3 doctor's appointments in the last 10 days, and I think they are pretty happy with the results with all his tests. Please keep praying for his recovery and for the rest of the family to continue to get rest and keep up with the rest of the world!!

I'll post some pictures of the shower when I get them from Em...

Midweek Update on Dad!

Hello again...sorry it's been a while since I have updated everyone! Friday and Saturday, Emilie, Mike, Cole and I were gone for a wedding down in Santa Monica that Emilie and I sang in. Our friends Brian & Jessi Patten were married on Saturday at the Shutters on the Beach Hotel in Santa Monica and it was a wedding to remember! Saturday, my dad came home from the hospital and is starting to shuffle around a bit. On Sunday, after we went to church, we ran over to see him and he really looks good. He has started his medications and is having an allergic reaction to them, getting hives ALL over his back, bum, and legs. It is bothering him a little, but for the most part has been a good sport about it. On Monday night, he was able to get out in the back yard and show off his backyarding skills to show Mike the right angle for the lawn edger. :) It was cute watching the two of them figure "man" stuff out together. On Tuesday, he went to his first post-hospital doctor's visit and was enrolled in a medical study for his heart and the medications. Pretty cool because they will really be keeping a close eye on him. He is still fairly weak and is really tired all the time. He was however, practicing his guitar for this weekend...Emilie and Brice's co-ed kitchen shower. My dad is such an amazing guy and I really pray that he'll be around much, much longer. All in all, things are going pretty well. Side note, my mom found out yesterday that she'll have to go back to work part time on October 3rd. Not such good news, but we know that the Lord knows the best thing for her and my dad. Thank you all again for your prayers...keep them up, we know He's listening! :)

Friday Update on Dad...

Hello, hello. So last night Emilie, Brice, Cole and I were able to visit my dad. He was taken out of I.C.U. late Wednesday night and put in a regular room at Holy Cross. On Wednesday, the nurses got him out of his hospital bed and into a chair to sit up. I know he loved it because when my mom and I were down there, he had us rub his back and neck most of the time because he was sore from laying down so much. He has his own private room w/ a bathroom and shower which is really nice. Last night he was also sitting in a chair when we arrived and looked really good. I rubbed his back and neck again for a while and we just sat and caught up and watched a little tv with him, trying to just keep him relaxed. This morning, I got a call from my mom and he did okay during his second angioplasty procedure. The cardiologist, Dr. K., installed 2 more stents (they were only planning on putting 1 in, so that was kind of a shock to us), and repaired the same artery that they worked on on Tuesday as it had already started clotting again. :( They will be putting him on some medications to hopefully help stop more damage from happening and possibly repairing some parts of his heart. Dr. K. said that his heart is pretty diseased and it will be a long road for recovery as he will have to change a lot of things i.e. diet, exercise and stuff. They were planning on returning him to his regular room after his post-op checkup and letting him rest for the day. The doc said that he may be released as early as tomorrow afternoon, depending on his strength. Please pray for continued recovery and that the stents that they installed will do their job and help keep my Pop's heart beating for a long time! He's got a daughter to walk down the aisle in a couple of months and I'm sure more grandchildren to meet, hopefully in the near future!!! :) (No, I'm not pregnant right now) Side note...Em and I are singing in a wedding tomorrow and would appreciate your prayers for that too as with all the goings-on in the last week, we haven't been able to practice as much as we would have liked. We'll see how it goes! :) The rehearsal is tonight...maybe they'll fire us on the spot! :) Anyway, our whole family appreciates the thoughts and prayers of everyone and I'm still so thankful for how amazing the support has been through this whole ordeal! I'll give more updates when I have the chance or if anything changes. See ya!

Nightly Update on Dad...

Hi there everyone...I was able to go down to the hospital this morning with my mom for about an hour and was very glad to see that my dad was awake and much more coherent and responsive. He was actually bummed at my mom for not getting there faster and said he was worried about her. But was able to get about 4 hours of sleep over the course of the night. He didn't like his night nurse too much, but at least he's in good hands. They were able to have him walk over to a chair in his room in the I.C.U. and sit up for a while, which he was really happy about! His color was looking great and he was actually a bit feisty with the nurses while Em and Mom were visiting this evening, joking around with the nurses and stuff. :) His cardiologist stopped by to check on him while Em and Mom were in the room and said to them that he reviewed by dad's chart from start to finish and retracted his comment from the day before...he would have only given him a 5 - 10% chance of survival, instead of the 30% chance from yesterday if he had been at Henry Mayo because of the nurses and paramedics not being able to get a blood pressure reading (0/00) and only being able to get his pulse on his carotid artery. It truly is a miracle that he survived this ordeal and that he was there for me to hug today!! They are going to do his second stent angioplasty around 9:00 a.m. on Friday before they release him which we are very excited about. Please continue to pray for his recovery and for the doctor's hands on Friday morning when they do the next surgery. So far so good, but they warned us that there can be many complications from stents. I still can't believe that my dad had a massive heart attack...I just think it's still so surreal. It was really something out of ER that I would watch on tv, not something that would happen to my Pop! :) I'm so glad that the Lord was on his and our side yesterday and we are so thankful for the thoughts and prayers!!!

Out of the Blue!

Hello all - Some of you know...some of you don't, but here's what's been going on in the last 24 hours or so. My dad, Trout, had a massive heart attack yesterday morning. He woke up around 7:30 a.m. and told my mom, who just so happened to have just walked in the room, that he wasn't feeling great. He went to the bathroom, came back into the bedroom, and sat there saying, "Wow, I really don't feel good." My mom then asked him to explain what he was feeling and he said, "Well, my chest hurts a ton, I feel a lot of pressure and I'm loosing feeling in my arms and my legs. In fact, my neck is feeling really weird too!" Well, my mom having worked with the school district for the last 17 years, knew that these were all the "classic" heart attack symptoms and signs so she right away called 911 and gave him an aspirin. At this point, Emilie was in the shower getting ready for work and my mom came into the bathroom and told her what was going on. She cut her shower short and wrapped a towel around her and raced into their bedroom. She helped and sat with my dad while my mom waited outside for the paramedics and ambulance to arrive. They got there fairly quickly and came in to help my dad. When all these guys came in, they told my sister, "We've got it from here, you can go get dressed now." :) My mom called me before the paramedics arrived and told me, very calmly might I add, what was going on and I absolutely freaked out!! I immediately started praying that the Lord would have His hand in the situation and that he would protect my dad. So he was taken to Henry Mayo Emergency room with my mom. When my mom called to tell me where he was going, all she could tell me was that the paramedics said that Dad was very, very sick and he needs help fast. (Not what you want to hear, by the way!) Mike raced home from school and picked up Cole and I and we went over to the ER. They did some very quick preliminary tests and determined that indeed, it had been a massive heart attack and he needed better care than what they could provide. Meanwhile, the ER would not let Emilie or I see him at all. In fact, they only let my mom see him very briefly. The ER doctors told us that transferring him to Providence Holy Cross, although very risky, would give him the best chance for survival. Right after we arrived at the Henry Mayo, Ben Trehan, the pastor on call at Grace was right behind us and there with us the whole day. And my mom's best bud, Judy, was only behind him a few minutes! While we were waiting for the critical care ambulance to arrive for the transport, Todd Roughton met us at the ER and whisked Cole away and he and his wife, Summer, watched him all day. He was able to play with their two kids, Ashlyn and Jeremy and we were able to relax knowing that he was in excellent hands! Thank you again Summer and Todd. What a blessing you guys are! :) As my dad was being rolled out to get in the ambulance at Henry Mayo, Em and I stood outside and were able to get a glimpse of him and yell to him that we love him. He was coherent enough to wave to us and to take his oxygen mask off and blow his daughters a kiss. :) We all piled into our CRV and followed the ambulance down to Holy Cross. Katy, Mike's sister, and Brice were able to meet us down there too. He was immediately taken into the Heart Center there and had an emergency angiogram done to figure out what needed to be done and how much damage there was. The procedure (angioplasty) only took probably 45 minutes to 1 hour and the cardiologist, who just so happened to be Pastor Tom's and two other guys at church's cardiologist and an extremely strong Christian, Dr. Samuel Kojoglanian, came out and explained what had happened. My dad had a massive heart attack because his main artery going into his heart was 100% blocked, which they cleared and put a stent in to help, and his left anterior artery was 95% blocked which they will have to go in and repair with a stent either later this week or next week, depending on Dad's strength. He said by the grace of God he survived through just getting from the house to the first ER, let alone being transported in extremely critical condition, to the next ER and the surgery. Many doctors said that it truly is a miracle that he is alive and they would have given him a 25%-30% chance of survival at Henry Mayo and lower to survive the transport and angioplasty. The artery that was 100% blocked is called "The Widowmaker" because not that many men survive any major blockage in that artery. Pastor Geoff Beckwith and Pastor Mike Broyles made it down to Holy Cross just in time to see my dad after his angioplasty with all of us in the hallway. And Gary Catalde, after his terrible bike accident on Monday, even trekked down to Holy Cross and got to tell Dad to hang in there. Mike's mom, Michelle, told me later that God really must have had a tsunami of prayers between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. when the word was getting out to friends and family. My dad was then put in the I.C.U. at Holy Cross and that's where he is now. We were able to see him briefly before and after we went to lunch when we finally got something to eat thanks to Ben and Grace treating us. Mike and I and Cole went down later that night and I was able to sit with my dad for about 20 or 30 minutes and talk with him and rub his back and his arms and just remind him that we all love him so much and how proud we are that he pulled through with the Lord at his side! He even cracked a smile for me. He is still in critical condition, but is stabilized and they actually took out the balloon pump that was helping his heart pump this morning. My mom called down this morning and he is doing okay and is still really weak from everything. Apparently he didn't get too much sleep last night. Go figure with having about 7 I.V.'s in him, that balloon pump going up through his groin and through his femoral artery, and about 15 monitors on in the background. :) Hopefully he'll not be as nauseous today. He vomited many times yesterday which is never fun. Steve Lively and Mike Wilke also were able to come down yesterday and pray with Dad. Thank you everyone for your prayers and thoughts. I know the Lord heard them and please continue to pray that the Lord will continue to heal Dad and that there will be no complications with any of the procedures that they already have done and will do in the near future. And thank you for your generousity...everyone that we have talked to has said, "If there is anything that we can do, let us know." It's such a wonderful thing knowing that you have so many friends and family right there in times of need. Praise God that my Pop is still here today and he had survived this "out of the blue" attack. He has never had any heart issues and there is no history of heart issues, attacks, or disease in his family. Again, thanks for your prayers, I know my Dad feels better just knowing that he has so many people out there praying for him. Besides, he said last night that he needed to be well enough to play guitar at Brice and Emilie's wedding shower on Sept. 16th, and for sure well enough to walk Emilie down the aisle for their wedding on November 11th!! He reminded the docs of that many times yesterday! :) What a cutie-pie! I'll give more updates as we get them from the doctors!

Breakfast at the Koegle's

So I just had to share these pics from this morning...Grandma has shown Cole how to drink the milk from his bowl after his Cheerios are finished. The first SEVERAL times, more milk ended up on the high chair and Cole than in his belly. However, he has almost perfected this feat and is just so stinkin' cute!!! I think he's quite talented...what do you think???

T.G.I.F!!

Hello all...just thought I would jot down a few things! This week has been pretty packed! On Tuesday night, after Justin took off, Cole and I met up with Debra and Beast and we trekked down to Wana Iguana for some dinner outside on the patio. I had such an awesome time chatting with you Deb, and I feel very lucky that we are so close in proximity so we can get together often (hopefully!!). Mike started back to work on Monday after being off for his 2 week break from teaching summer school! It has been crazy and I pray that he just gets through next week as it is his last week of summer school at CSUN and going down to Northridge 3 nights a week! He is a stallion for taking on this crazy schedule!! The kids came back to school on Wednesday and he said the first day went really well. We spent some time in his classroom putting up bulletin boards, cleaning, and organizing on Sunday and Tuesday and I must say, the room looks great. He also made two new additions to the room...baby ball pythons! Cole and I went to visit and meet them last night and they are very cool! They are about 1 1/2 feet long and about 9 or 10 weeks old. I must admit that I was pretty nervous holding them, but I'll get used to it. While I was holding the boy snake, Cole came whipping around a corner of the classroom, fell and smashed his face on the not-so-padded carpet. He immediately started crying and Mike grabbed him up and blood came rushing out of his mouth! That was when Mike really freaked out and I put the snake back in the cage and ran to help. We're still not sure what exactly was bleeding in his mouth, but let's just say that Cole's shirt, Mike's shirt and some carpet has the proof. He ended up crying for about 3 or 4 minutes, while bleeding everywhere, saw the snakes in the cage and immediately started saying, "Turtles, turtles" and was fine. (Most animals these days are turtles to Cole) While he was recovering, he just kept saying, "Mama, mama, mama, nuk, mama." I tell ya, he just melts my heart when I'm the one to comfort him. He's such a trooper and a little boy. And I must say, he is quite the awesome sleeper. It's 10:22 right now and he is still asleep from last night. He'll probably get up in the next 30 minutes. He pretty much sleeps for 12 hours and we put him to bed at about 10:40 last night.. I feel so blessed to have such an easy child!! I have the day off from watching Justin, as his parents are celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary in San Diego this weekend, so I'm going to try and catch up on some stuff today and take the Colester for a walk to the park around the corner from our house. Have a fabulous weekend everyone!!!

Weekend Update...A Birthday, A Date, and A Wedding!

Well, it's been a whirlwind weekend, but an amazing one...so I'll try to be brief...well, maybe not! :) So here goes...

Friday, I had the day off for my 26th birthday! The whole day was planned out...we dropped Cole off at Lindsay's house and then went to Oats & Whey for breakfast...very much recommended...and then went next door to Illumina Spa for two whole hours of massage and facial bliss. Mike and I were treated to a couple's massage for our anniversary from my parents and we added on facials to the day so we could do the whole experience. Mike was pretty nervous about going, seeing as how he'd never been to a spa, but thoroughly enjoyed every second of it! It was SO awesome. Then we strolled, wait, floated next door to Accent Nails and had pedicures (and I had a manicure too) which was totally rad as well! It was a very relaxing day to say the least!!! We picked up Coley and headed down to Tierra Rajada Ranch for Mary and Kyle's wedding rehearsal. The day was beautiful and the rehearsal went so smoothly. For the rehearsal dinner, we drove a few miles away to "The Secret Garden," a french restaurant in Moorpark that was INCREDIBLE. They have a real "secret garden" behind the restaurant that was all set up with pretty tables and candles and so on...the Richardson's did a wonderful job. We all raved about our meals and the service was incredible! We definitely HIGHLY recommend the place if you are in that area!

Saturday...In the morning, we headed to Telly's for breakfast with my parents and had a great meal. The three of us went home, did a few things around the house to make up for the time out and about and then got ready for my secret birthday date. Mike had planned a special date for the two of us and kept it all a secret from me. We dropped Cole off at my parent's for the evening and then headed down the 405 freeway...and drove and drove and drove. We finally ended up in Costa Mesa, a city I've never really visited so I still had no idea where we were going. Well, we pulled up to a restaurant called Scott's Seafood Grill & Bar. Looked pretty fancy and indeed it was. We were seated immediately thanks to Mike's reservations and enjoyed some awesome food!! I had the BEST bowl of clam chowder soup I've ever tasted and we both raved over our filet mignon dinners. I did order my standard drink...a vodka gimlet...which most definitely was the strongest drink ever and I really loosened up. :) Something I don't do too often, that's for sure! Anyway, at about 7:45, I heard a bell ring in the restaurant and Mike got up out of his seat and said, "Okay...let's start walking." I followed him out of the restaurant and onto a path to the Orange County Performing Arts Center, about a 4 minute walk from Scott's. He had tickets for us to see "Celtic Woman." I'm not sure if you've ever heard of them, seeing as how they are not too popular (yet) in the States, but they are UNBELIEVABLE! It is a group of 4 women that sing and one woman on the fiddle playing Celtic music. HOLY COW, it was by far the best show I've ever seen. What a treat, it was the first time the group had been to this country to perform. I was SO excited and it turned out to be AMAZING! I highly suggest you head to Best Buy and pick up their CD...I know you'll enjoy it! Thank you Mike for a night to remember...it was SO much fun! :)

Sunday...Mary & Kyle's Wedding Day! :) Our friend Tammy did Kelsey's and my hair and it looked great...thanks Tammy again, you are awesome! :) Emilie, Kelsey and I headed to Tinna's house for makeup time and then got in the car to go to Tierra Rajada Ranch for pictures. When we arrived most everything had been done and the place looked incredible! We all got dressed and started taking pictures, then Emilie, Barrett, Tinna and I had a sound check for the song we were singing and then readied ourselves for the wedding. The day was so beautiful...we couldn't have asked for a prettier one! The days previous were some of the hottest days on record in Southern California and I was, needless to say, pretty nervous about melting in this outside wedding and reception. But it was perfect. The wedding went perfectly and Mary looked GORGEOUS! Here is a picture of her... And here's a picture of the adorable ring bearer and mama heading down the aisle... I must tell you, I was more nervous about this minute and a half, than singing or anything else. But, Cole did perfectly and sat through the whole wedding like an angel. I was a very PROUD mama! :) Here's a picture of Mary and Kyle after the wedding getting ready for pictures... What a handsome couple, huh?! And here's Mike and I and Emilie and Brice dancing the night away!!

All in all, it was amazing weekend. Lots of wonderful memories!! Congratulations Kyle and Mary on your beautiful wedding and we hope you have the best time in Hawaii!! :) Thank you to everyone that pitched in this weekend watching Cole so Mike and I enjoyed a great two days! Hope you all were not too bored reading this! Have a great rest of your week!

What's New...

Hello all...it's been a CRAZY last couple of weeks and the craziness (sp?) will continue for 3 more weeks! A few weekends ago we were able to see "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" thanks to my Grandma and G-Pop watching the Colester! We went with Jamie, Em, and Brian "Twin" Smitty. It was definitely a good time and I highly recommend the movie. It's a great one and LOTS of action scenes. Johnny Depp just plays the PERFECT pirate, does he not? :) After the movie, Em and I trekked down to David's Bridal and bought (FINALLY) her wedding dress...I can't believe she's getting married. She is going to look STUNNING in the dress she picked out. I vowed I would not tell what it looked like, but let me tell you, she is a BABE!!!

Let's see...we had Mary's bachelorette party on July 22nd and the 23rd up in Ventura and Santa Barbara! What a great time! We drove up Saturday morning and checked into the Country Inn & Suites right off of the freeway. I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking to stay in Ventura...the hotel room was very spacious and they served a full complimentary breakfast (eggs, hash browns, sausage, biscuits and gravy along with all the other "continental breakfast" items) making it worth it! :) We headed up to Santa Barbara to have dinner on the pier at Moby Dick's...and saw a breathtaking sunset from our table. And then we headed to Carpinteria for dessert at, where else, but Rainbow Ice Cream Shoppe! A favorite of Mary's and all us girlies! After that we went back to the hotel and proceeded to stay awake for hours and hours just chatting away! In the morning, we were RUDELY awakened by the alarm clock that went off at 6:30 a.m. with the volume turned to max on a radio station with static. I swear I jumped out of my pj's and then back into them. It scared the *%#& out of me! :) Well, I could not fall back asleep so got up and read and then took a shower, and got all the other girls up and headed down to breakfast. On our way home, we of course, hit up the local Starbucks, and headed to my parent's home where Mary had prepared a Bridal Tea for us! Actually, my mom and Mary's mom did most of the preparations...it was SO beautiful! And the best part of all, we got to keep our teacups as our attendant gift...very cute idea Mary! :)

Here is a picture of Mary's Bridal Party (minus Kelsey) at her Lingerie Shower that happened on the 8th of July!

Our trip to Big Bear!

So, I know...I haven't posted in a LONG time...I've been SO busy. Anyway, we (Mike, Cole, me, Emilie, Brice, Mom & Dad) visited Big Bear for our summer trip. This was about a month ago, so the details might not be there. :) We left on a Saturday morning, and checked in early evening. We headed to "Magic Mountain" which is their version of Mountasia but a little run down and they have this thing called the Alpine Slide. It's this giant track from the top of the little mountain to the bottom and you ride on a plastic toboggan. It's totally fun, but a little dangerous. My husband and Brice thought it would cool to go the whole way without braking and made it down unscathed...the first time. The second trip down, both bailed and HARD. They were hurtin' for certain!! Here's a picture of the boys showing off their wounds from the slide. But we all had a GREAT time. On Sunday, we went out to breakfast at this awesome cafe called The Grizzly Manor, and then hit the lake. My parents rented 2 jet skis and the "kids" rented a pontoon boat. We had SUCH a good time. I must say, Em and I are maniacs on the jet skis. We certainly had fun! My parents even got out on the jet skis and had a blast. The rest of the time we basically relaxed, played cards, cooked a ton of great meals, hit the pool and the spa and relaxed some more. It was a great trip! Here is a picture of Cole, while waiting for all of us doing the Alpine Slide, with the proof of his first header into the cement. The night before we left, we were out to dinner at the Halfway House and my mom took him for a walk outside to keep him happy. Next thing I knew, she came running in with Coley and a bloody face. :( He was just walking a did a face plant into the cement without putting his hands down. I knew it would happen eventually, but very tramuatizing for mommy too!!! He was totally healed by the next Saturday and you can BARELY tell where it happened. What a trooper!!! :)

Brice and Emilie...the future Mr. & Mrs. Villaflor!!!

Yeah...the engagement has finally happened!!! My sister, Emilie, and her boyfriend, now fiance, of 5 1/2 years, got engaged on Saturday night. I'm so very excited for them!!! Brice took Emilie out for dinner at the Olive Garden here in Valencia, and after they finished their meal, Brice suggested that they go for a walk out by the waterfall right outside the restaurant. So they went out there, walked around for a few minutes and Brice said, " Okay, we are going to play a game. It's called sit on this bench and kiss your boyfriend." So they sat down and Em kissed him on the cheek, and then Brice said, "Okay, the next part of the game is to stare at that tree for five minutes." Emilie was pretty confused, but went along with it reluctantly. :) She just closed her eyes and started singing to herself. (I'm sure she probably looked a little special ed just sitting there with her eyes closed humming.) ha ha ha. Anyway, Brice came back and she opened her eyes and told her that five 1/2 years ago, he read her a poem and asked her a question (when they started dating) so he read her a beautiful poem that he had written. (Em was already crying) Then he whanded her a piece of paper rolled up with a big fatty fake ring around it. She opened it up and it was a birth certificate for a build-a-bear that he created for her that was all dressed up in a wedding dress. She turned around to look at it, as Brice had put it behind the bench and when she turned back around, Brice was down on his knee with the actual ring. He asked my sister to marry him, and the rest is history. Of course, she said yes, and was very emotional. She and Brice are GREAT for each other and I'm so excited to have Brice in the family...offically. He's going to make my sister a very happy bride!!! Congratulations again guys...and Brice, nice job on the ring!! It's just what she wanted and she LOVES it! When I get a picture, I'll post it for everyone to see!! So, wedding central, here we come. Next month, Mary and Kyle, November will be Em & Brice, and Katy and Beau in February!!! It's gonna be AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

6 Random Things about Me!

Okay, I was tagged a couple of weeks ago by Kristal but have not had the chance to sit down and write anything. (Besides by previous posts!) I had to really think about it too...so here it goes...

1. I'm a bird-lover!!! I can't get enough bird-watching. I am absolutely fascinated at these awesome creatures that the Lord made. There are so many different species and colors and looks to them. One of my fav times is when I go to Mike's school, Bridgeport, and look around the little "lakes" there for birds. I have seen so many cool ones...black-crowned night herons, white egrets, red-winged blackbirds, geese with their goslings, mallards (ducks) with their ducklings, the list goes on... God was so very creative when he created animals and I'm glad that he thought to make feathery creatures that fly! :)

2. I'm married to my high-school sweetheart. I'm not sure if everyone knows that. Mike and I started dating when I was 16 and a junior at Saugus High School. We did break up a couple of times before we got engaged in October 2000, but for the most part, we were together for 4 1/2 years before we got married in April 2001. He is SO much fun and can always make me laugh. He is an amazing man and I'm so glad the Lord made a good choice for me. :) I love you, Mikey J!

3. I was a MAJOR tomboy growing up. My mom (the evil one) never let me grow my hair past my shoulders, so it ALWAYS looked really dorky and short! My 4th grade school picture is for sure the inspiration for the movie "Napoleon Dynamite." I have on a tye-dye shirt, and a perm with my short (we're talking short people) hair. SAD TIMES!!! Anyway...I loved playing with all the kids on my block, but always seemed to make friends easier with the boys. I was the only girl on my t-ball team growing up. I loved to surf with my uncle in the summers. I loved playing "war" with the boys on the hill behind the house I grew up in. I didn't mind getting dirty and rough. It was fun. I guess I'm still that way a little. My idea of a great vacation is going to Carpinteria State Beach and camping for a week!

4. My favorite movie is probably Jurassic Park...I absolutely love that movie. I know I went to see it at least 5 times in the movie theatre when it came out and I have watched it so many times, I know all the lines. It was the very first movie Mike and I watched on our surround sound system in our house. It definitely rocks with the surround sound. :) I hate scary movies...in fact, I really hate them. I'm a major weenie when it comes to horror films. I literally had nightmares for months, months people, after I watched "The Ring." Mike was pretty sick and tired of me waking up at night totally bawling and cuddling right next to him. Pathetic, I know...but they really screw with my brain!!! I do love action films, drama, chick-flicks, and suspense...but NOT horror. On the other hand, Mike's favorite category for movies would be horror...so sometimes it's a little hard choosing a movie to watch. :)

5. I have never really had a "best friend" in my life. I have had so many good friends, and friendships that I believe will last a lifetime, but no one that I have ever considered my "best friend." If I had to choose someone right now, I would say my sister, Emilie, hands down. She has always been a consistent friend to me and has always chosen to encourage me in everything, rather than picking on me. She is such an awesome Christian woman and I'm proud to consider her my friend above my sister! :)

6. I am a nerd, I ALWAYS have been and I ALWAYS will be. I have finally come to grips with that. I love reading, and learning new things. If I wasn't a mama, I would probably be in school getting a degree in something. I love the medical field. I love history. I love discovering new things. I love visiting museums. I love visiting historical landmarks. I love watching my kid "explore" and discover how to do things. And I love animals...as most of you know I have three, yes tres, cats. I'm crazy!

Nice hair, dude!!

Here's a picture of Cole and his awesome hair-do that I gave him while rocking him to sleep a few nights ago...rock on, dude!! :)

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Happy 35th, yes 35 years everyone, Anniversary to my in-laws, Bob & Michelle. Their anniversary falls on my dad's birthday, so it's very easy to remember!! Mom and Dad, praise God for getting you guys this far, what a great example for all us youngins. Mike and I pray that the Lord will richly bless the next 35 years for you guys and bring you many more wonderful memories together!! Enjoy your trip to Monterey next weekend...you deserve it!!!

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Happy Birthday to my daddy!!! My dad is so lucky to have his birthday on Memorial weekend almost every year!! To celebrate his birthday, my family...mom, dad, Mike, me, Cole, Emilie and Brice, drove up to beautiful Santa Barbara to visit the Santa Barbara Zoo. Cole's first visit to the zoo...and he really enjoyed it!! He really enjoyed being carted around and pointing out all the awesome animals to us! And there are a ton of just wild birds that fly over the park, we both were going crazy!! :) Here is a picture of the family at the Zoo. And there is a picture of Mike and Cole checking out one of the "Reptile House" exhibits. And if you are wondering about the picture of the giraffe...yes, it does have a broken neck. It's been that way since birth and is actually functions just the same as all the other giraffes, eating, playing and all that. Pretty unbelievable, that's for sure. The If you have never been to the S.B. Zoo, you need to go...not only is it a awesome zoo, but the landscaping and views are amazing!! And the weather is never too too hot because it's right next to beach. And it's not huge like the LA Zoo so you can view pretty much everything in about 3 hours or so. After the zoo, we drove down to Ventura to eat at Joe's Crab Shack, which was a pretty cool restaurant. The view was great too, the food so-so. It was a great way to spend Memorial Day with my family and my dad's 62nd birthday! Dad...I love you so very much and am so lucky to call you my dad and my friend! You are an amazing guy and are always so much fun! Here's to this next year...I pray that the Lord will richly bless it and many more to come!!! I love ya...Papua. :)

An Engagement!!

Congratulations to my sister-in-law Katy (Mike's sister) and her now fiance, Beau, on their recent engagement! We are so very excited for you both and are praying that the Lord will be in the center of your relationship! Both Mike and I will be in the wedding which is scheduled to happen February 10th, 2007. I'm pretty sure they booked the same church that Mike and I got married in, the Haven House Chapel...so cute and quaint! Katy and Beau actually dated in high school for a while and broke-up. They recently reconnected, actually at my birthday party last July, and have been inseperable since. Now here's the weird part...Katy is Mike's sister, Beau is the brother of Brice who is dating my sister Emilie. It's all one big love circle in these three families!! Pretty crazy how it is all working out! Katy and Beau, we love you so much and are again, so excited to be a part of this special day with you and all the festivities to come!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to my mama! (I don't have a great picture of my mom and I on the computer...since our other one crashed a few months ago.) Mom, you are such a wonderful, godly woman and I am so blessed to have you as my mother. You are amazing and thank you for always showing me so much love and devotion. I have so many awesome memories growing up and recently and I love you so very much. Also, Happy Mother's Day to my mother-in-law, Michelle. Thank you for always showing me love and accepting me into your family with open arms. It has been wonderful getting to know and love you for the past 10 years and I truly feel blessed to call you "mom."

And a Happy Mother's Day goes out to all my friends who are mothers. Lindsay, my sis-in-law, keep up the good work raising my nieces. Bev, Lindsay's mom, thanks for being another "mom" to me. Kristal, happy 1st Mom's day, and I'm so sorry that I can't give you a great big hug!!! I miss you already. Debra, happy Mommy-to-be Day...it won't be long before you are holding your little one in your arms and staring at the wonder God created. Julie...thanks for being such a great friend and continuing to be an encouragement to me and a role model for a mommy. You are a great one!! Sarah...happy Mommy-to-be Day to you too! We can't wait to see your little one! Becky, Happy Mom's Day to you, and soon to be doubled! Jody, Happy Mother's Day...thanks for always being such a godly example for me, both for a wife and a mother! Lori...Happy Mother's Day to you too! You are amazing and are loved so much. Thanks to you too for always being such a godly encouragement to me! Kori, happy 1st Mother's Day to you. Thanks for staying a friend all these years and letting me meet your beautiful daughter last week. And Morna, my cousin, happy 1st Mother's Day to you! Zachary is such a handsome boy, and I'm so proud of you and Steve! You are a great mommy already! Motherhood is so amazing and I feel truly blessed to call myself a mommy along with all of you!! I love you all dearly!

Teacher Tribute Dinner Night!

On Thursday, May 11th, Mike was the KEYNOTE SPEAKER, yes ladies and gents...keynote speaker at the most prestigious event of the year for all the Santa Clarita school districts. He was nominated by his principal, and then chosen out of over 130 first year teachers, to speak at this dinner in front of over 500 people. He was pretty nervous, but he did SO amazing. He had them laughing, sighing, crying, and laughing some more. After he finished, he received a standing ovation from over half of the attendees. Two other speakers that followed him said, "Wow, how am I to follow that?" and "I can't hold a candle to the rookie!" It was a great success and a high point of this pretty turbulent first year of teaching. He had so many, I'm talking at least 50 or 60, people come up to him after the event was over, and congratulate him, thank him, and hug him. It was a really fun night and so wonderful to see Mike in his element and do so well. I was definitely one proud wife and felt very lucky to be standing next to him. Here is a picture of him doing his thing!
And here's a picture of the program and our table's placecards...note the "Keynote Speaker" on Mike's! :)

5 Bumps on a Log!

Isn't this just so cute! This is Maddy, holding Natalie, Cole, Davis, and Collin! I still can't believe we got these children to pose for the 10 seconds it took to take the picture. This was taken at Josh & Jenny Blanken's house during the Sawyer Goodbye party. After church on Sunday, a bunch of friends got together to say goodbye-for-now to them and we had a blast watching all the kids play together. Such a hustle-bustle when there are so many kids together in one house. A great time for a not-so-great reason to get together. But, we will see Shaun, Kristal and their beautiful daughter, Natalie, soon. They are moving to Arizona this Friday as Shaun just got a great worship leader position with the youth ministry department of an awesome church in Mesa. Shaun, we are so excited for you and we'll be praying that the Lord does great things through your talents. We'll miss you guys like crazy, as we really feel that the Lord has blessed us with your friendship and encouragement. However, we know that the Lord has big plans for your family! God bless and good luck! We love you guys!

Easter Eggs Gone Bad!!!

Can you believe my husband? His cheeks are UNBELIEVABLE!!! Cole was laughing so hard looking at his daddy!!! This house is always a riot, I tell ya!!!