Sisters' Weekend

So, I am in California, with my three sisters, 7 neices and nephews, one brother-in-law, and two very hyper little ankle-biter dogs.
Karalee, DeAwna and I, along with Karalee's three kids, piled into Karalee's suburban on Friday, late afternoon, to head to San Jacinto, California, to visit DeNeece, Richard, Daylyn and Kaitlyn.
The drive, in itself, was relatively uneventful -- unless you want to talk about the 2 hours that it took us to get out of the Phoenix area, because of traffic, a stop for dinner at In-N-Out Burger, and a "quick" stop at Wal-Mart! (Is there such a thing??)
So, we arrived at DeNeece's house around 11:30 pm. Of course, nobody was in bed before 2:30 am! We talked and laughed and shared photos and stories until then.
Saturday our plan was to get up bright and early, and head off to Oceanside Beach, in San Diego, by 9 am. HA! RIGHT!!! Thankfully, though, none of us had an agenda or a rigid time schedule to stick to, so it was just fine. We got to the beach around 12:30. It was overcast, but not too cold, and the kids headed straight to the water.
To me, the ocean is an AMAZING work of God. The whole life system that exists underwater, as well as the waves and the tide, and the way all those things work together. Beautiful! If I could afford it, I would have a house on the beach.
Today, DeNeece, DeAwna and Karalee are off to find a prom dress for Kayla -- Prom is May 5th. MaiCee and Daylyn went with them. I, on the other hand, am finding other things to do! I hope to be able to scrapbook with Kaitlyn as well as get some photos printed from our trip to the beach, yesterday. Kinda strange to not be at church, but that's how it goes sometimes.

My sister is here!

I am so excited that my sister, DeAwna, is here, visiting from Colorado! She was last here in October, but that was a quick trip for my cousin's wedding, so I am excited to spend more time with her, this week.

She and I, and our other sister, with her kids, will be heading to California, to see our OTHER sister and her family. Definitely planning a trip to the beach, for the weekend! Woo hoo!!

Also, DeAwna had yet to meet Jorge in person, so that was a fun introduction to make, last night. I got to introduce two of my favorite people to each other. (And I kinda forced them to hug -- sorry, DeAwna, but I know he wanted to hug you, and you may as well get used to his affection now!! Love ya, sis!)

Anyway, today is the day formerly known as "Secretary's Day", but since we are all WAY too politically correct, it is now known as "Administrative Professional's Day". I get to take my assistant and the receptionist to lunch. Fun for us!

Only one more work day in this week, for me! WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!

Weekend highlights

My weekend wasn't exactly full of interesting events -- although I did get to do some scrapbook shopping, before the big crop that I attended on Saturday night.
Jorge and I did attend a Special Olympics track and field event on Friday night. It was great to see so much enthusiasm and support in one place. One little guy, while running in the 50 yard dash, kept looking back to make sure his buddy in the next lane was still coming. It was so sweet to see that sort of team effort.
One quote, that I read there, really impressed me! It goes like this, "Success isn't final; Failure isn't fatal; Courage is EVERYTHING!" I really like that, and I think that I will find a way to put it up in as many visible places as possible, to help me remember that, and live accordingly.
Saturday night was a Scrapbook Crop that my amazing friend Shanna put on! I had been WAITING for that night -- Shanna knows how to throw a great party! She even had a DJ there. It was a completely therapeutic evening for me. (Even though leaving Jorge at home was a little traumatic for me! I'm a newlywed, remember!?!?!?!)
Sunday was a relaxing day -- we usually have dinner with family on Sundays. So, we were assigned salad, to bring. My sweet husband has been dubbed the official salad chef for the family. He cut up all the vegetables while I took a nap! Woo hoo!
Everyone loved the salad, of course. You're fabulous, Jorge!
Another week and only four work days for me!! My sister, DeAwna, is coming to town on Tuesday night, and we are going to play this weekend! Woo hoo!
Hey, two "woo hoo"s on a Monday -- that's a good sign!!

Movie Review Friday

Not that I will be reviewing a movie EVERY Friday, but I would like to! It's a little difficult when your husband thinks that movies are for sleeping through!!
ANYWAY . . . .
Last night I watched "Freedom Writers", with Hilary Swank and Patrick Dempsey. This movie is based on a true story. Students at a Long Beach high school, which was integrated in the 1990's, after the Rodney King riots.
I love movies that are based on true stories -- there isn't a lot of room for critiquing, you know?? You can't knock real-life events -- because they happen like they happen!!
Anyway, this is a truly inspirational story. If only all teachers could have the drive and love of the job that Erin Gruwell has, this world might have fewer wars and a lot more tolerance.
At times it seems a little choppy, like there are gaps in the story -- but I'm sure that not every moment of the 2 year period was movie-worthy, you know?
I was really glad that I liked it, because I bought it before seeing it -- which I don't usually like to do, but I had heard that it was really good. And I got a copy of "School Ties" (Which I love!!) with it, and the 2 together were only $20.00 at Wal-Mart!

I'm glad that I did!

Do you ever have things that you don't really want to do? Whether it is a favor for a family member, an assignment for work or church, or even attend a least-favorite cousin's birthday party -- I'm sure that this is not unique to me!
Anyway, my boss asked me to go to this Job Expo at the Phoenix Civic Center yesterday. Didn't really want to go -- had to go by myself! What fun is that? He wanted me to check around with some of the other employers and ask them what they do to recruit new people, and where they find the most success.
Well, we aren't really hiring right now, but he has visions of MUCHO work, and no employees to do it, because we have been so slow, and the production staff has only been working 25 - 32 hours a week. After 4+ months of that, who can blame a person for finding a different job??
Anyway, I wasn't really sure how to approach people with those questions, but, I figured that I could probably figure it out. Plus, one bright spot would be grabbing a burrito at Carolina's in south central Phoenix (Mexican food, made by actual Mexican people, that is to DIE for!!!)
So, I went. I bought my burrito to go, ate some of it on the way (which, OF COURSE, involved getting it on my shirt!!!) and then I headed off to the Civic Center.
After finishing my burrito in the car, I headed over to the Civic Center. ( I should have known that the parking was an indication of the attendance of the Expo -- next time I will know better!!) Okay -- LAME!! There were more people manning the booths than people looking for jobs. And some of them were like Mary Kay, and AFLAC -- looking for independent people and not really even a similar situation as mine.
So, I walked around for an hour and a half or so, asking a few questions about recruiting and asking a few questions about possibilities for my honey and my dad -- who are both in the market! Then, I was done -- not enough to stimulate my mind. But, I had heard about another job fair at Scottsdale Community College, so I could spend some more of my work day going there.
As I was walking out, I saw this girl, talking on her cell phone, against the wall, near the door. As I looked at her, I thought, "wow, she really looks like Trish!" (Trish is a friend from another lifetime of 14 years ago - darling girl, and I hadn't seen or talked to her in at least 9 years!) And, as I took a second look, she said, "HEY!! I know you!!" It WAS Trish!
We spent a few minutes catching up about mutual friends -- whose married, how many kids, etc. Then, she had an appointment for a job interview, so she had to go. I gave her my business card and asked her to call me.
It was sooooooooo good to see her! Sometimes I like the little flashbacks like that we have, to remind us of good friends and good memories! I like to think that every friend I have ever had has somehow touched my life for good. Whether it is just for a moment or for an eternity, each person has made a difference to me. And, I'm glad to be reminded of that, by seeing a familiar face in an unlikely place.

God works in mysterious ways

Yesterday, I came across as someone who has given up on mankind. That isn't exactly true -- I personally know LOTS of people who would NEVER use a gun to take another's life. And, my friends and I have been talking lately about what people can/should do to help others.
Today, as I humbly make this entry, I will tell about an opportunity that I had to help another. And, I mean this humbly, and I don't expect any sort of praise, and I am not boasting of myself, but am ever impressed with the opportunities that God gives us, to let us choose what we will do with it!
Anyway, this is how it happened:
My nephew asked me to take him to Wal-Mart, to get some ping pong balls. So, off we went. Jorge (my husband) was on the phone with a friend, so he was waiting in the car. My nephew, his friend and I paid for the items that we needed and headed out the door. By that time, Jorge was standing on the sidewalk, outside of Wal-Mart, still on the phone.
When I approached him, he said, in Spanish, "You have an opportunity to do some service today."
Questioning him with the look on my face, he replied, "A lady needs a ride. She was crying and said that she needs a ride."
I looked up to see a woman carrying a small child. I am like a Nazi (you know how that feels, Maddy!! LOL) about little children in carseats, so my initial reaction was "NO WAY!!" So, I said, "Jorge, we don't have room for them!"
He, ironically, didn't see the woman with the small child, and started questioning why didn't we have room. Let me further explain by saying that my nephew is 6'1, and his friend . . . well, not so tall, but these are NOT little boys!! Jorge started to explain how and why we should make room for this lady, and how it can work.
I take a second look, because he has said NOTHING about the small child . . . to see this little lady, pushing a cart full of Wal-Mart bags, and looking very distraught. My heart instantly melted, at the dismay on her face. I asked her, "Do you need some help? Did you lose your car?"
"I just need a ride!" she answered.
I asked for a little more information, "Where do you need a ride to?"
She said "Power road -- I just need a ride to Power road!"
At that point, I was a little confused, because we were at the Wal-Mart that is on the corner of Superstition Springs and Southern, about 1/2 a mile from Power Road. She started telling me about some landmarks that are around where she needed to go, some of which did not sound familiar.
So, we loaded her stuff in the trunk, made all the boys (Jorge included) sit in the backseat, and we were off! She was so worried about getting home, that she didn't even put her seat belt on properly . . . she just held it the whole time. (usually I'm a Nazi about that too, but she was already WAY stressed!!)
As she climbed in the car, she exclaimed, "You are with God!!" And proceeded to thank me again and again for giving her a ride.
I asked her how she got to Wal-Mart, and she said that someone dropped her off, and they were supposed to come back and get her but they hadn't done that.
We drove about a mile south on Power before she started saying things like, "Okay, there's the gas station . . . " etc. She said, "I'm strange here, so I don't really know too many streets . . . ."
(She was so cute -- I knew what she meant!)
Anyway, when we arrived at her daughter's house, she said, "I need to give you a hug!" (This wasn't very appealing to me, as she smelled as though she had been walking in the heat ALL DAY!!) But, I let her give me a hug, and then she said, "I love you! Thank you so much!!"
As Jorge helped her unload her items from the trunk, she said "I love you" again, and waved good-bye.
It was ackward for me -- who tells a complete stranger "I love you!"??? But, it was pure and innocent and came from her heart, as she was so grateful for the help that we had given her.
As we drove away, I got very emotional -- I could see my Mom, walking through the Wal-Mart parking lot, confused and distraught! I only hope and pray that if that day does come, when my Mom needs help from a stranger, they will reach out to her, too.
I really got a view of "if you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me" because my Heavenly Father wanted me to see that woman that way . . . as one of His daughters that needed my help.
I'm glad that my husband has such a big heart, that he helped me to see the need there -- he said, "Maybe I don't understand her English, but I think she need our help!"
Truly a humbling, reassuring experience, that God IS aware of what we need, and if we pay attention, we can be His hands, here on earth, to help and lift others.

celebratin' Maddy

Maddy -- from minute one of meeting her, she was as spunky, sarcastic, and outgoing as anyone who knows her will tell you she always is!
Michelle and I go way back, and have been friends for almost eight years. We have been scrappin' together that long, because that is how we met. But, in 2001, I decided to move to Utah, and Michelle found some new scrap friends, via 2 peas.
Anyway, in May or June, 2005, Kerry, Michelle and Maddy came to Utah, for CKU. I agreed to meet them for dinner in Draper, a suburb of Salt Lake, for dinner.
We met at Guadalahonky's, which is a Mexican food restaurant. At the door, when we walked in, there was a big sign, advertising their special, which they called "The Big Taco". Underneath this name was "Taco Grande", which is Spanish for "Big Taco". We kinda joked about how anyone who has ever eaten at TAco Bell knows what "Taco Grande" means.
Anyway, we sat down to eat, and we were all placing our orders. When it was my turn, I was sorta making a joke out of it, and ordered THE BIG TACO. Maddy made some kind of comment about me being so fluent in Spanish and everything, that I had to order it in English.
What she didn't know, at that point, was that I AM fluent in Spanish, (see Latin Lover reference -- we wouldn't be able to communicate, verbally, if I weren't fluent in Spanish!!). So, then I proceeded to tell Maddy that -- we all had a good laugh about that.
Since then Maddy has shown me what a great sport she is and how she can dish it out, but she can also take it! I love that about her!
And, did you know she has a son?? Just kidding, Maddy! ;) Love ya!

WHY????

There are so many things, in this world, that make me ask this question -- WHY?? And I know that others, especially in Virginia, today, are asking as well.
Why did one 23-year old man become so lost and angry, that he started his week massacring 32 other human beings, and then killing himself? Why did he feel that he needed violence to somehow make a mark on the world?
Why did he choose to make a mark against his own race, by letting loose with gunfire, in a part of the country that has been riddled with prejudice for hundreds of years?
In light of the ongoing immigration debate (read as "battle"), occurences such as this, and the shootings in the Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City, in February, by the young man from Bosnia, do NOTHING to encourage people to welcome foreign nationals to the United States. This is one of the GOOD reasons for strict immigration screening/monitoring. We, as US citizens, would like to feel that people who are allowed to come into the United States, legally, are here to enjoy the many freedoms that this country offers, in a peaceful, non-violent way.
I know that I would like to feel safe going to work, or the mall, or the grocery store, and not have to worry that some psycho with a gun is going to attack me. Those poor students who witnessed yesterday's bloodbath may not be able to feel safe for a long time.
I read some accounts of students at Columbine High School, after the violence in their school, in 1999. Some of them are scarred for life. At least one of them, because of what happened, later committed suicide, because they found no hope for the future.
I remember English class from Junior High -- learning about man's inhumanity to man. Yesterday we saw that displayed perfectly, as a "quiet, calm man" opened fire on random classrooms full of people.
Why do people do what they do? How does God watch all this happen? I guess the eternal law of free will or agency is the driving force, and unfortunately, every human being, regardless of their psychosis, gets to make their own choices.

Where oh where did my weekend go???

Is it just me, or do weekends FLY by, while the other days of the week, specifically those hours spent at work, crawl at a snail's pace???
I swear, Saturday was gone before I could get any housework done -- my husband and I joked that maybe we'll have time in June or July to vacuum! HA HA (That's not my favorite thing, but it is a necessary evil!)
Thankfully we are both of the "Sunday is a day of rest" way of thinking, so no housework (except for a few dishes) on Sunday. And neither one of us has to feel guilty or pressured to do that sort of work on Sunday. Woo hoo.
Last night, at choir practice, we were practicing for Mother's Day! I can't believe that May is already that close! CRAZY!! Maybe by this time next year, I can be celebrated, on Mother's Day, as a Mother . . . I can hope, right?? And keep practicing, wink, wink!
And then there is Monday morning -- I dread Mondays! I always have, except for the year and a half stint as an LDS Missionary, when Mondays were our preparation days, (aka day off from the usual workload!). Those Mondays weren't so bad!
But, even when there is a holiday on a Monday, that I don't have to be at work for, Tuesday falls right into that Monday spot -- lots of things don't go right, and lots of unexpected things happen. I guess that falls right in line with how life works, sometimes!

Grand Opening!

Don't we as shoppers get excited by those words?? Well, I decided to use them for the title of my first entry! OOOOOH, I'm so excited!
I have to thank all my MAS friends who have got me so hooked on reading their blogs that I've decided to have my own!
I am a huge believer in recording everyday events in life, even though I am not the greatest at doing it! Maybe this will help . . .