Abandonment Issues . . . ode to Kerry!

Yet another MAS girl is picking up and leaving us behind! The nerve!! I was just starting to get used to NOT having Shanna around and then Kerry decides to leave us as well! Could we get a little consideration, here, people???

I know that this move will be great for Kerry and her cute little family, so I have to suck up the abandonment that I'm feeling and just let her go!

But, not before I share a few thoughts. Kerry: Mexican food is NOT the same in every other state. In some places, Taco Bell is about as close as you get to authentic. Coke at McDonald's SHOULD be the same . . . Let's hope! Target may be the same, but you won't be just down the street from me, so I can't ooh and aah over your finds, unless you blog about them! We will miss your stories about Target, getting fired, kids antics and everyday life. We will just have to read about all those things on your blog, and try to imagine your animated face. Forefathers will still be here . . . even if you aren't! When you come to see us, we can lunch there again! Keep those horsey stories coming . . . you should have a lot more material now! If you ever want to scrapbook with us again, you'll have to come to us . . . and hopefully very often!! (Free flight benies!!) And, you had better step up the photos, of U2, on your blog, so that I don't forget who their biggest fan EVER is . . . as if I could forget!! :)

I just want you to know that I love ya and will miss you. Thanks for making this time that we've had together a memorable chapter of my life. Your caring and consideration will certainly serve you well in your new "country" (that one's for Trevor!) and I wish you all the best!

Just remember this one last thing: "Life may not be the party that we hoped for, but while we are here, we might as well dance!"

Y'all take care! ♥

This Night will go down in History

That was how I tried to comfort Kayla last night, as she was sobbing, but still looking beautiful in her Mesa High purple cap and gown. We had just received a message from the high school that graduation would NOT be happening on the football field.

In the recorded history of Mesa High School, they have NEVER had rain on graduation night. (Okay, in May, in southern AZ, we don't usually have rain! Can't say NEVER anymore, now, can we??) So, they had to do something . . .

They split the class in half: A through K in the auditorium, L through Z in the gymnasium. And, only 2 people per student could accompany them. My sister, DeNeece, flew in from California, to go see her graduate, and my sister, DeAwna, flew in from Colorado, too. And, to make the situation that much more traumatic for Kayla, her boyfriend's last name starts with a "W"!!

After we tried to cheer her up, we took photos in the comfort and dryness of my sister's living room, instead of the traditional post-ceremonial photos on the football field. Then, Kayla, Karalee and MaiCee left for the commencement.

3 hours later, they returned, looking like drowned rats! Kayla's group had finished their ceremony half an hour earlier than the other group, so they all (family and friends included!) waited outside in the rain, for the others to finish. Then, they all met in the courtyard, in the middle of the school and sang their school song and then threw their caps in the air. (The powers that be wouldn't let them do it inside, some fire hazard nonsense!) So, they did all get to be together for that little piece of tradition.

The interesting thing about Mesa High Commencement ceremonies is that they always list the students that have parents, grandparents and great-grandparents who have graduated from Mesa High also. This makes for a VERY long ceremony, because they list them all by name. My family tradition, to this end, is that my mom graduated from Mesa High, 2 siblings and a sister-in-law graduated from there, and now, my parents have a grandchild that graduated from there, too. (That is them pictured above, with Kayla)

Anyway, this night will be remembered by many for different reasons, but for Kayla, she can remember that her Grad Night will go down in the history books, for the weather and for the "first ever" commencement that wasn't held on the football field.

I'm proud of you, Kayla! Go forth and conquer your dreams! ♥

You CAN pick your friends

. . . but sometimes they pick you!

I have been on this earth long enough to learn a few valuable lessons. One of them, that I keep learning very valuable aspects of, is friendship.

Some of my best friends, are family! My sisters I count as some of the best, as well as some of my cousins! Others are friends from so many years ago, and we can pick up right where we left off, whenever we get together. I love that!

Other friends are people that are placed in our lives by consequences: School, church, work, hobbies. While some of them only stay in our lives as long as we attend school/church/work with them, they definitely make the road a little more smooth, as we go! Thankfully! And, if they come around again, 18+ years later . . . "hey, good to see ya! Let's reminisce, and then go on and make new memories!"

But, if we don't make a connection and find common ground all those years later, it is okay. The purpose was served at the time, and we all learned from it and moved on. The moving on part used to be VERY hard for me! I used to think of my friends as a collection - once you got one, you must keep it around. People are different, though, than say, teddy bears! (Don't laugh -- I just barely gave away the last 2 big plastic bags full of my teddy bear collection!)

However, I have learned from my experiences, moves, opportunities called life that this saying is true. The saying goes: "Most people come into our lives and quickly leave. It is the special few that come in and leave a footprint in our hearts. and we are forever changed."

So, as I face a new day, and a new opportunity to make friends, I will try to remember that God gives us this day to be a friend and often gives us a friend in the same moment! And I am most thankful for that gift.

Somebody's having a Birthday!!

Today is Michelle's birthday! She is 29 . . . . again! :)

(It's not mine to tell, so you'll have to ask her the real number!)

Michelle and I became friends 9 years ago . . . because of scrapbooking! The same hobby that has made her an author and both of us a little obsessive about collecting supplies! (She wins, in the contest, though!)

I feel that I can safely say that she is my "sistah from anotha mistah". People ask us if we're sisters, because we act like it, sometimes, and since we have the same hair dresser who helps us have the same color hair . . . that only helps confuse people!

Anyway, Happy Birthday, sistah friend! I hope that you have a good day and a great weekend! ♥

A weekend worthwhile

As previously noted, my niece, Kayla, is graduating from high school next week! Don't get me started on how tripped out I am that she is old enough to do that!!

Anyway, my sister decided that we should hand-make 50 announcements, just so that they will "stand out" in the possible crowd of announcements that any given family may receive. "Okay, " I thought. "I like to scrapbook and create cards . . . we can do this!"

So, my sister found a layout in Michelle's book, LIFTED, and we . . . well, "lifted" an idea from it. (Go here - http://www.papertherapy.com/ - to see what I am talking about!!)

So, we went to the scrapbook supply store, picked out paper, got some ribbon, cut some circles, and then the REAL fun began!

Well, Kayla had her senior prom on Saturday night, so all last week, in the evenings, she was getting her nails done, tanning, finding accessories for her dress, etc. Karalee, who would be one of the workaholic Bailey girls, had to work every night until late. So, I got to hold down the announcement making fort.

I gotta tell ya . . . this was a lot longer process than I had expected. Not to mention that my original design had a bigger photo, and through some communication error, we ended up with a smaller photo. Therefore, I had to adjust the entire design to accomodate for the space that wasn't taken up by the photo. But, hey, we're flexible here, at KZ Creations, so I just went with it.

To make a long story short: THE ANNOUNCEMENTS ARE DONE!!! Woo hoo!! Granted, the envelopes still need to be addressed and stamped, and there is glitter on every square inch of my sister's table and dining room floor, oh yeah, AND on the dog (this is one of those "don't ask, don't tell" things!!), but they are done!

And here is a sample:

Kayla, I am so proud of you and your accomplishment! It's up to you, how you will succeed from here on out, girlie!

Congratulations!

Guy Flick Movie Night

Thursday night -- a GREAT night to go see a movie if you are all about avoiding the crowds!

My friend, Rodrigo, was in town on business, and he was sick of looking at the walls in his hotel. So, we went to see a movie.

I checked out movie times . . . I already knew what he would want to see! His wife, Debbie, will appreciate that she doesn't have to go see this superhero feature, if she doesn't want to!

First of all -- $9.50 per person to see this movie -- OUCH!!!!! No wonder people are buying more and more DVDs! It costs less to buy one DVD than to pay for 2 movie tickets! Then, add popcorn and sodas on top of that . . . what a racket!!

Anyway, I was suprisingly entertained by this movie. The inventions were clever and interesting and I would love to have just one of the many cars that Tony Stark has in his basement.

The computer graphics in this movie are excellent, mostly because you don't feel like you can see where it becomes all computer and where it is really the person. And, Robert Downey Jr. looks pretty amazing too! :P

The one thing that I might complain about . . . the volume was LOUD!!! When we walked out of the theater, it was like everything else was muffled, because my ears were still ringing with how loud it was. Aren't there legal noise limits, in those theaters??

It was fun to hang out with Rodrigo and catch up on old times. Too bad it wasn't a double date, with both of our spouses being in Utah. Thanks for coming, Rigo! ♥ ya, Debbie!

It's 2 post Monday -- why not?

Okay, as old as this makes me feel to say this, my niece, Kayla is graduating from Mesa High in 2 weeks! Yikes! Where did the time go???

Anyway, my sister had her kids' pictures taken yesterday, and I just wanted to showcase those, as well as the very talented lady who took the photos! Check out her blog:
http://jcphoto3.blogspot.com/ yep, those are my family members! I'm so blessed to call them mine! (And the handsome young man is the one who is now the EXPERT cheese grater . . . see post from 05/01!)
♥
Oh, and happy Cinco de Mayo! Enjoy some chips and salsa today!

My Weekend in Utah

So, I had another weekend trip. I flew up to Utah, on Thursday night, for a weekend with Jorge. He picked me up at the airport, and then we went to dinner. He is definitely a meat-eater, so we went to this restaurant that is a Brazilian grill/buffet. The servers bring big ole skewers of different meats to the table, and let you have a hunk of whichever one you would like. They also grill pineapple -- that is sooooooooooo yummy!

Besides going to Utah to see Jorge, I also went to attend this:

The conference was for 2 days, but I could only afford to take 1 day off of a work. (Not that I don't have vacation days, but there isn't anyone else to do my job, if I am absent!)

Anyway, it was a great little spiritual escape for me! President Monson was the concluding speaker, and he was just . . . . so darling and uplifting, in his remarks! It was truly worth all the effort of walking around on campus, and sitting in not-so-very-comfortable bleacher seats to be spiritually fed!

Friday night, after 3 nights of not sleeping very well (maybe anticipation of seeing my husband???) and a very long day on Friday, we were in bed by 9 pm. Yep, pretty much slept for 11 hours . . . but it was GREAT to catch up on sleep! Jorge had to work Saturday morning, but we had previously arranged to have lunch with as many old friends as could make it, on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Annette lives in Hyrum, UT, and she joined us for lunch. She has a van, and she helped me move my boxes of books, that still reside in Utah, from one friend's house to my other friend's storage unit in Orem. (Now they are 25 miles closer to me . . . ha ha ha!!)

So, we had lunch, we had conversation and laughs, (Photo to follow - after I get my camera back - I left it in Jorge's car!!!) and then we went to Orem. We spent some time with Michelle and some of her family for a little while, and then we headed back to Salt Lake.

Jorge had to work Sunday . . . he doesn't usually do that, but for some reason they scheduled him this weekend! So, I planned, with my cousin, Brooke, to hang out with her Saturday night, stay at her house, and then go to church with her on Sunday, while Jorge was working.

So, Brooke and I had planned to watch "27 dresses", which I had just purchased, on Thursday. I had unwrapped the DVD on Saturday morning, while I was talking to her on the phone. Then, I proceeded to put the case into my bag. Later, at her house, while we were gettin' ready to watch the movie, I opened the case . . . there was NO DVD in it!!!!! And, that realization led to an instant panic attack, because I no longer knew the whereabouts of the receipt!!!

After a moment of deep breathing, I had an idea! We would go to Wal-mart, and buy another copy, and then I would return the empty box, on Sunday, to get that money back. So, off to Wal-Mart we went.

We found the movie, and went to stand in the check out line. As we were standing in line, we were talking, catching up on one another's lives, when suddenly I saw something that made me stop and stare! Brooke wondered what the heck was my problem, but then I said, "LOOK AT THAT LADY'S SHIRT!" in a loud whisper. This is a facsimile of the shirt she wore oh so very proudly:

Okay, is it just me, or is that disgusting??? Granted, every single one of God's creations passes gas, because it is necessary for the health of our bodies! Gas happens, okay, I get that! But to "♥" to fart?? And then, to wear a shirt that says that?? I don't think I would wear it, even on a dare! Gross! And who thought it would make a great promo item to sell to the public?? YIKES!

Anyway, good weekend, but I will be much happier when Jorge is HERE with me, and I don't have to travel to see him! But, it was good to see everyone else! :)

Life Lessons - Cheese grating 101

Last night, my sister, Karalee, volunteered to color and cut my hair, because her paying customers cancelled. How could I say no to that?

Anyway, we decided to make dinner first, with me going to the grocery store for all of the makings for Taco Salad and chips and guacamole.

I arrived at her house at 6:05 pm, and Chase and MaiCee needed to leave for their church activity by 6:45 pm. So, I asked Chase if he would grate the cheese.

I encountered some resistance, at first. Really lame comments like, "My hands are really dirty!" Finally, to combat his lame excuses, I said, "Hey, if we all work together, we'll get dinner ready that much faster!"

He conceded that this was a good idea! So, I handed him the grater (similar to the one pictured) and the cheese. (Oh - he DID wash his hands first, don't worry!!)

I was busy making the guacamole and chopping the onions. But, after a few minutes he asked, "Can we spray "Pam" on this or something? This doesn't slide very well!" So, I walked over to look at how and what he was doing.

He was about half way through the block of cheese, but he was NOT grating cheese, as much as he was pushing the cheese through the WRONG side of the grater!! So, I struggled to keep my laughter in check as I asked him, "Which way do you have the grater. . . oh, Chase, you have it one the wrong side! Turn it over, and you will find it works a lot better!"

His response? "See, I told you that I don't know how to do this!!" He hadn't actually said those words, but I guess that is what he was trying to cover up with his other excuses!

I asked him, "aren't you glad that you learned how to do this now, instead of waiting until you're on your mission, and your companion laughs at you for being a dork??" He responded with a sheepish grin and a "Ya!"

He was a good sport about it . . . and he helped us eat dinner sooner! I love that kid!

Oh, and 2 other things to note: My blog had a birthday, and it went by unnoticed . . . by me!! DOH! It doesn't seem possible that it has ONLY been a year! I love it, though, and I am glad that I keep reconnecting with people that I know/love because of it!

And, sadly, my team has been eliminated from the play-offs! San Antonio truly is our nemesis -- we cannot seem to beat them in post-season play! Good for them, not so good for Phoenix! And, since when is floppin' on the floor and whinin' to the ref part of the noble sport called basketball?? I'm starting to think that the Spurs have mastered those tactics! (no, no bitterness here!! LOL)