Leaping Before I Look

I have been avoiding checking the mail all week. Not for what would be there, but because of what wouldn’t.  This year and all the years to come there will be no more birthday cards from Grandma.

She wrote everyone’s birthdays on her calendar that hung by the phone in the kitchen. She always sent them early so that you could enjoy them longer.

Yesterday, when I picked Noodle up from my mom’s imagine my delight when she gave me this :

Yup. Grandma made it.

Better than any Hallmark . At least in my book.

Our weekend started Saturday afternoon. We went to the resort to check in. Susan and I both requested that our rooms be next to each other. The room next to them wasn’t ready when we got there and Hubs didn’t have the patience to wait for that room so they gave us “the closest one” available to them.  Their idea of close and my idea of close are way different but hey at least we got lots of exercise! 

We check into our room and then wandered around looking for them. After a few phone calls they were nice enough to wander out and find us and show us back to their room. It took the girls about 2 minutes to warm up to each other.

It took the big people less time than that. We poured some drinks and decided to hit the pool.

The girls swam, Susan and I talked and talked like we had known each other for ever and the boys held down the pool chairs and ordered us more drinks when we beckoned.

After the pool we caught the shuttle back to our rooms to clean up for dinner.

The girls hung out and had pizza and we once again found ourselves stumbling walking around the resort looking for the restaurant.

It took awhile but we found it. We were seated just long enough for the bus boy to bring us water and take a quick look at the menu. No one will claim fault but someone ended up spilling water all over the table resulting in us walking out.

We once again found ourselves stumbling wandering around looking for another place to eat.

We found the stairs to nowhere and walked again for what seems liked forever only to find out we were right around the corner from the steps.

There was lots of laughing and lovin going on at dinner.

After dinner we hit the bar. Susan didn’t know it when she ordered her “draft” beer that “draft” means straight from the bottle but I think she still managed to enjoy it just fine.

Table for one

We eventually made it back to the room where the girls were fast asleep so we hung out in the courtyard (Susan went first to check it out for us and when it meet her approval came back to get the rest of us, sorry Susan) for awhile before we had to call it a night.

Sunday morning came a little too early for some of us but why sleep when you can spend more time with friends! We had brunch, took a few more pictures    and made plans to meet up later.

Later after some very bad directions (and O’s suggestion of just going back to the hotel and starting over) they finally found where we were going to be hanging out Sunday evening.

Olivia entertained her newly formed  posse

(she had me hook line and sinker as well, Fab-u-O indeed!)

The boys supervised dinner being grilled .

We did more of what we did best that weekend and consumed large amounts of alcohol yet again.

More of our weekend to come…..

I haven’t been around here much have I?  I keep telling myself I am going to post to the ol blog but never seem to get around to it.

Lets do a shortish recap of times gone by:

School is out!!! This is both a blessing and bittersweet all at the same time.  We have made the heartbreaking decision that Noodle will go to a different school next year.  I could go on and on about the reasons but it won’t change anything so its kinda just a waste of words at this point. I will say we loved, loved, loved our school for a very long time. We are confident in where she is going next year and feel we have made the best decision faced with what we were. 

Softball season is in full swing (HAHAHA)… actually it is almost over with hardly a word of it spoken here. Those of you who are my friends on facebook have gotten more than your fair share of play by play games several nights a week.  We are waiting now for the playoff schedule.  I am pretty sure we will make it to the championships again, playing the same team as last year.  As much as I would like to say “Its all about having fun”, its not anymore. The other team is mean and nasty and I would love for our girls to kick their sorry asses.   We do spend on average 4 nights a week at the ballfield so it leaves little room for anything else.

Grandma’s house did indeed sell and has now closed.  For the first time since the house was brand new in 1951, it will not belong to our family. I am happy that it did not sit empty for an extended period of time, but still get kinda weapy thinking about it all.  I know that I am so very fortunate to have had as long as I did with each and every one of my grandparents that I did (Noodle still has a great, great grandma on Hubs side!) but again, it still doesn’t make it any easier.

We had the.best.time.evah! over Memorial Day weekend when Susan and her gang came to visit.  You will just have to take my word for it until I can get around to posting pictures of our time together.  I wish we lived closer to each other so we could see them more often but one of these days we are going to go and visit them!

With that you are pretty much caught up with the happening around Casa de Mar.  I will try to be better about keeping up. Hope all is well with each of you.

This picture was taken 72 years ago today. 

This picture was taken on their 25th wedding anniversary. (Do you see my cousin standing next to my Grandma in the picture?)

May 25th was also Grandpa’s birthday. 

I miss them so, but love the thought of them being together again. 

I hope Grandpa is sitting  with his feet up reading the paper and Grandma is sitting right beside him with her crochet out. 

I love you Grandpa and Grandma!!

Although I didn’t quite memorize her travel itinerary as she requested,  I do know that they will descend upon the desert late tonight and by this time tomorrow we will be sitting pool side with drinks in hand!  *SQUEE*

I CAN NOT WAIT!

Sunday involves more time with the East Coasters and a meet up with some other great people for lots more alcohol fun! 

Monday if Ican drag my ass out of bed we will be heading out to the ol’ ballgame!

Noodle can’t wait to boss around meet Miss O and take her in the pool!

Is it tomorrow yet??

Have you ever done something that you knew was “wrong” but at the time seemed like a really good idea?

Then you did it and felt bad about it, but there was no way to go back and undo what you had done?

But then something else happens and it makes what you did make you feel really good?

* No one was physically harmed, no laws were broken, but dammit we sure got the last laugh!

As we were walking my parents out a few minutes ago, my dad  noticed this little dove sitting in her nest in the tree just off our front porch. 

Hubs said he noticed her about a week ago. 

I can’t wait to see if we get any baby birds!

To those who are waiting to become mothers and those who are already mothers – Happy Mothers Day!

A girl after my own heart!

My family is from Iowa. Do you know what people in Iowa do?  They are farmers.  More specifically – Pig farmers. 

My grandpa used to say pigs were the smell of money.  In our family it was.  

I am here to tell you, pig farrowing houses are remarkably clean. I would be willing to bet cleaner than most people’s houses.

The precautions they take to keep the sows and piglets healthy are mind blowing.

You have a better chance of winning the lottery than contracting the swine flu from an actual pig.

Please remember that pigs are some people’s lively hood. 

(I don’t know why but this is one of my all time favorite pictures of my girl).

We love pigs!

Grandma’s house sold.

I can’t begin to count the number of pictures that have been taken on this front porch. 

58 years worth.

I wish I knew what the first picture was that was taken on the porch.

I do know what the last one was.