Happy Birthday Auntie Crystal

For only knowing this girl for 4 years she sure has been something super special in my life! I try and tell the story of how Crystal and I became best friends often, it's a great one! We worked together for a few years at work and said hi to each other but never really hung out. We had a mutal friend (Sarah) and she'd invite us both to hang out, a group of girls. One night we all drank way to much (well one of the mannnnny nights). Crystal was in the bathroom and needed a friend to hold her hair back! Jamie to the rescue! Little did I know that I was going to be in the bathroom holding my new bestest friends hair back! Since that night, Crystal and I have become better friends then anyone I've known in such a short amout of time!

**Best friends are the siblings god forgot to give us**


**Best Friends are the bacon bits in the salad bowl of life**


**The world is a tough place not to have a best friend**


**A true friend is someone who can understand your past, believe in your future and accept you for who you are today**


**A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out**


**It is never best friendship until it has gone through and survived some rough times**


** A Best friend is someone who knows all about you and loves you anyway**


**My best friend is the someone who brings out the best of me**


**A best friend is someone who picks you up when nobody else has even realized you'v fallen**


When Victor added another guy in our wedding party and I needed another, I looked at the people in my life and thought "Who will I still be talking to in 10 years from now"... I made the right choice and I'm happy with that every single day!


**A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half cracked**


**Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things**


Crystal along with my mom and sister never left my side at that hospital until I told them too! When Crystal inharrited a niece, she had no idea what she was getting herself into!


Alana's first look at Auntie Crystal


She's been there for her through all of her first and scares me to think they might hang out when Alana gets older...


Alana loves her Auntie Crystal and will always know how much she means to us!


**In my friend, I find a second self**


**It is the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter**

**Best friends don't let you do stupid things....alone**

Someone that puts up with me, and Victor.... And still loves us both!

Crys, you really have been there for me for every detail of my life in the last 4 years. For every phone call when I needed to talk to an adult, for every tear I just needed to get out when I lost my mom. You were there for every frustration or happy moment I needed you there for! I get to see you almost every single day, email you a billion times every day and spend so much time with you, and yet you still hang out with me. I am lucky to have sisters and best friends, but I want you to know how much you mean to me! Love you like a sister dork! Happy 26 years... many, many more years to celebrate to come!

Let's go Angels!

Alana made a friend sitting behind us that had one of those big fingers, so she kept her #1 up all night!



Martha and Paul invited us to the game with them! It was the craziest weather, it was 100 degrees out and so hot, but started sprinkling during the game... Hot and Humid!

Cheese!

Thanks as always my friend for a fun night out with you guys!

Country Night!!

This week's concert in the park in our city was Country night, a pretty good cover band played lots of great country songs! The fam packed up and headed out for a really nice evening of picnic style dinner and good company!



These girls are too cute together eating their strawberries!

Melissa and Ellie

Too bad this I was zoomed in to far to get this!!

Jacquie and her Beau!

Who owns these crazy glasses?

Me and my lexers!

Nights like these are priceless!

Only in California

**Where the grass is really greener**

I swear, only in California can we be sitting in the park Saturday night, freezing out butt off, to pool side on Sunday in the 90 degree weather!

Saturday evening we headed to Cypress to see my friend Martha play in a concert in the park. We got out the lawn chairs (for the second night this week), brought snacks and went to the park for a great concert! Martha plays the Chello and this is the second time I've gotten to see her in concert! She is very talented... maybe one of the most talented friends I have?? I love to watch her play!


Alana always enjoys time outside especially when she can run around or color but we can still listen to some great music!


Me and my Alana Rose

It got so chilly sitting out there. We bundled up to keep warm, she always keeps daddy warm!

20 hours later we were hanging out with some friends by the pool in the hot sun! Yes, only in California!! The pool was so neat, it was like the beach where it started like the coastline. Alana loved to hang out where she could sit down but still be in the water.

She also loved to hang out on daddy's head!

Or in his arms! She's such a daddy's girl. It melts my heart!

We had so much fun out in the sun and the pool Sunday! Can't wait to go visit again soon!

New Challenge!

This has been a fun yet challenging week for me! Having Monday off was great, but the rest of the week seems like a blur almost. I started full time at my "part time" job. I've been working normally about 25 hours a week which is part time. Getting off at 2, picking Alana up and heading home to clean, make dinner, all the wife/mommy stuff I do.... Tuesday things changed! For the better for sure, but it will take some adjusting. I now work a full 8 hour shift 5 days a week like most real jobs. 8-4pm. By the time I go pick up Alana and head home there isn't a whole lot of time to make dinner clean and spend time with my Alana. So we'll work it out and try to delegate some stuff around the house... because I LOVE my job and am so happy to be where I am. I honestly love the people and the company tons! My boss is almost one of the best I've had (anyone who knows Canfield, kinda hard to beat that), but she's close! I am a lucky girl and I know it! Things opened up here at work and now I'm a full time employee with benefits! YEAH for benefits! Since Alana was born and I left SunCal I haven't had insurance so I will be so happy to feel covered if anything should happen.... plus insurance now allows me to think of having another baby which is exciting!

Speaking of, Alana stays with Grandma and Grandpa while we work and now the kids are out of school she is loving it even more! Here is some video I took of her this week out front with the kids. They are teaching her lots of fun stuff. Remember Alana is 1/2 Mexican so she should be half way decent at soccer... haha.

Wednesday night we went to our first "Summer Concert in the park". Every Wednesday night they have a band in the park and tons of people come to listen, play around and have fun. We packed a picnic dinner and headed out. My friend Martha also joined us which was nice, she's always working so it was some nice time off for her. We brought lawn chairs and sat on the grass and ate and listened to music. There were sooooo many people there. We walked around and let Alana play in the sand. Great idea for summer nights... hopefully the next few weeks it will be a bit warmer in the evenings. Next week is Country music so I'm looking forward to it, leaving Auntie Crystal at home so her ears don't bleed... you don't know what you are missing out on... I LOVE living in the city of Orange, there are so many fun things to do and get involved in! Family outings are so much fun when we can just pack some food and head out!

Happy 40th Birthday!

My cousin Chrissy has always been like a big sister to me! She's always been there for me like a sister is. From my wedding, to my baby shower, to my birthday's to just about any party I throw or is thrown for me, she is always the one behind it making sure everything comes out perfect for me! She trusted me enough to watch her little Kali as she went to work every day, I needed a part time job and she needed a babysitter! Worked out so well for both of us! Kali and Alana are such great friends and love each other for the time they spent together! Chrissy has made my life as a mom so much easier, she is always the first to tell me about a good deal or show me what worked for her as a mom. She has been more then generous to me with all of Kali's stuff she grows out of. In 2 years of Alana's life I haven't had to buy her any clothes. I am very very greateful for Chrissy and how awesome she is to me. I am happy to have another sister!
Chrissy's birthday is the 4th of July and every year she gets to celebrate it with Fireworks and BBQ's. Sounds fun right? Try 40 years of having to share your birthday with Lady Liberty. We had to change it up this year for her big 4-0!! We tried and pulled off throwing her a surprise birthday party at my house! In April my friend Jen threw an awesome Hollywood like party and I thought Chrissy would love that so we ran with the idea! We called it a "Vintage Hollywood Cocktail party". The week before was spent in my back yard cleaning, and putting up lights in the tree's. I have said so many time I have such a party backyard and I LOVE it, but I wanted this to be super special for Chrissy. Victor, myself and Crystal and I spent hours making it perfect for her big party, Elvis and Marilyn and red carpet included!

Here is some of the gang waiting on the red carpet for her to arrive! Most people were really good and dressed up! It was such a fun party!


She was indeed really surprised! YEAH!!! I've never thrown a surprise party before, and it managed to stay a surprise the whole time!


I set up a Photo booth where we had fun props to take pictures with. Here are some of my favorites from the night!


Seriously, do they have to be this cute all the time?!?!

Chrissy, her mom and dad and grandma

I have the best cousins EVER!

Chris, her brother and sister in law!

Me and the birthday girl!

Chris, Jacquie and her boyfriend Donovan.


Me, Chris and Jacquie. We are hot!


Me and my bestest!

My best girls!

**Sester**

Me and my cousin Jen

My beautiful trees with the lights! It lite up my yard perfectly!

The red carpet entrance to the Hollywood party!

Too much drama with this beautiful cake, but super yummy and worth all of the drama!

Chris and her brother Kevin! Probably my most favorite picture of the night!

We projected black and white movies out on the wall in the yard to go with our theme.

This party turned out to be EVERYTHING I wanted it to be which was really hard because I had really high hopes! But with the help of everyone, we pulled it all together, special thanks to Aunt Jan, Aunt Toni, Aunt Shirley, Amber, Jen, Jen R., Jacquie, Crystal, Victor. I can't thank you guy enough for helping me with this idea and running with it! Happy Birthday Chris! I hope you had as much fun as we did planning it for you! Love you like a sister!!