I miss him already~

How lucky I have been for the last seven years to have a GREAT friend as my boss. We have become like a little family and he has been such a huge part of my life! Everyday the girls and I would walk with Kirk for coffee and start our day with giggles, teasing and supportive friendship.
He had a pretty rough patch in his life a while back and he often says its because of our love and help that he made it through.We have felt the same way numerous times. Having a boss that understands that you have a life outside of work and who will do anything to make it easier is such a rare occurrence.Well last Friday we were told he would be going to another store and I seriously felt like someone knocked the wind out of me.We all did! We quickly threw together plans for a little going away party and there were lots of tears mixed in with the laughs...
One of my favorite quotes is "here's to the friends who become family" And we feel that way about our group. So I know we will always keep in touch, I will continue to be "Auntie Karen" to his precious girls and he promises to come by at least once month for coffee. But it doesn't change the fact that we wont see him everyday, that he wont walk by our office and scare the heck out of us,we wont hear his (very off key) singing from his office, his Saints football stuff is all packed up, and the girls photos are off his desk. It is just too sad!
Kirk thank you for always being so darn fun to work for! We have been so spoiled by your kind heart and friendship.

Surprise!

I wanted to share a really fun birthday surprise! The Krikac's told me last Sunday that we were going somewhere fun...to do something fun....but I didn't know what ? So Steve and I left around one and drove to our old stomping grounds in Manhattan Beach. We drove through our old neighborhood and just loved being back down where we grew up.A while later Lindsay called and asked where we were, and it was then she told us to meet them at the "Comedy and Magic Club" in Hermosa Beach! We love to laugh and we love Jay Leno. Every Sunday night Jay does his stand up act there and the guy who opens for him is HILARIOUS! We got seats right up front and had such a blast! Our stomachs were sore from laughing! They served dinner first (which was amazing) and then the great show! We all had so fun. Auntie Carla joined us too which was an extra special surprise. Everyone is famous for something and she is famous for her tuna. Steve and the boys swear she makes the BEST tuna sandwiches they've ever had.So Auntie Carla being the precious lady she is, made a batch for Steve and packed it in a cooler for him to take home.How thoughtful and sweet! He loved every bite the next day.She is so young at heart and such a joy to be around. Chloe even made the drive after work to join us too! It was a terrific night! Thank you all so much for the super fun birthday surprise! It was a night we will always remember. We love you!

Honest Scrap Award

Kathy at "Happy Hour Somewhere"just awarded me the "Honest Scrap"~You have to share 10 HONEST things about yourself.Little scraps of information you may not normally share.No fluff just the real truth. But the good thing is I can now tag a few of you too! I bet postpartum Kaci would be a kick! She is so darn funny on a normal day but when you add in a little sleep deprivation it might get really interesting. Any of those cute Little's would be fun! So come on girls spill the beans.Chloe...Dave...Sara...Mel. And Miss Ashlyn you have been getting lots of good press around here lately so you need to chime in too. I did the "25 random things" a while back so I'll try not to repeat. A little worried I'm not interesting enough to come up with 10 more? But for you Kathy I'll dig deep....

1-A few of you already know that I carry cute little "Poopy bags" on my leash but its all for show! There is no way I am going to "scoop and carry" But in all fairness I do have a medical condition so I am excused(very weak stomach)Dave had the BEST idea to squat and put some rocks in my bag so I look like a good citizen and I thought that was genius.

2-I fall a lot! I seriously thought I had MS for a while.Yep nothing around but my own two feet and there she goes! My night crew guys LOVE to tease me about this. They have seen me fall at least five times and we only work together about 2 hrs a day. I am simply a klutz!

3-I love to clean my fridge before Trash Day! And then I go around the house like a mad woman looking for every piece of trash as if it will be the last time they will pick up.

4-I didn't have horseradish until I was 40 and now I'm addicted to it! We were at dinner with the Sullivans and Sandy smeared it all over her steak.I remember thinking "how does anyone eat that stuff" Well she made me take a bite and I was hooked!

5-I have a tad of road rage! I hate when people tail gate me so I purposely go slow and try to box them in. Steve swears one day I am going to get hurt but they seem to bring out my bratty side.

6-The smell of suntan lotion brings me back to when the boys were little and I would slather them up before they ran off to play.Coppertone brings back such happy memories and smells like bottled fun!

7-"Cops" is my new guilty pleasure and I blame my sis in law Lindsay. I was off Cops for a while until we watched it one night and now I'm hooked again. It is so crazy but so fun to watch!

8-I once helped a complete stranger give birth.I was my friend Jeanettes labor coach and after she delivered we were in the hall and some man was FREAKING out because his wife was crying and he didn't know how to help. My friend Paula said " you should let Karen go in, she's so good at this" He looked at me and said "would you please try?" Well 3 hours later I was still with her while she delivered.It was amazing and such a honor. I wanted to become a Douala for years after that. Childbirth is amazing to witness and that day I was blessed by two miracles!

9-I am ferociously protective of my kids. There were a couple events in their school years where they were wrongfully treated and the way I went to bat even scared myself! I can be an absolute bulldog!One of my boys was not allowed to go to the restroom and had an accident in his seat in 6th grade. When I asked him why he didn't just go he looked at me with those sweet eyes and said "I was trying to obey Mom" So he had to suffer the absolute embarrassment that followed. Well let me tell you that teacher heard it from me BIG time! Did my son have a habit of going to to the bathroom? No..Has he ever lied about having to go before? No..Well suffice it to say after the "meeting" with me and the principal it should never happen again. We just heard a quote for a movie preview that is exactly me. These kids told their friend he needed to "call in the troops for help" and he asked "do I have troops" to which his friend replied "you have your mom and shes a battalion" I hope my kids always know they have 'troops' and if it's for a injustice I will fight with everything within me

10-I can NOT parallel park! It drives me nuts and just last month I called Travis and asked him again to teach me.(he is great at it) I was trying to park at the farmers market and gave up because I was so embarrassed at how many tries it was taking me. I have been driving for over 30 years and I should be able to do this! Don't even get me started on curbs, I hit them all the time. My car is always needing alignment and Steve cant figure out why?

Well there you have it~ Your turn......Tag you're it!

Two words that changed the course of my life...

I was only nineteen when Steve asked if I thought we should get married? My reply was
"I do"

We were so young but everything within me knew it was the right answer.

27 years ago today we stood before God,our family and friends and when our pastor asked if I took this man to be my husband, I said with all my heart
"I do"

Do I still believe in my heart that Steve is the husband that God picked just for me ?
"I do"

Can I honestly say after all these years that I love him more today?
"I do"

It has been a BLAST being married to you Steve! Our home and kids have brought us so much joy! I have felt so loved and safe with you everyday,and we have laughed more than any couple I know. God has been so faithful to us and taught us the meaning of commitment and love. I have been incredibly blessed to be unconditionally loved by two amazing men in my life. My Daddy and you! What more could any girl ever want or need? You are my heart and I love you with all of it!

Do I hope to spend another 27 years with you by my side?
"I do"

Memory Lane~

I just love this photo of the "Greeks" That is my mom on the bottom with the white blouse and scarf...So darling.They have always been such a close knit family and I love how happy they all look here!

Top left~My Ya Ya- Thia Mary-Sister in law Mary-Uncle Mike-Uncle Pete-My Mom-Thia Teresa- Uncle Angelo.

A year ago today.....

A BIG congratulations to "Mr and Mrs Carter" on their one year anniversary!
You guys are the cutest, and your love for each other is precious! Ashlyn is so much a daughter of my heart that I still have a hard time calling her "daughter in law" The love we have for her is the same as we have for the boys. She is a perfect match not only for my son but for our family.We continue to thank God for bringing her and her amazing family into our lives.Their wedding day remains as one of the happiest days of my life! The presence of God was so tangible you could feel it, and everyone said the JOY was something they would always remember. We love you both so much and wish you the happiest day! Happy anniversary~All our love Mom and Pops

A perfect day...

I have to say having a daughter in law is simply the BEST! Miss Ashlyn had a little soiree for us last Saturday and it was fabulous! She sent out the cutest little invites requesting that we come for a fun beach day and BBQ to celebrate Steve's birthday, my birthday, Lindsay's birthday,their one year anniversary, and Chads rescue of the year award !! (*yes you heard that right, he was awarded this incredible honor*)
So we headed down to the beach for a day in the sun and surf,then to their house for a fun dinner. She is such a event planner and her love is always in the details. She made a wonderful baked brie with crackers for a appetizer then a fabulous dinner! Followed by a cake that was to die for, decorated with little pinwheels she hand made. They gave us thoughtful gifts and cards that of course had to be read later so I could cry. I just love seeing my son as a husband and he could not be any cuter running the grill and taking such sweet care of his family. He jumped up to grab Kenny and Lindsay's ice chest and chairs and carry them down to the beach after doing the same for us(This momma loves good manners) We played with the pup, sat outside and ate on their patio lit with candles and decorated with fresh flowers. All those girly touches that are so new to me and such a treat to enjoy (not to hurt the boys feelings, pizza and .99 cent burritos at their Piedmont house was always fun too) We had the BEST day and Steve and I drove home so incredibly grateful and proud.

My name is Karen and I am a dork

I figure admitting your problem is half the battle and clearly I have no trouble making fun of myself. I pretty much pour it all out here on my blog. The good, the bad, and the not even a little bit pretty. And I will be the first to say what a huge dork I am. Here is just one example from last week. This blog title should probably run as a ongoing post like my "memory lane" ones. Frankly it's scary how much worse I am getting.....

We had Hawaiian days at work for two weeks. Everyone wears their silly clothes and fake cheesy leis. Its just not my thing, plus I go in really early and am pretty much running the whole day. But after getting ribbed about it I decided to "get on board" I ironed my Hawaiian shirt, picked out cute flower earrings and off to work I went. I no sooner clocked in when I heard that Hawaiian days were over? Yep..they ended yesterday. Then I hear a nice "aloha" Karen over the intercom. Seems my mistake became the joke of the day. I would leave my scan cart and every time I came back to it there was Hawaiian bread, Hawaiian tropics suntan lotion, Hawaiian Chips, Sunglasses and Flower necklaces. Yep I got on board but it was the wrong board on the wrong day. Kim said I loved all the attention so much she was betting I would dress Hawaiian the next day too.You don't know how close I came to slippin on my grass skirt and coconuts....Mahalo~

Driving Miss Crazy~

For as long as I can remember my Aunt Teresa always rode in the back seat.They would pull up for family dinners with Uncle Jim in the front and there was Teresa in the back seat sprawled out reading magazines. I used to tease her all the time about it but she said she just loves it back there. She would take a pillow, put her feet up, thumb through magazines, file her nails and relax while Uncle Jim drove. Well fast forward about 20 years and guess who is driving "Miss Crazy"??
Yep....Steve.
The last three trips we have taken, I have been sprawled out in the back of his comfy "Big Daddy" Chrysler 300 C and loving it! It is so nice.....I have my own air controls, my pillow and blanket,and his car has really tinted windows so it's so cozy and perfect.I have my cup holder so I take my iced tea (with lots of ice & a straw of course) We still talk back and forth and share our snacks, but I am quite sure I may never ride in the front seat for long trips again. Teresa was right all along..It's the best! I occasionally will request a channel change or a new CD and my sweet driver obliges. The only awkward part is when we valet park at the hotel and they don't see me back there.When they realize he's not alone and I crawl out from the back I sometimes get a funny glance.(They probably think I'm famous)
There you have it...one more peek into the crazy life of the Carter's. Well the crazy Greek and her sweet patient hubby who just shakes his head and smiles at me. (through the rear view mirror of course)