My dork factor is off the charts!

One of the most painful things to watch was my birthday surprise celebration on video!
I LOVED it because it captured one of the beautiful days of my life.  But as I watched I cringed because I am such a huge dork!
I told Steve I feel like the chubby kid on the baseball team who makes tons of mistakes, is always distracted, and costs the team money and points.But he is having so much fun playing the game you don't have the heart to kick him off.
That's me! 
I am having so much fun and am just so thrilled that I get to play this game of life!
So thankfully my sweet family and friends humor me and allow me to be on their team.
The video revealed what I have always suspected. I dance like a girl who thinks she has rhythm, I don't cry pretty, and my hair goes flat in an hour after leaving the house. My voice goes into a weird pitch when I am over excited and I am a absolute social spazz. 
And this "dorkiness" happens to me on a much more regular basis lately ...

Last week I was carrying a rug and comforter to my car from Home Goods and realized my gait was off ? Felt sorta off balance ? So I looked down and had two completely different shoes on? One sandal was flat and one had a heel . I couldn't get to the car fast enough {which wasn't too quick because my hips were so out of alignment} 

The very next day I went to pay for something and my phone was in my purse?
THE HOUSE PHONE!
Yep my big ole black Uniden

Then just this morning I jumped into the shower without getting a towel. I normally wouldn't panic because there is always one hanging there, but I had gathered them all up to do laundry
So there I was...freezing cold with my shower cap on running down the hall to grab one thinking "God please dont let me fall and have someone find me like this"
I sure would love to be one of those sophisticated ladies who have it all together but  realize that will never be my life, so I have to find the humor in my own.
And I'm thinking I am providing humor for many more people who are way to sweet to ever stop to ask me " mam did you know.......

And when you see me ask about the Salvation Army drop off ! There are simply no words to describe what happened there....
Chloe and I almost peed our pants on the way home from laughing so hard

Wishing you a happy week  
Filled with love and giggles !

  

Memory Lane~

Christmas with the Greeks! And my sweet baby boys kneeling down in the front ! Sara wearing her sweet hat, and Chloe's darling smile. Kory being a ham because he is so much like his daddy! My beautiful momma surrounded by her grandkids with the happiest smile. And now I fully know her joy.
Some of the sweetest memories for sure...

November~

November.....
I am so glad you are here !  My two favorite months are outstretched before me and I am trying to drink in the joy!
But to be honest I have been struggling a bit...
I am having anxiety attacks for the first time in my life and I think losing my job and benefits have had more of a impact on me that I thought.Carter sweetly tells me to relax and just enjoy this season and I'm trying...
Then the anxiety comes back
I pray, read my bible and absolutely trust that God has our future in His hands. But the mind is strong and that nagging fear creeps back in.Gosh, I seem to worry about the world in general .There is so much uncertainty for so many people. Friends and neighbors have lost their long time jobs and some have moved to other states in hope of a fresh start. Poor New York doesn't even have their  power restored and so many have lost everything they had. I even worry about the upcoming election.I desperately want my candidate to win!
All these adult issues that you suddenly realize are more important than ever before.
Sometimes getting older is tough. I want to sit on the kitchen floor with my friends playing Jacks, watching Brady Bunch, smelling dinner wafting through the den knowing my mom was making us something yummy and everything was just fine. To be young and care free again! 

But so much good is happening too! Travis and Ashlyn have bought their first home and Steve has been working on it with the boys every weekend. They are making huge progress and having a blast doing it! And of course I go too for moral support and cookie deliveries 
It is going to be amazing when it is done!
What a view

And that Beckham gets sweeter and sweeter as the days go by...

He is pure joy and a constant reminder not to have a care in the world  !
He knows his Mommy&Daddy will do whatever it takes to make sure he is taken care of
We need to rest in that faith too!  The same God who has always taken such good care of us will continue to do so! How much more does He love us... His children
So even though we all struggle from time to time, I can feel the deep gratitude bubbling up inside of me reminding me to find joy and be thankful in ALL things!

Fifty Acts of Kindness

Fifty acts of kindness for my 50th birthday!
I read about a lady who celebrated this way and I thought it was so touching. Ever since I watched  Oprahs "random acts of kindness" show years ago the idea took root in my heart.
I just love surprising people with a sweet act of kindness!
I have paid for people behind me at Starbucks, gave my "buy one get one free" Egg McMuffin to the guy fixing the light on my street, and ran out to the mailbox to bring my carrier a ice cold water and a snack pack of cookies
The joy you feel is always such a blessing right back to you!
So for the month leading up to my birthday I decided I would find 50 ways to show kindness to a stranger ! To be honest I am still not done but enjoying it so much I lost count!
Some were big...most were small...but It has made me so happy to think of ways to be a blessing!
I remember being taught growing up , the best way to battle discouragement is to find a way to make someone else happy
God wants us to put others before ourselves and I think we all sometimes need that reminder
I know all too well that any good in me comes from Him!
We are all wretched, selfish people without the spirit in us prompting us to do good
So to God be the glory
I wont post all 50 but at least will share a few....

*The checker at Target was telling her friend she couldn't afford to go out to lunch so I gave her my gift card to Rubios

*We gave our waitress a 20 dollar tip "just because" { learned this from my brother Dave the biggest tipper in the world }

*I saw the U Haul in front of our neighbors house and they were working their fingers to the bone to load it up, so I ran inside and whipped up a batch of fresh peanut butter cookies and delivered it to them !  Moving is such a huge job but everything is easier with cookies

*Loaded a ladies groceries into her car at Winco so she could get inside and get her air going
She was so sweet and old I really should have told her to call me to do her shopping!

*Stopped off on the way to the Doctors for a pink bakery box of doughnuts for the girls at the office! That one quite honestly had the biggest response of joy. Guess everyone knows we shouldn't eat them but when they are a gift you almost have to  

*At the sprint store the line was so long and I could see a guy pacing and knew he was in a HUGE hurry, so when they called my name I let him go and I took his place 14 spots later. I assured him I had nothing but time and he was thrilled!  What's  fifteen minutes to me ? Nothing...but it was a blessing to him that day

My sweet Chad carries $5.00  "Jack in the Box"  gift cards and hands them out to the homeless people at the beach. { so much like his yaya who would always tell us everyone deserves a hot cup of coffee or a burger so she always carried McDonalds ones  }  So he influenced me to do the same....I have only given one at a red light but plan on making it  a habit !

I think this project has changed my thinking a little. To be on the look out for chances to jump in and be a small blessing to someone in the world where everyone walks by or averts their eyes to strangers

I have had this check on my fridge since my mom passed away. I found it when I was going through her things. And it is a constant reminder that we may not have a lot, but we always have some to share. She was on such a fixed income and literally would send a dollar to her favorite charities
What a example I had growing up of putting others before ourselves and knowing  that you can never out give God!
He will always bless you back ten fold  

I ♥ Instagram!

I just LOVE Instagram!
Pictures have always made me happy and there is so much joy in "seeing" the blessings in each others day!
I get to see babies growing up, friends sharing yummy food and my brother being silly in Tennessee with his sweet customers
It makes me feel connected !
I follow family and friends and love logging on and seeing the captured smiles of their everyday life
But the biggest joy not surprisingly are the pictures my sweet Trav and Ashlyn post of life with baby Beckham!
We don't get to "see"  him everyday but thankfully we can see a picture, and trust me Poppa and I just stare at them and smile
Here are a few of my favorites!  

Daddy practicing a presentation in front of a tough audience

Rub a dub dub 

Such a beautiful momma!

I love what Travis wrote on this one....

More little joys ! But they sure add up to a very thankful life 
My screen name is " YaYaKaren" if you want to follow my sillyness! And then I can follow you too
I would love to share your joys!!

So much fun !

We have been crazy busy but it has been such a BLAST!
We had the best time in Nashville for my nephews wedding. Then it was home for a few days and the Tennessee Krikacs came to see us for a week of post-wedding recovery.
We had way too much fun and my house feels very empty and quiet 
One of my favorite parts of being in Tennessee was hanging out with the kids and my family for five days. We stayed at a beautiful Marriott in Cool Springs. Chad slept in our room and we loved having a slumber party every night.
I have missed that boy so much and he is always so much fun to be around ! And it goes without saying Beckham was a joy the whole trip. The wedding was wonderful and seeing the kids and all the wonderful work at OUR THRIFT STORE was so heart warming as always!
Here are a few pics of the fun...

Martinellis Cider!

Then while they were here we went to the beach, the zoo, church, had massages and great meals. We visited with aunt Mary and saw the kids in San Diego  but this day was one of my favorites. Just hanging out and talking about life

I feel like I did when we were kids....
I could live with them all under the same roof and never tire of their company. We are so like minded and it feels like we belong together. I miss them living here more than anything but am always so thankful for our long visits and that our spouses are close as we all are.
My sis Sandy and I were talking about how overwhelming thankful  we are to have each other as family. We both got teary eyed just thinking about it.
Wishing you all a week filled  with joy and giggles ! The kind of joy that makes you choke up with thankfulness
   

The most magical night !

My sweet hubby pulled out all the stops! He did such a great job putting this party together without me ever knowing a thing. And it was a blast!! I honestly don't remember the last time I had so many people I love gathered together in one place
And that's what made it so special!
I appreciate every single person who came and also my dear friends who helped put it together. My friend Jackie worked her fanny off and her sweet son and daughter in law captured it all on video !  There will never be enough thanks to the Atwoods who hosted at their beautiful home and flew in my brother and sister in law ! It wouldn't have been the same without them and I guess they thought so too, so they secretly flew them here
Steve didn't know they were coming  until he ran by in the morning to drop something off and Dave opened the door! 
My favorite band,great Mexican food, flowers and balloons, a serenade from my sweet hubby, white cake with lots of candles, sweet generous gifts....
But the BEST gift of all  is having these great people as my friends and family  !

Surprise!!

I promise when I get the pictures I will share in detail about my Surprise 50th Birthday party!!
I think it will take me a week just to digest the joy and be able to write about it without crying
Eighty six of my favorite people in the world! Complete with a live band, amazing catered food, margarita machines, beautiful tables adorned with flowers that Ash made, balloons floating in the pool, bartenders making sure everyone was taken care of, all at the beautiful home of our dear friends the Atwoods!
Who FLEW in my brother Dave and sis in law Sandy just for my special day!

My hubby and friends pulled out all the stops and it will be a memory I will cherish forever!
More to come I promise !!
If I can come down off this cloud long enough to pack we are heading to Nashville for my nephews wedding!    
I know you all must be sick of hearing it, but I swear I am the 
luckiest girl in the world!! 

Memory Lane~

My sister in law sent me this today and I smiled remembering our trip to Sea World
Long before kids

Just a young girl on a date with her new hubby { the guy with the very tight jeans}

30 years this month.....
Look at this hunk of man !
I can honestly say I love him thirty times more today !

Bucket List Update!

When I shared my Bucket List  back in October of 2008 one of the items was    
*Visit New York at Christmas time 
Well this December, I am going to do just that
Chloe, Lindsay and I are going for 6 days and I can hardly stand it!
Steve and I were trying to go for our 30th anniversary but with our nephew getting married in Tennessee it was to hard for him to fit in another trip. Being the generous man he is, he quickly said  You girls should go! 

Chloe has been watching the flights and they went down so much we simply had to buy them!
I'm so excited I can hardly sleep
I have never been and my list of things to do has already begun....

Live with Kelly      Serendipity         Dash  
Statue of Liberty   Rockefeller Center  
    Dylans Candy Store       Elf the Musical 
The Rockettes          Central Park  
                     911 Memorial
             Cannolis in Little Italy...

All this fun while wearing mittens, sweaters, scarves and hats! It just doesn't get any better than that! Nothing makes me happier than being bundled up and chilly !
We would love your suggestions of places to see, and things to do ! Please share so we can add them to our list  

And to my sweet Carter, you spoil me rotten with this life of mine! I'm not working, driving around in the cute new car you got me and now you are sending me off for a dream come true!
I keep thinking my summer vacation has to end soon, but you sweetly tell me to enjoy every minute while you work so hard for our family. It doesn't go unnoticed and I promise to make it up to you by spoiling you with love and care all the days of my life....
And I promise we will go somewhere fabulous soon 
Just us two! 

Moms dinner night!

I have the best kind of friends, the kind that come over, bring yummy things to share, and then make themselves at home on my couches!

I have so much joy in seeing people happily doing nothing while talking and laughing under my roof!
My bunco girls have come over for this kind of fun and last week my moms dinner night friends did
We decided to make our dinner at someones home instead of a restaurant so we could chat more easily and not feel rushed.  It was wonderful!  We sipped Sangria, ate outside and laughed and talked for hours.
This is the group who all have boys the same age and we have been friends since the boys started kindergarten
It's so refreshing to be with people who accept you for who you are, don't care about the 10 20 pounds you've gained or if your house is perfect
We just love being together and getting caught up with life!
What a blessing !!! 
Come again soon girls and next time just wear your Jammies!

Where we grew up!

I was looking through old photos on my computer and found this one of the house we grew up in . It's a recent photo without the big tree out front ,and the paint is different but its still my childhood home

4482 W 133rd Street 

It always felt so big with a really long hallway! Looking back it wasn't but it sure felt like it then
So many childhood memories are tied to this old house...

My dad would drive up and honk his horn and we would all come flying out to see him

I remember my mom called the TV station and  Hobo Kelly told me where my birthday present was. She said "Happy Birthday Karen your gift is in the hamper"  And by golly it was

Our dog Zorba laid out on the grass and watched over us 

We had the VERY best neighbors and to this day I remember every single name 

Saturdays always meant donuts

We would ride our bikes through the alley to Thriftys for ice cream cones

Or to Food King for a "large white sliced" loaf of bread from the bakery  

The sweet man at "Toffels"  shoes let us kids come in and pick our shoes and my dad would settle up with him later

We loved records and would save our money for "45's" and run to Melody Music to buy them

My YaYa would come to help my mom clean and the house would smell like bleach and pine sol

We would beg to eat dinner on TV trays and watch Startrek, but were never allowed to watch  "Laugh In" because it was too racy

Our sweet Annie lived next door and she was the cuddliest, kindest lady who always had treats for us and plenty of love to give!

Adeline lived five houses down and she would hem and mend our clothes. She had the most immaculate yard and made Pazelles every year at Christmas

My mom insisted I have my own room with a yellow canopy bed and pretty furniture
I would spend hours in there reading Beverly Cleary books with my feet up on the walls
And I begged for a phone jack but it was never in the family budget so we all shared the yellow kitchen phone whose cord was stretched to the max  because we all wanted a bit of privacy

The can opener was mounted on the cabinet and every time our cat heard the clank she would come running!!

There was always a bowl of nuts with a nut cracker on the counter

The back bathroom had pink and green tile and towels all over the floor! My mom did more laundry than anyone I know and she never complained

But mostly there was so much love and joy in that house! We always had tons of kids over and lots of freedom to be young and adventurous .Sometimes I can close my eyes and still remember the smells and the sounds of laughter

I hope someday my boys will look back on their years in our house and have the same warm feeling! 
I think we may have been a little more poor than I thought economically but we sure never knew it. We had everything we ever needed! 
And that is the sign of GREAT parenting 

Joyful images from a happy week !

A few of my favorite moments this week.....
My friend Jodie had a BBQ / Chili cook-off party and it was such fun! For me one of the highlights was seeing Miss Kendal! Just like seeing Missy Franklin in the Olympics restores your faith in young people, so does this sweet girl. She is just the most loving, well mannered, faithful, life loving  girl ever! I remember when she was born and cant help but feel so proud of who she has become

This little guy just gets cuter and cuter! I got to see Beckham for a while this week and I loved every second of it. He now "sings" and his little voice is so high and cute! He has the chubbiest thighs and they are what remind me most of Travis when he was a baby!
He is all smiles and has the sweetest disposition. 

I love a vase that Ashlyn uses at her house and have been on the hunt for one.It's actually a mint julep cup but I just love the simple beading and the silver color. So sweet Ash came home from her errands with one for me! So as soon as I got home I picked  roses from my moms bush and put it on my table. I LOVE it and I love her for being so thoughtful ~  

I met Thia Mary for lunch this week! We chatted for a few hours and I always leave smiling.
She has so many awesome pictures of stars that were candid shots from my uncle Nick. This one of Marilyn Monroe Dave loved , so he made Mary a canvas oil print and it is beautiful!
She was so thrilled to get it

Lastly I love this photo! I have not worn my original wedding ring for years. One night when my kidneys stopped working  and I couldn't pee Steve had to cut it off my finger. And he had to do it right that second!  So he used wire cutters and it looked pretty bad. We put it away and I have been wearing a newer,more stylish platinum set that he bought me.
But for some reason with our 30th anniversary coming up  I got sentimental and wanted my old rings back. So we got it fixed and picked it up on Saturday. I cried right there at the jewelers!
I flashed back to when we went to John Crandall jewelers at the Del Amo mall and picked it out together! They took a Polaroid picture of us and had it on their wall.Even after the kids were born I would stop by with them in the stroller and see it up there. I once lost the diamond out of the middle at work and spent hours digging through the broom trash and actually found it! So this ring and I go way back.
I love having it back on my finger where it belongs. Its not big, its not fancy but its sweet and
I love it!

All these pictures were taken with Instagram, my favorite app ever! It is so fun to take and share pictures with the people in your life. If you haven't tried it do so
If you have Instagram find me! I would love to see the photos of joy that make up your life
Wishing you all a wonderful week filled with love and giggles and snap shots of fun! 

The good, the bad and the ugly

That pretty much sums up my last weeks
The good...
The hubby and I took off for a fun play day in our new car. We had so much fun chatting and being together in the car with no distractions . We went out to Palm Springs and had lunch and did a little shopping. We also visited with my aunt Sylvia for a few hours. She was a RIOT!
She is so gorgeous and is 89 years old today! We met up a beautiful hotel and after about two hours she said " I probably should go park my car" So of course I asked her where it was?
She said " oh I always just pull up to the valet curb and tell the people I will be right back I'm just picking up some people"
She doesn't like people driving her Mercedes and she says it takes too long to get her car when she is ready to go?
Now that is Greek 

Thia Sylvia~

But she is so darling ,spry and totally with it. I have interviewed all the Greeks for a blog/book I am writing and she never wanted to sit down and answer any questions. But little did she know I am half way done after Saturday  

The bad...
It was one of the worst weeks I have ever had as far as pain goes. I knew I had two stones and the problem with them is that you never know when it will move. Saturday I was cleaning berries from the farmers market getting ready to go to some friends for dinner and cards. And within 10 seconds I was on the floor in agony. Thankfully my Dr lets me keep pain meds on hand so there is no waiting in a crowded ER for a Dr to see me.I can get some relief within 20 minutes.
 I was miserable for a day and half. Poor Steve just kept bringing me meds and water and looking at me helplessly.Well one finally passed on Tuesday night but for some reason I was not feeling any relief. So I went to see Dr McDreamy to find out why. He thought maybe it had scraped on the way out and that was the source of the pain or it was from the other one. So he sent me for a Xray to see what was wrong and that night I passed the other one

So here is the ugly....

Two horrid jagged rocks!
If only they were pearls...or diamonds...
I am on such a search to find out WHY I keep getting these nasty buggers
If you have any advice, I am listening
I keep thinking about people who live in chronic pain and I truly pray for them whoever they are. That kind of pain is  
drop you to your knees God awful

But for today I am thankful for so much! I always have to end on a high note looking at my blessings rather than the bummers
And you simply cant stay discouraged long with this little guy in your life!
Happy 5 months Beckham Paul !  

YaYa loves this boy with her whole heart and then some..