Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Say Cheese!

Took the girls to see one of our favorite gals and photographer, Crystal Linde owner of Crystal Ball Photography.
Seriously, you think i could snap that perfect head shot i so desire for our mantel but no, i need Crystal's magic.  She seems to be the only one who can  make my girls sit perfectly still, tilt their pretty little heads just the right way and do it all without a fake smile.  I am certain this was all accomplished today because the girls were "on" and pretty stinkin' cute!

So, you know if you hang out with me during the day, i am most likely going to take your photo.
Here is our Crystal who has been taking photos of all of our girlies since they were each 14 days old.
Crystal would probably be alarmed if she came to our home because it would be a shrine to Crystal's work.  I tease and say i am spending their college tuition fund on photos instead. :-)

Fake grins from Lily and Grace and who is this crazy
Bella girl?  Thank you Crystal for being the only one
who cooperated with me.

I think this is a FABulous photo of Lily!  Don't you?

Now i know what Crystal must feel like everyday.
How many shots must i take to get the perfect one?
Lily had nothing left for me after giving it all to Crystal.
After our photo shoot we stopped by the Children's Hands On Museum with our buds Marisa and Anna.
I forget how lovely our capital is.




BFF's who can't get enough of each other!

Hi Grace!
Yup, this is Grace's face.

Lastly, how can i forget today's smattering of snow!
It was pretty while it lasted.


Footprints from my morning run.
Told you Wendy was hardcore!





As you can see by my photos, i was in a black/white/sepia kind of a mood today!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

FUN frolicking with FAVORITE FRIENDS!

Have you missed me?
I've obviously been having way too much FUN to blog for the past few days but not to worry, i am back with a boat load of happenings to share with all of you!

It all started on Sunday night when my wonderful running partner Wendy offered to take our three youngins' overnight.  She didn't have to ask twice! :-)  Sent them over for the time of their lives at 3 pm and didn't pick them up until about 10:45 the next morning!

Jeff and i were able to visit with each other uninterrupted, have a wonderful dinner at Shenanigan's and then also do a little bit of after Christmas shopping at the mall while Wendy and the girls went to visit Winston and Edward, Jodi's (Wendy's older daughter) dogs, make cupcakes, have pizza for dinner, go to Fantasy lights, end the night with ice cream and start the morning off with Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes by Mr. Jay.  I don't think they had any fun at all.  Wendy offered to have them stay again sometime and Bella said, "For two nights next time".  Fine with me! :-)  They love Miss Wendy and so do i!

Wendy and i have been running together at 5:30 am, three days a week for over a year now.  She is the most faithful running partner and makes sure i am out there rain or shine and even in 19 degree temperatures.  She is hardcore and exactly what i need to get my sleepy head out of bed.

I met Wendy through her daughter Jodi. 
I first made acquaintance with Jodi through being a Bunco sub for her neighborhood.  We sadly connected on a deeper level after she and her husband lost their precious baby boy Anderson.  Jodi and i became friends on Facebook and i noticed a picture of her Mom Wendy on her profile.  Her Mom looked very familiar and i asked Jodi if her Mom ran early in the morning by herself.  I was in need of a new running partner as my sweet Marisa was losing her live in sitter and son Jonathan to college.  So i pretty much stalked Wendy on Facebook and asked her if she'd like to start running with me.  I had no idea what i was in for.  She had been running for 30+ years and kicked my you know what the first time.  I could hardly keep up with her but over time she trained me well.  We started running at the end of September 2009 and i ran my first 1/2 marathon at the end of November 2009, my 2nd 1/2 in June 2010 and then my first full marathon this October.  A lot of it was due to her faithfully keeping me out on the road.


Morning of my first 1/2 marathon in Seattle.

We talk, we laugh, we whine, we grumble, we cry......
Well, it's probably me that is doing most of the above, especially the talking, but i have to tell you, running with Wendy has been some of the best therapy for me.  Not only is she a great listener but she is a GREAT friend!  Love you Wendy!

I surprised the girls with the sleepover.
I told them we were just going for a visit to show
off their new DS games and Wendy had this note
waiting for them.

Wendy with the girlies!

Bella obviously didn't get the call to
wear her brown Uggs (Cuggs). :-)

At noon on Monday i was back to Wendy's house to pick up she and Amy, Wendy's younger daughter and my other running partner, for a shopping excursion to Bellevue along with my long time friend Victoria.  Can you believe Wendy came out with me after keeping my girls over night?  I guess they weren't too bad after all. :-)
I was introduced to a lot of firsts yesterday!  I went to Glassy Baby.  Have you even been?  They have these beautiful yet unique simple votives that hold tea lights.  Please read about the owner Lee here.  Now that i know the journey that brought Glassy Baby to her, i assure you, this will not be my last purchase.  All future purchases will be in honor of my Mom.  Indulge with me in a few amazing photos the shop let me snap.  Obviously i have a thing for green and cream.  They have endless colors of the rainbow that would delight you!


This is called Shaman.
This will go in our powder bath.
I LOVE it!

Look how the color changes with the
tea light in it.

One day i would love a window sill full of these.





We then hit up the Container Store and i was in heaven!  I really want to reorganize my whole entire home after being in there.  One day...one day!  After that we made our way to Crate and Barrel where i was hoping to find some screamin' deals on Christmas items and i did!  Found a pillow cover that i had been eyeing for quite some time.  Started at $29.95 and got it for $9.95 and found a wreath that i had been coveting from my friend Victoria's blog.  Regularly $49.95 and got that for $24.95.  Looks winterish and i plan on leaving it up through the end of January.

We finally made our way to Nordstrom where i did something wild and crazy!  Had my eyebrows groomed out of the blue!  Wendy's daughter Amy was having it done and i thought.....Why Not?  Had the Anastasia
treatment...waxed, tweezed, trimmed and lightly stenciled.  Felt like a celebrity!






Our tummies were grumbling after such a long stressful day of......well, shopping can be stressful! :-)  Rested our feet and filled ourselves with yummy food and goodies.  It was a fabulous day with my lovely friends!

Me and Victoria
But she will always be Vicky to me!
This is my LONGTIME friend of 24 years!  We both met working at Safeway in Lakewood.  Can you believe they hired children at the age of 5 back then? :-)
Vicky gave us THE most amazing wedding gift.  We were on a tight budget and had nothing to spare.  We were splurging on our wedding photos and thought a friend could just video tape our wedding for free and we would be happy with whatever the outcome might be because it was FREE.  Words cannot express how amazing our little video is.  Granted it was Corey Bogle's first, it is still marvelous and caught some very tender moments that we would've missed.  Visit Corey's website and use him....he will not disappoint!

There are so many words that come to mind when i think of Vicky.
Kind, Thoughtful, Generous, Giving, and Beautiful!
This is someone who NEVER forgets my birthday either, after all these years.
She has a heart to serve and has done more volunteer work for others than i think even my husband has!  Her biggest compassion is her heart for Juvenile Diabetes.  I don't even know how many times she has successfully chaired their annual Galla but it has done well through her amazing efforts of connecting with just the right people for such a deserving cause.

I started running largely because i was motivated by her ambition for 1/2 marathons.
I ran my first half with her and the my first marathon with her as well and i can't wait to run many more races with my dear friend. 
Love you V!


After completing the Seattle half marathon 2009.

Getting ready to head out for the Portland FULL marathon 2010!

Are these two of the prettiest ladies around?
Wendy and her daughter Amy otherwise known as
Me and Mini-Me!

Amy, well she was just along for the ride being Wendy's daughter and some how i miraculously got blessed by her friendship too!
Amy is an avid runner as well and we decided we would run the Portland marathon together this year.  Wendy trained with me during the week and Amy and I did our long runs on the weekends.  And how can you not become great friends after you spend 2, 3 or 4 hours straight together?   We had some bumps in the road, she had an injury that literally had her out of the game for three weeks and my sporadic trainings due to my Mom's health even had me wondering if we would be able to conquer the beast but we did, in the pouring rain and all!  And luckily she is just as crazy as i am and we are searching, along with Victoria on when the next race will be penned in on our calendar.

Like her Mom she is a good listener and lets me do a lot of the gabbing while we run.  Those who know me well are very surprised by this...NOT. :-)  But i tell you, my running partners are very inexpensive therapy for me.  Amy, not only are you a good listener but you are kind, fun and beautiful!  Love you friend!

Really, i have some lovely friends...inside and out!

And this is what makes us have to run in the mornings!
Today i was able to meet someone i've known longer than any of the above.  This a dear friend i was very close with in high school and reconnected with on Facebook.  So those of you who pooh-pooh FB, sorry, i think it has been a wonderful thing otherwise i would not have found my 'other Wendy'. 
I won't go all the way back to our high school days, as fun as those were, i think the present is much better!

This summer Wendy and her sweet little family joined Fircrest and we've been able to laze in the sun and visit with each other while our kids wear themselves out swimming like little fishes in the pool. 
As you can see, father time has been good to Wendy.  She has always been a looker and still is and are her kids cute or what? 

Today we were at Odyssey from 11 to about 2:30.  The kids ran wild, we chatted, ate their left overs from their lunches and chatted some more in between playing silly games for worthless little treasures that the kids adore.

Wendy i am so glad we've been able to reunite.
You know when a friendship is meant to be.  You can be apart for 20+ years and pick up right where you left off with such ease!
Pretty Mommy with her Daisy and Mac.

Grace and her special little buddy!

Da whole cute gang!

Love you Wendy!
Oh my life is full and so very blessed by my amazing friendships!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

wow...Wow....WOW!
We really had a great Christmas!
I don't have a lot to say except that i am still not showered and in the same jammies that i slept in last night.  Please don't judge me....I was having too much fun to take a silly old shower today!

Even though we got caught up in the commercialism of Christmas we did stop and ponder several times about the REAL meaning of today and what our celebration really should be focused on.
I think the card Jeff got for the girls sums it up best.
Below is the outside of the card and when you open it, Linus says;
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and good will toward men.
That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.
I could listen to that a million times.....

Happy Birthday Jesus!
Thank you God for sending the best gift we will ever receive!

I took 247 photos but will only pain you with these choice few.
Love, SuLee


We left Santa cake truffles. 
I think that is why he was so good to all of us.

Look at what Grace left for Santa and the reindeer....
and she claims not to believe. :-)

Our traditional cinnamon rolls.

New Christmas jammies.


Big gift for Bella, a DS game.

Lily can't believe she got a DS too!

Look what Grace got!

Well, she says she wants to be a Rock Star!

And the beloved puppy i got the other night.
So worth it for the smile it put on her face.


Hey, look up here at me!

Cheese!

Mommy got a matching hat too from Grandy and Sissy!

Daddy felt left out so Mommy let him wear hers for a moment.

DSs....kept our house very quiet today. :-)



Is this a good look for me
or what?

Mmmm....smells nice.

Jeff's favorite BBQ sauce from back east.
Way to go Grandy and Sissy!

Looks like Christmas kind of threw up in this room.


Throwing myself under the bus in this photo.
No shower, no make up and in my jammies!
I got Wii Pac-Man in my stocking and LOVED it.

She is just pretty!

Talking to Mamma Peggy like a big girl.

Silly little elf!


Only the best for Jesus...three layers!

See that sneaky Lily sticking her thumb in the frosting?

The girls going at it with Wii Just Dance for kids.


Daddy, your other right is
supposed to be up in the air.

I guess i was on the nice list. :-)
 Here are some of my favorite items from Christmas this year or over the years.

Grace made this in kindergarten and i LOVE it!

And look who else brought home one of my favorites.
It's hard to believe Lily will be bringing home one of
these next year.

I love this nativity from my sister Betty.

Don't you love kid crafts?

My new decoration.

Our mantel and the note that was left for Santa from the sitter.
Santa wrote Lily a note on the back asking her to be
better this year. :-)

From my sweet sweet Bella.
Probably my best gift of all.

You know me and my love for flowers.
Aren't these beautiful?


I received this for my birthday this year
from Jeff's Mom, Mamma Peggy.
I LOVE it!