Memories of a dear friend

This is a picture from our wedding. The man in the grey suit, Ron, passed away last Friday. We will miss him terribly. He became very important to us when my father-in-law passed away in January, 2004. He was a very dear friend of my father-in-law and took Greg under his wing when his Dad passed away. The loss of a parent is so overwhelming and Ron was always there for Greg to share memories of his Dad and to lend moral support to him when needed. He was a man so full of life, love, and laughter.

We will miss you, Ron. We are praying for your family and loved ones that they may find peace in the months to come. We know they have so many wonderful memories with you that will help them get through this difficult time. We also know we have another special angel in Heaven looking out for us.

My husband

Oh yea, this guy deserves honorable mention, as well. This is my husband, Greg. I showed him my blog for the first time last night. He thought it was "pretty good" but wanted to know where he was. Can you see where Sarah Grace comes by her love of being in the spotlight?!?

This is a picture of Greg and Sam on their way to a UK football game last fall. They are two peas in a pod. The day Sam was born, he looked EXACTLY like Greg. The doctors even laughed about it, stating they had never seen a baby look more like 1 parent. It seemed that I was merely an incubator all of those long months! However, I do think I can accept a little credit these days. I can definitely see a little of myself in Sam now (don't tell Greg...oh yea, you may read this).

Greg has always been able to make me laugh, even at times when all I felt like doing was crying. He has a terrific sense of humor. He is kind and loving, a good husband and father--is that good enough honey :)? I'm not saying it just because he may read this, it really is true. He is another true source of happiness in my life. We will be married 7 years on July 20.

Sarah Grace Star

This little girl is STILL sick. She developed a fever last Tuesday evening and we still have a fever today (1 week later). She has been to the Dr. twice and they assure me it is just "viral funk", but we have never kept a fever this long. It is a really BIG bummer. I hope she is feeling better soon.

These pictures were taken back in the Fall (2008) at preschool. Sarah Grace was "star of the week". As star of the week, you get to walk through this curtain which cheers, help the teacher, bring snack, pass out snack, sit on a star mat, be line leader,....you get the picture. Sarah Grace REALLY enjoyed being star of the week. Being the center of attention is always a good thing as far as she is concerned! She told me the other day, "Mommy, there is NOTHING better than a party!" and all of her expectations for her upcoming birthday party. This is a little worrisome for me because we kind of went overboard with Sam's this year....we had a family gathering on a Sunday, dinner out on the actual birthday, and a birthday party for his friends at the bowling alley.....I'm not sure if I am willing to go through this all again with Sarah Grace, but I'm going to have to figure something out!

Last year, Sarah Grace and her best little girlfriend (whose Mom happens to be a dear friend of mine) went out for their first pedicures (Moms, too!) followed by lunch at PF Chang's. I need to start thinking about this year......as she clearly is!

My inspiration

I am working on my page aLOT today....(this requires much child neglect on my part...please don't report me)--- anyway, my BIGgest inspiration is my Dad. This is his page, if you should like to visit---www.lexpage.com. He has recently finished his chemo/radiation treatments and we are very hopeful for a bright future for him. He will have follow up visits to the doc. this week. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Loves of my life.....

Food and Family

These are my 2 loves...food and family. This was my first annual Super Bowl Paella. Greg loves to take pictures of our favorite dishes, and I have to say my paella is really good. Cooking is one of my greatest passions. It is great therapy to me to spend time in the kitchen cooking for/with my family. I love to try new recipes and my current favorite cooking mag. is Everyday with Rachel Ray (that is not where I got this recipe). I also adore watching Food Network--probably could do this for an entire day (have never had this opportunity). I spend time on foodnetwork.com, too. I'm not sure what this says about me, but chopping is one of my favorite things. Some people find this very tedious, but I find it heavenly. If you have any chopping jobs you need help with, I am your girl! My other favorite thing to do with food, is to find a creative way to use my leftovers. This is one reason why I love to make soups. I can make a soup with just about anything (and no recipe). I made a crab bisque this weekend with leftover crab meat and leftover asparagus and spicy rice from another meal. It was a masterpiece if I do say so myself!

Love this picture!

I love this picture of Sam and Sarah Grace. It is not a current photo (as you can see), but there are some pics./memories that you just really want to hold on to. This was Sam's first day of preschool, and as you can see, I believe Sarah Grace was ready to go (and stay) with him. She really idolizes Sam and he is really sweet with her, too. I am not saying that we don't have our moments of rivalry, because trust me, we do. But, overall I would say we are blessed to have two children that truly do love each other and enjoy being with each other.

They used to hold hands in the car...Sarah Grace would say "Would you hold my hand Dammy?" (before she could say her s sound) and hold out her chubby little hand in his direction. He would then oblige for a short period of time until "his hand was tired". It is these little moments in life that I hope I never never forget. My memory is short these days, though, so hopefully, that is the gift blogging will give to me. It seems impossible to believe that we could forget these moments, but I know it can happen.