WEDDING PICTURES

Priscilla and part of Josh (Hey, they walked too fast and my camera was too slow)
The Brothers

The Sisters-in-law

John and Linda

Donny, Elaine & DJ

Melody, Lynda, Marlynda, Mike

The Brothers and Cousins

Our Table (those gorgeous rose are all real!)

The Bride and Groom

Bride and Dad

Bride, Mom and Dad

It was a blast,

Until next time,

Ciao Baby!

GREAT WEEKEND!

It turned out to be a great weekend!! Everything went absolutely perfect. Upon my arrival I decided to pamper myself, so it was off with my sis for a mani/pedi first thing. Then on to my favorite store......Sephora. Unfortunately, since I was flying, I had to show some self control, not one of my better traits. Then before we knew it, it was time to meet everyone for dinner. We had a delicious dinner at one of my favorite restaurants....Filippis. It is my favorite pizza place!

We stuffed ourselves and had a very enjoyable time catching up!

Saturday if was off to the wedding. It was so much fun getting to see relatives we rarely get to see. The wedding was wonderful and absolutely extravagant. It was at a beautiful church on the campus of USD (I think that's the university, I get them mixed up). The reception was held in downtown San Diego at the U. S. Grant Hotel. We were treated like royalty! I will post pictures in a separate blog, as I can't move them around in my blogs for some reason. We feasted on filet mignon and lobster, with some very nice wines to compliment the meal. The bride (John's cousin's daughter, Priscilla) was absolutely gorgeous. I would say we danced the night away, but that would be stretchng it......we never even danced once! But we did make it up until one o'clock.

Sunday, we kicked back and bbq'd at my sister's house. We ended the evening being overstuffed and playing Phaase 10 (card game) with Megan and Tim. I better let you know that Mego won, or I will never hear the end of it. That's ok, I'll exact my revenge in a couple of weeks when we all meet up at the condo!

Thanks to my sis for putting up with us and thanks to Daniel and Anna for a wonderful evening!

Until later,

Ciao Baby

MISS ME!!

SAN DIEGO!

Yep, that's where I'm at. Here to attend a family wedding. It is hot and humid here.....worse than Arizona because somebody (I won't mention any names) doesn't have air conditioning. This is when I actually miss my house!!! At least we are equipped to make it through all elements!!! Anyway, back to the point, which would be, I'm here, and you're not!!

Will let you know all the details and will add some pics when I get home!

Until then,

Ciao, Baby!

GOT IT!!

Just wanted to let you all know I got my new (ha! refurbished is more like it, I'm sure) DVR. But, I am a happy camper because now I have my TV back!!! It arrived safe and sound on Monday and has been put through all the "firsts" again. My recording schedule is back on track and I am ready to treadmill!!!

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

DIRECTV AND ZACH ATTACK

Don't Buy This!!!! Maybe you'll want to try Dish!!!

OK, it's getting close to the weekend and not going so well......Wednesday night I discover that my practically new DirecTV DVR player is broken......yes, broken! Hey, I need this when I workout! I call DirecTV and after being stuck on the phone for one hour with a girl that has the personality of a wall it turns out they are going to have to ship me a new one. She said it would take 2-3 days...which means 5 since you can't count the weekend. She assured me, well, as much assuring as a "wall" can give you using one or two words, that it usually only takes two days. Guess what??? I don't have my DVR yet. It better be here by Monday. Then, to make matters worse I go online and see that I was charged $21 to ship the dang thing! My blood begins to boil. I grab the phone and tell the rep not only did the girl last night never mention the charge, I had no intention of paying one red cent for shipping. I had purchased over $500 in equipment three months ago and one thing already went out, I could not believe they would have the audacity to charge ME for their crappy equipment. Well, as she was switchiing me to a different department I realized that I was way to angry to deal with these people so I ran over and threw the phone to John and told him to handle it. He did....charge reversed. However, when she started her next sentence with "our policy is..." she opened herself up to John's diatribe......she opted not to listen and just reversed the charge. At least they have one smart person working for them!!!

Friday we decided we needed a "Zach-fix", and picked Zach up and took him to see Ratatouille. John said it grossed him out to see a bunch of rats cooking in a kitchen. I thought it was ok, not great, and since this was Zach's second viewing he was not totally enthralled. I think he likes the previews more! After that we took him on a shopping trip and got him a couple of shirts and a swimsuit. John found a bunch of baby t-shirts on sale for our granddaughter that is due in December. Ever see a man shop for baby clothes, well let me tell you.........he just grabs a bunch, doesn't look at sizes or anything and puts them up on the counter. I told him he should check the sizes and figure out what season it will be when the baby is that age........well, he was having none of that, what he got was just fine! He even had two of the same shirts! Luckily, I caught that and sent him back to at least get a different one! Next we went to Peter Piper Pizza, where Zach and I managed to go through 100 tokens! Zach hit a good one that paid 450 tickets!!! That's my boy! Then we did a little shopping at Lowe's and Home Depot, looking for a new ceiling fan. They're all UGLY!!! About this time John and I were dead on our feet and Zach was still full of energy. We headed over to Trav's store where we were going to drop Zach off. We sat on a bench and waited for Trav while Mr. Energy ran around, never resting for a minute. I'll tell you what.......he makes John and I feel OLD!!! After dropping Zach off, John and I headed over to the Gourmet Room for Happy Hour and to regroup. Once we regained a little of our stamina we gambled a little and then listened to some music. John hit a Royal Flush and I hit six out of six on my keno numbers. We finally headed home and I was shocked to look at the clock as I was taking off my make-up and find that it was 2:00 A.M. Boy, that was a long day.

I am now going to finish off the weekend getting ready for my trip to San Diego on Friday. We are going to a wedding on Saturday. John's cousin's daughter is getting married so we are flying in for the wedding. I didn't stop to think when I made the reservations to fly out at 9:00 Friday morning that I would have to get up at 3:00 A.M. to accomplish that feat! I kind of forgot about the two hour drive to the Las Vegas airport, so next Friday will be another long day. We are looking forward to going and seeing everyone, so it will be worth it!!!

Until later,

Ciao Baby!

BORING WEEKEND/HEAVEN AND HELL

Hi All,

Well these pics should get your attention, and they pretty well sum up my weekend!

This was a pretty boring weekend. Friday night John and I went to the Gourmet Room because I was in the mood for some mussels in garlic sauce.......uuuummmmmmmm good! It would have been worth the trip if I hadn't lost my butt gambling. I have been getting very frustrated with gambling, as I can't seem to hit a thing. Unfortunately for me, and fortunately for JR, he has been doing quite well. The problem with that is I can't get him to go home......which usually costs me MORE money! It would actually be cheaper to hire a cab to take me to Golden Valley.......yes, really! Hey, one thing I did do before we started gambling is that I went to the mall and bought a piece of luggage I've been wanting. One thing I have learned.....pay cash for everything I buy down there, because if you don't the machines will just get your money!!!

Other than that, I did watch an interesting 20/20 regarding heaven and hell. Now I know this probably isn't a subject I should bring up in my family but I will anyway, because it really got me to thinking. Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? I decided that, deep down, I honestly don't believe in hell, but that might be because I don't really have to think about it because I lead a pretty normal life. Now, heaven, I'm not so sure about. Sometimes I believe in heaven, sometimes I don't. I mean once we're dead, we're dead. Does your soul really go somewhere? If there is this big wonderful place called heaven, what do we look like when we get there? Do we revert back to the "best and healthiest" time in our life? Do we look the way we did the day we died? Hey, I need to know what the people I'm looking for will look like when I get there! Now, I'm not what you would call religious, but I certainly believe in God. I have prayed daily for just about my entire life. Do I believe I have to go to a specific place to do this....No. Do I need to attend church so someone can try and convince me there is a heaven and hell.....nope, I can make up my own mind. But then I ask myself, if I believe in heaven, then where do all the bad people go? I tell you this has opened up some deep thinking on my part. I think I would prefer to believe that once we die, our life is over, period. I mean, look around you, for some people this is hell on earth. Neglected, abused children, homeless people, victims of crime, etc. I mean, come on, don't you think this is hell for these people?

Is there an underbelly? Do we repent for our sins. I don't know......I think we just live life the best we can. Do we all make mistakes, sure. Do we have to repent......I don't think so. Now, I'm not talking about murderers, but then I don't think you can just ask for forgiveness for a heinous crime and say that you have found God and you are forgiven. That just shouldn't happen in my book!

There were people on the show that have had near death experiences.....another interesting subject. Now I don't want to find out if there are near death experiences, because I don't want to ever come that close to death! When I do die, if I get a choice, I will take that beautful white light that people say you see, where everything is peaceful, and your loved ones are beckoning.....that's the way I want to go, peacefully!

Until next time,

Ciao, Baby!

PARTY HEARTY/HARDY (YOU TELL ME WHICH ONE)

Yesterday, we were invited over to our friend's house, Janet and Jerry's, for dinner and the fireworks. We arrived around twoish, and Jer said he was going to "make" margaritas." To our astonishment, they proceeded to drag out glasses the size of pitchers. Jer stated it would take him a while to "make" the margaritas, so John opted for a beer while waiting. Well, Jerry goes over to the counter and starts salting the rims. Imagine how hard that was with these size glasses. We actually ended up with a portion of the rim salted, the darn glass wouldn't fit in the salt container! He then pulls out a bottle of pre-made margaritas (top shelf, of course, only the best for OUR friends). Well it took a while to fill up all the glasses since Jer couldn't figure out how to get the pouring stopper out!!! But, as you can see below, mission accomplished!!

Now, I must confess, I toppled over one of these glasses when we adjourned to watch music videos in the other room. Poor John, no more margarita for him!!! Sorry, but it WAS his glass. After cleaning up that mess (I'll probably never be invited back, I mean imagine knocking over a margarita that size, it was like a flowing river) we watched a great music video by the Bee Gees. Now the great thing that comes out of all this, is that Jerry is going to help John put together a surround sound package for us. I can hardly wait to start music video shopping, I can already think of zillions of artists I want to get. Jerry then served us a declicious dinner of BBQ'd rib eye steaks.....succulent!! We had an amazing ceasar salad, and bread to die for, and the most delicious rice dish I have had in a long while. I must say this meal is not for dieters, because the reason everything tastes so good (bread and rice) is because it is laddened with butter and oil!!!! Oh well, I am telling myself, "you've been really good for the past month," while my "other self" is saying, "yeah, wait until you get on the scale tomorrow and weigh three pounds more!!!" Luckily, my first self won out! We then took a walk outside to see Jerry's sail boat, which has never been sailed in Mohave County!!! For those of you who don't know, sailboats are not a big commodity here, it's power boats!! We keep trying to talk Jerry into taking it on the river!!! He is scared he will become a laughing stock just towing it there!!! Well, it was a bit warm outside (probably about 118), so we all lasted about 20 minutes, which is pretty darn good. They have the most gorgeous pool and patio, it's a shame it can't be used more in the summer!!! It's just too darn hot out here!!! When I suggested John take his bathing suit, he replied "I'm not going outside......it's too hot!" Hey, so it's a little warm, buck up! We all decided to go back inside and watch more videos. John and Jer watched some Ray Charles, whom I do like, but I kind of like the groups better. I finally talked them into putting on the Eagles, which was fantastic. They then served us chocolate brownies, vanilla ice cream, and strawberries, all covered in a chocolate wine syrup they had gotten at one of the wineries in Northern California. It was awesome. The fireworks started and we all trekked outside to watch; they were quite enjoyable; however, John and Jerry spent most of the time complaining about the neighbor's light and the heat!! We then adjourned to the backyard to see the view from there. It was great, and the guys swore it was cooler because there was a "breeze," which consisted of hot wind blowing across your face!!! I returned inside and watched form the window because I couldn't miss the grand finale, that's the best part. Jan then served us chocolate with port wine (this was new to us). You take a bite of dark chocolate and top it off with a sip of port wine. It, too, was delicious, but I could not fit one more thing in my poor stomach! Shortly after, we gathered up our belongings and headed for home. We arrived safe and sound about 11:00 p.m. So, thanks to Janet and Jerry for having us over!!! We had a great time, and you certainly are the hostesses with the mostestes (hah, figure those words out?) Until next time....

Ciao Baby!

FOURTH OF JULY

HAPPY 4TH!!!

OK, feeling a wee big guilty because we are doing absolutely nothing today. I think it stems from my upbringing. I mean, come on, we always did something on the fourth. I remember when we were little, my Mom's side of the family all met at Grandma Silva's house in Coronado. We watched the Coronado parade, went swimming in the Coronado Pool, came back and ate Grandma's chili beans (best I've ever eaten), and Uncle George bbq'd hamburgers and hots dogs. I don't think we stayed for the fireworks, but I could be wrong. As we grew older and had our own families, activities varied. Sometimes we went to the Coronado Parade, bbq'd with my Aunt Flo, some went swimming, and some went to the air show, and then stuck around for the fireworks. Other 4ths we went over Donna's for a bbq and swim. Her family usually went to the J Street fireworks in the evening. Sometimes we went to Maggie and Sig's (JR's mom and dad) for swimming and bbq'ing. Anyway, the point is, we always did something! I mulled over having a bbq for a couple of weeks, but deep down didn't really want to do anything as I have to work the next day. I thought about inviting Trav's family, Sig and Tammy, and a couple of our friends, but in the end was too lazy to do anything. John and I will bbq our steaks and watch a movie. We are celebrating the 4th on Saturday with our friends Jan and Jer at their house. We are all hoping we will be able to make it for the Avi fireworks, which start at 9:00 and can be viewed from their backyard. John, Mike, Sig, Tammy, and I went to the firewords in Laughlin on Saturday. They were pretty good, and the weather was great, believe it or not, it was not too hot to sit out and watch them this year. Of course that was last week, this week it is about 115 or 120 down there!!! After the fireworks we listened to a band (The Matrix) at the Aquarius. They were really good and we all had a great time. I guess I will count that as our 4th of July celebration, because it isn't going to get any better than that today. However, I have to admit, I like staying home and vegging out. It's just the guilt factor I have a hard time contending with. I did poll several people at work and they were doing the exact same thing.....NOTHING!! Nonetheless, deep down, I still think the 4th is a time for family and celebration; however, this year I will just live with the guilt and enjoy myself.

Did anybody do anything on the 4th????? If so, please share, and let me live vicariously through you!!

Ciao, Baby