Sunday Funnies....

It's been a few weeks for me due to vacation and whatnot, but I was excited to be able to link up for Sunday Funnies today with Kara :)

Happy Sunday!

Have a fabulous Day!

Back from vacation...

Hello friends!!! Long time, no chat. I have officially been back from vacation since Monday evening but have been swamped with work and household chores that I haven't had time for my little ol' blog. I am making time today to enlighten you all on how my vacation went. Basically, it was fantastic! More than fantastic actually. I was able to see more family in just over a week than I have seen in years. I was able to squeeze in time with a few good friends as well, which was way overdue. I will forewarn you now, this post contains tons of pictures!

We hit the road right after work the Friday before Easter, grabbed a bite to eat and drove. A VERY LONG DRIVE. We had decided to play it by ear and were debating on getting a hotel room around midnight, but changed our minds and drove straight through. Yes, we're a tad crazy. Just in case you were wondering. J and I switched off driving every few hours while the kiddos snoozed through the night. Problem is I don't sleep in cars. It's so uncomfortable. Needless to say we only got a few hours of sleep total but it was worth it. We arrived in Temecula, CA around 7:30am that Saturday after being on the road for almost 15 hours. Of course we needed naps but for the most part we were good to go. We stayed with my brother-in-law and his family for about 4 1/2 days, celebrated Easter there, and visited my sister-in-law as well.

We spent part of day playing at the beach with some AMAZING weather! Oh how I miss my days in San Diego.

Hanging at the Oceanside Pier

M with our new niece...isn't she a doll?

L and his aunt

We also were able to stop in to say hello some of our old Navy friends. Both of which were some of our closest friends when we lived in SD and they still are.

J's old buddy from the USS McClusky

One of my favorite people :)

We left the following Wednesday and headed over to Blythe, CA (my hometown). We were able to stay with my Aunt and her family which was awesome. She has 5 big tortoises that my kids wanted to feed every 10 minutes. Not kidding, they asked constantly. It was a blast for them. Thursday was spent playing at the park and visiting my favorite cousin and her new baby boy. He is so stinkin' adorable.

My cousin and I

That night we had a bonfire with family and played some fabulous games. I must buy Catch Phrase ASAP because it's seriously the best game. We laughed so hard! I met some fabulous friends and family friends for lunch on Friday at my favorite Mexican restaurant and spent some time with my dad, stepmom and little brother that night. Saturday was spent visiting with my dad and preparing for the big shindig that night.

My brother entertaining the kids

My grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and the party was a huge success. At least 150 friends and family members attended! It's pretty amazing to celebrate that many years of marriage these days and they are such an inspiration.

My aunt and I

All the grandkids (minus my little brother) with the guests of honor

Me and the hubster

Sunday was spent celebrating my great grandpa's 90th and my grandma's 80th birthdays. Tons of family stuck around for the birthday party allowing for more visiting time.

Papa and Nana with their great grandkids

Dad and his girls

blowing out their candles :)

I'm sure you recognize these two! My sister, Kara and cousin Casey.

Sunday afternoon after the party we said our goodbyes and hit the road to head back to Oregon. It was bittersweet because of course I didn't want to leave but was so ready to get home. We drove about 6 hours that night, slept in a hotel (a dumpy one at that), and drove 11 hours on Monday. I went back to work Tuesday and it's been a crazy busy week since!

I'm going to try to post a few things over the next week but the movers come to pack us up next Wednesday and we are officially moving in one week so it's pretty chaotic around here. If you don't hear from me, that's why!

Til next time folks!

Packing

This week has been a bit of an overkill in our house. Maybe not overkill per se. Just busy and a little overwhelming. Tomorrow after work we hit the road for a trip to Cali. I am ecstatic. We get to see so many family members in about 8 days. Our first stop is Temecula, CA to stay with my bro-in-law and his family. They had a new baby in February and are moving to NY this summer so the timing was right to visit before they make that big move out East. Plus my sis-in-law lives in San Diego too! Being that we lived in San Diego for so long, we have some friends in the area that we hope to say hello to as well. Mid-week we head on over to Blythe, CA (my hometown). I have not been back to Blythe in about 3 1/2 years. Crazy, I know. Living in Illinois for a few years and moving to Oregon has made it difficult and traveling with a family of 4 is pretty darn expensive these days. Which is why we are driving and not flying for this trip. Granted, gas prices are sky high. But, 4 plane tickets would have been insane. Not looking forward to the drive with the kiddos, but we will grit our teeth and it will be worth it when we're there :) I have tons of family living in Blythe and nearby that we will get to see and some of them have never met L and haven't seen M or J in over 3 years. Super excited! My grandparents are celebrating 50 years of marriage this month (amazing, right?). There will be a big party and family reunion of sorts, which is the main reason for this trip. It's going to be a busy but very rewarding and relaxing vacation for us.

Timing, however, has not really been on our side. We are moving. At the end of this month to be exact! Vacation is right smack in the middle of it. But, timing is never perfect, right? Right. Anywho, the past few days have been crazy. We finally found a rental and got that squared away. Thank goodness we don't have to pack up our house! The relocation company is moving everything for us. Woot, woot! I did not want to hunt down boxes and pack yet again for another move. I attempted to start packing for our vacation last weekend. Didn't happen. Too much laundry to do, got a flat tire that needed repairing (and has since needed repairing again and will be completely replaced today), and J had tons of homework. So, I have been slowly packing since yesterday and need to finish tonight. I am not a fan of packing. I overpack. Really overpack. I mean, how the heck can you decide exactly what you want to wear every day? I have a hard time with this. I usually bring way too many tops and shoes. J makes fun of me and begs me to put some back. I can't bring myself to do it. Even though I know some of what I bring will not be worn. I even packed too much for my kids. I may need to go through their bag again tonight to downsize. It's out of hand I tell ya! Let's hope I can work through the madness tonight and get it all done. I need this vacation.

I will most likely be MIA from the Blogosphere for the next 8-10 days. Sniff, sniff. But, I will try to pop in with a vacation update at some point. No guarantees. I will have the trusty camera with me and expect a big vacation recap when I get back with tons of pictures. Yay!

Happy Thursday ya'll! Have a fabulous day!

Sometimes & Always

I'm joining a new link-up today. I discovered Megan's blog, Mackey Madness recently and just love it! And I love reading the Sometimes and Always link-ups. So now I am participating :)

Here we go!

Sometimes: I wake up feeling well-rested and energized for the day.
Always: It's usually the opposite and I'm tired all day. Yuck!

Sometimes: I tell myself that I will start running on a regular basis. Like, really running.
Always: It doesn't happen. I end up doing videos in my living room most days, if anything at all.

Sometimes: All I want to do is sit on my couch all day and watch movies and veg!
Always: Life with 2 kids doesn't allow this to happen, and I usually find too many more important things I need to do with my time.

Sometimes: My kids make me feel so frustrated and overwhelmed that I want to hide.
Always: I remember that they make me laugh, smile and melt my heart more often than not and I love them more than the world!

Sometimes: I wish I could be a stay-at-home mom and wife forever.
Always: I realize that I really don't have the patience and need to work to stay sane.

Sometimes: I wish we had more pets in the house.
Always: My dog sheds and farts (seriously, dog farts are the worst ever) and I remember that I really don't want more animals around! Maybe one more dog so he isn't alone. Maybe.

Join the fun and link-up for Sometimes and Always!

Guest Blogging at StressCase

Happy Tuesday!  

It's a groggy, not feeling like working kind of a day for me. Blah. BUT, I have smile on my face......why, you ask? Well, this girl is guest posting over at StressCase today for her fabulous Why We Blog week! Happy 1st Blogaversary to you Casey :) Hop on over and check out why I love to blog and check out Casey's fantastic blog (and leave her some blog love while you're at it please).

   Off to start my day. Hope yours is filled with joy :)