Wedding Stress

Can I tell you how much FUN I am having, planning my wedding?!?!?!

I have many of the details nailed down and there is not too much left to do besides ordering a cake, flowers and the finishing touches...

The most difficult part right now is nailing down my guest list. When I sat down the very first time to write out my guest list, I had about 360 people on my own... Goodness did I have a reality check real quick... Then, when Rick added his list, we had over 500 people!! Needless to say, our list needed to be revised... again... and again... We are trying to keep our wedding around 300 people, but we are having the most difficult time. How in the world am I supposed to decide who gets cut and who makes the cut??

AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

I finally came to the realization(with the help of my amazing fiance) that there are many people who have touched and influenced my life. There are people who have been there for me and given me advice to help shape the person I am today. But, as we continue to move on in this ever-changing world that we live in, I have to suck it up and decide. So I have to come to terms with the fact that I will probably hurt some people's feelings, but ther eis nothing else I can do...

On a lighter note.... I am getting married in less than 8 months!!! Yay!!

I have to decide on a cake and flowers. I know that I want calla lilies, but I am not sure about what else I want and how I want everything to be. So, I look forward to the next few months... making those decisions and hangin with family and friends as we make table decorations, invitations and favors... and put on the party of the year!!

Christmas Season

My second favorite time of the year!! :o)
Here are some pics from our Christmas photo shoot with Amy Jo!!

The pups were not very cooperative...

But the kids did great!!

Picture Day

Yesterday was quite the day!! We piled into the car (Alabama and Mississippi included) and headed to Plaza Park, where the fabulous Amy Jo met us there to take Christmas pictures for our Christmas cards. As soon as we get out of the car, Mississippi starts to bark at this lady who is walking around selling cotton candy. I have to pull her back and tell her to shape up. By the way, she did get car sick... AGAIN!! Then we proceeded to take many family photos, in which NONE of them had both of the dogs looking at the camera at the same time. So, Christmas cards will more than likely have at least one profile of our pups. We took many amazing pictures! I was really happy with them.

So, when we were done, we were able to get our new Panasonic 42" Plasma. We loaded it up, stopped to pick up pizza, and headed home after a very productive day. We set up our new tv and I am not sure Rick will ever want to do anything else, other than sit in front of the tv, again. But, it is really nice and I love it!!

I am really excited to send out Christmas cards this year!! It should be a lot of fun!! Stay tuned, for I will post pictures of this outing of ours soon!!

Leaving Woodlake...

Today was a VERY emotional day...

Rick and I decided to leave Woodlake. It was a very difficult decision, and after MUCH thought and consideration, we have decided that Rick will leave his Head Coaching position to be the new Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator at Mission Oak High School (the new high school in Tulare). We are very excited for this new adventure, but it is all a little bittersweet right now, leaving the boys at Woodlake. These boys have become a part of our family. I would do anything for so many of them. We had to say goodbye to them today, which was a little more emotional than I expected...
But now, the pressure of Head Coaching responsibilities are gone, which will allow more time for him to be home and be there for Ricky & Marina, and the many activities and sports that they are now involved in. And he has the opportunity to build a brand new program, which is a rare opportunity.
So now we begin to cheer on the Mission Oak Hawks!! Sporting purple, black and gold. But we still root for those amazing boys in orange and black!!

Decisions, Decisions...

As most of you know, I went back to substitute teaching this spring. I love it, because I love being with kids and being able to get up and walk around and interact with others on a daily basis. However, the school year will come to an end and I will be without a job for the entire summer. So, I find myself contemplating whether I should go back to CIGNA and continue in the health insurance field, or if I should simply find a job for the summer. When I weight the pros and cons of this decision, I come up with the importance of job security. If I return to CIGNA, I know that I will have a job everyday. If I continue to substitute teach, there is no guarantee that I will work every single day and no set amount that I will see on my paycheck at the end of the month.

I guess I am really starting to see that I not only have to provide for myself anymore, but I have to help contribute to a household that is now my family and my responsibility. I think that I have always been pretty spoiled and I have never HAD to do anything for anyone but myself. Now, I can't put the entire pressure on Rick to pay bills and take care of the months when there is a shortcoming in my paycheck.

So, I now find myself contemplating the decisions that I have made and need to make. I wish there was an easier way...

My Great Grandmother

Today is Sunday, February 24, 2008. On April 3, 2008, my great grandmother would have been 90 years old. She died yesterday, February 23.
Her life was full of joy, that is one thing I am sure.
I remember when I was little... my great grandma and grandpa lived in Utah. They would travel in their motor home in the summer to come see us. They would pull their motor home up in our back yard and stay for a while. One summer, my grandpa even built me a playhouse. It was the coolest thing ever!!! And every Christmas I waited for the homemade caramels (made with no nuts for me) in the mail. They were incredible!!
Then they came to live in California. I remember house shopping with them. When my parents went out of town, they left us with them a few times. I remember eating the best fried chicken in the world with, without a doubt, the best homemade noodles and mashed potatoes ever!! mmm... what I would give for that meal right now...
She was an amazing woman. Strong and determined, yet loving and compassionate.
Beyond that, she was my mom's rock and right now, it is incredibly difficult for her. She is comforted in the fact that my great grandmother is in a much better place and she is with people she loves. She is with my grandpa, my uncle, ginger and all those who went before her. Her life is free from Alzheimer's and has every wonderful and precious memory that filled her life.
My mom is an amazing woman because of my great grandmother. She had the most influence on my mom's life. There will never be anyone who replaces her. So during this time, my mom needs her time to mourn. She needs to be able to sit and recount every single memory for none other than her very own sanity. She will be fine and life will go on, but right now, at this moment, she is not okay.
So this week will be a long one. We will say our final goodbye and have our closure. As a family, there is much left to be dealt with. I am thankful that she is free.

The Beginning

Well, here goes nothing!!! It seems as if this is the new thing to do... BLOG!!! As I begin 2008, I have reflected on life and where it has placed me. I find myself in a place in which I am content and makes me happy each and every day. Here is a little catch up on me...
At the beginning of the year I was living in an apartment with Angelica, substitute teaching and coaching swimming at Dinuba High AND dating Rick for the second time around.
As we enter 2008, I am living in Exeter with Rick and his kids, working at CIGNA, and for the first time in 13 years, I am not coaching...
But I do support WOODLAKE FOOTBALL!!!!
Life changing year? I do believe so...
I decided that I do not want to teach anymore. I am planning to go back to school and get my counseling credential so that I can go into high school counseling. For the time being, I am working as a Customer Service Rep for CIGNA International. I love the people I work with for the most part. Is it a life-long job for me? Definitely not. But fine for now... I am not coaching... A decision that was pretty difficult, but one that I was content with... It's a little wierd... I didn't miss water polo too much, just the kids... Once swim season is on its way, I'm sure it will tug at the heart strings a little more...

I moved in with Rick and the kiddos in a three bedroom house in Exeter. We added Alabama to our family. She's the adorable Husky in my pics. Rick is the head coach at Woodlake so I get to wear my favorite color (orange) and cheer on those boys that I have grown to love! In the off season, we are catching basketball and soccer games, cheering them on in their "other" sports. So I am staying involved in atheltics, something that will no doubt, never lack.
Ricky and Marina started basketball, so we will stay busy.
Life is good! I'm completely content right now at this point in my life. Life is fun... The way it should be... And I have no regrets. I'm living life the same as I always have... Spontaneously and by the heart. So now we end 2007.
The goals for 2008?
Start working out.
Go back to school.
Keep in better touch with a few people.
Perfect spanish rice.
Win the Lotto (hey, a girl can dream, can't she?)