Fun in the SUN

This marks our 1st year of a sisters trip and we already can't WAIT for next years. We decided this year to meet up in Indio, CA, which was a reasonable meeting place for all of us.

As soon as we got in, it was time for the pampering to begin...

We all had an hour long massage and it was GREAT! {Okay, I lie... there were a few times I had to hold my breath because the pressure was a little TOO intense and downright painful. But other than that, it was great!}

We then checked into the condo...

Worldmark @ Indio, CA

This location was BEAUTIFUL. I would have NEVER guessed I was in the middle of the desert- a true oasis!

We enjoyed our dinner around the jacuzzi and then went back to the room where we stayed up till 1:30 chatting. {This makes me laugh even writing that. I remember when 1:30am was just the beginning of our nights. Ya, NOT anymore- that's what having kids (and old age) will do to you!}

We woke up the next morning, headed to the gym and then came home for breakfast.

The cooks:

{Jen, Anna, Jess}

Then headed to the pool for some sun

{note to self: NEVER wear spf 4 on areas that have not seen sun in 10+ yrs}

After laying out, we went straight to get our pedi's and eat lunch

Sushi @ Frankie's

{Annalee, Jessica, Jennifer}

Quail eggs anyone?!?

NO-THANK-YOU

My lunch:

Most delish tempura shrimp rolls EVER

We went to the grocery store to find the most AMAZING candy/bulk food isle.

And YES, the idiom 'a kid in the candy store' was a literal experience for us- overwhelming and awesome!

The rest of the trip was spent at the condo in the lazy river/pools, laying out and eating...

&

when we got too hot, we cooled off with some Pina Colada slushies from the Market

The meals we made were SO simple and SO good

and of course, what is a celebration without "CHEERS"?!?

Mmmmmmmm....

Store bought pizza and salad never looked SO good...

On our final night, we headed to the Mexicali Cafe for dinner

Saw a beautiful sunset

&

ate to our little hearts content

♥SISTERS ♥

Can't wait for Sisters Weekend 2012...

I feel so lucky to be a part of such a wonderful family...

Love you babe and that AMAZING fam of yours!

PS- i LOVE this song. It's one of those songs that the beat alone makes me so incredibly happy. Then the lyrics- LOVE IT!

"This is just a journey

Drop your worries

You are gonna turn out fine.

Oh, you'll turn out fine.

Fine, oh, you'll turn out fine...

I know it's hard, know its hard,

To remember sometimes,
But you gotta keep your head up, oh,
And you can let your hair down, eh...

Only rainbows after rain

The sun will always come again.
Its a circle, circling,
Around again, it comes around again. "

"Keep Your Head Up" -Andy Grammer

Easter

The TRUE meaning of Easter:

Happy EASTER

What a blessing it is to know that we will be a family, FOREVER...

I blogged...

On your blog, with a smile on my face...

and it felt SO good!

Selfishness, tears and never-ending LOVE...

Over the past month and a half, laziness and I have became good friends.

I got very used to lying around while reading, surfing the net, writing the occasional blog post and just "resting." {I sound like quite the winner, huh?!?} So when my leg could finally handle being in a position OTHER than elevated, I knew it was time to start work again...

So after a busy past couple of weeks, I finished up with these yesterday:

and boy does it feel SO good to be done!

After several consecutive full days and late nights of work, I was ready for a break!

So, on my way out of the grocery store today, I got myself a DVD to go home and watch. Usually, if I am to watch a movie, I do so after the kids are in bed. BUT, not today...

I came home and let Max put on a movie in the play room and I selfishly, sat down and began watching my movie. There was laundry to be folded, carpets needing vacuuming and probably 20 MORE things I could have done, but as I sat there like a LAZY BUM, I didn't feel remotely guilty about my decision or my actions.

It's OK to be selfish sometimes.

...and selfish I will be at the upcoming girls trip planned with your 3 BEAUTIFUL sisters! We are ALL very excited for our weekend getaway. Since this is a childless trip, I look forward to no whininess, no fighting and lots of uninterrupted conversations. I guess there could still be all of that, but at least it won't be from kids{ha ha} JUST kidding! I have started to feel sad about leaving the kids because I know I will miss them. However, the thought of being able to be COMPLETELY selfish and NOT feel guilty about it is a strange, but VERY welcomed feeling.

GEEZ, I hate how guilt so easily creeps its way into things!

So feeling kinda sad/guilty about leaving the kids and wanting to do something fun before I leave, I decided to take the kids out to dinner tonight. As we sat there talking and eating our pita bread with the yummy Tzatziki sauce and hummus, I started feeling weird. I tried to push whatever feelings aside and just focus on being with the kids- YAY!

Except "YAY" was NOT how I felt, I felt more like "blehhhhhh"

I kept trying to tell myself that we were out to have a GOOD time

&

It WASN'T working.

My eyes started to well up with tears and I was trying like MAD to hold them back. At that moment, I knew what the underlying cause of this sadness was- I felt empty. I looked around the restaurant and it was NOTHING but families/couples. Yes, I was there with our little family, but a BIG part of that family was missing, and it hurt.

I felt alone in my sadness, as everyone else there seemed so happy and content. {It was one of those, I just want to crawl into bed, feel sorry for myself and cry moments} Luckily, the two little munchkins saved me- I found myself frustrated with their craziness and laughing at their silliness and with that, the pain eased. I was able to continue on with the night and enjoy myself with the kids. We DID have a good time! {I must also thank the person who texted me with some Vanilla Ice lyrics for making me smile too- that was pretty funny!}

How grateful I am though for our two little cutie pies that keep me going each day.

They give me something to smile about {and yes, sometimes be frustrated and frazzled about}, but I love them to pieces.

I love them, just as I love you and

Some things, will NEVER change...

Words that inspire...

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted... All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable... and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire..."

-Orson F. Whitney