BlogHer Review- The First Husband

"I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club review but all opinions expressed are my own."

Laura Dave hit a home run with this one. I can honestly say this has been my favorite book that I have reviewed for BlogHer. This is the story about Annie Adams. She has an exciting career and a comfortable long-term relationship. When she was expecting a marriage proposal she got a "we need some space" instead. When the future she had planned on is pulled from her things get a little spontaneous. And by spontaneous I mean she meets a chief, falls in love, gets married and moves from LA to the middle of nowhere.  

As Annie struggles with the decisions she had made her ex comes back and gives her even more to think about. Now Annie has to decide which man is her soul mate. The man she had spent years with and who left her or the man she barely knows.

I loved this book for a few reasons. The first is that I know that feeling. That feeling when you had your whole life laid out in front of you and then the one person who you thought would always be there leaves and suddenly your future is uncertain. It was such a scary and exciting time. You don't know what your future now holds and you are very likely going to make some bad decisions at this time. I eventually got excited for the future without this person. I realized I was better off and my future was bright. Then he came back. Did everything he could to right the wrong he did. Just like Annie I had to decide which road to take. 

This book is a great read and I recommend it for a good vacation read. We are discussing this book over at the BlogHer Book Club. Come over and join us!  

Paula was right, opposites attract!

You know how they say that opposites attract? Well this is very true about me and one of my BFF's. She will remain nameless for this post but I am sure most of you will know who this is.

See she is neat and tidy and I am messy.
She is Kenny g and I am Green Day
She is Ann Taylor Loft and I am Urban Outfitter
I WAS the tattooed and pierced one until recently......

To celebrate her 35th birthday she wanted to cross something off her bucket list and get a tattoo. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would spend a Saturday afternoon with my BFF at a tattoo place with her on the table. Never. NEVER. But I did.

I loved the image she chose. She took a celtic symbol of motherhood and made it our of cherry blossom branches. 3 cherry blossoms and a bright blue ladybug. When my BFF found out she was pregnant she kept seeing blue ladybugs around. Of course she had a beautiful baby boy 9 months later.

Once the stencil was on the fun began. I thought for sure she would at the least cry. But she was such a trooper. She really sat for the tattoo like a pro.

Yes thats a Homer Simpson tattoo and a Mr Rogers tattoo!

The place she had the tattoo done at was really cool. A tattoo and art gallery called West End. A really cute loft like building. Her artist Lyndsey was super relaxed and very quick and super talented. The tattoo took not quite 2 hours and the finish product was amazing!

I still can't believe she did it. But I am so glad that I was able to be by her side when she did.

Joey can make a super model feel insecure

I have mentioned it before but Joey and I have very different personalities.

I am Ernie and he is Bert.
I am Elmo and he is Oscar.
I am Tigger and he is Eeyore.
I am sunshine and rainbows and he is rain clouds and thunder storms.

Joey does not give out compliments.
I think it physically hurts him to say anything nice to someone.
You know how most people say that their spouse is their biggest fan.
Well around here my spouse is my biggest critic.
If I have him read something I wrote he will point out all the typos.
If I give him a photo I made to look at he will tell me the colors are off.
If I make him dinner he will tell me that the dish would be better with spinach.
If I take hours to do my make-up, my hair and put on a new dress he will tell me that my shoes don't match.
This man can make a super-model feel insecure.
His brain is wired to find the errors. It does not mean he doesn't like my writing, photography, cooking or my face.

He has never once told me that I was pretty.
Not when we were first dating.
Not on our wedding day.
Not on the days I birthed his children.
I have asked him about this and his response is..
"You know how picky I am about everything and I married you" 
Well he is a weirdo crazy OCD perfectionist.
So maybe he has something there.

People have commented to Joey and I how they admire our relationship. How good we are together and what a good marriage we have. I really believe that we have a good relationship because of this...

 from day 1 we both knew that the person standing before us was never going to change.

We got into our relationship not expecting or even wanting the other person to change. You can't get into something as serious as, together forever, assuming that the other person will eventually become the person you want them to be with. You have to be with the person they are. You have to think to yourself can I be with this person, exactly as they are, forever? I knew from the start that Joey would never shower me with compliments and I don't expect him to. I don't need him to. If I had married Joey and assumed that eventually he would become a romantic who constantly tells me how beautiful he thinks I am, I would be one disappointed person which could become a problem in our relationship. And if Joey had married me and expected me to change. For example if he assumed that I would eventually love vacuuming the house, he would be disappointed. This is not to say that people don't change. They do, but you can't base a marriage on expecting the other person to change.

I truly believe that this little thing gave our marriage a very solid foundation.

And even though he doesn't say it.
I know my husband thinks I'm hot.
I see him staring when I walk away.

Birthday Day Recap

There is always so many birthday celebrations for these 2. After a weekend of play-off basketball games for Joey and American Girl Doll Cafe luncheons for Phi, on the actual birthday we celebrated a little more low-key.

The night before The Phi wanted us to measure her. She was convinced that she would grow overnight. We measured her the next morning and she is just shy of 4 feet tall.

The big day landed on a Tuesday. The most busiest day of the week for us. Phi has school, catechism and yoga. Which meant donuts for school, cupcakes for catechism and cookies for yoga.

After all that Joey got to pick where we headed for dinner and he chose The Gourmet Pizza Shop. We headed over, ordered and the birthday kids got to open gifts.

Louella gave The Phi a new pair of earrings. She is very into earrings lately. 

Baby Eli had gave Phi a new Ed Hardy purse and a......

dark grey dress/skirt. Very cute! 

Joey and I gave her this shirt she had been asking for. The sequence can be brushed over and the butterfly changes color. She thought it was the coolest thing ever. 

Joey got one gift from all his gals....

Filtrate sunglasses. He has been wanting this for a long time now! 

Look a real smile! And can you see me and Lou in the reflection?

Of course The Phi had to try them on too.

We headed home and the girls went to bed and Joey and I opened up a bottle of wine and watched American Idol. We are wild like that! 

Hope you two had a great birthday! 

American Girl Doll Birthday!

For her birthday this year The Phi decided that she wanted to have a party at the American Girl Doll Cafe. So I set it up for a lunch and The Phi sent out invitations to The Chone & her doll Marie, Lili and her doll Horse, Nana, Tia Day-day, and her Nina Patricia.

When the big day arrived The Phi was beyond excited. We were seated on the balcony and the weather was picture perfect! Each of the dolls got their own chairs, cups, plates and party hats!

The Phi and Renee

Beautiful Lili and Horse

The Chone and Marie

Then the food started. It was a four course meal!

Course 1: Warm Cinnamon Bites

Course #2: Vegetables with ranch dressing, strawberries and cheese, and pretzel bites with honey mustard dipping sauce.

Course 3: The Main Course

The turkey burger with sweet potato fries

Lili and Chone had the Butterfly Bow Tie Pasta

The Phi had the Bitty Bites (a mini hot dog, mini cheeseburger and mac and cheese) 

On the table was a small box with different questions to keep the conversation going. We all got to answer things like...

If you could switch places with one person for a month who would it be?

If you won 100 pounds of anything, but it can't be money or jewels, what would it be? 

Then it was time for Course 4, birthday cake of course!!

Time for gifts!!

My Mom gave her the funniest card! Phi's head on American Girl Doll bodies! 

Lili gave The Phi a best friend charm. Aww

After lunch we met back up with all the guys (Tata, Tio Luis, Felix, Nino Jovan, Matias, Andres, Joey and Lou had lunch somewhere else!) and strolled around The Grove. We spotted the blonde dude from Lost and Burt the Conqueror.

I can't believe I have a 7 year old! 

Our group photo!

After we made a stop at The Fast Life so Joey could buy a few new FSAS shirts.

Then we made a stop at Sprinkles Cupcakes to pick up a treat for Grandma Kim for her birthday! (On a side note I have not given in to the fancy cupcake hype but then I tried the salted-caramel cupcake from Sprinkle and it was mind-blowing!!)

My goal was to give The Phi a birthday she would always remember. She is such a good kid. Joey and I are really lucky to have her. She never gives us any real issues. She is funny, smart, beautiful and a kindhearted person. She is so patient with her sister and always rolls with any changes life throws her way.

I think we succeeded and gave her a special day she will always remember.
Thanks so much to Nana, Tia Day-day, Nina Patty, Lili, and Chone for celebrating with us! 

5.22

Today is their day. My husband and my daughter turn another year older. 

When I fell in love with Joey I thought to myself,

"This is it. This is what real true love feels like. This is what it feels like to be truly loved back" 

And then on his 32nd birthday we brought our Sophia into the world and all that love I feel for Joey was suddenly multiplied. 

Babe and my Dupe, 
You are soul mates.
The same amazing personality in 2 very different bodies.
I love you both with every fiber of my body. 
You make my life whole and happy. 









Your skin,
Oh yeah your skin and bones,
Turn into something beautiful,
You know I love you so.
I swam across,
I jumped across for you,
Oh what a thing to do.
Cos you were all "Yellow",
I drew a line for you,
Oh what a thing to do,
And it was all "Yellow."
Your skin,
Oh yeah your skin and bones,
Turn into something beautiful,
And you know,
For you I'd bleed myself dry,
It's true,
Look how they shine for you,
Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And all the things that you do.

Happy Birthday to 2/3 of my whole heart. 

Birthday Magnets

My babies birthdays are right around the corner. Tomorrow The Phi turns 7 and in 11 days Lou turns 2. Instead of parties for the girls we have made other celebratory plans. One involves a 3 story store filled with dolls the other 2 days with that famous mouse.

Now when we have parties I like to give out a little party favor. When The Phi turned 3 I came up with the idea to make a magnet to give out. I found a cute colorful picture of little almost 3 year old Phi and a magnet series was born. Every year since I have made a magnet. Then when it was time for Lou's baby shower we made a magnet and then when she turned 1 we started the Louella Magnet Series.

Part of the reason I love these is because they are so easy to make. You only need a few things.

• Avery blank business cards
• business card magnets
• a printer

Instructions are just as easy.

1.  Find the photo you want to use. Edit and add text. I just use the age they are using and their name. 
2. Download the template for the business card paper from Avery.com onto word document program.
3. Add your photo and print.
4. Punch out all the cards and peel the paper off the magnetic and place the card on the magnet

Super easy and really cute. This year I did things a little bit different and printed the photos, laminated them, cut the magnet in half and stuck them on. This made the pictures look much more glossy and I was able to change the size. 

So do you have all the magnets in the series??

My Mother's Day

Mother's Day was pretty bad ass this year. We were in Santa Barbara and even though Lou and The Phi had me up by 8am it was a great day. The Phi out did herself with all the homemade cards. I think there were 3 cards and 2 pictures and a coupon book! They girls also bought me some new wedge sandals that I love. And Joey got me a 3 pack of Audrey Hepburn movies. Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday and Sabrina. He also has Funny Face and Paris When it Sizzles on order for me! Perfect!

My crew and my loot.

We got up and headed to the kitchen to make my Mom breakfast. The Phi learned about to crack an egg and whisk! Then The Phi very proudly brought her Nana a cheese and tomato omelet and pancakes. We gave my Mom a new tea rose bush and another hot pink plant!

Then we got ready and headed to my Tia Mary and Tio Miguel's house for a big Mother's Day / Bubbles Birthday Celebration.

Me and my Back Seat Drivers!

Party Time. Excellent.

My Nana and Tata. She is the big cheese when it comes to Mom's.

I tried to get a photo with my nephew Felix but this was all I could get! 

The Birthday Boy! 

This is what I get when I ask them to pose for a picture. 

Much better. 

Then someone (TIA MARY!) gave Lou her own ice cream cone. 

Highly Recommend these over ice! Thanks Cari! 

And of course my sister and I with the best Mom ever. Ours.

Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!