camera...

broken... but here is a cute picture that i found! love my boy. he's a spirited little guy. keeps me on my toes! but he is such a joy && a blessing!!!

our bond of friendship in... vegas!!!

what a trip. special time. fun time. peaceful time. vegas. okay, so the word peaceful doesn't really go along with the word vegas, but when you spend your time lounging beside the pool with three of the coolest girls you know... vegas=peaceful! each year or so we try to get together... these are girls from college. there is six of us total... but two couldn't make it. that was the saddest part of the weekend. we have been in each others weddings, had kids around the same time (steph is preggo now...) & are in the same area of life! our bond is unique, so vegas was filled with catching up, laughing, talking about the frustration things that our kids do that drive us bonkers (there kids do the same thing as mine) && just being with each other. it made me want to grow old, living on the same cul-de-sac as them... okay maybe not grow old.

mandy... steph... i drinking our starbucks. there was one in the hotel we stayed in... the monte carlo! it was relaxing... as relaxing as you can get when you are in the city that never sleeps! while we spend our days by the pool... fighting for 4 lounge chairs next to each other, we spend our evenings/ nights eating at fun restraunts. the kind you rarely take your kids to. we even got pedicures at the spa in the hotel... what a treat!

a night out on the town take 1.

this is what happens when some random person in vegas takes your picture in front of the bellagio. which is one of the places we got to eat a fabulous dinner! i think this was his second attempt at taking the picture. maybe even more! uggghhh!

we had to see the new ashton kutcher/ cameron diaz movie... what happens in vegas. it was hilarious! maybe it was so funny because we were in vegas watching a bunch of people do stupid things!

annie && i!

mandy && i! again!

memories.

update!

as some of you may know, i have been going through a lot of testing in regard to my thyroid! it has been an uphill battle that seemed it would never end. for the past 6 years, i have had regular check ups and proceeded with caution when it came to rushing into surgery (inspite of the family history of thyroid cancer/ tumors). i am the fourth in the catalde (my maiden name) line to have thyroid problems.

well needless to say... i finally have some answers. after having a number of scans, biopsy's that have gone awry, and enough blood work to supply a small country with clean blood... i finally know what is going to happen. on june 25th, i will check into french hospital up here on the central coast where i will undergo a full thyroidectomy! it feels so good to finally know what is going on. i am already on a number of pre-surgery meds to help control the vascularity of the tumors. there is a risk of something called 'thyroid storm' (which movie do you think of when you read that?). 'thyroid storm' is a condition that can take place if you have tumors that are over active! it could send a rush of thyroid hormone into your body during surgery that could cause cardiovascular problems... yup i have the condition!

but above all else, God is good. He & He alone has given me wonderful & skilled doctors. i feel beyond confident in them! i am truly able to see God's direction in this long wait of uncertainty. we have been praying for answers and we have them. such a relief.

so much fun.

what a week we had! we had a lot of visitors just after easter... it was such a blast! we had such a wonderful time hanging out with friends and family. our week started with an early easter service... 8:00 a.m. it was such a blessing. still missing friends and family who got to sunrise service at grace baptist at 6:00 a.m., we had such a wonderful time in our new church. it felt like we were home.

todd finished up his 'duties' in the third service and we all jumped in the car to head down to santa clarita. we spent a few hours in the car with very excited kiddos. they just wanted to see papa and auntie breezi... oh yes, and go for an easter egg hunt. they had such a good time... eating candy and playing around in papa's back yard.

after a fantastic bar.b.que we had a little celebration. we celebrated tony (bro), beth (sister.in.law) and my birthday. tony's birthday was the 10th and beth and i share a birthday... march 24! it was so fun. we each got our own pie. i love lemon meriangue. my favorite pie ever! we went out to the fetter's house in much need of some rest! after spending the night, we took katy home with us to enjoy spring break up in SLO.

my favorite day we had together was going to avila and playing at the beach. ashlynn built sand castles... 'swam 'in the water (by herself)... ran around.

and jeremy, well... this is what he did...

yep... he rolled around. so sandy that i wasn't sure how i was going to get the sand off of him! he had so much fun... but wasn't as adventerous in the water!

its been a long while.

'silly kiddos before church'...

poor sunday school teachers.

so i am still trying to get consistent at blogging but it isn't working. my busy-ness takes over and i honestly forget. why do we allow ourselves to get so busy that we forget to correspond with our family and friends that we dearly love? seriously why? it makes me sad that i am not better at it. it is a struggle that i wish i could overcome and i truly try really hard to overcome. i love to hear about what is going on in the lives of those i truly cherish. i need to lay aside my selfish ambitions and focus on that which is truly important and lovable! my goal!!! cherish those relationships that i love... my SAVIOR, family and friends. hugs & love.

our garden.

we planted a garden. it's little, but it is going to be so fun. ashlynn and jeremy take care of it everyday. they make sure the plants have enough water. they want to go out each morning and see if the plants have grown. they are waiting... patiently... for the cucumbers and yellow squash to sprout up from seeds. WELCOME SPRING!

'like i talk to jesus'

'i'll talk to papa like i talk to jesus'

was the response i got from ashlynn when we talked to her about my daddy. as some of you know my dad is fighting for his life. he has battled kidney cancer for the last 16 years... wow! i type that and i truly can't believe it has been that long. last week, my dad got the results read of his scans. the tumors are shrinking... praise the LORD. however (i truly hate this word), the medication he is on this time is not meant to cure his cancer, but rather to 'give him some time.' we are not sure how much 'time' the LORD has granted him, but we know that our time is precious. it always has been with my dad.

my mom and dad have always been very upfront with us about what is going on in his battle with cancer. i beyond appreciate it! i have taken the same stance with my kiddos. they know what is going on in papa life. it is their way of being connected to what mommy cries about. so we told them that papa is sick again and that we need to take as much time as we can with him before he goes home to be with JESUS.

ashlynn has ALWAYS had such a unique bond with my dad. it impresses me beyond belief. my dad is able to calm her in a way that no one else can... i really mean no one. i am not sure where the bond comes from, but it is unique nonetheless. to see them together is a joy of mine. ash becomes this sweet little girl and not a girl who is often hard to handle. if you know ashlynn at all, you know that she is 'spicy'. her spicy-ness drips away with my dad. she loves her papa more than she loves anything. her favorite bear, mooches, in which she must have in order to fall asleep, comes from her papa. a bond like no other.

when we told her, her response was... 'i'll talk to papa, like i talk to jesus.' i melted. i cried. i hurt for her. i hurt for me. i hurt for my siblings and their families. my dad is amazing. i hope everyone gets to meet him! love you daddy!