The Prom

This past Saturday my son and his
friend ( no they are just friends) attended his senior prom some how they manage to match the greens to a tee!

the prom was a mystery location prom where they did not know where it would be until they arrived they were taken by a bus to the location
the location happened to be in a town about 20 miles from our home town


the kids made the rounds to each parents house for the photo opps
and then off they went

They came back to our house grabbed a dozen donuts and off they went

my son got home about 3:00 am
and then later that day the gang
was here hanging out

and all in all they said they had
a great time. looking at these photos
the days are running short to graduation. as you know my son is off to Santa Cruz in the fall, his friend john in the photo is off to boot camp for the army the day after graduation and sally in the blue is off to jr college
in another city. and virginia has one more year of high school. I am glad the kids are making the most of their time together.

18

My eldest light of my life celebrated
his 18th birthday this past Thursday. I am feeling melancholy . this was how we celebrated his first birthday.

as I look back at this photo I am reminded of how
very blessed I am to have given birth to him
I had very serious trouble getting pregnant, I battled
through many Hormone shots, medications that
(have put me at very high risk for uterine cancer)
and none of these worked. after trying so long and so hard I gave up, my husband and I went on vacation
and well the miracle happened I came home
and found out I was expecting and
even more special when I found out we were going to have a son!
I am feeling so many emotions hard to explain them all. no matter how old he is, he will always be my baby boy ( I have a special nick name but won't embarrass him by revealing it!) my child is grown up ( even though he has always been mature for his age)
He had a quiet birthday just a few friends over and pizza then when the friends left the four of
us did the cake thing with the number 18 candles, we took photos and then he blew out his candles and made his wish.

Friday he brought home is cap and gown and his announcements for his up coming high school
graduation. ( the time is coming sooner than I like it to!)

Saturday we were on a shopping mission to find the perfect suit for his up coming prom which is this coming weekend. we went to several stores before we finally found the perfect one!
then we headed to the craft store to find the perfect shades of silk flowers to make a wrist
corsage for his date.

This morning he informed me that today he was going to be part of the Every 15 minutes
all in his make up of scars etc. showing the kids not to drink and drive.

I am filled with so much emotion that I have not quite found how to express it or put it in
perspective to write it in words , I know when I figure it out I will be able to write about it
until then
I am now the Mom of an Adult!

you

You gain strength, Courage and Confidence by every experience in
which you really stop to look fear in
the face.

You must do the thing in which you
think you cannot do


Eleanor Roosevelt

Rose

From a thorny stem comes a beautiful Rose

new song

My new song in my ipod , I hear this song a lot lately on the Radio
and so I downloaded it into my ipod. the lyrics lately just seem to
hit home with me where my teenagers are concerned. just thought
i would share!


She was staring out the window of their SUV
Complaining, saying "I can't wait to turn 18"
She said "I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules"
Mama put the car in park out there in front of the school
Then she kissed her head and said "I was just like you"

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Before she knows it she's a brand new bride
In a one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by
He tells her "It's a nice place"
She says "It'll do for now"
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says And says "Baby, just slow down"

Cause you're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this

Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'
He says "They don't bother me.
I've got 2 babies of my own.
One's 36, one's 23.
Huh, it's hard to believe, but...

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this"

let your light shine

People let their light shine through
the stain glass sun and their true beauty
is what sparkles

The Time

" The time is always right to do
what is right"


something Martin Luther King JR. once said.

Firsts

There are many firsts in a person life
starting with the day you were born
for an infants life there is the first smile,
first time you sit up, have solid foods,sleep through the night
first time you crawl, the first time you walk, talk, and
of course your first birthday!

Today marks one of my great nephew's first birthday! This is special
because he arriving in this world was a miracle. I don't get to see him
in person as often as I would like to, but his Nana sends me photos and videos
to watch so I don't feel as if I have missed that many of his firsts!

hard to believe how fast a year flies by. Seven days from now
my baby ( my son) will reach a first of his own, He will be 18!
and as I write this It reminds me of what a miracle he was arriving into
this world and (my sister, my great nephew's Nana was there to share that with me)

Each of these boys will have many more "Firsts" in their lives
earlier this morning I was looking at a photo album and I came across photos
of my son's 1st birthday we had it in a park. I have a photo of my nephew Brian
holding my son, a few months after his son was born he took a photo of my son
holding his son so it is kind of full circle in a way.
the other similarity is that my great nephew is having his first birthday at a park.

I have a great feeling that these two are more than just cousins I believe they are kindred spirits.

Champions

" Champions -aren't made in gyms
Champions are made from something
they have deep inside them, a desire,
a dream, a vision.
They have to have the skill and will
but the will must be stronger than the skill"

Muhammad Ali

Choices

Three choices you always have

Wherever you are be there totally
If you find your here and now intolerable
and it makes you unhappy you have three options

1. Remove yourself from the situation
2. Change it
3. Or Accept it totally

Eckhart Tolle

The Winner Is

Notice the T-Shirt John Travolta
is wearing? It is a U.C. Santa Cruz
Banana Slug shirt and he wore this
in the movie Pulp Fiction,
we learned the reason he wore this T-shirt is
because at the time Pulp Fiction was being filmed
the director Quinton Tarrentino's girl friend was attending U.C. Santa Cruz!
and he wanted the shirt in the movie!!

This past Saturday my son attended a
reception from the chancellor of
U.C. Santa Cruz he had a very good
time,

Sunday we went up to the campus
for a backstage tour,
and well our son decided that this was going to be the college for
him for the next four years! we checked out the dorm rooms
wow! they are small he is going to ask for a double which means
it would be him and one other room mate and well it only has
two long twin beds, two 3 drawer dressers and 2 small desks and they each get a little
closet. ( this will be one of many real college experiences because he has had his own
bed room for quite some time!!!) each section of dorms ( or colleges as they call them )
are all coed, bathrooms, a little laundry room, they have a common area for T.V. etc a dining area and if they don't like that each college dorm area also has what they call an alternative eatery (better known as fast food) the freshman are guaranteed housing on campus for two years.

when we first toured this campus last year we had a feeling
our son was some how headed here. a few weeks ago when he
got his acceptance notice we had the same feeling but we did not
share this with our son as this was going to be his decision
we kind of knew this was were he was headed as it seems
to be a perfect fit for him. he is planning on being an Anthropology major with a minor in education. This weekend really helped him
to decide that this is where he is called to be.

After the tour we went into downtown Santa Cruz and ate at one of
many eateries called Pizza my Heart it was interesting to see all the college kids
and their families there. and the townsfolk as well. then we walked around and
found some of the quaint little shops. Our son was happy to find a big Trader Joe's
we stopped in the longs drug store and bought him banana slug merchandise
2 sweatshirts, a t-shirt( like John wore in the movie) and a hat. I think he is good
to go in that department( oh take that back he wants a pair of sweat pants!)

we are happy and excited, and support his decision and wow we will get to
visit the coast quite often in the next four years! He and his sister have begun
making plans to hang out, learn how to surf and some other fun stuff that
I don't think I am ready for!

The next step on this college journey we have to attend
orientation in July! then move him up there in Sept
as he begins his adventure on Sept 25th!!!

Lessons

Laugh at your mistakes
but learn from them

joke over your troubles
but gather strength from them

Have fun with your difficulties
but overcome them

these are lessons of life for you

what a child can teach us

" A Child can always teach an adult three things
. to be happy for no reason
. to always be busy with something
. and to know how to demand with all his
might that which he desires"

Paulo Coleho

Blessed

"Blessed are those who can give without
remembering and take without forgetting"

Elizabeth Bibesco

Back at the old Ball Game

Spring has Sprung!!
My daughter started her soft ball season on Monday
and she had a game on Tuesday so far her team
is 1-1 not a bad way to start the season off.
there was plenty of excitement at both games
last nights was a little bit more intense though
two of her team mates got injured one so serious
that she may have injured her wrist and may be out for the rest of the
season. but all in all it was fun to see all the parents and friends sitting on
the cold bleachers passing the sunflower seeds around bundled up in their blankets to keep warm hoping that this Thursdays game the snack bar will finally have the hot chocolate
for sale!!

in our little town softball and baseball season is a weekly highlight.
my daughter and her friends usually end up playing against each other
but the great thing about it is win or lose they know they are playing for fun!
normally she plays outfield or short but this year her coach is encouraging
her to try and pitch at least one game this season( she is thinking about it, she does
not know if she really wants the pressure but she is at least thinking about it)

My daughter also has a little job being an umpire this season
she seems to enjoy it.( making plans for the money she is earning)

from time to time I will post about this season of softball I hope
her team will make it all the way to the play offs.

like the line from the old songs goes

cause it's one, two, three strikes your out at the old ball game!!!