Forty Something

Hi dear readers. It's Shelley again, comandeering the blog once more, this time to honor Steph on her birthday. Birthdays are like a microscope. For one day a year, everybody who knows you (and remember's that it is your birthday) thinks of you. They think about how you light up a room with your smile and loud humor. They think about how creative and talented you are. They think about your inner and outer beauty. They think about how you helped deliver their baby, hang charicatures in their basement, re-decorate their living room, made them throw away their ashamed-to-show-em whites,  said what you were really thinking so they could too, wrote the truth so they could laugh and laugh and laugh.
Thank you for being you. We are blessed by your presence every day, in every word you share, picture you take, meal you create, room you decorate, house you sell or buy, and so much more. We love you so much!

Don't we look fabulous?
You thought you were fat there (up arrow).

So sorry all you loved ones (husband, kids, parents, nieces, nephews, friends) who hoped to be pictured on Stepha's B-day blog. I have to rush off to the street drawing festival and don't have all day to search for pictures. Please e-mail Steph with your comments because she messed up the comment section on the blog and is very sad about not knowing how you feel about her and her writing.



Happy birthday my beautiful sister!



Love, Shell

Raise your hand if you have boob sweat

Went out tonight and saw Sex and the City with several of the ladies in my neighborhood. the movie was great...did not disappoint.

Um yea the movie was great, now lets go backwards and talk about the dinner BEFORE the movie. OK, we'll start by saying that it was about 90 degrees today and about 80% humidity. I hate both the heat AND the humidity. I am a big baby. I don't like to sweat. When I begin to sweat, My hair instantly goes into a ponytail so as to keep it from touching the back of my neck. Yea I'm a crazy weirdo who is a big baby.

So we show up at the restaurant and I begin to cry internally because all of the "ladies" from the neighborhood are sitting outside on the patio. I have on a knit dress and sandals and my hair is down because I just got it colored this morning and the hair lady gave me a super bitchin hair do that was rockin and I needed to take full advantage of my blow-out.

All the beautiful ladies were super decked out in their strapless tops and 5 inch wedge heels. I order a water along with their Cosmo's and settle in and have to meditate to NOT think about the sweat that is beginning to collect in my cleavage. Only one of the ladies is complaining about the heat. I say to her, " Amen sister".

They go on with the chit chat and totally ignore the sweltering heat that is upon us. the other one that is hot too, finally speaks up and asks if we can move inside. I say Yes lets do because the boob sweat is beginning and I won't be able to stop it. At this point they all look at me as if they have no idea what I'm talking about. Oh that's right... young ladies who have breast implants don't have the luxury of boob sweat. There is NO part of the breast that is lying on their stomach. they don't know what their missing.

The conversation turns to shopping. They all start asking each other where they shop. They all look adorable and super sexy. I start to panic because I realize that I'm wearing a dress from target and my sandals are also from target. SHIT I hope they don't ask me wear I shop. I love Target but these girls were NOT wearing clothes from Target, but more from " Cache".

Meanwhile back at the ranch there was a conversation going on that went something like this...

Alex " Ari can I take the apples out side and swack em with a tennis racket?"

Ari "NO Alex you can't"

Alex " why not?"

Ari " seriously Alex? you're gonna ask me that?" "of course you can't!!"

Alex " Fine then I'll take some pretzels and swack those!!"

Ari "NO, you cannot take pretzels outside and swack them either!"

Alex " you're the worst sister EVER, because you never let me do anything FUN!!"

goodnight.

A Few Random Things

I was driving with Indy and her little friend the other day and this is what I over heard...

Indy " My Great Grandad was a scooper diver and we went to the USS Alabama and saw the costume that he wore"

friend " well my great great grandparents are dead"

Indy "oh"

Indy " My Grammy is really OLD but she's not even dead yet."

Uh yea, sorry Grammy. She really does love you and you know it!!

Can't believe that I was stupid enough to watch the Bachelorette last night and now i will need to watch the whole season. It's sad, I know. Don't hold it against me.

Happy Birthday Arianna Kathryne

Happy 15Th Birthday to my Beloved

Arianna

You light up my life more than you'll ever know and I am proud and honored to watch you grow into the beautiful person you are inside and out.

you are an animal lover

a true and devoted best friend

a goof ball

an amazing athlete

a good sister

a dreamer

a fighter

always setting a good example

a highly sought after babysitter

a true partner in crime

you'll sit in an egg when your Mommy asks you to.

you clean up well

you know your "tribe"

you have your own unique style

great style

you have the world at your fingertips and you're going for it all.

you are loved and cherished more than you know.

Oh Crap

Alex came home from school the other day all in a tizzy.

Alex- "Mom when am I gonna be allowed to say CRAP"???

Me- "Um what"??

Alex "well all the boys around me at school and on the bus get to say "crap" all the time and I'm the only one who's NOT allowed to say it."

me- "well I'm sorry but no nine year old of mine is going to be saying "crap" just because all the other kids are saying it."

Alex- "well when will I be able to say it??"

me, "maybe when your 12."

Alex, "WHAT???"

me, "sorry buddy"

Alex, " oh maawwwmmm"

me, " I love you son now go play"

Mom and Meredith left on Tuesday but not before we had a little more fun and a lovely parting gift.

Being tall comes in SUPER handy when a certain nine year old is yanking chain...

Our lovely parting gift??? A nasty case of the vomit/diareahh stomach flu given to Me and Indy courtesy of Gramma and Brittany and Meredith. Thanks girls, love ya more than my luggage!!

Stream of Conciousness

Been busy for the past week. After a month or so of trying to get the ADHD meds all figured out, ( needed some fine tuning) I am trying to get focused and also ready for a few family members to visit. It was supposed to be my Mom and the twins ( Big sister Stacy's twin girls) but the morning they were supposed to fly out of Santa Barbara, Brittany came down with a nasty case of the vomit and diarreah thing. Poor thing had to stay home. Mom and Meredith arrived last Tuesday eve and we have been hanging out ever since. We attempted to do a tiny bit of sight seeing but Mom and Meredith quickly assured me that sight seeing wasn't necessary. they were happy to just see the neighborhood and hang out. Whew!! That's good cause I didn't know WHAT the Hell I was going to do with them. I stressed out for a week over what I would show them and how I was going to keep them happy.

Can't let her leave without a visit to the local watering hole.

walked along a path by the bay.

played in the backyard.

fake glasses from Claires.

Gramma and her "Mini Me"

lots to do in our neighborhood. including an outdoor shopping mall with a fountain.

The grown-ups

spent the day at the Gulf. Happy to report , not ONE glob or sign of oil anywhere!! Yay!!

So we've done lots of shopping and lunching and swimming and hanging out. Perfect for all of us.

Ari is happy to be around someone who "gets" her and has had a blast with Meredith. Indy thinks Meredith is her own personal playmate and mentor and Alex just gets mad when Mere calls him out on all his BS.

to be continued...