(43-293) HAPPY Birthday Nicky!!

The one thing that I've always been sure of was that I wanted to have children.  When I was single, I had promised myself that if I wasn't married by a certain age, I would find a way to have a child on my own, because it was just that important to me.  Since Luis and I had such a whirlwind romance, and got married after only knowing each other for a few months; we agreed that we would be married for a few years before we started a family, so that we would have a strong foundation to build upon.

I didn't necessarily want to be an older mom, but between relocating, and the early detection of some pre-cancerous cells; we wound up waiting four years before we attempted to have a baby.  We were very fortunate, because as soon as we made the decision to try and conceive, I got pregnant right away.  Luis and I were thrilled to find out that we were expecting and despite having morning sickness round the clock for twelve weeks; I was ecstatic.

Early on, I believed that I was having a boy and the ultrasound proved me right.  I wanted to name my son after my maternal grandfather Nathan, and since Luis assured me that his family would not pronounce the name Noah properly, we opted for Nicolas.  I would talk to Nicky every day and refer to him by name.  Even after getting sick, I would rub my stomach and tell him "That's OK Nicky, we're going to be alright;" and I felt a love like none that I'd ever known before. 

I remember talking myself through my contractions and saying "just a little while longer and I'm going to see Nicky.  Just a little while longer and I'm going to hold Nicky."  I was not concerned about the pain or discomfort, because I was so excited about getting to meet my son.  And when the nurse placed him in my arms, I cried tears of joy, and I rocked him and said "My Nicky, MY Nicky."  And I felt blessed.  I felt grateful.  I was utterly blissful; as I basked in the warmth of an overwhelming love. What a precious gift from God. 

It seems like just yesterday that I gave birth to my beautiful, baby boy; and yet it's now been twelve years. For twelve years I've been privileged to raise the most exceptional boy.  A boy that any mom would be so proud to call her own.  A boy who is thoughtful and compassionate, sensitive, trustworthy, intelligent, hard working, cooperative, kind, insightful, funny, mature and loving.  A boy who is a great big brother, and a wonderful son.

As always, Nicky didn't ask for much for his birthday.  He wanted to take a treat to school to share with his class, so I bought him cookies at Sam's Club.  He asked to go to PoPo's Fiesta Del Sol for dinner and he requested Red velvet cheesecake (from The Cheesecake Factory), for dessert.  And we were more than happy to comply.


Twelve years ago today, I began to fulfill my destiny. From the moment that Nicky was placed in my arms, I knew that I had been right all along and that I was meant to be a mom.  Holding Nicky I felt complete for the first time in my life.  Oh how Nicky was well worth the wait.

On this his twelfth birthday, I wish Nicky a lifetime of love and happiness.  A life filled with joy and fulfillment.  I hope that he becomes everything that he wants to be and that he has the courage to follow his every dream.  I hope that Nicky will find his passion and lives his life with intention and purpose.  I hope that Nicky will be true to himself and respectful of others.  I wish Nicky the happiest twelfth birthday ever; and I look forward to watching him grow and develop into the person that he is meant to be.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-292) Two New Finds

Tonight, in the interest of (say it with me) "The Greater good," I'm going to share two new finds that thrilled me no end this weekend.  If you already know about either or both of these items, I apologize for my tardiness; but if this is the first that you're hearing about them, then I'm pleased as punch to introduce them to you.

First, I went absolutely nuts over Bath & Body Works Vanilla Pistachio, Anti-bacterial, deep cleansing hand soap.  I was at an outlet mall and was delighted to find a Bath & Body works store.  They had their anti-bacterial soaps (which I adore), on sale for just $2.50  I was immediately drawn to the Vanilla Pistachio as I'd never seen it before, and the sales woman told me that it was only just introduced as a special, around Mother's day.  It's rich, it's luxurious, it's scrumptious!!  So, if you haven't had the pleasure of smelling it for yourself; put it on your list of things to do SOON, because I think that you're going to find it hard to resist.

My second find was at Sam's Club.  I came across the cutest sample display.  The woman had what appeared to be lollipops but in all actuality they were Nature Sweet, Sunbursts, sweet golden snacking tomatoes, on lollipop sticks.  They looked extraordinarily enticing, and after I ate one,, I did something that I NEVER do.  I asked if I could have another... I ate the second, and then I took one for Luis because I was so impressed.  Although I thought the 32 oz. of tomatoes were a lil pricey at just under $6.00; I couldn't resist, and I bought them.  I ate a couple as soon as I got home, and then I put some in my salad.  Truth be told I am not a tomatoe lover; but I am just wild about these. 

If you try either of my great finds, please dropsend me a quick email  or leave me a comment and let me know what you think..

Now honestly, where else but "The Bumpy Ride," would you read about a new, hand soap and tomatoes, in the same blog?  I know it's a lil odd, but since I found them both to be so fabulous, it made perfect sense to me.  And since I'm such a firm believer in delighting in the little things, and taking your happiness where you find it; I had to share these great new finds with you.  As always, I hope that you're all taking the time to enjoy the simple pleasures that make life so great.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-284) A Day To Remember

Most people seem to have vivid memories of family vacations and holidays; but I also want to remember and rejoice in the importance of the every day.  I want to be able to recall the feelings of spending time with my family and friends when we weren't necessarily doing something special; we were just TOGETHER and enjoying each others company, doing whatever. 

We got an early start this morning.  Well, not THAT early, but maybe a lil earlier than I would have liked.  We took the kids to a rollerskating lesson and I couldn't help but marvel at how far they'd come since the fiasco that was our first skating experience.  Jenny and her kids then met us at ten for open skate; and by 12:15 we went to get some lunch.

Jenny had told us that they were going to a dog expo at Phoenix University Stadium, so we decided to check it out.  Both admission and parking were free, so it was a wonderful way to pass some time.   We had fun seeing the different breeds of dogs; and there was even an agility course, which the kids really got a kick out of.  It was sad to see how many rescued dogs there were up for adoption or fostering.  Yet, it was heart warming to see how many kind hearted, generous, people there were, who were willing to help and care for these animals.

We headed back home and I had some quality snuggle time with Kelsie.  Then Luis, Kelsie and I were off to Sam's Club to buy some burger meat for dinner.  While we stopped to get gas, I called to check on my friend Tina as she'd had a death in her family last night.  Tina said that she was doing much better than she had been the night before; and we discussed  our plans for the rest of the day.  Tina told me that she was going to go swimming and she invited us to join her.  I said that we were on our way to get food to make for dinner, and she welcomed us to grill at her house.  We hurried through Sam's so that we could go to Tina's for an impromptu swim and barbecue; then stopped home quick for Nicky, Lyndzi, swimsuits and towels; and we were on our way.
I love nights like this.  You think that you're not going to be doing anything and then all of a sudden, you are.

I made the burgers, which Luis grilled and they were PERFECT!  Tina supplied all of the drinks and sides, including, this YUMMY Ranch dressing that she made from a Hidden Valley Ranch mix. (see Tina, I mentioned it...)

It's always such a pleasure to spend time with my friend Tina and her daughter Kristin. They are positive, easy going, and loving.  (See Kristin, I mentioned you and I wrote about how great you are just like you told me too, I mean just like you are.) But seriously.  I love Tina AND Kristin; and spending time with them tonight was an unexpected treat.

While I was at Tina's we discussed the fact that I had no idea what I was going to write about today.  We reviewed my day, and agreed that it wasn't necessarily blogworthy.  Not that spending time together wasn't special enough by any means.  I just didn't think that I had a story there.  Once I got home and I got to thinking about it, I realized that not having a story, was my story.  That appreciating the routine, or the day to day was just as important as being grateful for extra special moments; if not more so; because it's all the little pieces of the every day, that make up most of our lives.  The hugs that we receive, the understanding that we share, the appreciation for a good meal; THAT is what life is usually about.  The rest is just gravy.  

In the long run, I went from having an ordinarily, good day to realizing that this really was a day to remember.  A day filled with family, friends and love; and THAT'S what makes life so beautiful!

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-235) The Verdict Is In...

Well, it's official.  On Friday I wrote "Pros & Cons Of Camping," and I told you that I still wasn't sure if camping was worth all of the prep and hard work that's involved.  But, the verdict is in; and after spending a night camping in the White Tank Mountains, I can now say without a doubt; that for me, it definitely IS worth it.

Now let's take a U turn.  If you've read "Pros & Cons Of Camping," then you know that we had planned on camping at Lake Pleasant this past Thursday night, but since they were full; we went up to the White Tank Mountains instead.  We arrived at nightfall and the camp host scared my kids out of staying there when he mentioned the Diamond Head Rattle snakes that were abundant in the area.  Our friend Jenny and her kids didn't scare as easily; and they decided to stay.  I promised that we'd come back out the next day; AT LEAST for the day; and I had every intention of keeping my word.

We got a very slow start on Friday; and around 230 we headed out to the White Tanks with all of our camping gear packed; in case we decided to stay.  We arrived around 3pm but Jenny and her kids were no where to be found.  We spoke to the camp host; (the same one who'd frightened my kids the night before;) and he was in a much more helpful mood.  We asked him how to get to the waterfall trail playground; because we thought that our friends might be there.  He gave us directions and told us that there were quite a few campsites available today; one right next to Jenny's even; in case we wanted to stay.

We talked about it for a minute and decided to pay the $17 fee to stay the night.  We reasoned that by paying now, we could reserve the spot next to Jenny's;  JUST IN CASE we decided to stay.  We found the waterfall trail playground; but our friends weren't there.  We were unable to contact them by phone; so once again we discussed the situation.  Our kids all agreed that everything looked much better in the daylight,  so we decided that we should set up our camp and spend the night.

Luis and I put up our tent.  YES, you read that right.  Luis AND I, put up our tent; in what seemed like no time at all.  We unloaded our supplies while the kids went to the playground that was within eye shot from our campsite; and we enjoyed being outdoors.  YES, WE enjoyed being outdoors.  Once our camp was set up, I had to go into town to buy some pillows; because we had forgotten to put ours back in the car before we left home.  As I was driving down the mountain, I saw Jenny driving back up; and shortly thereafter I saw her husband, David driving up as well.

It only took me about 15 minutes to get to Sam's Club.  I bought a bunch of new pillows and drove back up to camp.  By the time I got there, Luis had the grill going and burgers cooking.  He had a pot up to boil water for corn on the cob; and we were finally able to spend some time relaxing with our friends. 

It didn't take me long at all; to acknowledge to myself that all of the prep that's involved in camping, really is worth it for me.  I've never been what I or anyone else for that matter, would call an outdoors woman; but I really do like the time that I spend camping with my family and friends.   The view from our campsite was unlike any other that we've had before, because we could see all of the city lights; and it was beautiful.  We sat around the fire, while the kids played Telephone; and made Smores and it was great  to breathe the fresh air.

We went to bed around 1030, and discovered that our Aerobed had lost some air.  Luis re-inflated it; and we thought the problem was resolved; until around 2am when I got back from taking Hershey for a walk; only to discover that our bed had once again lost a considerable amount of air.  Luis deduced that there must be a small hole; and we had no choice but to rough it with the bed as it was.  By morning my butt was sunk to the ground; but it was still as wonderful as ever to wake up in my tent; and feel the cool breeze.

Just in case you're really taken aback by this post; let me assure you that it wasn't written by a guest blogger.  Believe it or not,  it's all me.  The me that I've become over the past 43 years.  The me who has grown to appreciate the comfort and the solitude that being out doors can offer.  The me who can't wait to go camping again.

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-150) Peace, Love & Harmony

If I had to pick one word to describe how I'm feeling today; it would be "BLISSFUL."  And what I like best about the fact that I feel this way; is that absolutely, nothing out of the ordinary has occurred.  I got to sleep in a little more than usual this morning; which was a  lovely way to start my day; but once I was up, Luis and I had to GO, GO, GO!  We still had a ton of shopping to do; which is kinda unusual considering that our kids are only getting one gift each; plus their gift from Santa, and a few stocking stuffers.  But we also had food shopping to do, and I had my blog to write; so we had no time to waste.

I won't regale you with the list of shops that we visited; but suffice it to say, there were many; and I was impressed with how good spirited my fellow shoppers and retailers, appeared to be.  I think that it's fair to say that I typically try to be a friendly person; even if it's just to smile at a stranger when our eyes meet;  and I must have exchanged a smile with someone while in Sam's Club, which caused me to be struck with a profound awareness that people (for the most part,) seem to respond well to a smile.  The simple gesture of a smile, can mean so much and it's not something that I usually think about; I just do.

During the holiday season, we seem to encounter two kinds of people ~ those who want to wish you peace on earth and bestow good will towards men; and others who are crabby and resentful; and hate all that surrounds the holidays because they have to deal with the crowds and the parking and the traffic etc.  I find it ironic that people can have such attitudes while they are out shopping for what is supposed to be a loving, thoughtful, joyous time; but yet, this idea alludes them. They are not scrooges (or I imagine that they wouldn't be out shopping;) but they do exhibit the bah-hum-BUG; and to me, these are the people who are in need of our smiles the most. I rarely find that if you smile at someone that they will scowl or ignore you; in fact, maybe showing a little kindness to a stranger is all that they need to brighten their day.  It can be a lonely world out there; and you NEVER know what someone else's situation or circumstances are; so I say, risk it, SMILE!

The stores were all crowded; each and EVERY one of them.  People were rushing around, filling their carts, waiting on lines and, for the most part; it seemed to me that most people were in the holiday spirit.

So why am I blissful?  I don't know.  Maybe it's the fact that I think that Luis and I, AND Santa; got the perfect gifts for our kids.  Or perhaps it was the comfort of shopping with my beloved; instead of going out on my own, as I've been doing.  It could be the smiles that I've exchanged with many today, or the season's greetings or my clean house.  It could be the realization that life is GOOD; even if it's not perfect; and that Peace, Love and Harmony feel GREAT.  BUT, on the subject of harmony, I want to say this...

The other day I was once again looking for quotes for my Facebook status and I found one that really made an impression on me; although I didn't choose to use it at the time.  It was a quote by journalist / editor, Doug Floyd; “You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note.”  How brilliant is that?  I think that it is VERY important to remember that if we were all the same;  had the same beliefs, and practices; we could never achieve HARMONY.  We need diversity, and varied contributions in order to truly have harmony.

At this time, and for always; I wish you and yours, PEACE,LOVE & HARMONY!
Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING                           

(43-125) WHAT Was I Thinking?

,

I now can say that I know MOST certainly, why Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday.  And the reason is... because the cooks will require the three whole days afterwards, to recover from all of their hard work.  Now, I know what you must be thinking; "Paige, Thanksgiving was last week, and you didn't even cook; so why are you bringing this up now?"  Ahhh, why, indeed!
If you'll recall, in "You Know It's Love When..." I explained that I had decided not to cook Thanksgiving dinner this year; because in Thanksgiving's past, I was the only one in our family who had any interest in the traditional fare.   Well, while we were at Thanksgiving dinner; Luis and the kids actually consumed quite a bit of food that is typically associated with Thanksgiving dinner, including turkey; which they previously had shown no interest in. So, being the kinda wife and mom that I am; I suggested that I would buy a turkey breast during my Sunday grocery shopping and make it with a couple of side dishes for dinner one night.  Everyone seemed to like this idea; so I added all of the necessities to my grocery list.

Well, on Sunday I went to Sam's Club after the gym, and they had whole turkeys on sale.  I figured that I could just make a whole turkey since the prices were so good; and I looked for the smallest one that I could find.  I thought that an 18lb turkey for $12.50 was a really good deal; so I started to defrost it, and I planned to make it for dinner on Monday.

While the kids and I were having lunch yesterday, we were watching a DVR'd episode of "Diners, Drive-In's and Dives," and Guy was showcasing Thanksgiving foods.  One chef had used an oven bag to cook his turkey; and since I'm a BIG fan of the oven bag (I use one to make pot roast, and sometimes brisket;) I thought this was the way to go.  I searched my cabinets, because I remembered that one time I meant to buy large oven bags and I'd bought the turkey size by mistake, and I was pretty sure that I still had them in the house; and I did.  I set the bags some place that I would remember them; and I felt content that I had a great plan to make my "little" Thanksgiving dinner on Monday.

I tried to plan everything just right.  I took my lunch break late in the afternoon today, so that I could use my time to prepare the turkey.  I don't think that I'd say that this was a big mistake; however, I felt extremely rushed; and that wasn't very comfortable for me.  I would have to estimate that at least two or three times during the course of the turkey preparation I  uttered out loud, "What was I thinking," as I raced the clock to get the bird cleaned, dried, seasoned, into the bag and then into the oven; but alas, I DID IT; with time to spare.

It wasn't long before my house had that wonderful roast turkey smell; and since it's particularly cold in Phoenix right now (about 52 degrees today, and we're expected to be around 36 tonight;) the warmth from the oven was delightful.

I picked up the kids from school, finished working for the day, filled out some paper work for Luis' doctor's appointment tomorrow; then went to Safeway to buy mushrooms for my stuffing and sour cream for the mashed potatoes. As soon as I got home, I began preparing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and stuffing.  What was that I'd said about making them a couple of sides?  Well, I guess if I was going to do it; I was going to DO IT!  Go big or go home; right??

When Luis and Nicky got home from Nicky's soccer practice; Luis commented that the house smelled sensational (OK, maybe sensational wasn't his exact word; but I just love the alliteration.)  Nonetheless, he paid me some compliment, and it made all my hard work worth it.  We all ate our not-so-typical Monday night dinner; and although it was lovely to have; I definitely thought to myself; "I need a rest!"

I KNOW from experience how much hard work preparing a Thanksgiving dinner is; so why I thought that I could attempt it on a work day, during a week night; I have no idea.  I think that it is very safe to say that when it comes to preparing a whole turkey and all of it's accompaniments;  one should venture to do so when you have an entire day free and then a day to rest to follow.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-117) A Helping Hand

I finally went back to the gym today.  No need to read that line again; I'll repeat, I FINALLY WENT BACK TO THE GYM TODAY; hallelujah!!  It was a long time coming; but I did it; AND, I'm going back tomorrow.

After the gym, my dear friend, Lesa G and I had coffee at Starbucks, and caught up.  Following Starbucks, I went to Sam's Club, and when I tried to start my minivan; it was dead.

I called Luis to ask if we had jumper cables in the minivan, and he told me where to find them.  Then just as I was removing them from their location, it started to rain.  I had to laugh; I mean for the amount of times we actually get rain in Peoria, Arizona; for it to rain right then and there, I found ironic.

I do have AAA but I know that it usually takes a while for them to get to you. I had just purchased milk and chicken; which I didn't want to go bad and thankfully, I had parked close to the tire center entrance; so I walked over to see if someone there might be able to help me. I explained that my car wouldn't start and that I had jumper cables, and I asked if someone could help me out.  The gentleman couldn't have been nicer; and he immediately came out to help me.  I popped the hood so he could see where my battery was located; and then he pulled his car over.  There was a car parked on either side of me, as well as in front of me; but fortunately the cables were long enough to reach from my car to his.   As soon as he started to hook up the cables, the rain started coming down a lot stronger; and again I had to laugh because behind my car and to the side of my car, there were beautiful blue skies; yet right over my car; POURING RAIN.

In no time at all, my car was up and running.  I offered the man a tip of the couple of dollars that I had in my purse; but he told me that they were supposed to do anything that they can to help; and they weren't permitted to accept tips.  I thanked him profusely, wished him a Happy Thanksgiving, and got on my way.

I am so pleased that I have a tale of kindness and cooperation to report, since all too often I am telling you about situations that have gone wrong or customer service agents who weren't up to par.  How refreshing to be able to say that there was a well trained, gracious man, working in the Sam's tire center today and he didn't think twice about lending me a helping hand.  
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING