(43-297) Fabulous Friday!

Oh Friday, how I love you!  Whether I'm having a date with Luis, or spending the evening with my kids and friends -Friday is usually my favorite day of the week.

This morning  Jenny and I took the kids out for brunch to celebrate the end of the school year.  After that I had a couple of errands to run. I exchanged a pair of flip flops at Payless; then our next stop was Kohl's.  Let me tell you why...  The other day I received the sweetest card from my friend Penny.  Penny is the mom of Rachel S. and I told you about her when I wrote "The Care Package."  Well getting the card was such an unexpected treat, and it really made me feel good.  But as if the card wasn't enough, Penny also included 2 $10 gift cards for Kohl's.  Penny wrote that she had received the gift cards and Rachel had mentioned that I like to shop at Kohl's so she hoped that I would be able to use them.  How kind and generous was that?  Since the cards had a 5/21 expiration date, I wanted to hurry over there so that I could put them to good use.  Now the cards did say "one per customer."  They also said "non-transferable," so I wasn't even sure if I'd be able to use them; but since I knew that I'd have to make two separate transactions, I gave the gift card and  $5 to Jenny and asked her to try and buy this $16 necklace for me.  (It was on sale for 35% off.)  Jenny returned and handed me my change.  She said that the necklace cost me just  .44  How great is that?  Knowing that I'd have no problem using the other card, I purchased a sundress and top for Lyndzi.  Both were on sale, PLUS I had a 15% discount card as well as Penny's gift card, so it was just $10 out of pocket for this purchase.  I couldn't have asked for a better shopping experience.  Thank you so much Penny AND Kohl's!!!

After some shopping, we headed for the park.   The weather was beautiful and a terrific time was had by all.  The kids enjoyed playing, while Jenny and I chatted away.  We left the park a few hours later, and I went home to get ready for Mari's, surprise, birthday dinner at  The Cheesecake Factory.  There were eight of us there including Mari, who would have been surprised had she not seen my minivan in the parking lot - arrghh!  We joked and laughed A LOT!  We had a very attentive waiter, delicious food, OK,and dessert (though I shared with Lisa B.)  Not wanting the night to end with dinner, five of us decided to go to Charming Charlie,  (the MOST phenomenal accessory store that I've ever seen.)  Huge fan of color that Iam, I was in heaven when I saw all of the different sections of the store, arranged by color.  It was like a rainbow had exploded and dropped all of the brilliant, purple jewels in one area, all of the green in another, all of the aqua to the left and the orange to the right. etc. etc. etc.   Oh my goodness, it was just glorious.

I'd been wanting to go to Charming Charlie for a while, and even though they had some very reasonable prices; there was no way that I was going to be getting a necklace for just .44 so I convinced myself that if I purchased anything it would have to be either a very special ,piece OR an irresistible price.  Well the special piece won out, and I must say that for as artful as it was, the price was very fair. ( Just under $15.)  I can't it and do it justice, so I'll just have to take a picture of it when I wear it. 

What an absolutely, fabulous Friday.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  From start to finish it was just exceptional.  It's days like today that make the more mundane days seem worth it.  Days when I can just realx with my family and friends.  When we can eat and chat and shop.  It just doesn't get much better than this.
I am so grateful to have had another day.  And not just ANY day, but a delectable  day.  Thanks to everyone who was a part of it.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(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

(43-229) What A Wonderful Weekend...

My last three days have just been ideal.  In "Walk the Walk," I told you about how I asked for, and was given a new job as a reunion coordinator.  In "Love Is In The Air,"  I told you that I met Mari for coffee and chat; and got a sassy pedicure.  In "Neon Bingo,"  I told you that I played BINGO with my girls, and then went out to dinner with Michelle; but until today, I haven't had the opportunity to tell you how delightful that dinner was.

Although Michelle and I try to get together a lot, we don't often get to spend time alone together and we wanted to go out to celebrate her recent divorce.  YES, CELEBRATE!
We decided to go to The Cheesecake Factory; and suffice it to say, we did not adhere to ANY diets.  Everything about this dinner was spectacular.  The company, the food, even our amusing 27 1/2 year old  waiter; who we joked around with throughout our meal.  Now because I know that many of you who read "TBR" are foodies; I'm going to tell you exactly what we ate; just don't count the calories for me.  We shared a couple of small plates (appetizers,) we had crab cake bites (which I HIGHLY recommend;) and fried artichoke hearts with a garlic aioli dipping sauce.   I LOVED the sauce and thought the artichokes were just OK; so it's not something that I would order again.   Michelle and I typically share meals, so that we can try two different things; so this time we decided on the Shrimp Scampi (another HIGHLY recommend) and the Hibachi Steak, (a Hanger steak with a Terriyaki type glaze) which I've had previously and also recommend.  The Hibachi steak was accompanied by two fried Asparagus spears; and that in and of itself, was an added bonus.  I'm sure that you think that we couldn't have eaten any more; but it was The Cheesecake Factory, and it is extraordinarily difficult to pass up dessert there.  We perused the menu and I was going to let Michelle name our poison; but since we were celebrating; we ordered two different kinds of cheesecake; took two bites then took the rest home.  Michelle chose The Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake, which had "Moist layers of Red Velvet Cake, and Original Cheesecake, covered with special Cheesecake Factory cream cheese frosting."   I ordered the White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut Cheesecake,  which had White Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake, Swirled with Macadamia Nuts and Caramel, on a Blond Brownie Crust.  There's only one thing that I can say about that cheesecake; OMG!  I absolutely have a new favorite cheesecake; as if , I NEED to have a NEW, FAVORITE, CHEESECAKE.  Truth be told; it's still in my fridge.  So I AM  showing some restraint.  We had Cappuccino with our cheesecake; and some of the best conversations that we've had in a while.  This was truly, a celebratory evening.

Lyndzi at age 3 1/2

Just when I thought my weekend couldn't get any better; I had the opportunity to go scrapbooking at my friend Lisa B's last night.  I haven't scrapbooked in what feels like forever, so I was so glad to be able to go.  Because I'm me, the world's SLOWEST scrapbooker; I didn't get much done at all; BUT, I absolutely adore the one layout that I completed and I had a great time seeing my friends.

What a WONDERFUL Weekend!!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING