Ok, so this was my 1st attempt at a digital layout. The "stickers" are Rhonna Farrer's and were downloaded from 2Peasinabucket.com. I can see my mistakes, and not sure I like the "denim" pattern, but it was my 1st try, and I didn't want to go spend crazy until I was sure I liked it. I liked the process, but I so love the hands on of creating a layout. I love the cutting, the gluing, the painting, the textures... Plus I have to much "stuff" to go completely digital. I just had to try it, since I couldn't find my table under all the paper and stuff. LOL!

Yes, those are worms. I just shooed him out of the kitchen, which is the 1st place AJ went to display his hard earned pay for digging in the dirt. Somehow I think Hunter was way more impressed than I was, but not nearly as proud as his Dad. Hmmmm. Well, I'm proud too, but who gets to pick the crusty worms out of the dryer that were left in some little man's pockets? Much better than a dehydrated and dizzy frog. Yes my realities!

Cheeseburgers in Paradise

Aloha, all. We're back. Yes, this is really Cheeseburger in Paradise in Lahaina, HI on the beautiful island of Maui, baby. Boy, that burger sure was yummy. Austin ordered a hot dog that would put any ball park dog to shame. He was enjoying it so much until it missile launched itself right out of the bun and landed next to a man's shoe at another table. The tears were instant, and I swear, if we weren't going to slip on that dog on the way out, one of us was sure to trip on his big old bottom lip. Poor guy. We would have ordered another one, but there was still so much more food that we couldn't finish. We were able to calm him with some little drink umbrellas and promises of ice-cream.

Hawaii was great. It was bad weather all around us, but we were lucky. We found time to do about everything we wanted to do, even to take the beautiful road to Hana. Man, there are some large leaves on that island. Kisses Sara. The only thing I missed out on was visiting to lss. To you non-scrappers, that stands for Local Scrapbook Store. One of the most wonderful things was being in Maui during the humpback whale breeding season. So many whale sightings. We could tell you a tale of a whale, or a whale of tail, or a tale of a tail... Again, kisses Sara. Nobody got a severe sun burn, or any funky diseases, so alls good.

Mahalo Grammy. Mahalo Maui. Until next time, I'll just sit here with my shades and some Jimmy Buffet.

Reminiscing

I still remember playing kick ball, hide and go seek, skateboarding, and cops and robbers. I still remember being La Senora Che-Vo-Lette. I remember playing on the roofs, throwing things at people below, making a club house, or just looking for a place to be alone in my own thoughts and imagination. I still remember how it feels to be a kid, and to laugh from the gut. I still remember.

So glad to be home!

I am so glad to be home! Mexico was absolutely great. It was fantastic to see my family. I pigged out tons, yet lost a pound. I visited one of my childhood homes and walked the old neighborhood. Check out the pictures above. The top left is our old home. It's actually a group of homes, but ours was in the back and can't be seen from the street. The top right is a church on the same block we lived on. In front you can buy the best mini sweet gorditas ever. I have often longed for them. Yearned for them so much I could taste them. And, yes they were just as delightful as I remembered. The blue house is Frida Kahlo's old home and now museum in our old neighborhood. The rest are pictures from our streets. Yup, the old stomping grounds. What memories. Man, has it changed!

Well, it was a bittersweet trip. The family was great, and it seems like time stands still over there. Everyone looked pretty much the same, except for the younger cousins that last seen were kids and are now adults. I loved seeing everyone again, and missed my Tita tremendously. The food was amazing. So delicious, nothing like anything here. The pollution: HORRIBLE!!! The poverty so depressing. So many crumbling homes. Sewer stinky in most areas. So inexpensive. Such beautiful architectual accents. So glad to be home.

I totally missed my husband and kids. I'm so glad to be home with them again. I would think about them and want to cry. What a freak!! I was an emotional mess. I remember the poverty from before and being so sad, but this time it just took over my emotions. Maybe because I'm a mother now. That's all I can think. Maybe because I'm not a self-centered child or teenager anymore, and the world no longer revolves around me. I handed that orbit over to my kids. I don't know what it is, but it's talking me ages to get over the blues. If you say BOO, I'll cry.

So glad to be home for a short while. Just enough time to feel overwhelmed with work. Just enough time to clean my house. Just enough time to do laundry. Just enough time to pack for Hawaii. Yes, excited about the next trip with the family to step out of this funk. Hawaii will be totally different than Mexico, and very welcomed.

Did I mention I was so glad to be home?