An InspirationRecently family and friends came from near and far to celebrate a very special lady. My dear landlady Charlotte turned 90 years old this past March 15th! What a wonderful milestone to reach and what a wonderful inspiration she is as she does her daily walks, keeps the vegetable and flower gardens growing and stays very active. Happy Birthday Charlotte! You inspire me.

Short Trip To Seattle (or my unplanned version of Sleepless in Seattle)

A few weeks ago I flew to Seattle for a work conference. My coworker and I got there a day early hoping to get in a little bit of sightseeing before the conference began Sunday night.

Our hotel was close enough to walk to Pike Place and wander around all of the market area. It was very interesting to see all the different kinds of things for sale at these stalls. Cheesemakers, bakeries, flowers and lots of seafood. We even got to see them "throw the fish" at the market. One of my favorite things was the gelateria where I got a scoop of yogurt and salted caramel gelato... Yum! We even happened upon the Saint Patrick's Day parade quite by accident. The next day I had made arrangements to take a gourmet tour of Seattle. We met up with the "foodie" guide at a local hotel and began a delicious culinary journey. Cheers!It was all quite delicious! I think my favorite was the pizza place called Serious Pie. It really tasted like authentic Italian pizza. A wonderful crust! The tour wrapped up just in time for me to walk back (in the pouring rain) to the convention center for the opening session of the conference.

That night unfortunately, I began to fell very sick and I was up most of the night. Yes, I was "sleepless in Seattle" but for a very undesirable reason... food poisoning. So what began with much enjoyment ended up in three and a half days feeling very sick and unable to get out of bed. After a day and a half of not being able to keep any food or water down I finally began to feel a little bit better on Tuesday. This is what my diet look like for the next couple of days...Not very exciting or very gourmet is it?

Wednesday, my last day in Seattle, I was finally feeling well enough to attend the last two sessions of the conference. After checking out of the hotel we took the monorail to the "Needle"and then walked through a sculpture garden and back along the water front. And so I wrapped up my eventful trip to the Northwest. Glad to be back home!

March Showers Brought All the Flowers!

Spring has sprung in my backyard! Although you probably couldn't have guess that from the last couple of days which have been quite rainy and cold somewhere in there beautiful things began to appear all over. I took my camera and did a little walk all over the yard and caught some of it before the big storm on Sunday. Enjoy this colorful glimpse of God's beautiful creation!

GO Saturday

This morning I was a part of GO Saturday with my Grace Group from church. It was a day of service set aside to help and assist where needed in the community around us. Serving and being an active part of the body of Christ. We painted a room that is used for family therapy and counseling at the shelter and also did some yard work and tree trimming.

"Then a light will break
Coming with the dawn
God will answer when we pray
Glory will come down, healing will abound
Righteousness will have its day
As we cry for help God will intercede
Proving yet again his love
He will not forget every act of faith
Watching from his throne above."

Happy St. Patrick's Day "Christ with me, Christ before me,Christ behind me, Christ in me,Christ beneath me, Christ above me,Christ on my right, Christ on my left,Christ when I lie down,Christ when I sit down,Christ in the heart of every manwho thinks of me,Christ in the mouth of every manwho speaks of me,Christ in the eye that sees me,Christ in the ear that hears me."- Saint Patrick

My Favorite Store in Downtown Fullerton

A few years ago my sister Grace introduced me to a very cute and unique boutique called Roadkill and I have been hooked ever since. The store is in downtown Fullerton and has become one of my favorite places to shop for creative, unique and very pretty clothing and accessories. Last night when I dropped by the store this lovely blouse caught my eye. Look at the detail in the collar... so beautiful and dainty. And then I found a great dress on the sale rack. Here is a detail from the skirt. Love it! The also have great jewelry and accessories. So if you ever are in need of a cute gift for someone or something cute for yourself then this is the place! Last night was also the first anniversary of the Fullerton Art Walk so they has live music and a bakery food truck in front of the store. It all made for a fun evening.

Embracing My Auntie Role

Today my friend Chrystal came by the office with her cute little baby boy. Ever since I can remember I've always loved babies.

Loved holding them.

Playing with them.

Taking care of them.

Loving on them.

Recently I have been babysitting Savannah & Kate who are a real joy to my heart!

I was ten years old when my baby sister was born and that clinched the deal, I was in love! From that day on I dreamed of some day having lots of babies of my own. But things don't always go as you plan or dream. What was hardest about celebrating my last birthday was facing the reality that this dream may never happen. Oh, don't get me wrong I have been very blessed to have six beautiful nieces and nephews and countless friends with children who I love dearly! So instead of focusing on what I don't have I am choosing to celebrate and enjoy the role of "Auntie" that God has given me. I am so blessed to have so many family and friends in my life that let me share a little bit of their children's lives.

This Auntie is deeply grateful!

Here I am wrapping up a day at the office with a very cute and snuggly Titus.