Michelle's Bridal Shower!!

This past Saturday, I was able to host a bridal shower for my best friend Michelle, who you can read more about HERE! :) It was so much fun putting together and the ladies of our church and several of the Mom's in the school really had a great time celebrating with and spoiling Michelle! :) 

Here are some pictures of the shower, enjoy! 

 Since Michelle is getting married in December, I decided against doing the shower theme in her wedding colors because it wouldn't be a very "summery" atmosphere. :) 

So, we just kept it fun and light and went with a Luau/Hawaiian theme shower!

First off, the food!! :)

The beautiful bride-to-be!! :) 

Gift Table

While we ate, one of our Pastor's wives gave a little devotional. It was very special!! 

We then had tons of fun playing all sorts of games!! :)

Playing "How well does the Bride know the Groom" was fun!! Michelle was very nervous about this game, but she did pretty well! 

After the games, we enjoyed the delicious cake and ice cream while Michelle opened her gifts!!

One of the fun things about this shower is that three out of her four Bridesmaids were all in attendance!!!

It just so happens we all live here in CA!! It was so nice that we all got to be at at least one of her showers!

Here we are - (from left to right)

Renee (her sister in-law), the Bride, Me and Grace (her future sister in-law)

Look at us with our cute little buttons! :)  

I had to get one picture of the Bride and myself!! Love this girl!

It was a great shower. I'm so happy for her!!!! 

We are all going to miss her so much out here in California!

I'm SO happy to announce....

Friday evening a very best friend of mine, Michelle,
 became a BRIDE-TO-BE!!!!

I am just beyond happy for her. 

She was the Maid of Honor in our wedding and it just makes me so happy that I will be standing up on that very same platform with her on her day as well!!! :)

To me, Michelle is that friend who has always always been there! 

We grew up together and our entire childhood we were best buddies! We have so many memories..I would never be able to write about all of them...but here are a few...

Having slumber parties at each other houses, sharing our twin beds and giggling long into the night.

Being together when her family went through the horrible time of losing their home in a fire.

Countless birthday parties.

Being together the day when I was in a horrible accident...and Michelle always visiting me and wanting to stay with me and push me in my wheel chair, the entire summer.

Countless hours spent playing on the school playground after school! (Both of our Mom's worked in the school office, so we would play together until they got off of work)

In high school, being inseparable and being able to share anything and everything with each other.
Through college, always being the constant, never changing, faithful friend.

Michelle is a friend that I can honestly say I don't think that we have ever had a fight!!
Seriously, we just get each other. Most of the time, we don't even need to say anything.
She is the friend that I can make eye contact at across the room and I know exactly what she is thinking without ever discussing it.

Michelle and I had the awesome opportunity to teach in the same school together out here in California for this entire past school year!
How crazy is that?!

My best friend and I, 2000 miles away from home, get to teach in the same school!!

When I moved out here to CA after getting married, on one hand, I was SO excited to start my life and new family with Julian, but on the other hand....
It was one of the saddest times in my life.
That may sound weird and I don't really think that anyone can imagine the feeling unless you have lived it.
I was/am always always homesick.
I never realized how much of a "homebody" I was until I came to California. I said all that to say, that having Michelle here in California with me was, I truly believe, a gift from God.
That may sound totally cheesy, but it's honestly the truth!
God allowed me to have my childhood best friend here with me for this first year. It allowed me to ALWAYS have a little piece of home. There was always someone there that knew exactly how I was thinking, where I was coming from, and someone that knows ME as a person so well, my best friend!
What a blessing!!
I am so thankful for that!

About this last year, wow, I just can't explain how great it's been for our friendship!
It's so great, because now we are both adults, living our own lives but we have this solid friendship that goes back to when we were children.
We made SO many memories this past year.

We did all our class field trips together.
We had a blast coaching the high school girls Volleyball team together!

Everyday one of us would be in the other's classroom sharing a story...

So many hilarious moments in our teacher's meetings (we have them everyday) funny things are bound to happen...especially when you have our boss!!
I think just about everyday, Michelle would kick me really hard under the table during these meetings.
Many times, we couldn't make eye contact or else we would crack up!

We had many many shopping trips.
Nights at our house having dinner and relaxing!
So many conversations, about spiritual decisions, discipline issues with our kids, the right/wrong way to deal with a fellow peer, laughing our heads off about certain school situations.

My favorite part of the day at school, was just about every evening we would wait for each other and we would walk to our cars together and discuss that certain day or certain situations...
I didn't realize it then...but those are the times when I look back at them and think...
Wow, what a GREAT friend I have in her.
We totally, completely get each other!
I honestly don't think you get many friendships like that in a lifetime.

So, now you know (maybe too well :) ha! how I feel about Michelle and what a great friend she is....
Maybe you can see how EXCITED I am for her and her upcoming wedding!!!
I love her fiance', he truly is a great man, and I am so happy for the two of them!
Although, I am so sad that she will be leaving me here in California, I, once again, am soooo sooo thankful for this past year that we have had together!
I will always always always remember our memories and I know that Michelle and I truly have a....
LIFELONG friendship!
I can't wait to celebrate her wedding...but first....we have A LOT of planning to do!!!!
Bring it on, I LOVE weddings!!!

It's been awhile, I know! :)

I feel like I have so much to blog about and I have no idea where to start.
For the last two months life has been pretty hectic!
Starting with the end of school that was not only exciting but very very busy!
In the last three weeks of school we crammed in our
annual Spring Auction,
 our 1st-6th grade Spring Program,
a fun but stressful Field Trip,
THREE Graduations
a school wide Field Day
....and in between all of that...
the end of the year rush to get all assignments done, classrooms cleaned, grades graded!!!

From school, we jumped right into our exciting summer.
Starting with my bestie, Nicole, coming to visit us two days after school ended!

What a great great time we had!! Seriously, we took so many pictures, laughed constantly, talked and talked and talked and made memories that will last for such a long time!!

It was so fun showing her our life and our beautiful state of California!

The day before Nicole left my Mom arrived in CA and was followed a few days later by my Daddy! :)

I can't even tell you in words how great it was to have them here!

My parents are two of my best friends and spending this time with them was so great!

It was fun to have my Dad with us right before his birthday and Father's Day. It made it a little easier when I couldn't see him on those special days! :)

Since they left, Julian and I have been keeping busy with day to day things.
We have a few slow weeks coming up and then the mid/end of the summer will be filled with Craft camp at our church, a Bridal shower, and a couple special family members who will be visiting us near the end of the summer!! Along with getting ready for the school year!

I have been so bad at keeping up with the blogging world! I feel way behind! I need to catch up on all of my favorite blogs..and... hopefully it won't take another 2 months till my next post! 

Spring Break Road Trip!!

Today was "back to reality" day for me.

 I have spent the last week and a half enjoying one of THE best Spring Break's ever!!

A few weeks back my wonderful husband, all on his own, decided to take me on a road trip to see some very dear friends of mine that live in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I was shocked when he brought it up! We had been throwing some ideas back and forth of what we could do on our break (he had already requested this week off as one of his vacation weeks also). 

One night we were driving and out of the blue he says, "I want to take you to Salt Lake." 

I said..."WHAT?! Really!!!" 

I was SO excited! I have two really great friends there in SLC!!

One, is my good friend Tab who I grew up, she was one of my bridesmaid and teaches in a Christian school there in UT. The other is my sweet friend Courtney. I have known Courtney for a long time but it wasn't until last fall that Court and I became super close. One day we started chatting back and forth and we just never stopped. She is now one of my best friends!! I was so excited to see her since it would be the first time we would be together since our friendship has grown!!

Have I mentioned that I have the best husband on the planet?!?! :) 

I DO!!!!

So, we took off on Sunday evening and drove a few hours then stopped and finished the trip on Monday.

We arrived in beautiful Salt Lake on Monday afternoon and stayed until Thursday morning.

My friend Tab, had been in Michigan seeing her (now fiance) David and was supposed to return on Monday p.m. but due to plane issues she didn't come in till Tuesday afternoon. 

Here are some pictures of us on our "road trip". We had a lot of fun on the "road"!!

Monday night we had a great time being introduced to the SLC area!! 

We were also introduced to Courtney's "special someone", Matt! We spent the evening getting to know each other and "bonding" over Mexican food, a drive in the mountains, and bowling!! 

It was so fun to "double date"! 

Our guys got along very well and are actually a lot a like which just made the night so much better!! 

Tuesday, we spent the day shopping and doing girl things like a trip to the nail salon!! Julian just came along for the ride. It's times like these that I'm so happy I married a guy that grew up in a house full of girls!! :) He is very understanding (most of the time) when it comes to shopping etc...

Tab also returned on this day!! It was very nice to see her again!!!

Tuesday night, Courtney's parents had us over for dinner. It was a nice relaxing evening and we had a great time eating, laughing and playing games!!

Wednesday was such a beautiful day!!!! It was sunny with clear skies. Tab had to teach all day so Courtney took us through more of Salt Lake. We did a "drive by" of the Mormon Temple and the Capitol building.

Isn't this just a gorgeous place!?! Look at those mountains!!!

We took a walk in the park and just relaxed enjoying the time together.

Wednesday night we were able to see several old friends that all attend Courtney and Tab's church.

It was great to catch up and see people we haven't seen in a while!!

Not to be repetitive, BUT it was truly a GREAT trip! We had a such a wonderful time. 

Thanks to my two awesome friends who "put up with us" and showed us their amazing city!

We would love to come back again soon!!!! Thanks friends for making it a memorable Spring Break!!
Miss you girls already! :)

Reunited....after all this time!!!

A while back I did I did a post about a dear friend of mine Julie.

I told you all about our friendship/history and then announced that she was expecting her first child!

Well, last weekend I found out that she was coming to Sacramento to visit her parents (which live there now). 

We weren't sure if it was going to work because their visit would be short but we wanted to try to see each other.

Well.....I GOT TO SEE HER!!!!! 

It was the first time I have seen her in 3 1/2 years!!! It was SO good!! 

Ok, that last time I saw her was on her wedding day! I can't believe how we still look so much alike!!

I remember the night of her rehearsal I was standing talking to some people and her Dad came up behind me and put his arm around me and said "Hey Jewels, Do you...." I turned as he was talking and he said..."Oh, you aren't Julie!" :) 

We always did look like sisters and I think we still do! :) 

It was so nice that our husbands FINALLY got to meet!!!! 

It's so funny because we are so much a like and our husbands are so much alike! It didn't dawn on me till today. Julie and I will talk and talk and talk...non stop!! Our husbands, just sit and listen! haha! 

I guess that is a good thing! If the husband and wife both talk a lot...there would be some issues! :)

Oh, and I got to see her with her baby belly!!!! :) I was so excited about that! I have always loved baby bellies but since she is the first "close" friend to have one....well, let me just say...I would never ask anyone other than a close friend to touch their baby belly! I kept telling her, after I found out I would see her, I CAN'T WAIT to touch your belly!!! haha, It was only fair to give her warning!! :)

So, here is a pic with the belly!!! :) 

I love Julie's face...she has the opposite feeling about her belly! :) 

Plans are being made to make a trip to Oregon to see Jason and Julie again!

I'm so excited about that!

They are expecting their baby GIRL to arrive the first week of June!!! 

Her name will be....Alayna Joy Gardner! :) So sweet! 

I am hoping to go spend a few days with her a few weeks after the baby comes!!

It's HER day!!!!!!

It's March 15th!!

Do you know what that means?

To me, it means that a very dear friend of mine will be celebrating her 24th birthday today!!

Happy Birthday,

Nicole Elizabeth LaBate!!!!!!!

I so wish I could be with her to help celebrate her birthday but since I can't...

I just wanted to give her a shout out from my blog! :) 

Thanks for being a best friend Nicole, you have no idea how much you mean to me!!

Nicole and I...well how shall I say it?? We go WAY WAY back!! :)
Like we met right after I was born....in the church nursery!!! :) It was special!! haha, well, I can't say I remember it exactly, but I'm sure it was special!!!! :)
We probably didn't like each other in the nursery...or maybe we did...
That was kind of how our younger years went. Some may call it a love/hate relationship.
Sometimes we LOVED each other and others...well, you get the point! :)

No, really, during our elementary days, we were buds!! Best buds!!! :)
The kind of friends that you made secret clubs with and told each other your deepest darkest secrets.
Because we all know that 4th graders have very deep and dark secrets!!! :)
And...we DID have a club...although I believe I am still supposed to keep the name of it a secret!!! :)
 There were only 3 members and still to this day NONE of us will tell you what went down in our 'club'!!
(most likely because we don't remember...but that's besides the point) :)

Anyway, moving on into Jr. high and high school is when our friendship wasn't very strong.
We were "friends" but not as close... I don't really remember much of our relationship but basically we just had our own group of friends and didn't do much 'hanging out' during these years.
I know we had some drama too but honestly can't remember much of that either!! But that is how all high school drama is..seems really important then but you can barely remember it a few years down the road!

College came and we still ran in different 'groups'..no drama during this time but just didn't really have a relationship. Until Nicole's senior year (she was a year ahead of me.)

Nicole was placed on my father's bus route (a ministry of our church that picks up children and brings them to Sunday School each week). I had the job of driving our mini van to the outskirts of our 'route' and bringing children to the bus. Nicole was chosen to be my partner and ride with me every Sunday morning and afternoon. This is when our relationship changed! I am so so glad it did!
We spent so many hours for the next (almost) 2 years riding in that van. We talked and talked and talked and laughed and laughed and just became SO close!! She went from being just a girl I grew up with to being my best friend! I will always always look back on that time and be so thankful that we had the opportunity to share that!

During my senior year, I got engaged and started the long process of preparing for the wedding!

Nicole, honestly was the friend that was always always there! Not that my other bridesmaids didn't care and do a ton to help too but because she was there as in literally, most of the others in my bridal party had all moved away by this time, she was involved in all of it. She just went above and beyond!!

She always listened to me talk and talk and talk and talk....I'm sure I was so annoying sometimes!!
You know, when I think back at that time, she was such a great example of a SELFLESS friend, which is what a true friend really is, because if you are selfish in a friendship...it won't be a long lasting one.

Those of you that know her know this, but Nicole is single and isn't dating anyone and wasn't during that entire time of wedding planning. Yet she was just so genuinely excited for me and wanted to be completely involved in everything!! It would have been so easy for her to get maybe a little tired of all the wedding talk etc...but this is just NOT her. She is a great example of a giving, selfless person.
I'm so honored to be a close friend to her!

The wedding came and went and she has continued to be this kind of friend.
You know, when Julian and I came back from our honeymoon and I had a few days to say "goodbye" to all of those people that I love back home.
Honestly, besides my actual family, Nicole was my hardest goodbye! :(
I remember being sick to my stomach after saying goodbye to her. It was very very hard!

I'm so so so thankful for our friendship.
Basically, to sum it up...in the last (almost 9 months), the 2000 miles apart hasn't done any "damage" to our friendship. For me, it's just shown me who and what a real friend is. The distance doesn't matter. We are still so so close! We talk all the time. I know she is always just a text or call or skype away!!

So, Nicole, on your birthday, I just wanted to say....
Thanks for being a true friend. Always honest with me, always ready to tell me straight what you think whether you think I'll like it or not, always giving of yourself, just a REAL friend!
Love you girl!
Happy 24th Birthday!!!
Hope your day is amazing and this year is even better!!!