Becoming a Mommy with my Mommy!

I thought I was getting weekends off to relax and have some down time! Nope! Now we are just going, going, going! hehe. I'm not complaining though. I absolutely love it. I get to spend more time with my friends and family...but not all of them...So here's a shout out to my friends...you know who you are...Diana! Shannon! Ang! Let's get together. My place! BBQ! Swimming! Bring the Hubbies! (They're the ones grilling for us! hehe)

Okay...so since the last time I blogged...I have become a mommy! hahahaha! Her name is Bambi; she is just about 12 weeks old. She's sooo asorable and my favorite part is watching how Joey interacts with her. I just daydream about having our own children. BUT! Until then, our little Miniature Pinscher will do just fine!

My mom made me a mommy! She was in town a few weeks ago and we had a blast together! She brought her best friend Shay to town and we had a big BBQ at the house and swam! Joey's brother and cousins finally got to meet my mom! They all loved her of course. She's the sexy sister is what they called her since she looks like my sister, not my mom! haha

Well, she thought she would trick us into buying the puppy if my uncle brought it over. But we just didn't have the money...so my mom suckered herself into buying Bambi for us! And I didn't even have to ask! LOL. At least she can be satisfied with me not having kids of my own yet. Now she just asks how Bambi is doing! haha

Dad's Day!

So, my dad calls me the Friday before Father's day to tell me he's going to be in town and he wants to have everyone over for a BBQ! I'm so excited about this but worried that nobody would show up because it was so last minute. Joey and I called his parents and they said they would come. We called Joey's Brother and him and his fience Chrystal said they would come too! I was ecstatic! My brother, my papa, my dad and Joey's family! All Together! I love when that happens. It ended up being a wonderful day and my dad was so happy! He still talks about how thankful he was that everyone was able to show up on such a last minute notice. He really was touched. And I can't describe how it made me feel. Joey loved it too! Amazing!

The best part about it is, my dad's birthday is at the end of June and I thought for sure I wouldn't have been able to see him so I bought him a birthday cake on Father's day! But!...he ended up being in town on his birthday for a while and he watched me play my 2 soccer games back to back. How fun! Just like old times!


Bruno's Family
Soooo...a free weekend came up...so we thought...we were invited to Joey's brother, Justin's house for a BBQ. His roommates' family was in town visiting from Uruguay. We went swimming and ate GREAT FOOD. Okay, I even played Beer Pong for the first time. (It was mike's lemonade in my cups!) I kicked butt...even thought my team lost! LOL. I made the ball into their cup on my very first toss! Woohoo! (I should have quit while I was ahead!) It was just a great time that I felt was worth mentioning on here. :) Thanks to Bruno and his family for having us over to enjoy good times!



Independence Day!

So, this weekend started off being this huge Camping Trip planned out to the smallest detail....then everything got turned around when everyone started backing out because of work and other plans. Not to worry though. Joey and I just went with the flow. We are fortunate enought to have a great friend that lives at Bass Lake. She opened up her home to us and treated us like we were staying in a 5 star resort! She has no idea how special she made our weekend. She even allowed Bambi to come up! So, Joey, Bambi adn I went tup there Saturday afternoon. We BBQ'd with her an dher boyfriend Patrick and his friend Richard. They are all awesome! We had lots of laughs and lots of good food.




Sunday morning Joey, Bambi and I went down to the lake and got our feet wet. Yes, event little Bambi ran around on the beach and got her little feetsies wet! hehe. We walked to the stores right there at the Pines and Joey bought me a beautiful dress that I can't wait to wear on a date night! It was chap and from Bass Lake Market! hahaha. I'm just glad it fit...there were no changing rooms to try it on! LOL.

Then we grabbed some lunch and went back to Audra's (my friend) house. We relaxed for a bit and then decided that since the lake was over populated and we wouldn't have any 'privacy' on any of the beaches, that we would go lay out by the pool and go swimming too! 20 minutes and some baby oil later, I am pleased to say that I have a descent tan starting! Then I jumped in the pool! Bambi came in too! She knows how to doggy paddle...but she's too litle to even touch the highest step on the shallow end! hahaha
































Later that evening, around 7pm, we met back up with Audra. We hiked from her friend's palce up to the top of Mono Rock to watch the firework show from a bird's eye view! Let me tel you something...it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen with my own eyes. Even before the fireworks. The view was amazing. Seeing all fo the boats light up on the water, all coming together for the same thing...to celebrate our Freedom! What a sight...what a feeling...what an experience. I will never forget my 4th of July on Mono Rock for the first time ever!

Needless to say, THANK YOU AUDRA, for making our weekend so special, simply by opening up your home to us and making memories with us! You are such a wonderful person! Joey and I owe a lot to you and Patrick! xoxoxox

Let's play catch up! hehe

Good Times in the life of Marie!


Okay! I know it's been a long time since I've blogged, few times at that! I'm going to try and get into the habit of doing it more, but I cannot promise anything! LOL


Where do I begin!

Well, I am no longer working at Chukchansi. Nope! After 7 years, I decided it was time to move on. I was ready to find something closer to home, weekends off. I was ready to have a life with my Man, Family and closest Friends!

Don't get me wrong...it was a big decision, but it had to be made. I wasn't going to jump to the first available job. I had to make sure I was still going to be able to pay the bills and put food on the table when Joey's work was slow.

So, patiently I waited and anxiously I applied...searched the web...updated and revised my resume I don't know how many times! LOL. Then one day, I got an e-mail asking if I was interested in a phone interview....then I got my second, in person interview on Friday and Monday the offer was in and I accepted it! I prayed about this for so long and everything just fell into place, so I knew it was what God wanted me to do.


At first, I thought it would be a pay cut, but not much. Plus, the commute is literally 3.89 miles ROUND TRIP!!! So I save money on gas and car care too! Plus, they give me $120 a month towards my cell phone and upgraded me to an iPhone! Needless to say, when all is said and done and numbers are added up, I make more than I did at Chukchansi! What a blessing! Plus, I get 8 paid holidays off! Oh My Goodness! I can't even count that many holidays. I forget what holidays even exist because I haven't had them off in 7 years! :)

Okay! So my first weekend off after starting my new job, Joey and I went to Solvang and Santa Barbara for the weekend. We had some wonderful friends of ours invite us to stay in their 2 bedroom Condo, so we took them up on it. It was so nice....not just the place itself, but the fact that I could relax...the fact that I knew work was not happening and that I wasn't expecting any work related phone calls or emergencies! For the first time...in an extremely long time...I truly did relax...and I truly felt like I was on vacation! Ant that was just a weekend trip! hehe

Here are just a few pictures from my phone. The rest are on my camera and I will have to download those at another time....I lost my adaptor cord. :(

This is me enjoying my first Wine Tasting Ever!!!! :)

Meet Max! Him and I were wearing the same colors...we know what's up! LOL

Okay, so do you all remember Pretty Woman? Haha...see the family behind us...see the Lobster on Joey's plate...yeah...he sent a big ol' piece of that flying and it landed right between the husband and wife behind him! Flippin' Hilarious! We all had a good laugh. The wife and I couldn't stop laughing the entire time!

Two Weeks into the new job...what do I receive at the office....you'll never guess! FLOWERS! Nope, they weren't from Joey! hahahaha. They were from one of my bosses. Yup. Just to thank me for everything I have already helped her with and to tell me that I am making such a huge difference for her.

Now, let me tell you...I am an Admin for 4 different managers (which involves a lot more than just admin work! LOL) and I am the Marketing Assistant/Event Coordinator! They keep me busy and I love it! But what's one of the best parts....is they acknowledge my work and they make it known that it's appreciated!

I know. I know. You say it's just two weeks and that will get old really quick. Well guess what, I don't care! I'm going to be an optimist on this one! I've been here for over a month now and it's still happening. I'm still happy! I'm still appreciated! I'm still smiling! :)

Here are those flowers. Cute and Sweet!

The last couple of weekends have passed and I am enjoying them off with Joey. Even sitting at home and doing nothing is such a fun thing to do! No stress. No work worries! It's all about us and whoever or whatever we want it to be about!



We decided to make our 'backyard visions' come true! We put grass in! We put Bamboo all around the fence! I planted Tomatoes and Jalapenos! (Homemade Salsa...Mmmmmm...) It's as beautiful as it could possibly be for a less than 300 square feet yard, and I haven't even added my flowers yet! It's so much fun working on the Yard. I have even gone home at lunch time and raked, watered or just relaxed out there! It's amazing....



Here is just one picture I have of the grass from when we first put it in. I need to take more of the finished product and my garden! :) Soon to come!



Picture the grass a little greener....bamboo wrapped around the fence....and me sprawled out taking a cat nap! LOL

Today is a beautiful day! Don’t you think? I mean, to start off, I woke up this morning…breathing and healthy…what more can you ask for?

I know. I know. There is always more to ask for…but without these two things I listed above, what good is anything else; Right?

Yesterday I was driving home from work on Highway 41. I was directed through a detour on Rd. 200 & 210 then back to the 145 & 41. At first I assumed that it was just road work, but then when I came to the end of the detour there was a huge sign stating “Road Closed; Accident Ahead.”
Wow. Instantly I was sad…I started thinking of anyone that I may know that was driving up or down the hill at that time…nobody came to mind right away. I listened to the radio and heard nothing about this accident for the rest of my drive home.

Though I was sad, I couldn’t let this bring me down. No. Actually, it made the rest of my night amazing. I started to think about all of the little things in life that we take for granted. All of the time we waste sitting around complaining or being frustrated with the things around us, yet not taking action and trying to fix these things…or to even take the time to realize that these things are not worth the huff and puff. I’M NOT SAYING THAT I DON’T DO THIS TOO…I’m just saying that every once and a while…we get a reality check… and this was mine last night.

So I got home last night and had a chat with Joey about our day and how it was for the both of us. I didn’t bother telling him about the accident yet because he gets worried about me when I tell him about that stuff and the fact that I drive that road twice a day, almost every day of my life.

He went to the gym for a few hours and I rested. I picked up a little; prepared peppers and onions for Fajitas. When Joey got home he made dinner. We visited and then we went to an indoor Soccer Game near Fresno State. Yup! GUESS WHAT I DID? I signed up to play! I seized the moment! I start on Tuesday! Can you believe it? I am so nervous!

Anyway; back to my reality check. I drove to work this morning and watched the roads to see any signs of where the accident may have occurred. Having still not heard anything about it, I asked our Security Department when I got in if they had any information. They did….

It was an elderly couple. I think they said the wife was 85 and the husband was 89. She was driving him home to Coarsegold…She fell asleep at the wheel. The car flipped and hit another car in the oncoming lane. The elderly couple did not survive the accident. The driver of the other car did.

I know this sounds horrible. I mean, they are probably somebody’s parents or even grandparents! To even think this puts a tear in my eye…

But I am always trying to find the positive lesson in things. All I came up with was that they died together…Maybe not the way they wanted to go, but I’m sure they didn’t want to outlive one another in this crazy cycle of life and death. Also, they lived a long life. Hopefully a happy one with wonderful memories left behind. I didn’t know them…or their story…but just in this horrible event alone, they impacted my life. The Reality Check I received last night when I didn’t even know anyone had been hurt or killed.

I pray for their families and friends and hope that everyone takes the time to realize the small details in it all. Don’t stress to where it affects your health, daily life or personality. If you find yourself in that mess, take a step back and realize that it’s not worth it…be happy and don’t let anyone take your joy!

I love you all and hope you all have a wonderful day full of tiny details that make you smile and be thankful!