my forever friends

so i was reading april's blog this morning and she made reference to one of the most fun outings i have ever been on. jarred my memory a bit...a flood of really good memories filled my brain...our october 2006 bike trip to vermont. so incredibly fun. we biked along beautiful country roads (amidst gorgeous fall foliage) to our next destination (only a mere 20-30 miles) which ended up being some historical home, resurrected into a gorgeous, quaint and warm bed and breakfast. we ended up visiting a total of 3 bed and breakfasts and biked probably close to 100 miles. words cannot express how much fun this trip was. words cannot describe the exhilarating feeling of biking along these unbelievably serene and picturesque back roads (after all of the complaining about the accompanying steep hills-april you were a champ, you did not complain once-you are my hero), complete with grazing cattle and gurgling streams, gorgeous architecture and a quiet that is inexplicable. and words cannot express how glad i am that i was fortunate to be in the company of some pretty great people. my friends whom i dearly love. my friends who waited for me to catch up....and didnt think twice about it.

(well, melanie was in the back with me some of the time...nursing a hernia,

no less-so glad i had a little company, pullin up the rear).

i had no valid excuse for my slow pace...just old age (i am older than these lovely ladies) and absolutely no preparation

at all for sitting on a bike seat and peddling for miles on end for like 8 plus hours a day.

(note to self: next time ride a bike a little beforehand to prepare for this shock on your body)

a few things have changed since then. a few little tweaks in our lives. a few little adjustments. however, we are all alive and well, and life has gone on. we might be a couple of years older, and possibly wiser but we are actively adjusting to the curve balls life has thrown at us.

and doing well, i might add.

so to my dear darlings, april and melanie...such fun memories with two of my favorite people in the whole world...maybe we should do it again, sans the boys...

how does 3 moms and 15 kids sound?

now THAT would be fun!

moms of the babies

this is my water polo friend, susie.

we are the moms of the little boys on the team.

i guess it is kind of a big deal that our sons are

freshmen and playing on the varsity team.

we don't really get it.

just have boys who want to play, and this is where they put em.

if we had it our way, they'd be playing jv. for sure.

there's something disturbing about watching your little boy

wrestle in a pool with "men" who have beards.

ewww.

little surprise

so i came home from san diego on saturday night and this is what i found, accompanied by tiny sprinkles and colored sugar spilled on the floor...crunching under my feet. this wonderful kaleidoscope of color and mess created

by my darling 8 year old.

these days of legos scattered around the house and stick figure drawings are numbered.

i love technology

so for the longest time we (aenon, emma and me) have been telling my 83 year old mother (sorry mom, just had to add your age in there for effect) she would enjoy her own computer. the desktop at their home, is sort of used exclusively by my dad. she has access to it, but wanted one of her very own. i know how that is, as i have my mac, craig has his laptop, and even the kids had a laptop (which recently died...they are lost without it) that they used. they now are required to use the desktop which everyone hates. funny how you become attached to inanimate objects. when edens previous laptop died about a year ago, we about had a funeral for that thing. she mourned for days over its demise.

i think in this day in age, everyone should have their own personal laptop...their very own. one which they load with all the things they love. bookmark all the wonderful sites that interest them. load all the personal photos with meaning to them and only them.

so...after much talk, aenon took my mom down to the mac store and look what they bought. i am so happy for her, as i think

this will open up a whole new world.

pretty soon, we'll be skyping!

skyping with grandma.

cant think of anything better.

la jolla again

i am in la jolla at the moment with hunter. america's finest city tournament. we were here in may too. saw mira costa play a great game. still a really good team...they look like a bunch of beach rats, including the coach with dreadlocks. some things never change. i was one of the young girls who hung around the mira costa pool waiting for my beach rat polo man to finish his workout...back in 1977 (i am ancient, i know). remember sitting in the stands watching him play, and lots of waiting around, sitting on the cement at tournaments, trying to stay out of the sun (cuz it saps energy) just like now. remember it well. just glad no little girls are waiting for my current polo man...maybe in a couple of years. dread the thought.

titans are struggling a bit...lost both games, but there is still hope. today is another day. so wish us luck...and hunter is feeling a bit better...with the help of an inhaler, steroids and a heavy duty antibiotic. think i may have another asthmatic child on my hands. lets hope this clears up soon.

go titans.

the things i do...

$82. cha-ching

sick and tired

so hunter has a game yesterday. feels terrible, coughing like a maniac. trying to stay above water, i can see it in his face. tired eyes. poor guy. they lose by 1, after numerous terrible calls by very biased refs. why is it that they hate tesoro? every time. every single time. craig is so upset with the refs and doesnt have a problem telling them...then gets into it with a canyon (opposing team) dad and the kid running the shot clock. pointed insults going back and forth...just wanted to hide under my beach chair, telephoto lens in hand. reminds me of the time he was thrown out of a little league game for being too vocal...ughhh.

then after we get home, (and after a mad dash to the high school to retrieve forgotten books from a locker) couldnt get on my computer, cuz we are officially down one and the kids needed it. the other laptop died, then the printer doesnt work...pretty frustrating night, i will say. and hunter this morning is feeling weaker and sore throat is back...what's next?

well, dont have any dog food this morning, so i have 4 eyes looking at me with disdain.

they hate me right about now.

hope the day gets a little better.

update as of 9:30am...another computer died...and dane is home with crud in this throat.

love my life.

peace please

why does life have to be so complicated?

i long for simplicity and peace.

little slave boy and girl

emma has left for the airport...wont see her till thanksgiving. missing her already. just want to tell her how much i appreciate her helping me this weekend. being the little servant girl, ok with having orders barked at her and then executing her task beautifully. seriously could not have done it without her. we had fun holed away in the hot garage, but when the action started to hit at like 5pm saturday, and things moved into high gear, she was right there by my side, working right beside me. so fun to have her there.

a big thank you to hunter too. he jumped in with both feet when glenn summoned him, telling him it was time to lug 20 or so rather large and heavy pieces of sound equipment down loads of stairs in the scorching heat. so i had 2 happy helpers this weekend...just call them the slave children.

i have realized (actually long ago) it is rewarding to work and work hard. my dad taught me this as i was growing up, and it has stuck with me. i am a worker. my dad once called my sister and i "doers". id like to think i do a job right, and chip in when others need it. good feeling. you may be helping the one who is needing the assistance, but ultimately, the benefits come back to you.

so in reality, i am just completely selfish.

just do the right thing and work your butt off.

its a beautiful day

i was on my feet, like 12 hours or something yesterday. woke up this morning not sure if a mack or peterbuilt semi-truck had run over me last night. all good though-seriously

a great feeling when

you have worked so hard you wake up sore.

the day we had been waiting and planning and preparing for finally came. would do it all over again in a minute...and i dont think i would do much differently (except maybe take a much needed shower and actually get dressed up for the end result... i was still in my rainbows when the party started...oh and turn the thermostat down just a bit, please). everything came together perfectly...everything was beautiful. the food was awesome, the flowers held up in the heat (i was worried, however only had a few wilters) and the band was amazing. glenn kept raving about this band that he hired...i kept thinking, how good can they be, does it really make a difference if the band is good? (i'm not really into the whole dancing thing) but, in a word, YES, it makes a difference. and i actually danced with my sweaty kids

(mccusker boys are included in that "my kids" thing)

all around me...way fun.

perfect

and the highlight of the day...words cannot explain the beauty, serenity and peace of the temple...and the ordinance which took place there yesterday. i kept peeking at elyse as she was listening to the sealer...her beautiful face just beaming. she glowed with her gorgeous crimson hair framing her face (i'm partial to redheads, you know).

just cant explain it. words don't do it justice.

amazing

took like 400 pictures, so i have to choose just a few to put here...tough choice, cuz emma the photographer is really good. she kept telling me how she wants her wedding...then another cute one came to me and was saying the same thing. they were two little chatterboxes, throwing out colors schemes and ideas. this kind of flower-that kind of flower. this kind of dress-that kind of dress. and they kept directing their comments straight to me...why? very unfortunate that i was even involved in these conversations. and what do you say to these darling girls with stars in their eyes? we had a few wedding dreamers in the crowd, for sure. par for the course with all of the love in the air. their weddings will be just as magical, and i am committing here publicly

that i will help them make it that way.

however...

hate to tell ya ladies, this was a wedding dream.

don't think you'll be able to top this one.

my work is indeed cut out for me when it is emma's turn.

it's a beautiful day.

and i'm in trouble.

the day has come...

we did it.

we completed most of what we needed to complete, free of any mishaps...except for the accidental throwing away of a bag full of needed supplies...including the brides bouquet oasis and the crystals which were the anchors on the table squares (minor detail). luckily i had my sidekick emma to save the day. she was my errand girl. ran to shinoda (in santa ana-never been there before...called several times for better directions)...ran to pavillions to buy $103 worth of plums and limes (with angry customers behind her because she went to the express line, then they had to count all 235 limes). she picked up dane from school, even managed to get him something to eat on the way home. then fit in a joannes run looking for more oasis,

which we never found.

AND she filled the car up with gas.

what a woman she is.

so glad she came home to help me.

so this is the chaos i work in when i create...i am sloppy, i think. even when i cook, i make a mess. but i am good at cleaning up. (notice the broom?)

and the end result is stunning, i do have to say.

now for my cooking, thats another story.

flower power

we are up to our eyeballs in flowers. they have taken our breath away a few times with the sheer beauty of them all. the Lord must have really loved us to give us these beautiful blooms.

no doubt.

made lots of progress yesterday, just need more (i guess 25 bunches of hydrangeas isnt enough), so carlsbad here we come...again. love a road trip in a cargo van for sure...this time we will secure the buckets though, so we dont have a giant flood in the cab. you should have seen me grabbing purses and phones and such from the floor as a huge gush of water came towards the cab! this would only happen to april and me. we laughed hysterically all the way home.

went through the hydrangeas faster that i thought, and still am searching for more purple roses...purple anything! all the purple was gone...popular color, i guess.

it is hotter than you know what (this would be the week of a heat wave), so we are both sweating buckets and would love to strip down if we could...literally dying in the heat! if you stop by (dont even think about it), beware, we just might be wearing inappropriate clothing.

on that note, i will be in the pool today, for sure.

so, all in all, a great day. a day that will never be duplicated. once in a lifetime deal...and selmas pizza in the evening. perfect ending.

cant wait to get started today (and finished)...cuz, tomorrow is IT!!

(and i know everyone is jealous of my knee pads...)

mothers little helper

after making numerous flower balls and then flower boxes (last minute idea)...with these tiny chartreuse mums, i have come to realize this is indeed my favorite color.

lots of action around here, with wedding flowers looming over my head. so, so exciting...and emma is coming home today to be my helper...i am one happy camper.

more water polo...

more water polo pics.

second varsity water polo game against university.

they won by one.

great game.

plays with "boys" who look like grown men.

so fun to watch.

spoken by a devoted mom.

hunter is a beast.

shinoda magic

i remember the first time i stepped foot in shinoda. i was blown away. the rows and rows of ribbon and glass and everything else under the sun and in very large quantities. the huge isles of silk flowers sorted by color. shinoda has since moved from its original location, so now it is even bigger. i had to venture into the store yesterday on my errand of gathering supplies for the wedding. found everything i needed and more. so if anyone out there hasnt been before...call me and we'll have a playdate.

the heat is on

today marks the first day of the week we have been waiting for...for awhile now. this is the week of my dear friends daughters wedding. otherwise known as "the week". needless to say, the duty of providing numerous (and rather large) fresh flower arrangements all nestled in a backdrop of incredible beauty is daunting. her home is unbelievable, (and the humble person she is, probably reading this and shaking her head) the grounds (where the reception will be held) are beautiful...so i have my work cut out for me. not to say if i had to do flowers for a wedding set in a rather plain environment...it would be any different. (i have done my fair share of cultural hall receptions). well, maybe it would be, as the flowers would have to be REALLY good to take your eye away from the monotony of it all. (actually, yes, this would be true-been there done that). not the case here. we have numerous ancient oak trees and waterfalls and fountains to work around....i could go on and on...black bottom pool, gazebo...(get the picture?). gorgeous backdrop, to say the least. it is absolutely perfect. so i probably shouldnt be that worried. (i really am not worried) just anxious to get going (but with fresh flowers, everything is last minute)!

anyway, this is what i will be doing this week (and i will be popping excedrin...and probably will not get much sleep...should i bring my sleeping bag, april?)...and i am REALLY excited.

it will be amazing, for an amazing bride and groom.

and the flowers will be REALLY good, i promise.

finch feast

so this is what i see outside my kitchen window every day. the chatter they make is music to my ears.

now i just need to sneak some chickens in to add to my menagerie.

wonder if anyone would notice.

the power of positive thinking

so hunter has been telling me the last couple of weeks he is going to make the first goal of the varsity season. i keep nodding my head and smiling, thinking to myself, "oh hunter, you just keep thinking those things...wont happen, but you just keep hoping...and dreaming." o ye of little faith.i also know that hunter, as good as he is at water polo... is not known for his shooting abilities. he is known for using his big body to throw opposite team members around like little toothpicks.

so yesterday afternoon whistles are blown and the game begins...within just a few minutes, actually seemed like seconds...before i can even figure out what is going on in the game, and what the splashing is all about...AND get my camera poised (missed the shot)...i hear a big thud on the back of the goal...

HUNTER SCORES.

the first goal of the season. he did it. he made his goal...in a couple of ways.

he even went on to score yet another goal.

he emerged from the pool with a scratched back and chest and red, burning eyes (thats what happens when there is too much pee in the pool-gross i know).

and they lost by 1.

so...

i think he learned something yesterday.

maybe i learned something too.

set a goal and make it happen.