Life's Adventures: family

Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Happy 28th Wedding Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

You two have been great role models for TJ and I.

I appreciate all the time you have spent with us growing up

and how hard you have worked to give us the lives we have.

You two are wonderful and I am so thankful to have you as parents.

I love you both!

In Columbus, Ohio 2010 - pretty much sums up their relationship :)

Family Picture at TJ's Graduation from CCAD

A picture taken in 2011 after church one Sunday

Last year's anniversary picture at Saz's, where my parents met for the first time!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

I've been gone for a while again.

So, let me recap the past few weeks:

On Saturday, December 18th, I participated in a pinning ceremony at UWM. The ceremony was for graduates of the criminal justice or social work department. Being from the social work department, I thought it would be fun to get pinned by the Dean of the college.

Sunday, December 19th was my graduation day. Finally...after four semesters, I am done with Graduate School! :) All the hard work paid off. I ended up just shy of a 3.9 GPA. Not too shabby! I'm so so so thankful that it is done. Granted, at some point in my life, I'm sure I will miss school, but I'm ready to leave my future work at work and enjoy some much needed free time.

In addition to graduation, the Outreach Center has asked me to join their staff full-time. They are currently working to approve my salary and are deciding exactly what my position will look like. I feel so blessed to be in the position I am currently (out of school, employed, living at home, and ready for the future).

Okay, so back to the past few weeks...

On Monday, December 20th (at 5:30am mind you), I went to West Allis Memorial Hospital to have my tonsillectomy. It was my first surgery EVER and I was definitely anxious the day of. The anesthesiologist, who put in my IV, had to try to get the vein twice (which was a bit traumatizing for me...with a fear of needles and all). But after that, all I remember is waking up in the recovery room and then eating some popsicles afterward.

Days 1 through 6 were the worst. I was able to eat soft foods (mashed potatoes, soggy cereal, popsicles, pudding, hard-boiled eggs) and drink lots of fluids, but my ears, tongue, and throat were in pain. My tongue swelled up to about twice its size. It is still a bit numb and sore, but is definitely getting better. My throat is finally feeling only mildly uncomfortable. No more pain meds for me.

I go to see the doctor tomorrow for my post-op appointment, and I'm hoping I get good news to start back on a general diet. I did have a "normal" meal tonight, which went well. Here's to feeling completely back to normal.

Since I did practically nothing for the past two weeks (or so), I still feel a bit loopy and out of sorts (hence my not writing in this blog).

December 25th was Christmas. Merry (late) Christmas blog readers! It was a wonderful time with family. Other than having to cut my food into TINY pieces, Christmas was great this year. :)

December 26th was my graduation party. This was another great time with friends and family. I was so fortunate to get generous gifts that allowed me to send in my social work certification application and fees! Now, it's just a waiting game to see if I'm approved to take my State and National exams to become an APSW (Advanced Practice Social Worker).

So, that's my update. I'll be sure to post more as the new year comes.

Delicious Dinner

Saturday, September 18, 2010

This weekend has been jam-packed with mom and daughter time.

It's been great. Last night, my mom and I went to a Pampered Chef party (my first one) and I ended up buying knives for my future kitchen, bag clips, a tool that holds things in place while you cut them so you don't cut yourself, and some cutting mats.

Today, I went shopping with my momma. We went to Stein's Garden and Gifts, Kohl's, Play it Again Sports, and Mayfair Mall. I bought a new plant today! :) It's a White Butterfly Plant that I named "Bella."

I didn't take any pictures of it yet, but I'll post some on when I take one. Bella is the newest addition to my other plants; Fred and Luther.

My mom and I went to P.F. Chang's for lunch and then came home for the day.

After the long day of shopping and hanging out, I decided to make some bruschetta for dinner. It was delicious! To make the bruschetta, I slice up some french bread and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on it.

For the first time ever, I used a stoneware slab. Stoneware doesn't require any pre-heating and it holds heat evenly. Over time, the stoneware also becomes nonstick and all you have to do to clean it is rinse it with water.

Ok, so back to the bruschetta recipe. After slicing the bread and drizzling the oil, I create a mixture of: diced tomato, minced garlic, and italian seasonings (basil, thyme, rosemary, and oregano). I evenly distribute the tomato mixture on top of each of the bread pieces and then top them with italian cheese.

I threw the bruschetta into the oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.

This is the "before" picture:

This is the "after" picture:

It was delicious! My mom and I ate the bruschetta while watching the movie "Just Wright" with Queen Latifah. It's super cute. And a great way to end the night. Now, I'm off to bed before doing announcements both services tomorrow at church. Sweet dreams all!

Letters to my Cali Trip

Monday, August 30, 2010

Dear fish tacos from Ocean Beach Grill, you are very messy, but also extremely delicious.

Dear Ocean Beach, you are beautiful. I loved watching people (try to) surf on you.

Dear Wild Animal Park, even though I have come to you before, I always enjoy seeing the animals in the safari.

Dear dog beach at Coronado, for people like me (those who don't own a dog), you can be quite overwhelming. But, it was fun playing on you with Jake and Sparty. The waves were HUGE the day we came.

Dear San Diego Zoo, you have changed a lot since my childhood. Thank you for being another fun place to see animals.

Dear Anza-Borrego Desert, you are a hidden treasure. Looking at you from a mountainside was a total treat. Maybe someday I will see you up close.

Dear LA, you are definitely filled with some odd people, but I enjoyed our time together.

Dear Pink's, you had some delicious hot dogs. I especially loved the coleslaw dog with onion rings on the side. Mmmm!

Dear Hollywood, it was good to finally meet you. You are filled with homes beyond anything I will ever afford. Your Hollywood Hills are fun to drive up, but also very narrow and sometimes scary. Hopefully someday I will see you again.

Dear Frank Sinatra, you will always be my love.

Dear Chinese Theater, of course you would have a film shooting in front of you the day after I leave. Next time, let's have celebrities there when I am present and can take pictures. :)

Dear Beverly Hills, I didn't feel like I fit in when I visited you. The homes we saw were ENORMOUS and beautiful, but I will never have the "Beverly Hills Lifestyle" I need to exist in your city.

Dear Scott and Molly, thank you for allowing me to stay with you during my trip to California. I appreciated your hospitality and catching up with you in person. It is always a great time when we can be together.

Dear Padres game, you went into 12 innings and the Padres ended up losing afterall, but you were fun to attend. You did have some crazy people attending your game, however, and things did get rowdy often. I think it will always be an adventure if/when I attend a Padres game again.

Dear California, I always enjoy visiting you. You are unlike the Midwest and I appreciate what you have to offer. I am hoping to see you again in the next year or so. In the meanwhile, I will be thinking of you.

Cali, here I come!

Monday, August 16, 2010

I fly out to California tomorrow night and I am so excited!

I can't wait to see my brother and sister-in-law, Scott and Molly.

I'm also looking forward to fish tacos from Rubio's and spending time soaking up the sun. :)

I'll try to post something while I'm gone, but can't make any guarantees.
Hope you all have a wonderful few weeks too!

Fireworks

Monday, July 5, 2010

Lisa and I got back from up North around 3pm today and then I headed, with my parents, to my Aunt Catherine and Uncle Brian's house to celebrate the 4th of July with them.

I love being with my family. My adorable 2nd cousin, Sienna, is so precious. She's 4 years old and loves to play with me. Today, we colored some Disney Princess pictures and talked about the Crayon names. Her favorites were "Blast Blue" and "Burnt Sienna". She would say "I'm coloring with Burnt Sienna. I'm just Sienna, not burnt". While we were coloring, she turned to me and said "Annie, you're my best friend". I almost died. She is so cute!

This is Sienna. The first picture is from last summer and the second is from this summer:

(She has marshmallow on her lip in this picture)

Then, my Grandpa, my cousin Sarah, and I played Cribbage. My Grandpa won 2 games and Sarah won 1 game. I lost every game we played...

My Grandpa Tony:

After all these years, my Grandpa still plays a mean Cribbage game. :)

On the way back from my Aunt and Uncle's house, I was able to catch part of the Hart Park fireworks. Here is what I was able to capture:

I absolutely LOVE fireworks! I'm so happy I was able to catch a glimpse of the big fireworks show in town before bed tonight. The fireworks up North were wonderful, but don't really compare with the shows in Milwaukee. Hope you all had a great holiday weekend and have a wonderful week to come!

4th of July weekend

I spent my 4th of July weekend this year with Lisa and her family. They own a lakehouse near Minocqua, WI and we went there to celebrate the holiday and Lisa's grandmother's 94th birthday!

I spent the holiday with Lisa, her mom and dad, her sister, her brother and his wife, Lisa's grandmother and her grandfather, plus two dogs: Chloe and Maddie. It was a full house (to say the least), but it was a lot of fun spending time with her family and getting to know her grandparents, who are both now 94 years old. Did I mention they are both 94 years old?!

We played Scrabble, Cribbage, Wii bowling, watched "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day", swam at the lake, shot off birthday fireworks for Lisa's grandmother on the 4th of July, went to a flea market, and ate wonderful food.

Pictures from the weekend:

View of the pathway leading to the lake

At the flea market-I found this straw hat with feathers hanging off the back

Lisa found this hat with a veil at the flea market

Eating a sno cone at the flea market

Lisa's siblings floating at the lake

Us girls eating fondue (unfortunately with Melissa's face cut in half)

Lisa's grandmother and grandfather (both 94 years old!)

Fireworks to celebrate Lisa's grandmother's birthday

Lisa and my Scrabble game

California Dreamin'

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Last time I went to California, I was thrilled to spend time with my wonderful friend, Alana, and her soon-to-be-husband Jordan. I met some awesome ladies, who were in the bridal party of Alana and Jordan's wedding with me, and got to reconnect with my brother and sister-in-law. Each time I go to California, I get to experience new things and always fall back in love with the California lifestyle. I'm so excited to return to Cali at the end of the summer for 2 weeks! After a long first-year of graduate school, spending some quality time with my brother and sister-in-law and relaxing on the West Coast will be a much needed vacation.

Here are some pictures from past California trips:

(From Spring break 2008)