Beautiful Life

ok...so I just want to take a second in this blog post to say how much I appreciate TRUE friends. My best friends are the friends that except me for who I am, ridiculousness, weirdness and all. In fact, they love me more for the weird that I am. My best friends are the people who don't just take take take in their relationship with me, but instead we have a give and take relationship. I look to keep people around who build me up instead of tearing me down or making me feel stupid. These friends, they're the ones I call family and they mean so much to me.

My bestest friend came over on Saturday. She and I haven't had a lot of time to hang out lately because we're both crazy busy with school and work and boyfriends/husbands. And even though we didn't really gab a ton today, we just hung out with one another. A true friend will hang out with you even if you're cleaning your house. Which is exactly what Lauren did. I really appreciated the company. I don't like to be alone much anymore (I use to LOVE to be alone), so it was sooo enjoyable to just have her there with me.

I'm just taking a moment to appreciate life and the two wonderful families that I'm proud to be a part of. Neither my family or Jake's family is perfect, but they are definitely both my Family and I love them all so much. As time goes on and life get's busier, it's these 12 (13 if you count Phil--Lauren's husband-- which I do =P) people that I make time for, want to spend time with, that I love and cherish. It's them who love me for exactly who I am and support me in what I do. Other friends may come and go and their lives will go in so many directions, but I know I will always have the Villavicencios and the Vasterlings.

I spent last week with my youngest family member, Genna Villa. She's 12, and we seriously had an AMAZING week. I'm completely broke now, but it's hard for me to even care because of all the fun we had. Monday she hung out with her best friend and I made a poster for work. It was the least eventful day, but it makes me smile to know she enjoyed it completely because her friend was there.

Tuesday--Swimmin at the beach!
Wednesday-- went to the farm, brushed and hosed off some horses! Didn't get to ride because it was wayyyy too hot. It was in the extremes allll week.
Thursday-- was literally the perfect PERFECT day. Not only was the weather amazing, but the activity and the friendship was too. Genna, Jake and I went to a Pool in Highland at cost 6.50 each, and didn't have much inside (a few slides, diving boards, rock climbing wall, and HUGE pool) but it was just an amazing time. I wouldn't do it again-- just because of the price-- but that day was absolutely wonderful. The best part was that I got to spend it with two of my favorite people, who both love me to death =)
Friday-- We went to Lumberjack Days in Stillwater MN. We watched a lumberjack show, a BMX bike show, got a snow cone (genna) and a free massage (Me)! But I think the best part of the day was the lunch/dinner at DQ, along with the sundae and the airconditioning (another scorcher).

I'm actually a little bit sad that my time with her is over (which is, sadly, the first time this has happened this summer. Too many stressors my other weeks I suppose). My pocket book, however, is glad for the reprieve. I would wonder if I was gaining anything (financial) for "watching" her, but at this point I don't even care. Just spending time with her is payment enough, in the end. And we have even more plans awaiting us her next week at her dads. =D

I'll have to post pics whenever I finally decided to upload them to my computer

Homecomings

I love to watch TLC. I just turned it on and now I'm blubbering. The show that's on is "Surprise Homecomings"...all about soldiers who surprise their families when they are coming from Iraq or Afghanistan. I have been trying to avoid this show, and now I can't stop watching it.

*tears*

Proud to be an A-Murr-ii-can.

I had an amazing day/ Fourth of July.

Family. Just sittin' around and gabbin.' The way it should be =]

My friend/ J's cousin's gf...and her awesome sparkler picture. =P

Fireworks =D (our very own, semi pathetic firework show. The best kind)



I love Jake's family so much, and spending the holiday with them was just wonderful and delightful. Jake's aunt Debbie and uncle Tim hosted this year, which was a switch up for the family. They usually have it at a different house every year, but the family who usually hosts is just worn out completely. It was a great place to have it instead. Open space, a play ground, lots of games, a firepit. Jake may or may not have exploded a bomb and nothing happened cause they are so far out in the country. It was just great. A perfect fourth. Even working this morning wasn't so bad. There was one hour that was just pure chaos, but other than that I really didn't even mind that I had to work today. People are friendlier on holidays. And tips are really good. Haha.

I did have somewhat of a falling out with my family on the third of July. Not with my immediately family, but with my Uncle who hosts fourth of July. I brought Ace over there and my Uncle made me feel like we were very unwelcome, which was the exact reason that Jake didn't come with me to my families "thing," because my uncle made him feel very unwelcome as well. Anyways, I got very upset and told my mom that I felt that my family wasn't welcom-- because Jake and Ace are my family now-- and that if they weren't welcome than neither was I. It's a very complicated situation with my family, but it makes me sad to think that I don't every really want to spend time with my side of my new "family" because of one person. It really is too bad.

I'm trying to be positive and cheerful as always, and today really was a tremendous day. One of my two cousins from my mom's side of the family is in town, his name is Caleb. I haven't seen him for years and I am very excited to get to spend some time with him this week. He may or me not be my favorite-est cousin *shush!*

That's all for now folks! I'm tiiiiiired.
Hope y'all had an amazing Independence Day!

Saturday Mornings

I feel like Saturday mornings should be something that kids remember and treasure. I don't know why I feel that way, I just do. My dad worked every day of the week and still does, but he had the weekends off. Saturdays were always his "get stuff done" days. But he'd always have us tag along and help him out. Sometimes we'd go to the dentist and it was actually something fun, like an adventure. We'd go with dad and all my siblings and then afterwards sometimes we'd run errands. Or we'd clean the house/yard together, and sometimes dad would take us with him to the car place or the store. I don't know why, but for some reason these things were really really fun for us when we were little. I still have those memories and I like thinking of my saturdays. They were time to spend with my family, and my daddy.

I'm sitting at the Caribou Coffee shop in Roseville that my mom works at, actually, and I'm waiting for my oil change and tire rotation to be finished. There is a dad and his son sitting nearby me and they also just dropped their car off at Tiresplus. It just reminds me of the precious times my siblings and I had with dad. I think the fact that he took us with him to get things done on Saturdays made us feel special. And those feelings of wanting to get stuff done on saturdays are still with me.

It makes me happy to think that I can be like my dad and take my saturdays to do things that I need to do. I went to the gym this morning and worked out, and now I'm getting my oil changed, and then I'm going to run to goodwill and drop some clothes off for a friend that just moved away. I feel good about my saturday morning, and it reminds me of the "adventures" I use to have with my dad when I was little.

Jake's siblings have a different version of Saturdays. Their dad use to actually take them on adventures to new places they had never been, while their mom would go out to breakfast with her sisters and sit and gab. The kids have very fond memories of what they came to call "Reventures," and their mom got to relax and let dad take over for one day. I know that he and his siblings loved Saturdays just like I use to.

I want my kids to have memories like that with their dad. And I guarantee I'll be ok with spending some me time with some girlies on Saturdays. It makes me excited to think about. Sitting here watching this dad and his little boy makes me wonder if a lot of people have special memories of specific days of the week with one or the other of their parents...and if they had family rituals. I love family rituals, and I can't wait to start my own some day.

So...any body out there have some cool family rituals or fun things your parents did with you when you were young that you have fond memories from?