Not All Immigrants Are Criminal!

 

So far the month of June has been an emotional one. First with my dear friend passing away and now with all the ICE raids going on in LA and spreading around the whole country. Because of this chaos I haven’t felt the need to post or share anything adventurous so instead I’ve been sharing the passion that I have for my heritage and POC and for what’s happening in the world on my Instagram stories in hopes that those who think the opposite, will have some compassion instead and try to understand why this is wrong.

In Memory of Marielle.

On June 1st, the day of my daughters first wedding anniversary, one of my sweetest and dearest friends passed away. It was a bittersweet moment as we did the four hour drive to and from Boston on the same day. It was raining but somehow the rain seemed so fitting for a funeral. I was so happy that we made it and that we met the rest of Eddie and Barbara's family. Everyone gave the most beautiful talks of memory about their mother. Every pew in the chapel was filled to capacity. Marielle was surely loved and a legend! Oh the things she accomplished while she was living.

A Sweet Little Birthday Celebration!

My momentum in blogging has gone downhill and as I was scrolling though my phone importing photos and deleting duplicates man have I left out a lot of the past two years! I really want to get back into writing and blogging. I sure do miss it at times. Since we had Trent's 8th birthday party last week I decided to post about his birthday last year. We have totally adopted this kid as my second kid and Noah's "little bro." Noah didn't make it to his party last year. He was at a campout but luckily both my girls were here and since his party fell the day after Lexie and Hyrum got married they decided to come. 

It's Great To Be 8!

We first met Rachel and Trent when he was a just a little baby and last week we celebrated his 8th birthday celebration. It seems like yesterday he had his 7th birthday celebration. Time certainly does fly and this year Noah was able to make it. He had so much fun playing with him and the other kids. He definitely was the "big brother" of the group. They all played tag, and Noah constantly was going Trent piggyback rides. Trent is an only child and Noah is the only boy so they are lucky to have each other. They both long for brothers and having Hyrum as a brother in law and Trent as a "little bro" makes Noah happy. It was such a beautiful day and the weather turned out nice. Such a fun space for kids to hang out and play and be themselves running around free in the courtyard. These kids need to stop growing!

Strawberry Picking!

Summer is just around the corner which means that farms are opening up and the time to go picking is upon us. My friend Sandy and I woke up early last Thursday and were among the first to go strawberry picking. And let me tell you after days of rain picking strawberries was the perfect time. Although the field was wet and a bit muddy we were lucky to have had an area where all the strawberries were vibrant, juicy and huge! We picked a ton and later that evening Sandy made strawberry shortcakes for the gathering we were having and it was delicious! I'm so happy she invited me because I sure miss going picking with my kids. All my girls are adults now and Noah is almost 16 and most likely he will come if I ask him but he's not a huge fan of strawberries anymore. He loves apple picking in the fall but when it comes to summer picking he'd rather go to the beach! 

Scenes from Memorial Day!

Snippets of Memorial Day weekend included going to Grants tomb for the hundredth time, a walk down Riverside park, enjoying the somewhat less crowds in the city and topping it off with our fave from Wafels & Dinges. It was a beautiful spring day honoring those who have fought for our country and still continue to fight! Thankful! 

My Firstborn is 3O y'all!

How in the heck did this happen and where in the heck did the time go! My oldest daughter Sierra turned 30 a couple of weeks and I'm still in shock! I feel as if she was born yesterday and that I am still mothering her. One thing I have learned all these years that she has been away from me is that the worrying for any of my kids never ends. That the mothering will never stop. And that giving advice will always continue. However, I am proud of how Sierra has come so far in her role as a human. She is still that smart cookie and a phenomenal writer. She is the head poetry editor at UVU in Orem and studied so hard this past year to continue her education. She got her associates and hopes to graduate in spring of 2026. I know she will do it and I'm just so dang proud of her as to never giving up. Despite all the obstacles she has faced in her life she managed to lift herself up and continue her education in a field that she loves! She will always be my musical bookworm! Happy 30th sweet Sierra! 

You can read a short story I wrote about her here if you'd like to read!

Mother's Day 2025.

Don't let my smile fool you in these photos. Mothers day this year was...."off." I wasn't myself and in all honesty did not want to get out of bed. I know I shared how I find joy in every hard situation but it's truly not that easy. I heard that the "firsts" are hard. The first birthday without your mom. The first Christmas, first holiday, etc. Yes...is true and painful as hell. But I got up and I went to church and although I wasn't smiling at everyone I made it through and having Jon and Noah comfort me with hugs and kisses is all I needed to make my first Mother's Day without my mama bearable. And a yummy dinner! Thanks babe! Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day this year especially those who are without their mother. Take good care of yourself! 

A Day with Andie...Owner of And Skin Esthetics!

 

This is Andie and I have known her over 10 years. She was a tween when I first met her. She and my daughter Lexie became great friends when they were young. They are both in their 20's now and even though they went a different direction they still have a nice friendship. I absolutely love that our girls all got along and that I reconnected with her after all these years. She now owns an esthetic store and I was able to see her and catch up! I love that we picked up right where we left off from 2016. She reminds me of Lexie and it felt so nice to have seen Andie. She made my day when I saw her. I miss my girls so much and seeing Andie just fixed the daughter sickness. (Is there even such a word??) 

Anyway, I'm so so proud of her to have built something out of studying something she loved. She's really good at it too. I see her in action in her stories and post on Instagram and highly recommend to follow her if you are in need of skin care. She sells the best products and I have seen the results. At my age I feel as if I have pretty good skin but I should still take better care of it and add more self care into my life! 

So if you're anywhere in the south jersey area particularly in Haddonfield where her cute, cozy little store is please stop by! 

Stranger Things- The First Shadow

 

Last weekend we saw Stranger Things- The First Shadow on broadway and it was jaw dropping, crazy good!!!! I was in awe at all the special effects. Every single actor was in character. Noah was glued to the show and never once made a move! We are big fans of the series and have been wanting to see this since it was announced. We waited for the official opening instead of going to the advanced opening. It was a remarkable show and we would see it again and again! 10/10!!!!

BYU Museum of Art!

For years I have been wanting to go to the byu museum in Prove but always took it for granted. I have dropped off two kids at college and still never made time to go inside. I had other priorities like visiting friends or attending the temple. I finally got to go this year when Lexie graduated and I just thought it was  so cool to have a museum right smack in the middle of campus! The exhibits were amazing! I love Brian Kershisnik's art and this painting called "Nativity" is one of my favorites. This little museum is so inspiring and I am so glad to have seen this enlarged painting in person. The BYU museum quaint, well curated and free!!! I didn't want to take too many pictures but you know me...I did anyway.