Category: Photos

The Hub’s Birthday, Food, and Sniffles!

Ugh. I feel like death warmed over. I told myself I’m not doing anything today; the kids and I are just going to be bums while I get over this darn cold. I NEVER get sick, ever, and when I do, I feel like I’m seconds from dying. I’m dramatic, what can I say.

I’ll update on the last week, since it was essentially a good one all around.

We were kid-less last weekend and both Jorge and I were feeling like not being cooped up in the house for once, so once I went to the bank after work I got home and we got ready to go have dinner. It took us a while to find a place, because we’re both indecisive but we ended up at Kumori. 2 Kumori’s. The first had tons of people and we were sort of ignored, so we got up and went to the one at Uptown, where we ran into Jeremy, Jorge’s old co-worker and friend.

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Then we came home and continued our Breaking Bad binge :).

Alaethia had a UIL meet the next morning so I met Mary and the girls at the school the meet was hosted at. We met up with John and Audrey and all moved on to the hall where their writing meet was being held. It was much less chaotic than the cafeteria, thank goodness. The whole thing took about 1 hour and the girls emerged from the classroom and we were off. I came home and cleaned my bedroom a bit (I NEED to stop being a paper hoarder! I get so lazy throwing out important papers I *might* need some day but probably never will and I feel guilty throwing out the girls’ school work/projects. Ugh.) I kept myself pretty busy and then Mom and I went to Walmart, then Target, where I unsuccessfully tried to find something to wear for Jorge’s Company Holiday Party. But I did find some awesome planner supplies in that darn Dollar Spot!

Dollar Spot, you so crazy!
Dollar Spot, you so crazy!

Gets me every time! I’ve been avoiding Target like the plague; didn’t even do much Christmas shopping there because then I want to buy things for myself and I had to FOCUS over the holidays. *pats self on head*

We finished running errands, Mom and I, then visited Gramma. It was dinner time for her so I fed her her entire tray and then we chit-chatted some more before we came home. I debated rushing to Ross (always my last resort) to find something to wear, but I knew I really wouldn’t have time and I didn’t want to make Jorge and I late, so I wore one of my roomy, dressy blouses and threw on some jeans and boots.

The Company dinner was at Pappadeaux! One of my faves. We said hi to everyone, as half the company was already there, all timely. Jorge’s bosses sat next to us and across from us were Cesar and his girlfriend. We had a good chat about various subjects and then we played a trivia game. It was fun. And then of course came dinner, which I didn’t get a photo of because I devoured it. Tilapia and spaghetti squash, yum. I did get a photo of us, and our dessert, though!

The hubs and I :)
The hubs and I 🙂
Moscato d'asti sangria and cheesecake!
Moscato d’asti sangria and cheesecake!

The next day we spent quite literally being lazy. Wait, I think we left the house for tacos at one point? Yes, I believe so. I kept stalling going grocery shopping and by the time we knew it, Briana and the kids arrived! They came down for the weekend to celebrate Nick’s birthday. We got ready and went to Incredibowl (formerly Valley Bowl). I’ve been to bowling alley’s before, but have never in my life played.

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Jorge tried teaching me, but I was awful till about halfway through, and by then it was too late! I was afraid I was going to slip and fly with the ball like they do in the movies buahaha.

Still, we had fun with the kids and the food was good, too!

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Happy birthday to Nick!
Happy birthday to Nick!

Definitely need to take all the kiddos!

We got home and I was not happy about having to go to the groceries so late, but I knew I’d hate it even more if I had to go after work the next day. So I sucked it up and went. Then I was exhausted when I got home and fell asleep during Breaking Bad. Blah!

It was an overall low-key week at work, compared to all the other weeks! We had to get ready for our very first music in the park-type event at the Food Truck Park, and we had no idea how that would go, we just hoped it would be successful. We had other tasks throughout the week, too, like Michelle and I taking our Grant winners shopping for their supplies, so that takes up a good amount of the day.

Alaethia got home from school with a trophy for 2nd place in Ready Writing UIL! So proud of her! She’s gotten 2 1st place trophies and now a 2nd place one!!

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I started the week out perfectly, but I woke up feeling like mush on Tuesday. I had the beginnings of a sore throat and my ears were stuffy, so I started chugging down OJ and green tea, and remembered to take my vitamins everyday. I felt great by the end of the day, though, and suggested eating at the Food Park to Jorge. (I’d taken a payment from the owners earlier that day and they reminded me for the 2nd time that I still hadn’t tried out the food!) He agreed, and the girls of course were all for it.

We decided to try Bliss Street Food out, since we hadn’t tried it yet, and we weren’t disappointed. The owners even sent out some fajita nachos on the house!

Fajita Nachos!
Fajita Nachos!

The temp. was quickly dropping and I started to get chills right when we were standing in line. The girls had showered before Jorge and I got home and their hair was still damp, so we got our food to-go.

Taco Tuesday!
Taco Tuesday!

We were so hungry I didn’t even get pics, heh. I had the Mexican Gyro (OMG, so good!), Jorge had the Gringas (tacos), Alaethia had the pork tacos (she’s a firm believer in Taco Tuesday) and Emily had wings.

The next day was Jorge’s 33rd birthday! I couldn’t get the morning off, but I got to get the afternoon off after lunch. Michelle and I took some of our Grant winners shopping and then we got back to the office where I got some things squared away for the event on Friday and then I left work. I stopped for some cheesecake for my love and some snacks to go along with his iTunes cards I got him for his birthday. He kept insisting we not get him anything, but I know he’ll always use iTunes cards so I got him those :).

He’d gotten 3 days off during the week to just relax, which I’m glad for. He finished getting ready when I got home and then I took him out to lunch to Kumori (his choice!).

Birthday Boy!
Birthday Boy!
All our faves!
All our faves!

Even though I could hardly swallow my food, I gave it my all! Everything in that photo is my absolute favorite!

We ran some errands, got some Starbucks and then we had a quick break at home before picking up Alaethia from Chess practice. Mario had dropped Emily off already with Mom. So we picked up Alaethia and then we hung around at home. Alaethia asked, “So! Where are we going for Daddy’s birthday?!” Jorge and I look at each other and I say, “Well, I took Daddy out on a date for lunch sort of late. Where did you want to go?” She said, “That fancy restaurant we always go to.” Pappadeaux! It’s usually where we go for his birthday, but since we’d just gone on Saturday with his co-workers and bosses we decided to do something different. After much debate, we decided on IHOP, heh.

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I could hardly stand my throat by then. But we had a great time :).

Thursday afternoon was going to be a hectic one. I get out of work earlier than usual on Thursdays since Alaethia has UIL practice. So I picked her up, and then we went home and changed since Audrey, Maddie and my girls were going to try and Zumba Kids class with their classmates. I’d been wanting to put the girls in SOME kind of class, but everything is either to expensive, or it conflicts with my work schedule. This would work out, if they decided to join. Emily had been excited about it and then decided that day that she’d rather not participate; she’d just watch.

We get there and they’re the first ones. Sofia, Brianna, Audrey and Maddie get there with their moms and they instantly get into it. Even Emily, who was in jeans and sandals, decides to join. They had a great time and Jenny and I signed the girls up straight away :).

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I’M even considering starting the Zumba class! It’s not my forte, seeing as how I’m extremely uncoordinated, but it looked like a great workout!

The girls finished up and we drove the 30 minutes it takes to pick up the boys. Picked up pizza on the way home, got them all ready for bed and Jorge and I continued our Breaking Bad streak–until I passed out on the couch, like always. He’s such a patient man :D!

Friday was finally here, I felt so much better, despite the occassional coughing fit every now and then. We spent the morning making sure we had everything ready for the Food Park that evening.

Once that was done my love and I had lunch at Zoe’s to celebrate some good news I’d gotten that morning, while I caught up with the Breaking Bad episodes I’d missed ^_^.
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Michelle and I once again had some Grant shopping to do with the ladies, so that made the afternoon go by quickly. Who’da thought I’d get to do/shop for crafty things in my job??

We went to the Park to check things out and once the guys moved some stuff around we went back up to our offices where I did some last-minute social media stuff and then left to pick up the kids. I had to time it all correctly especially since there’s always that 5 o’clock traffic jam in Penitas!

We got back to my office just in time and I took the kids in to pee before going back to the park. I had them find a good seat on the bleachers while I went around taking photos and talking to a few of the Food Truck owners.

Our singer that night looks and sounds like Taylor Swift, so the girls (and boys) were immediately smitten.

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Jorge stopped by for The Teenager (Eenan) who wasn’t interested in the event but posed for a photo for Mama like a good sport and we switched for Justin, heh.

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The kids had a great time, the weather was awesome, the food was tasty and the music was great. I was glad to see we had a good turnout! Excited for the next one!

I got home with all the kiddos, dropped them off and then John and I went to get groceries. Then we got home and stayed up watching Breaking Bad. We have one episode to go!!

I don’t know if it was because it was chilly again by the time the event was over, or that I stayed up late or WHAT, but I woke up feeling awful today. Probably worse than what I felt Tuesday. I can’t believe I forgot to buy OJ!!

Ok, Emily keeps popping in to check when I’m going to be “done,” so I guess I am! Going to think of what to make for dinner for everyone.

5 Years!

It’s midnight and I just woke up from an extended “nap” with Alaethia on the couch to catch the end of the Canelo boxing fight. Jorge is playing Clash of Clans for the next 20 minutes so I’m finally getting an opportunity to post!

On Wednesday, November 18th marked our 5-year dating anniversary. We hadn’t planned on doing much, but at the last second we decided to go to dinner at Kumori, like we have for the past few years.

So after I picked Alaethia up from chess practice, picked up some prescriptions for mom, picked up Emmos and took them to a 4-H meeting (still undecided about that one), we met my love at home and left together :).

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It’s hard to get good pics in there because it’s so dim, but I snapped away anyway :).

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We were nervous about the girls’ food choices thinking they wouldn’t like what they ordered, but Emily did pretty good with her chicken skewers and fried rice and Alaethia ate most of her California rolls!

We got our usuals:

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Jalapeño Firecracker
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Spicy Calamari
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Omega Rolls (top), Fiesta Roll, No Salmon Skin

It was sooo good. It’d been a while since we’d had a chance to go to Kumori!

We finished there and walked a few shops down to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

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They love that giant bear!

The girls each chose a treat and I got a mocha truffle. They were good and saved theirs for the next day, while I devoured mine, heh.

It was a great evening and so nice to get out during the week.

It’s almost surreal that it’s been 5 years! In a way, it feels as as though time’s flashed before our eyes, but then it also feels like we’ve been together for decades!

A Late Summer Post

So I just realized I totally published a draft of this post instead of saving it as a draft. Out of practice much??

Anyway, Summer 2015 unfortunately came and went in the blink of an eye.

We didn’t travel much because we’re saving money. Add to that: school shopping for the girls. Then our dryer crapped out (it lived a long life), and then Jorge’s car battery died. But such is life. I’m just truly glad we were able to bounce back from all that instantly!

We did have a trip to the zoo. Julien said he’d never been there so it was a must. The zoo isn’t as…lively as I remember it, but the kids still had fun. And there was a Dinosaur exhibit so Julien loved that :).

We had the Food Truck Park Block Party in June. The kids weren’t home that weekend so it was a welcome distraction. I was getting over the only cold I managed to get this year so I slept a good 3 hours before going in to work that Saturday.

Me, attempting to selfie.
Me, attempting to selfie.

I told myself I would take pics with my co-workers, but we didn’t get a chance AT ALL. It was madness, but a huge success. We were so busy I didn’t even get to snap a photo of the event, so I stole some from the internets.

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It was so packed and crazy!!

My goal was to do something fun with the kids at least once a week, and trips to Ben and Jerry’s are always a treat (literally!) and one of my favorite things to do with the kiddos. They love it :).

Date at Ben and Jerry's!
Date at Ben and Jerry’s!

And although we never got to visit the water park in Pharr, we visited the Splash Park nearby.

Splash park fun!
Splash park fun!

The girls did a lot of cooking. I mean tons. Emily could probably make French Toast all on her own, sans the actual cooking on her own part. She’s pretty good at flipping them, though!

Baking!
Baking!
Making quiche
Making quiche

Even Jaylen, Justin and Jorgie would get in on the action. Eenan helps stir once in a while, heh.

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Fourth of July was a huge hit :). Jorge and I had gone over one weekend while the kiddos were with the other parents to help Javi with the yard so, you know, the place wouldn’t catch fire from the fireworks. We saw some pretty amazing things while we were out there, 2 of them being:

Horned Toad!! Hadn't seen one in about 2 decades!
Horned Toad!! Hadn’t seen one in about 2 decades!
Tiny Turtle!
Tiny Turtle!

Dina, Briana and the kids were here for the 4th and Javi was hosting us at his house. We visited Gramma (4th of July is her birthday!) and hung out with her a while before going to Javi’s.

The whole family was there and it was the best!

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With my sis-in-law!
With my sis-in-law!

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Fireworks guard
Fireworks guard
My lovelies!!
My lovelies!!
Grilled S'mores cones!
Grilled S’mores cones!
Fireworks!
Fireworks!
Daredevil!
Daredevil!
Javi, being a host, heh!
Javi, being a host, heh!

It was a great time :).

We had a family trip to the beach on July 18th. It was something we’d planned in advance, but we like to procrastinate so the actual PLANNING part didn’t happen till that morning, so of course, everyone was running late.

We stopped for breakfast:

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And we had 2 stops at Walmart because we couldn’t find flip-flops in the boys’ sizes. Once we arrived at the beach, got settled, popped up the tent and got allllll the kids slathered in sunblock, everyone had a great time.

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After several hours at the beach, we all decided to get going. I love the beach, I just loathe the getting cleaned up part. There are always so many people at the bathrooms. We decided last-minute we’d rent a room and stay overnight. The kids, of course, weren’t happy because they left all their electronics at home, but they got over it and were happy to rest before dinner at Senor Donkey. The kids had their own suite attached to our master bedroom, so it was awesome and we were all comfortable.

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We had to stop by the one market on the island to get some contacts solution for me and then we chilled out before we went to bed. I usually can’t sleep at hotels, but I slept like a rock!

We had a great time! Hopefully we can really plan ahead next year and make a week out of it!