Happy Anniversary

Mom and Dad have been married 35 years today!  They are great examples of a happily married couple, who love each other very much and who love God.  Thanks Mom and Dad for dedicating your lives to each other, to Jesus and to your family.  I love you so much!  Here's a picture of the two of them right before they got engaged, Dec. 1974. and another taken 2 years ago. Don't they look so retro in the first one?  Lookin' good folks!

Kevin and Meara's B-DAY

Last weekend, I went out and celebrated Kevin and Meara's birthday!  They are engaged, plus their birthdays are a day apart. Kevin's is the 15th, and Meara's is the 16th. How often does that happen? Anyway, I'm kicking myself for not taking more pictures, but the one I did take, was worth it all. So Kevin got up out of his chair to greet some friends that arrived. When he sat back down, a loud 'CRACK' rang throughout the table. He nearly broke one of the legs right off the chair! It was hysterical! Kevin, being the great sport that he is said, "Well looks like I'll be going to the gym tomorrow." Followed by his contagious laugh. The waitress, said it happens all the time, the chairs are really weak. Maybe she was just being nice??  Just kidding Kevin:) Thanks for the entertainment!

Haylee Jean Turns #1

Last Friday, May 14th, HJ turned 1.  I can't believe it's been a year already! She is such a fun girl with lots of spunk and energy. AND quite the personality! I can't wait to hear what she says when she learns to talk.  Last Sunday we celebrated her birthday at Kim and Chad's.  Our whole immediate family was together, the first time since Christmas so it was a happy reunion!  I love ya Haylee!

The Birthday Girl!

Sibs.

Bryan, Kim, me.

Katie and Mitch, who just woke up from a snooze,

but not QUITE ready to venture outside the cozy blanket.

For first birthdays, Albertson's gives free birthday cake.

Haylee wasted no time digging in.

She even let Jack get in on the action.

Haylee had a TON of presents.

 Jack was a great and efficient helper in assisting Haylee unwrap them.

The Tibbets (family friends of Chad and Kim) gave HJ this adorable chair!

A boy in blue and a girl in pink.

Mitch and Haylee loved playing together.

Me and "Moose"

The three Johnson/LaVine cousin.

Davey Jones

I went to Spokane for a fun-filled weekend of birthdays! Shanon my college roommate/best friend from Ephrata, and her hubby Kyle often let me crash at their place when I visit The Spokomptons. More to come on the birthday bashes. Here is Shanon and Kyle's pet turtle, Davey. A fitting name I'd say! He is so small, we had to really zoom in to get a good photo of him. Isn't he just a teeny tiny cutie???

National Company Golf/Picnic Outing.

The company I work for, National Frozen Foods, has a golf tournament and picnic every year before the wild crazy harvest season begins! This is my first year attending. Today I golfed with 3 other co-workers and we did 18 holes in five hour, yes long day, but very fun! The weather was perfect, hot and sunny, no wind. The best weather to have for golfing.  Plus, I actually got a Par 4 on one of the holes! Which is good for me....I haven't golfed since high school P.E. Anyway, later at the picnic they had a bunch of games for the kids, and the "big kids" got to join in on the egg toss.  Staci is a great pal of mine, she is married to Brian, a field rep. at National. We took 3rd place! We rock! National is a great company, and I've loved working for them!   

Here we are NOT with the egg we took 3rd with.

That egg broke, but this is a good substitute.

Happy Friday!

Mother's Day Weekend

For Mother's Day Kim brought Jack and Haylee down for the weekend. We treated my mom and ourselves to Pedicures, and mom a Pedi AND a Mani! I also volunteered to cook Sunday dinner for my mom. I don't cook much, so I needed a good excuse to do it! I made ham loaf, potatoes Au gratin, strawberry spinach salad and crescent rolls. Thankfully Kim was here to help me out in the kitchen! I'd probably be lost without her. Kim made angle food cake for dessert, topped with strawberries and whip cream. Um, yum! Grandma also came over for the partay.

At the table, we shared what we really appreciate about Mom. First of all, she sacrifices so much of herself for us, and she does it selflessly. She raised 3 kids, which is a huge task, especially when your husband is gone 24/7 in the spring coaching baseball. She raised us in a home where God was the focus and foundation of our family. She prays for us everyday, and encourages us in all of our endeavors. She is such a moral support and just a great example of a woman of God. Mother's day has been particularly special the last 3 years because 3 years ago, Mom had a cancerous brain tumor and I wasn't sure she would still be with us. But by God's grace she is, and I'm so thankful for that. I don't know what I would do without my Mom. Mom, I love you so much! Thanks for loving me more. Before I choke up, here are some pictures!

The newly polished toes. With flowers!

Jack "helping" grandpa Johnson change water.

Jack with his "Emmy M's Guy"

Grandma feeding HJ.

I'm a little shell shocked from all the cooking!

Thank goodness my sis was here to help me!

All the food! It was actually really fun to make.

Mom, Haylee, Jack, Grandma, and me. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Hair

I love doing hair! When I was in high school, I would do all of my friends' hair for homecoming, prom, tolo, etc. In college, I would do hair for all the girls in my hall, even when we were just going out for dinner.  I do a lot of wedding dos for people too. It's something I've always enjoyed, and it's fun to take a head of hair and see what I can turn it into.  Here is Margaret Eisen, she is a junior and tonight is her prom!  I was stoked when she called and asked me to do her hair. It made me miss going to my prom.  I wanted to document the whole process. If anyone needs a personal hair dresser for their wedding or other event let me know!

The "before" picture.

The "after" pictures.

Left Side

Right Side.

Front

Back

Stamp/Card Making Party

Tonight Staci and I went to a stamping party in Moses Lake. We made 10 cards in less than 2 hours. Friends, you might be seeing these in the mail! Staci's friend Jan, who hosted the party, was so creative! She made 10 different card making stations with pre-cut paper and tools ready to go! All we had to do was stamp, glue and that was pretty much it. It was fun to do something girly and creative! Thanks for the invite Staci :) It was a blast!

Our accomplishments!

All of the cards were so unique!
 I especially love the card with the m&m heart container.
 How fun is that??

New Do

I wanted a little something different with my hair for spring, so I got some bangs, or as the Kiwi's would call it, a "fringe." It's been a while since I've had swoopy bangs and they're a little annoying at times but overall, I like the results. Happy Friday!

Jack and Haylee's Dedication

A couple weeks ago, on Palm Sunday, Jack and Haylee were dedicated at Kim and Chad's church. It was a really special moment to witness their dedication to Jesus in the presence of church members, family and friends. We had a little get together at Chad's parents house afterward. Kim made a great meal, breakfast casserole and white choc./cranberry scones. De-lish! It was a special day in more ways then one. We missed you Bry, Katie and Mitch!

The LaVizzle's
(sorry about the picture quality, the lens was partly closed)

The prayer of dedication. Love Jack in this one :)

The congregation response.

Brayden and Jack are great play buddies.

Hayhay clapping!

Whatever it was, it was very funny.

Shark in the Water

I'm always looking for new music. I love music and it amazes me how when I think I've heard every great song or album possible, another one comes along and blows me away. Anyway, there is a new single out by breakthrough artist, VV Brown. It's called Shark in the Water and it's such a fun song. Her debut album "Traveling Like the Light" is so good! She has such a unique voice, style and genre of music. I definitely recommend her if you are looking for something new and fresh, kind of like spring:) You can listen to her entire album on itunes. Check it out!

Push Pins

So this is really random, but I had to share it! So we've all shopped at Walmart...sometimes it can be a lose/lose situation and sometimes it can be win/win when it comes to finding cute household items. Well I needed to get some post-its the other day and I browsed the other office stuff and I found the cutest push pins. One of my favorite color/design combos is damask and green. Low and behold they had green and damask push pins! Not only did they have push pins but they had binder clips, paper clips, to do lists, all in damask and green! It took a lot for me to not buy the whole section of cute supplies! So Wally World, you scored some extra points with me. Well done. I guess it's true what they say...sometimes it's the simple things in life that can make you most happy :)

Here they are displayed on my bulletin board.

The black and white damask, and the green and white polka dots. How fun are they?

Flo Rida: Part 2

The Florida/Disney World Saga continues!

Our resort in Orange Lake, Orange County, FL.

The Villas we stayed in.

Mica and I went on a walk around the resort, which is also a HUGE golf course. I don't know how many miles it covers. But the resort as a whole is probably as big as Ephrata.

This is me lost in the jungle.

All fresh and ready to start a long day at Disney World Magic Kingdom.

Main Street Disney.



The elephants are just so darn cute, I can't help but post another picture!

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSStop hissing in my ear!

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me!
Pirates of the Caribbean.

Jack Sparrow appeared 3 times on the ride. He looked so real!

Mica and I waited in line for 20 minutes to meet Mickey and Minnie!

We look so tall next to them.

Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer's Island.

Mica is a natural with guns! She even has time to smile for the camera while she shoots!

Dad on the other hand, looks far too intense...

This is how excited I was to be in line for Space Mountain! It was closed all day and then finally opened after hours of "technical difficulties." We happened to be right around the area when it opened and we didn't have to wait in line any longer than 15 minutes. Thankfully the ride didn't lose a screw when we were on it! The best part was hearing mom scream at every little turn, and I'm talking high pitch death screams :) Mica and I were screaming with laughter. Mom was a trooper. Space Mountain is definitely the best ride!

And this is us on the ride home after 11 hours at Disney World. We look a little dazed from it. It is after all the happiest place on earth!

The Aerosmith Rockin' Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios.

The Tower of TERROR!
We sat in an elevator as it dropped us 13 stories.
Mica next to a brand new camaro!
And don't the Minnie ears just give it the finishing touch?

We couldn't resist buying the Minnie Mouse ears. We were such kids there!

"The Streets of New York" a.k.a large cutouts.

Lego Family!

Wait...is that the real Goofy?? No, it's just Dad, but the resemblance is uncanny!