He's 1 Years Old!

Such pretty eyes on this kid

Finishing touches on the cake

Saturday was my nephew's Birthday party.  When you are 1 years old and there are people standing in a circle singing and staring at you chances are you have no idea why or what is even going on.  You don't even know what a party is let alone that it is for you.  The cupcake is whatever and you are more interested in playing with the tissue paper then the present that your mom keeps pushing at you. 

Clearly Birthday parties for one year old's are more to celebrate the parents for surviving that long with a new baby then the actual child which is why my sister kept it low key and simple.  Just family and pizza, pasta, bread sticks and wings.  My sister decided she wanted to make Red Velvet cake that wasn't really.  She frosted it with chocolate and put chocolate chips inside.  I'm not really a big fan of the cream cheese so I liked it.  We all had a great time, including little DJ.   Every time I see that kid I want to have a baby of my own...and then I come to my senses.  He's such a little busy body now that it's even harder to get a picture with him looking at the camera but we kept trying.  He was so not into getting all messy with his little cup cake.  He poked his little fingers in it and when he saw that chocolate all over he just wanted out.  He did let my sister feed him a little but he wouldn't touch it himself.  

Uh, what am I supposed to do with that?

Ewww....it's messy mommy.  Help.

Tissue paper is fun

Me and my mama

I was there pretty much all day and a good time was had by all.  I always have fun with my family.  DJ and his parents have made it to year one and now he is well on his way to the terrible two's.

Dream Cars of Years Past

Dream Car #1: Chrysler LeBaron[Photo Source]

Mj got a Kia Sportage for his rental car while he was out of town a few months ago.  He started to tell me what it looked like and I stopped him.  I know what a Kia Sportage looks like because it used to be my dream car.  Odd as that may sound.  He laughed because a Kia Sportage, while a decent car is not necessarily dream car material.  Don't people usually aspire to such things as a BMW or a Lexus?  But that's not even the worst of it.  I sat there and thought of all my dreams cars of the past and it dawned on me that I never really wanted for much when it came to a car.  My dream car list is an assortment of so so economy cars that most people settle for and don't actually consider their dream. OK, well maybe all except for the Lebaron.  That was the first dream car I can remember (I was only 10) and that's a pretty snazzy car.  It was the car you could be lucky enough to win if you were the grand prize winner in Ed McMahon's Publishers Clearing House contest that I used to dig out of the trash after my parents tossed it.  I could never make them sign up for magazines but it did say no purchase necessary to win so I'd tear out the little stamp of the Blue LeBaron and assemble our official entry.  We never won.

Dream Car #2:  Geo Metro [Photo Source]

Dream Car #3:  Kia Sportage [Photo Source]

After the LeBaron my next dream car when I was in high school was a hatch back Geo Metro.  I loved the ones with the cool little stripe down the side and how it said "Geo Metro."  It was just so cute.  The next and last car I can recall dreaming about was that Kia Sportage when they first came out.  I found the body style adorable and I liked it that it was like a mini SUV.

What I ended up with as my first car was a brand new Red Ford Escort.  By that time my dream was really just to have my very own car so I was thrilled.  Did I mention I hate red cars? Don't ask me why 'cause I don't know but it was the only automatic they had on the lot besides White and beggars certainly can't be choosers so I drove it home.  My parents put some money down on it and made the payments while I finished up my last year in college.  I took over about the same time my student loans payments kicked in and as soon as it was paid off at just five years young it promptly broke down.  After that my dream car was one with automatic windows, locks and a working AC Unit.  I briefly admired the Acura TL's but they were super pricey and I thought an SUV might be cool so I ended up leasing two Jeep Liberty's in a row.  Never thought I'd lease but it happened.  I loved the leather seats, sunroof, automatic everything and being up so high.  It was about as close to luxury as I'll probably ever get in a car.  It sure was a cute little SUV but  how much it was costing me at the pump was not cute in any way so my next dream in a car was good gas mileage.  After the lease was up I focused my energies on getting a sensible, dependable, fuel efficient Pre Owned Honda Civic with low mileage.  Heaving myself in and out of a lower car was annoying at first, I missed my cool rear limo tint windows but I still had a sun roof so I got over it real quick.  I even got GPS for the first time.  Filling up for $44 bucks totally made up for not having leather and I was able to pay in full so I wouldn't have a car payment.

My First Car [Photo Source] 

My luxurious Liberty.  I leased two of these in a row-Silver then Blue

My trusty Civic.  I plan to drive this car into the ground

I've never much been into having a luxurious car.  I don't want to drive a beater but for me it's mostly been about getting from point A to point B in a well kept car with as little money wasted as possible.  I don't plan on buying a new car ever again.  I've had my fill of new cars and I'm not so sure it's worth the extra money.  My jaw drops when I  hear that people are paying close to $1,000 a month in car payments.  That's rent or a mortgage.  And remember when rims were all the rage?  They could cost thousands and for what?  I probably won't be able to buy it outright but I at least hope to have a hefty down payment for the next car I get.  I've had my Honda for 2 years now.  I have a near nervous break down every time I purchase a car so it's not something I'm looking to do any time soon.   My only dream now when it comes to cars is just to drive my cute little Civic for as long as it will let me.

Delaware Vacation

Why oh why, must they make airports so cold?  I froze my butt off through a 4 1/2 hour flight, 2 hour lay over then another 2 hour flight before we finally arrived in Delaware.  All three airports had the thermostat set to arctic freeze.  I brought a blanket from home for exactly that reason.  The first leg of the flight was terrible.  My seat wouldn't recline and there was a kid behind me kicking the back of my seat.  It's so hard to sleep sitting up and my neck was killing me.

Our first stop after we got off our red eye flight was Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  I HAD to squeeze that one in because it'll probably be another year before I taste it's goodness again.  I love their perfect crispy edged pancakes and everything I tasted off of Mj's plate too.  After traveling all night we got there Friday morning and literally crashed on his mom's couch.  We were just laying there and next thing we knew we were both knocked out.

Enjoying my pancakes  (A rare shot of me in my glasses)

 We stayed Friday and Saturday night at his Dad's house.  Mj wanted to have some good East coast seafood while we were there so Friday night his dad took us to a seafood restaurant where you sit on wooden picnic style benches and they cover the table in brown butcher paper and clear it out after each party.  Now I can see why.  Watching him eat those Crabs was not a pretty sight.  I DO NOT do Seafood and this only solidified my distaste for it.  By then end of the meal there was a nasty pile of shells and discarded meat.   That's a lot of dirty work for a little bit of meat.

He plowed through 1/2 dozen whole crabs.  Ewww!!

Saturday was his family reunion and we were there all day long.  It was so hot and muggy.  This Cali girl is not used to all that humidity.  I'd put on my shoes, walk out the door and feel my feet sliding down my wedges within seconds.  We had a good time though.  It was really nice to meet so much of his family although I'm sure I don't remember half of their names.  There was tons of food and it was really well organized!  It was at Killens Pond which a really nice park with a lake, water park and camping among other things.   I don't like to get all hot and sweaty unless I'm actually working out but that's exactly what happened when we went paddle boating.  The only relief was when the sun slipped behind the clouds and we caught a cool breeze, which didn't happen often enough.  It was fun though.

Mj and his Mom at the reunion

Such a beautiful park.  So much lush greenery

First time paddle boating. Fun!!

Sunday and Monday there was more visiting with his family and more eating out.  We spent those last two nights at his mom's house.  She is so sweet and you could just see how happy she was to have her son around.  We went out to dinner on Sunday night and had fun just hanging out with her at the house before bed.   Monday we went to Rehoboth Beach and walked on the boardwalk.  We got ice cream for the second day in a row just because it was so darn hot and it tastes so darn good.  Dover is a small town and you can get a new house for less then $200,000.   I love the the greenery, the look of the houses and how they are so spread out.  Aside from the ridiculous weather I don't think I'd mind living the small town life there.  Of course, I'd never convince Mj to move back considering he left as soon as he turned 18.  The end of our trip came so fast!


At Rehoboth Beach

On the way back we stopped at the USO (United Services Organization) location at the Houston airport and relaxed during our lay over.  It's basically a lounge area for military and dependents to use while traveling.  It was so nice.  They have munchies, books, comfy couches and flat screen TV's to watch.  It was like having your mom there asking you what you want to eat and making sure you have enough snacks for the road.  We watched Source Code on his i Pad during the last leg of the flight which made the time go faster.  I love taking trips with Mj.  He's fun and he always knows just where to go and when to go there so I basically just follow him aimlessly around the airport.

The last thing you want after a long trip is any delays in getting home but when we got to our car the battery was dead!  We left one of the interior lights on and it drained the battery.  AAA was super fast though and it didn't take us too much longer to get home.  We got home around 8:30pm and what do you think was the first thing I did?  Sleep?  Unpack?  Nope.   The first thing I did was put on my work out clothes and go out for a 45 minute run/walk.  I was already crashing for the 2nd time that day and I knew if I waited it would never happen.  We ate out every day.  Sometime twice a day.  After all of that vacation eating I couldn't wait to get my body moving again and start burning it off.  After my emergency work out I got back I unpacked, showered, then went to bed not too long after.  I had a great time in Delaware but there is nothing like being home sweet home in your own bed.  And what is it with those darn bugs on the East coast?  By the time I got on the plane Tuesday morning I felt like I'd been eaten alive!  It's so nice to be back in our perfectly mild weather minus the bugs on steroids.

From the Plane to the Party

My husband is home!  I am no longer reduced to communicating with him by E mail and Facebook.  After a 14 hour international flight from a country with a 17 hour time difference, a two hour flight delay and a two hour drive from LA he finally made it home around 5:45pm.  Just in time to hop in the shower and put on the clothes I'd picked out for him so we could go to a friend's B Day party downtown.  He literally went from the plane to the party which is insane if you asked me.  I get jet lagged and worn out just traveling on a 1 hour flight where I don't switch time zones.  

Reunited and it feels so good

We met his friends at Red Pearl Kitchen downtown and had a good time.   I was a little skeptical because it's a Pan Asian restaurant and I'm so picky but there were things I liked.  Everything was served family style so we got to try a lot of different dishes.  If I had to rely on chop sticks I would have starved.  I'm the only one at the table who had to ask for a real fork so I could actually eat.  It was Anne's 30th Birthday and she celebrated it in style.  After dinner we walked to their hotel room at the Hard Rock Hotel and had a few drinks there.  It had a great wrap around balcony with a nice view of the city.  Mj was too tired to get too much of his drink on so he had announced himself designated driver and I took full advantage.  As the night went on he was still hanging in there....but just barely.  When everyone headed down to the club we headed for home.  By the time we walked into the house he was practically sleep walking, I was tipsy drunk and we both slept like rocks. 

A Gift from Mj.  Hand made jewelry box

It's so good to have him back home.  Australia was his last long work trip of the year.  His family reunion is this weekend in Delaware so there is one more out of state trip but I won't miss him.  'Cause this time I get to go too.

Tomatoes & Exercise

Home Grown

The tomato plant we planted in April is thriving.  The leaves have started to wilt a bit but it's gotten so big and the tomatoes started to grow in earlier this month.  Still no oranges on the orange tree but we expected that and the herbs are doing well too.  Mj put me on plant patrol and I'm in charge of the watering since he's been gone.  I'd be in big trouble if anything dies on my watch.  I don't really eat tomatoes although these are so bright and pretty it almost makes me want to!! I plucked all the red ones off and took them to my mom's house for her to enjoy.  There are plenty of little green ones that haven't quite matured yet that will be ready for Mj to have when he gets home. 

My little nephew is walking now!  He'll be 1 years old next month, has five teeth and is still just the cutest thing ever.  I had him to myself at my parent's house for a couple hours on Sunday and took him outside and watched him go.  We had lunch at a friends house then my sister and I went and got our favorite yogurt from Golden Spoon.  It's all Non Fat and Fat Free soft serve and I got my three favorite flavors Coffee, Peanut Butter and Peanut Butter Cup.  Next time, I'll try do something different and get the Red Velvet.  I had a great time with my family.  There was lots of fun, wine (what else is new) and lots of eating. 

Which led me to this sudden and quite unusual desire to go out running on Sunday night when I got home.  I don't do this very often ever and I know my endurance is pretty low so I started out doing 5 minutes running then 5 minutes walking and so on.  By the end I ran 8 minutes straight which is pretty good for me.  After 40 minutes I ended up doing 24 minutes of running and 16 minutes of walking.  Even though it kinda sucked when my legs felt like lead and it seemed like I was running so slooooow it kinda felt good to do it.  I'm basically an Elliptical junkie so it was good for me to do something different and with a higher impact.  I should probably keep my running on the treadmill though.  The next day I was painfully reminded of why I don't run on the unforgiving concrete too often.  My left hip felt like it was going to snap off!!   I'm definitely not in running shape.  My hip got better as the day went on but my legs were so sore I could barely walk myself into the gym.  I am proud of myself for slogging my way through my 1 hour Elliptical work out anyways.  I have successfully managed to work out twice a week (or more if I'm feelin' it) all year so far which is a huge victory coming from someone who refused to go for well over a year.  I'm even going again today after work.  Le Sigh. Burning 500 calories in one shot gives me this huge sense of accomplishment, which is part of the reason that I stick to the Elliptical and haven't done Pilates or anything else in a while.  Building muscle helps speed up metabolism so I'm trying to get myself to branch out into using the weight machines.  Plus, it's probably a good idea to mix things up so I don't get too bored.  I'm such a creature of habit.

Since Mj has been in Australia we've only gotten to talk here and there for about five minutes at a time.  There is a 17 hour time difference and he's usually asleep while I'm in the middle of my work day.  He FINALLY comes back Saturday and I'm really looking forward to having him home again.  The week is almost half way over and I'm glad!  Hope everyone is having a good week so far. 

2011 Cover Girl Classic

Chelsie during podium training
[Photo Source:  Universal Sports]

Gymnastics doesn't get too much TV time.  I'm lucky if I get to watch it twice a year so I was thrilled to be able to watch the Cover Girl Classic live online on Universal Sports.  It's the first big competition of the Elite gymnastics season and there are three comebacks that should make the line up between now and next year's Olympics in London very interesting.  Chelsea Memmel and Alicia Sacramone put the word Women's back in Women's Gymnastics.  They are so strong at the ripe old age of early 20's and it's just great seeing these ladies in action.  Alica's comeback isn't really and truly a comeback because just a year ago she was at this meet after not competing since the 2008 Olympics.  She ended the year by making the World Team and has been off the radar since then after the season ended.  She's just that good that whenever she decides she wants to go to an Olympic or World Championship, she just trains and makes the team like it's nothing.  I'm most impressed with Chelsea.  She made an aborted comeback attempt in 2009 that didn't quite pan out but I think she's really going for it this time.  She did all four events and could use a little bit of clean up in form but looked so solid in all of them.  She has always been such a strong competitor and injuries are the only thing that has ever held her back.  I was at the 2003 World Championships in Anaheim where I saw her win her first World gold medal on bars.   She was on the 2008 Olympic team in Beijing along with Sean and Alicia but due to an injury was limited to only one event-uneven bars.  She has the bad luck of always getting hurt before the Worlds or Olympics and has battled back from so many injuries that I can't believe her body is still letting her do this.  I really hope she can hang in there injury free and make it to 2012.  If anyone deserves to be on that team she does.  Non gymnastics fans might remember Sean Johnson most from Dancing With The Stars which she won in 2009 but her much bigger accomplishment is winning Gold on Beam and the Silver in the All Around, Floor and at the 2008 Olympics.  She only did two events (beam and bars) at Cover Girl and fell on both.  She was admittedly very nervous and scared but I think she'll get better at Nationals next month.  I can't even imagine the pressure she must feel.  I takes a lot of guts for a high profile gymnast like her to make a comeback after three years off of gymnastics with so many eyes watching her every move.  Aly Raisman won the All Around, Chelsie placed 2nd and new comer Sabrina Vega was 3rd.  Very few actually competed all around so this competition seemed to be less about winning and more about warming up for Nationals.

Alicia Sacramone and Sean Johnson during podium training [Photo Source:  Gymnastike]

Missing from the lineup was the 2010 All Around National Champion Rebecca Bross.   She is coming back from an injury (ankle) like so many and couldn't get it together in time.  She was there but scratched at the last minute.  It will also be interesting to see what reigning All around Olympic Champion Nastia Liukin decides to do.  She's been on the fence for a while about if she will go for 2012.  I really like it that a lot of NCAA Collegiate gymnasts are doing Elite during and/or after their Collegiate careers.  They bring so much competition experience with them and it's good to show that "older" girls can still be competitive and that Elite gymnastics isn't just for teenagers.  In addition to the comeback ladies there are many established gymnasts (like Bross) and new up and comers who want their shot at the Olympics too.  The saddest thing is that there are only five spots available down from six.  There just isn't too much Olympics to go around.  There will be many highs, lows and heartbreaks along this journey and I'll be watching glued to the TV screen or internet as might be the case for any coverage I can get.

See full competition results here at InternationalGymnast.com.