Goodbye Our Dear Friend

Just this last Fall, we had a chance to visit with the the beloved Reardon family in Mesa, Arizona. My sisters and I grew up next to this incredible family and have so many wonderful childhood memories.

My Dad and Mr. Reardon were able to spend a few hours together privately,

while the girls caught up.
It was during that time, that these two men, once neighbors and husbands, got to share their mutual grief over the recent loss of their wives. Mr. Reardon undoubtly shared something special with my Dad that day, something that gave him some peace and under-standing that had eluded him up until that visit.

Sadly, today we have just learned of John Reardon's passing.

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God saw you getting tired,
a cure was not to be, so he put his arms around you, and whispered "come home.... to me"
With tearful eyes, they watched you and saw you fade away, and although they loved you dearly, they could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
your strong hands at rest
God took you home to prove to them,
he only takes the best.

God Bless You, Mr. Reardon

So You Think You Can Dance?

Guess who just got asked to emcee the "Centerstage" Dance Show this May

posing as Cat Deeley from SYTUCD? Chelsea has been taking ballet and jazz since September, thanks to a generous scholarship (THANK YOU whoever you are :) and they have asked Chelsea to do this role. She is sooo excited! She absolutely loves that show.

So come see Chelsea transform into a blonde with a British accent and watch her introduce the incredibly talented troupe of dancers from

the Los Olivos Dance Gallery.

Hope you will join us at the

Solvang Theaterfest in late May.

This production is always a show stopper!

Finally, the time had come to

address the 500 lb gorilla

in the living room.

I just couldn't find the right time nor the right words to address the beast.

And to my surprise, it went much better than expected,

in fact, it was quite tame.

Sometimes, even gorillas can be huggable.

Four Things

you can never get back -

The stone..........after the throw.

The word........after it's said.

The occasion........after it's missed.

The time.........after it's gone.

Happy Birthday Gina!

Happy Birthday Gina!

I gathered a few of your friends,
Frankie, Mrs. Beasley and an orphan troll to wish you a very happy day!

Sorry, GaaMu couldn't make it. She sends her regards. She never quite healed the same after Joanne left her on the driveway :)

Oh, and P.S. I don't think you look like a "fart" in your glasses.

Love,

Flace

xoxo

Life is Good.

Turbulence gone. Safe landing.

Rainy Days and Mondays

If you have ever flown, more than likely you have experienced turbulence.

There are two types, the kind you expect when you fly familiar routes and the kind that begins with a capital T, the kind that makes you grab the arm rests and pray.

I'm having that kind in my life right now, but it begins with a small t....

So just minor turbulence. Should be flying thru it soon. Just a little bumpier than usual.

One of those weeks.....

Hey Universe....let up will ya.

Otherwise, send me a blue suit and red cape!

Quote of the Week

Just because algae settles doesn't mean you should too!

What would you do with this?

Funny, the things you find while cleaning out your garage. Buried amongst old tax returns, my children's school drawings, and photographs, I came upon this. THIS being the top of my wedding cake, circa 1986.














Impulsively, I went to toss it into the trash, however, as I walked toward the can, I paused and began to study this little relic and thought..

Hmmm, what are the top 5 things I could do with this?

1. Drop kick it over the backyard fence.
2. Wrap it up and give it to my sister Joanne for Christmas next year.
3. Use it for Troy and Chaz' wedding.
4. Put it on the driveway, put the car in reverse and run it over OR
5. Coat it with peanut butter, roll it in bird seed and let the crows peck it to death.

But seriously, it really is too cute. The terrified look on their faces is priceless!
Her dress was very similar to mine, which by the way......still fits....and will be cut up and sewn into 2 lace tablecloths.

See, make lemonade out of lemons, I always say :)

Cruising with Troy

Aaaah, cruising with Troy to Mexico. Ocean front dining...

Swimming, he has a killer backstroke.

Being a germaphobic, he was ever conscious of the H1N1 possibility.

Spent way too much time at the watering hole.

and then became upset when the photographer didn't take his picture, so he climbed in the photo case and posed.....I wonder if that other family ever found the pictures he moved to make room for himself.

Things got even worse, he began showing up in the strangest places, even that strange woman has her eye on him.

And then there was the dramatic rescue from the Toucan's beak. That was a close one. Little did we know that was only the beginning of what was yet to come, what a fruit loop!

And then it happened...

While enjoying some rays on the pool deck, Troy was suddenly joined by a man named "Chaz".

They joined us while on our lounge chairs soaking up the sun.
A trip to the bar followed for some cold ones,

and then it happened, there was that innocent touch, sparks flew and that was all she wrote.

Troy's in love.

Just a few more....

Just a few more pictures from our wonderful cruise, Dad wearing his Disney Santa Hat and his "infamous" Grinch sweatshirt which I think is about 105 years old....

I loved all the statues in Puerta Vallarta! These were my two favorites. I love anything to do with the sea.......mermaids, seahorses....

and if Chelsea could have put that burro in her suitcase, she would have brought him home. He was adorable.

And of course, no trip is complete with out a Wal-Mart. This is the first thing we saw when we went to the deck of the ship, Wal-mart and Sam's Club in Mexico!!

Quote of the Week

Life is short, Break the rules,

Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly,

Love truly,

Laugh uncontrollably,

and

never regret anything that made you smile!

Faces

The many faces of my Chel Belle
just my everyday Chel -

oh so serious, watch out on stage
playful

my baby girl ........

What a nice way to start the New Year.......flowers from my Boss and having a wonderful dinner with Bob and Deborah. Did you two realize we were there almost 3 hours? Thank you so much for the "fun" conversation and Bob (who is my first (yes there were two) ex-husband) for being so patient and understanding while Deborah (his fiance) and I talked about "relationships". LOL. You two are awesome and thank you again for your friendship. Loved the Chinese food, but who wrote those stupid fortunes?