Confessions...of a Hopeless Romantic

Dinner with Friends!

2007-12-16T22:04:00.000-08:00

We joined some wonderful friends for the holidays to have some delicious food. We ate and we talked the night away and we all had such an awesome time! The only bummer was that I had to cut the evening shorter than I would have liked because I had been majorly sick a few weeks back and I still had that horrible...HORRIBLE cough that just always seems to be the last thing to go.

Toni we had such a wonderful time! Thank you so much for opening your beautiful place for us all to enjoy! Looking forward to the next time!

Went to visit Santa...

2007-12-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

Finally took the kids to get their picture taken with Santa! We took Samantha as well with us because my niece Katy and her hubby JC had to finish their holidy shopping. We had a wonderful time at the mall, taking pictures, having lunch and getting some ice cream for desert.

2007-12-09T23:33:00.000-08:00

Wising everyone a wonderful Merry Christmas and a Terrific New Years 2008!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-26T09:12:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday this year...

We had 2 Thanksgiving celebrations this year because we got to see my brother-in-law Patrick and his beautiful girlfriend Shay who live in New York. The came out to visit with us for a few days before the actual holiday and then spend time with Shay's family as well. We hadn't seen them in a couple of years, we had missed them very much (especially Kaitlin and Nathan) it was so nice spending time with them. We fixed a ham with all the fixin's and I was so happy that Toni was able to join us for dinner and spend time with us as well. (Thanks Toni) :)

For Thanksgiving Day - Phil and I cooked all day with the help of my parents. We had about 18 family members join us. We had a HUGE Turkey with all the trimmings and had a wonderful time. We ate so much but we couldn't help it...it was sooooo delish.

My sister in law Marissa and my sister Maria

Katy (4 1/2 weeks pregnant) Marissa and I

Gran, Gramps, Kaitlin and Nathan

The gals...Jazmin, Katy, Marissa, Vicky and Miriam

I just have to say I am so grateful for the family and friends that I have in my life...I couldn't imagine my life without you all in it. Love you very much.

Student of the Month Award goes to...

2007-11-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

KAITLIN SHEARER!!!

Wow...she has received one every year since Kindergarten - so this makes it her 6th one in a row for 5th grade. We are so proud of Kaitlin she has done such a wonderful job in school.

Aneli - one of her best friends got Student of the Month in her class as well.

A picture with the New Principal of McKinley Elementary this year Ms. Bobbie Kavanaugh!

Proud Grandparents who came to cheer Kaitlin on when they called her name.

Halloween 2007

2007-11-11T15:25:00.001-08:00

We had such a wonderful time on Halloween this year! First of all...this was the 1st year I dressed up for Halloween in a long, long time. Phil and Toni picked out the costume and Toni bought me the wig.

The best part of it all was the kids LOVED it so that made it all worth it. So we finally have a picture of the whole family dressed up for Halloween...yippie!!

First we walked a few blocks up in th Burbank Hills and got a bunch of candy...the kids were happy...lol. We had a quick dinner @ Burger King. Then we met up with Ada and her family and walked around in the Toluca Lake area and we had a wonderful time. We had never been there before and the kids had a BLAST! Last but not least, we went to Sherman Oaks down the street from where Toni lives and went to "Boney Island" where we've gone for the past 3 years and it was a BLAST!! Thank goodness we went because it was the last year this guy was going to be putting on his display - he did for 10 years.

Self Portraits...

2007-11-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

I realized the other day that I hadn't taken any pictures of myself lately (always the case when you're the one behind the camera...lol) so I had a few minutes yesterday and took a few. Let me know what you think...

My Beautiful Children...

2007-11-06T23:18:00.000-08:00

I took these pictures a few months back but had to post them on my blog because I just loved them so much...

We had a mini-photoshoot for Kaitlin's 10th B-Day invitation and this was the one that we picked.

And Nathan said "Mommy aren't you gonna take my picture"...lol...so I did.

I'm the worst blogger...YEESH!!

2007-11-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

I have the best intentions of keeping up with my blog and then "Life" takes a hold of ya and takes ya for a lonnnnnnng ride...lol. I have really missed my blog...so I will really try to keep it updated more often...(crossing my fingers).

I've been extremely busy these past...um...8 months since my last post...yeesh...8 MONTHS... WOW...I can't believe that much time has passed by. Anyway, I've been very busy and putting most of...if not ALL my attention on...Photography. It has totally consumed me and about 6 months ago I made an exciting decision...I want to be a full time photographer. It just feels so right...FINALLY...something that feels so wonderful and so RIGHT! I have always loved taking pictures since I could remember... but now it's totally different...it has become a passion. I just LOVE being behind the camera and capturing those "Special moments in people's lives". I had my first paying gig (a freinds referral) just a few months ago and had a wonderful time doing it. I'm hoping within the year (or sooner) to have my website up and running. I am so inspired and soooooooo very excited!!!! I'll keep ya'll posted - Wish me luck! :)

Also, Phil and I switched from PC to Macs last May and we haven't looked back. We have been extremely happy with our new computers. I got the 24" iMac and I absolutely LOVE IT and Phil got the MacBook Pro Laptop and it's his new best friend...lol. We had to buy all new software but it was totally worth it. I had been on PC's all my life and thought I was going to have a much harder time with the learning curve and I didn't - it was really easy to make the switch. My mom even made the switch and loves her 20" iMac as well.

Here's a picture that he took of me on his camera last May. I had come back from a weekend trip with the girls and Phil had surprised me. He had transferred everything from the old computer and had added all the new software as well. Boy I was doing the happy dance...WOO HOO!!! Don't I look happy...lol! Love you Babe!!

I've also been learning Photoshop CS2 and been taking tutorials on-line (WOW what a huge program) but can I just tell you that it's one of my favorite programs...I LOVE IT!

Last subject for the night...I promise...LOL. Phil and I had the pleasure of performing in the very first John Burroughs High School Choir- Alumni Pop Show last September 8th. We had the BEST time seeing old H.S. friends that we hadn't seen in over 20 years. We had to rehearse (just like in HS) gosh that brought back so many wonderful memories. We just received a copy of the Show on DVD and after watching it...let me tell ya - we put on a Darn good show. And because of the show we got in contact with a long time friend who we hadn't seen in over 15 years and her name is Jenny Mathious. She was so special to us and we all lost contact with her and we are ALL just so happy to have her in our lives once again. We love you Jenny and I promise to call you and get-together - okay! Here's a picture of Jenny and I.

And here are a couple of pictures of the show...

Teri, Roz, Karol and I - right before going on stage to sing "Meeting in the Ladies Room" By Klymaxx. It was a huge hit in 1986...lol.

Phil worked on his song for a couple of weeks. He learned all of the background parts and recorded and video taped all the parts separately and the final product was AMAZING!!! At the show he sang live while the background vocals were pre-recorded.

And this is the reason we ALL came back to do the show...Mrs. Mary Rago. She was the Choir Director for many, many years, she was and still is such a Special and wonderful teacher that truly inspired us all. We dedicated the show in honor of her because she retired the previous year.

Well, there ya have it. I told ya I've been busy...but I know that's no excuse..lol. I promise to start posting more often and I will also be busy uploading pictures to share as well. Bye for now! :)

JBHS Pop Show and my hubby's Birthday!

2007-03-09T13:27:00.000-08:00

My hubby Phil had to work on his actual Birthday...but he didn't mind one bit.

He was working on "Pop Show" at our local High School which is where we actually met back in 1985. He's been donating his time and doing this show every year for the past 21 years and has loved every minute of it. He designs the lights and he also designs the stage as well. He puts in such long hours, normally it's only taken a week or so to set-up but this year it took 2 weeks of 12 to 14 hours a day because the show is so huge now. When we were in choir in H.S. there were only 3 show choirs...now there's 7 and each choir has double the students that we had...incredible!

We have our own company www.seidesign.com and he works for corporate clients all year long and gives them what they want and this is the one time a year where he gets to do exactly what he wants to do. He gets to be free and most importantly be "creative" because he calls the shots. I am so proud of him...he's one of those lucky and talented people who new exactly what he wanted to do even before graduating High School. He wanted to be a Lighting Designer...and he did.

He did such a tremendous job on the show and I just wanted to share a few photographs that I took of his fantastic work with everyone!

So I had to wait a week and a half after his actual birthday because we had too many things to do. I was able to host a dinner for him at Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant with some family and friends and we had a fantastic time.

Random pictures...

2007-02-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

I took K & N to the park a couple of weeks ago and wanted to share a few that I really liked.

I just love this picture of the kids with their cousins Samantha and Miriam. They always have a BLAST when they're all together!

Turning 39!

2007-01-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

I do have to admit...that when I woke up I couldn't believe I was only a year away from turning 40 and started to get a bit depressed. But that didn't last very long because I started to think of my wonderful and loving family and all the beautiful friends I have in my life...and just realized that I'm a very lucky gal.

The day before my birthday I had plans to go out for a couple of hours and my mom had the kids paint some signs for my B-Day! They were all over the living room...lol It was so sweet!

I had a wonderful day on my Birthday! Phil, Kaitlin, Nathan and my niece Miriam took me to Island's for a wonderful lunch. Then in the evening Phil and Toni surprised me and took me to Claim Jumper in Pasadena and we had a wonderful dinner with family and a few friends. That's all I really wanted for my Birthday was to be with family and friends...I feel truly blessed to have you all in my life.

Prom - 1986!

2007-01-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

On the Foxy MB we've all been sharing our Prom pictures. Here is Phil and I at my Prom and I also went to his but for some reason I can't find those pictures at the moment and when I do I'll post it as well. We had gone with 2 other couples and we had the Best time ever!

Phil and I met in Choir Class - he was a sophomore and I was a senior (High School Sweethearts). But if you ask all our friends "who was after who" well he was a very persistant and romantic sophomore to say the least and I am eternally grateful that he was. I couldn't imagine my life without this man and K & N.

Going "Natural" every once in a while!

2007-01-14T21:49:00.000-08:00

So everytime I get a haircut from Foxy Marissa (my awesome sister-in-law) she always wants to ring my neck for blow-drying and straightening my hair too much. She always say's to me "give your hair a break and go Natural"...ugh! We'll it's been years but I'm finally listening before she has to cut my hair off completely...LOL.

So here I am..."Au Naturel"...lol!

Birthday Crop!

2007-01-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

For my Birthday all I really wanted to do was scrap with my "Friends". So I planned a Crop at the Memories Store in the Empire Center here in Burbank, we scrapped from 10:00am-8:00pm and we had such a Blast! We took a break and had a great lunch at Sharkey's. Toni made me homemade "Chocolate Cupcakes" and they were sooooooooooooo Delish!! Thank you so much Foxy! I loved them so much...I had TWO of them...lol.

Towards the end of the crop Joanne stopped by to pay us a visit and I was so happy to see her. We live practically 8 minutes from each other and we hardly see each other because she's such a work-a-holic...lol (just kidding). Joanne, I'm looking forward to getting together for dinner and catching up - okay! Thank you so much for the gals who were able to make it...I had such a wonderful time today!

New Years Eve!

2007-01-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time! We celebrated with good food, family and friends and most of us were in our PJ's and very, very comfortable... LOL.

The evening started with my mom and dad making their traditional "Paella" and I made a huge green salad and it was absolutely delicious! For dessert we had so much to choose from: Toni brought a Mudd Pie, Phil's dad and mom brought 2 kinds of pies (apple and cherry) and 2 kinds of ice cream flavors...ahhhhhh it was all delicious!!!

We turned on the TV and then brought out some games and we played and talked until practically just before midnight. At 11:45pm we started to get our drinks together and did the count -down! Woo...Hoo it was a lot of fun just hanging out in our PJ's celebrating with family and friends. I just can't believe it's 2007... WOW time is sure flying ...yeesh!!

Wishing everyone a wonderful and prosperous New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T12:50:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! Here we are in our Santa Hats...lol!

(Of course Phil had to wear Nathan's Baby Santa Hat...LOL - but he looks so adorable - doesn't he!)

Disneyland for the Holidays!

2006-12-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

We just LOVE going to Disneyland during the Holidays because they have it decorated so beautifully. We were able to go last Tuesday, December 12th! We had such a BLAST! I do have to agree with the saying..."It is the Happiest Place on Earth!" It was the perfect day to go because the weather was just wonderful and the longest we stood in line for any ride was about 15 minutes...it was just a Fantastic Day!

Toni, Nathan and Phil were the only brave ones to get on "Splash Mountain". Kaitlin and I were in no mood to get wet...lol. I just love this picture because each of their expressions are completely different...absolutely CLASSIC...lol!

This was Nathan's very 1st time on "Space Mountain." We didn't know what to expect but he absolutely LOVED it! After the ride one of the funniest things we did was at the Star Tours gift shop!!! They have several pictures from Star Wars to choose from...pictures that you can have your face added to. Well, they let us play around with a bunch of them. We had no intention of buying any of them, but after we saw them we laughed so hard that we ended up buying them ALL!

The first one is of Kaitlin and Nathan. I can't tell you how freaked out I was when I first saw it on the screen because it puts their faces on adult bodies and I just couldn't believe what I was looking at. Unbelievable huh...lol
The 2nd one is of Phil...doesn't my hubby look handsome as an "Xwing Pilot".
I left the BEST for last...it is of Toni and I! Toni is "Blue" and I am "Princess Amidala". I can't help but double over with laughter every time I look at this! I just LOVE it!!
Thanks for coming with us Ms. Toni and spending the day with The Shearers'...we had such a wonderful time.

Happy Holidays from The Shearers!

2006-12-11T12:44:00.001-08:00

We went to the "Johnny Carson Park" in Burbank right across the street from NBC Studios and Ms. Toni Rivera was kind enough to take our Holiday pictures again this year. Thank you so much Toni - we truly appreciate it very much! We all then took Toni to Marie Callenders and had a very nice lunch!

Holiday Message from Phil...

2006-12-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

It's hysterical...and this is why I married my hubby because he still makes me laugh after all these years! Love you...MY LOVE!! (CLICK HERE)

Foxy Cropper Holiday Crop!

2006-12-04T20:48:00.000-08:00

Toni and I held the annual "Foxy Cropper Holiday Crop" at the Holiday Inn in Woodland Hills and we all had a BLAST!!

We were able to scrap all day and have a wonderful time together. We had our "Gift Exchange Game" and it was so much FUN!! Yez brought all of us cupcakes from the famous "Sprinkles" Store...this was my very 1st cupcake from this store and it was the BOMB!! Thank you so much Yez for your gift to us...we truly appreciate it very much!

Thank you for those who made it to the event and for those that couldn't - you were truly missed. But there is always next year....right! (Click here for pictures)

Thanksgiving...

2006-11-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

We had a very nice Thanksgiving with Family and friends! It was a bit hectic getting set up and having everything ready on-time but we got it done and we were very happy! My nieces Katy, Vicky and Miriam came and brought Samantha and Jazmin and of course all the kids had so much fun playing together. My dads friend Ken came and joined us as well.

This year we purchased a turkey from Honey Baked Ham because we were given a gift certificate last Christmas and decided to finally use it...LOL. It was actually pretty good so I highly recommend! We made all our normal side dishes and my nieces brought the deserts...it was delish!!

John Burroughs HS - Choir Reunion Party!

2006-11-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

Phil, our friends Lisa Staab and Kevin Brando and I hosted our Choir Reunion Party! We had such a wonderful time seeing people we hadn't seen in so many years.

We had some great food, we talked, we watched old video's of all of us in choir in High School, we danced and we even did some Karaoke as well and we had a BLAST! All in all we had such a great time! (Click here for pics).

Brunch with Friends!

2006-11-05T22:01:00.000-08:00

We had Brunch at The Castaway Restaurant up in the Burbank Hills and it was wonderful and delicious! We went with our friends Kevin, his girlfriend Alexis, Kevin's Mom, Phil's Dad and myself. We've always gone for dinner but we had never tried their brunch and I totally recommend it. Oh and what a selection...it was so hard to decide on what to eat...lol! I was having such a great time...I only took a few pictures so here they are.

Halloween 2006

2006-10-31T22:11:00.000-08:00

For Halloween this year we went to the Westfield Topanga Mall in Woodland Hills to trick o' treat. We picked up Toni and met Araxi and her son Alex, Julie, and her two girls Emily and Clair. We even took Samantha with us because Katy and Juan Carlos couldn't make it tonight due to a family emergency.

We had a lot of FUN until the malls security stopped Phil to tell him that he couldn't wear his helmet nor have his "fake and plastic laser gun" with him in the mall for Halloween due to mall policy. So of course we all got upset especially Phil and Toni and they had to speak to a supervisor but to make a long story short...it was mall policy. What kills us is that there were a bunch of other people (kids and adults) wearing helmets and masks as well but they were only singling out certain people...I'm assuming adults. And they could totally tell that Phil was with his family and 3 other women with their kids... ay...yi...yi!! So Phil had to hold his helmet and laser gun in his hand for the rest of the evening...ugh! I felt horrible because Phil worked so hard on his costume for weeks...he made the entire costume himself and for this to happen to him...well I just felt really bad. But what made his night and ours... was that everyone (adults and kids) in the mall was coming up to him and saying how awesome his costume was and also wanting to take pictures with him! After that fiasco was dealt with...we had a nice dinner at Red Robin and took some more pictures.

We then went to Toni's neighborhood in Sherman Oaks to trick o'treat some more and check out this awesome Halloween display which this guy does every single year. All in all the kids got a bunch of candy and we all had a wonderful time. (Click here for pics)

Carved our Pumpkins!

2006-10-29T19:45:00.000-08:00

We carved our pumpkins today...well Phil and the kids carved pumpkins today and I just took pictures of course...LOL. I didn't grow up carving pumpkins (my parents weren't into all the Halloween Craze like all my friends parents were ) and I was never really excited to stick my hands in a mushy and stringy pumpkin...lol but I love watching and taking pictures of people who do...it just cracks me up!

Underwood Family Farm!

2006-10-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

We went to "Underwood Family Farm" this year (as we always do) and we had such a wonderful time. We went with Toni, Diane, her hubby Scott, their two beautiful girls Lauren and Amanda and us...The Shearers.

We started off with the corn maze...ugh we'll never go in there again we got lost...lol. But we finally got out of there and took a trailer ride around the beautiful farm. The kids loved looking at all the animals and then played for a bit. We then waited until the sun was going down and took some really cool shots of the kids in the pumpkin patch.

Afterwards we went to a BBQ place called "Bandits" for dinner. Scott and Diane highly recommended it and we had a wonderful and delicious dinner...it was awesome!

Halloween Festival!

2006-10-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

My Foxy friend Araxi (love her) called me last minute on a Sunday morning to ask if we wanted to go to a Halloween Festival (hosted by Disney) at the Space Museum in Pasadena. So we said YES and Araxi and Alex picked us up and we had the "Best" time. The kids had so much fun in the jumpers, took some really cute pictures with all the pumpkin and decorations, decorated Halloween cookies and got to ride the horses as well. Thanks Araxi - we had a wonderful time.

Garage Sale!

2006-10-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

We had been wanting to have a "Garage Sale" for over 2 years now and something always came up or we just weren't prepared time-wise. So as soon I heard that our city was having their "2nd Chance Garage Sale" where you can have one without getting a permit well...we jumped on that band wagon...lol. We started about a month ago my niece Katy, Phil and I got the stuff down from the attic, from the garage and the backyard and cleaned everything up and got it ready. Wow that was a process...but we got it done. Thank you so much Katy for all your help - we truly appreciate it very much.

So last Saturday we woke up really early (6:00am...that's early for me...lol) to finally have the "Garage Sale" So we turned on the TV and checked on-line and found out that it was going to pour down rain that day. So we waited and waited...and WAITED... and then finally we were about to take some things out mid day and then it got a bit ugly for a while...but again NO RAIN. All we could think about was taking everything out and then it would have started raining....ugh! So we wasted the entire day...as you can imagine we were so frekin PISSED OFF.

Sunday - once again we woke up really early and took EVERYTHING out and sold a bunch of stuff. I know that we would have sold a bunch more if we would have been out on Saturday but we didn't do that bad...we sold about 70% of our stuff so we were pretty surprised. Our really good friend Kevin Brando and my niece Miriam came and helped us...Thank you so much you two...we really appreciate all the help.

Students of the Month Award!

2006-10-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Well, last week we received a notice in Kaitlin's homework folder from the school's principal stating:

Congratulations! Your child has been selected by his/her teacher to receive a student recognition award this month. Wow...she has received one every year since Kindergarten - so this makes it her 5th one in a row...we are so proud of Kaitlin she has done such a wonderful job in school.

THEN... we got even more good news! We received the same notice in Nathan's Homework folder. WOW...we are so "proud of both of them"!!

So that night we took them to their favorite restaurant to celebrate "Islands" and we had a wonderful time.

Our Adorable...Freak-a-Zoid!

2006-10-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post these adorable pictures of Nathan taken a while back and I just found them again while I was looking for other pics...isn't that always the case...lol.

Phil and I were in the kitchen making dinner one early evening and Nathan was playing in his room with Kaitlin and decided to get dressed by himself...LOL. I almost dropped the pan I was cooking with when I saw him...lol and I shouted "oh my Gosh...don't move...don't move". So I ran to the office to get my camera and he actually let me take some pictures...how awesome is that!

Check out our Adorable...Freak-a-Zoid...we wouldn't want him any other way...LOL!!

I got Tagged!

2006-10-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by my Best Friend Toni!

I was asked to list seven of my favorite songs. So I'm listing what I have loved for a while or what I am listening to and loving right now.

1. Chasing Cars- Snow Patrol (This is one of my current favorite songs)
2. Billy Joel - Just the way you are (One of my all time favorites...but I just LOVE everything from Billy)
3. James Blunt - You're Beautiful
4. Celine Dion (Duet with Andrea Bocheli) - The Prayer
5. Nickelback - Photograph
6. Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice
7. Green Day - Blvd of Broken Dreams

Now it's your turn. I'm tagging some friends who blog regularly and these are the rules: list 7 songs...no matter what the genre, whether or not they have words, or are any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your LiveJournal/blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 others to see what they’re listening to.

I was pretty late in posting this so I'm sure everyone has been tagged but here's who I've tagged!!! Joanne and Yezenia.

First Day of School!

2006-09-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

We couldn't believe how early school started this year...August 28th...huh??? It had never started that early before but after being home all summer...they were so ready to head back and we couldn't wait to get back on a regular schedule again...LOL.

Kaitlin is starting the 4th grade this year and her teacher's name is Ms. Mulloy. She seemed to be a very popular teacher on the first day of school. Kids kept coming up to her and giving her hugs all morning. As a mom, that was so nice to see and very comforting that the kids liked her very much.

Nathan is starting Kindergarten at the big kids school this year at William McKinley with his sister. We were so bummed to find out that Mrs. Olin (Kaitlin's Kindergarten Teacher and wife of our Jr. High School Teacher Mr. John Olin) had just retired last year...but happy for her that she can now relax and enjoy the retired life. Nathan's new teacher is Ms. Cowan and she seemed extremely nice as well. We learned that she used to teach at the Montessouri Schools and once again it was very comforting to know that Nathan was in great hands.

All in all they both really liked their teachers and they had a wonderful first day of school! (Click here for more pictures)

Kaitlin's 9th B-Day!

2006-09-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

Our little princess celebrated her 9th Birthday! I just can't believe she's 9 already...where has the time gone??? She has grown into such a beautiful little lady now and we are so proud of her!

Kaitlin chose to have her party at Club Libby Lu in the Glendale Galleria, the girls had such a great time having their hair and makeup done and then we had a wonderful lunch at Red Robin.
(Click here for pics)

A vacation to Mexico City I will never forget...

2006-09-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

In July I was lucky enough to go on a vacation I will never forget. My Mom, my SIL Marissa, my brother Armando and I went to Mexico City for a week and we had a BLAST!! The main reason for going was to celebrate my Tia Cristina's "Surprise 80th Birthday Party". The last time I was in Mexico City I was 18 years old...20 YEARS AGO - so I was truly excited to go and visit with family that I had not seen for many years.

Here’s an itinerary with pictures to share with everyone! -- Enjoy!

Friday, July 7th & Saturday, July 8th, 2006 (Day 1 & 2)
- The plane ride to Mexico was not too long not too short and for once we didn’t have to get to LAX @ 6:00am in the morning. Our flight was @ 1:00pm. Woo Hoo!!!
- Just a few hotel pictures and the surrounding area of our hotel.
- Tia Cristina’s Birthday Party was held at a beautiful restaurant in their ballroom area. It was a very emotional party because my Tia never thought that she'd see us ever again...let alone her sister (my mom). We all cried "happy tears" as you can imagine. The afternoon event was very festive. It featured a Local Mariachi and another performing band with singing and dancing. They had a 5-course meal and the food was delicious. (Click here for pictures)

Sunday, July 9th (Day 3)
- We went to Church with my aunt who attends every Sunday. We then walked to an Indoor grocery market and Marissa bought her “Mole” that she wanted.
- That afternoon our family took us to the famous Arroyo Restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious (they’re known for their “barbacoa” and they also had awesome entertainment, singing and dancing. We had a wonderful time!
- We then went back to Tia Cristina’s house and had fun just reacquainting ourselves with everyone. The black and white pictures of me are when I was 11 years old. I was forgetting my “Spanish” and my mom decided to send me to Mexico City and live with my Aunt for 5 months and attend school. So I did and had a wonderful time with my family and I even learned Spanish. (I do have to mention that when I walked into my Tia’s house again…the memories of when I was 11 years old just came rushing through. The smell of her kitchen and her home still looked the same…it was just beautiful to experience that again”. (Click here for pictures)

Monday, July 10th (Day 4)
- Gerardo (Jerry) my cousin was able to take the week off from being the "Awesome Lawyer" that he is and take us sight seeing for the week. He attempted to take us to the National Museum of Anthropology but it was closed on Monday’s…(great our luck…Thanks Jerry…LOL). So he then took us to the Zocalo, which is one of the oldest parts of Mexico. We went to the Government Building and it was a very interesting and beautiful building to walk through and we learned a lot as well.
- He then took us to “The Cathedral”. Most of the pictures are blurry because we were not allowed to use flash inside…so sorry about that…I did my best.
- He then took us to The Museum of Torture…ugh…I had never been to one of these and it was absolutely “GROSS”…to say the least. The things they used to do to people…one word and one word only…UNBELIEVABLE!! Of course we were not allowed to take any pictures but Jerry was able to get a few pictures with his cell phone camera…(I’m still trying to get them from him and a soon as I can I’ll post them).
- Jerry attempted to take us to this delicious place to eat the best Tacos in Town called “Taqueria Susy”…lol funny huh! But they weren’t open yet (they open at 8:00pm) and we were starving. So we ended up eating these amazing “Tortas” instead and they were so delicious.
- We then went to Tia Cristina’s house and met up with my cousin Pablo. We were talking about going to the pyramids the next day because I hadn’t been there since I was a wee little thing and Pablo happens to mention he knew of a better place called Tepoztlan which had a beautiful scenery and a Pyramid on the top of this mountain. Boy, i only we had known exactly what he meant by mountain… yeesh!!! (Click here for pictures)

Tuesday, July 11th (Day 5)
- So Armando, Marissa and I met up with Pablo and he drove about an hour to the city of Tepoztlan. First of all Marissa wore sandals, and we were ALL (except for Pablo of course) completely NOT prepared for what happened on that day. We actually climbed an entire and HUGE MOUNTAIN on this day. It took us about 3 ½ long hours to climb that sucker…it was the hardest thing any of us had ever done. Marissa wanted to give up a couple of times and kept saying “listen guys I’m done and I’m just going to sit and wait right here for you guys” and we kept telling her “no way we wouldn’t leave you here and to please keep going”. So she did…we all did. I was soooooooooooooo darn proud of all of us. On the way up…I kept asking people as they were coming down how much longer to get up there and they said “oh just a little bit more and that the view was just beautiful”. Well…we finally got up there and we found the…”little pyramid” that Pablo had mentioned…gosh it was really, really small but the view of the city was beautiful. We only stayed up there for about a half hour and then decided to go back down because it looked like it was going to start raining. It only took us about an hour and 15 minutes to get down. As you can imagine we were sooooooooooooooooo tired. I considered this “an unexpected but wonderful experience” for me…(I’m sure Marissa would say otherwise…LOL). I did something that day that I had never done before and I was very proud of all of us. We then finished up the day with a delicious dinner in town and drove back to Mexico City.
(Click here for pictures)

Wednesday, July 12th (Day 6)
- Jerry had a client he had to meet to sign some important papers and then he took us to The National Museum of Anthropology….FINALLY!! We spent about 4 hours there and we had a wonderful time reading and learning about our heritage. Marissa and I had a lot of FUN joking around with Jerry and we all took lots of pictures (as usual). We then went back to visit with Tia Cristina and some of my other aunts as well. Oh WOW I almost forgot…we had a very late dinner and we finally ate at the “Taqueria Susy” and had the best Tacos in town…delicious Jerry…Thanks again! (Click here for pictures)

Thursday, July 13th (Day 7)
- Today Jerry took us through the Historical Center and then to the city of Xochimilco. We took a beautiful “Gondola Ride” for about an hour and a half and had the best and relaxing time. It was really neat because there were other boats throughout the entire ride that were timed perfectly that would come up to ours. On the 1st one it had 2 ladies that cooked our lunch and had drinks. The 2nd one had dessert, the 3rd had a band on it that would play music for you and then the last one had souvenirs for you to buy. As usual we took a bunch of pictures and we had a great time.
- Then we went to the Frida Kahlo Museum. One word to describe this place… WOW!!! I had heard a bit about her from my mom in the past and had seen bits and pieces of her movie and then Marissa told me a lot about her as well. We got to see a lot of her beautiful work and then walk though her entire home where she lived all of her life. It was pretty emotional to see what she went through…she had a very hard life after her accident but at the same time she was an extremely gifted woman and it totally showed in her work. I was so happy that Marissa wanted to go to this museum…it was a wonderful experience…”Thanks again Marissa”.
- That night, Armando, Marissa and I took my Tia Cristina, my Mom, Jerry and my cousin Silvia to see the musical “Besame Mucho” for my Tia’s Birthday! Well, I didn’t know what to expect because I usually do not listen to Spanish music (yes shame on me…) BUT I came to find out that I knew about 95% of the music in the whole show. I have my mom to Thank for that –Thanks Mami! It was a beautiful and romantic musical about Love and Romance…my favorite subject (as my blogger header states…I’m a hopeless romantic…lol). We had such a GREAT time…I didn’t want it to end! (Click here for pictures)

Friday, July 14th (Day 8)
On our last day Jerry picked us up and we visited with Tia Cristina for the last time and then he took us to an “Indoor Swapmeet” to do a little shopping. Afterwards he took us to eat those unbelievably delicious “Tortas” one last time. Jerry drove us to the airport and we said our good-byes!

I knew I’d have a good time going to Mexico City to see my family who I hadn’t seen in over 20 years but I do have to mention that it was Jerry who made our trip as wonderful as it was. He’s such a funny guy and just a pleasure to be around and we all just had the Best time with him.
Thank you so much Jerry…you’re the BEST!! (Click here for pictures)

And Thank you Mami, Marissa and Armando for being the wonderful family that you are…I love you all very, very much! This will be a vacation I will never forget.

This summer was absolutely CRAZY for me...

2006-08-09T00:09:00.000-07:00

I am the "Biggest Loser" for not posting sooner but boy... did I have the busiest summer in a very long time.

It all started with Kaitlin and Nathan starting swim classes for the whole summer the week after school ended...which was the 3rd week of June. They had such a wonderful time swimming everyday...it was great to watch them have sooooooooooooo much "FUN". (Click here for pics)

The end of June I had a wedding to attend. It was for my cousin Luis and Stephanie Gascon. It was a beautiful wedding...Stephanie was absolutely radiant. I had so much fun spending the day with family and friends and taking pictures for the event. Click here for pics).

The day right after the wedding I co-hosted a baby shower for my niece Vicky with my Sister-In-Law Marissa and my niece Katy. All I can remember on that day was that it was so frekin HOT...but we managed to get everything set up and have a wonderful time. Marissa and Katy made all the delicious food and we all helped clean, set-up, decorate and I also took pictures. (Click here for pics)

Kaitlin had her very 1st Basketball Camp at Jordan Middle School and she absolutely loved it. She liked it so much that she asked to be on a team so we told her that we would call the park and rec to find out when Basketball season starts. She's only in 4th grade and already wants to go to Jordan...lol she cracks me up.(Click here for pics)

Nathan also had his very 1st Baseball Camp at McCambridge Park this summer and he had a fantastic time as well. He also requested to be on a Baseball team come Baseball season...
and so it begins...lol. (Click here for pics)

Well, I knew that one day it would come but I had no idea it would come this SOON!!! Phil and I attended my 20th High School Reunion. YEESH...I can't believe it's been 20 years already... time has sure flown. It was held on July 22, 2006 at the Glendale Hilton Hotel. We had a wonderful time seeing old friends and getting caught up everyone...we're so glad we went. John Burroughs High School - Class of 1986 - 20th Reunion (Click here for Pics)

The second wedding of the summer was for our really good friends Howard and Rina Nehdar. The wedding took place on the roof-top of the Marriott Hotel in the Marina. They picked a beautiful day to get married and the view was absolutely breathtaking. (Click here for Pics)

45 Questions!

2006-06-28T23:39:00.000-07:00

1. FIRST NAME? Gloria (yes...yes...yes...Gloria is my first name (didn't know that did ya...lol) (it's also my mom's name).

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope...my mom just liked the name Susana (Susy for short).

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? It's been a while.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes I do.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Pastrami.

6. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes - 1 beautiful girl and 1 handsome little boy.

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Sure I would!
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? My Blog is my journal.

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not really...only sometimes...lol.

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes.

11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Maybe...maybe not...maybe??

12. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Usually I do because I hate to have to untie them when I want to put them on again...I'm anal that way...LOL.

13. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes...I'd say so!

14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Jamoca Almond Fudge

15. SHOE SIZE? 9...pretty big huh...LOL

16. RED OR PINK? I'd say Pink.

17. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? The extra 25 lbs I'm carrying that I'm having the hardest time getting rid off...ugh!!

18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My really good friend Lynn Nehdar who passed away 6 1/2 years ago...

19. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? 1968 - Los Angeles, CA

20. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I'm wearing a nighty and no shoes...I'm about to go to bed.

21. WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Dinner: 3 oz of steak, 1 oz of Salmon, Salad, potatoes and 1 fudge bar for dessert.

22. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My window is open and I just heard a Train going by and traffic sounds.

23. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Blue...I love the color blue it just makes me HAPPY!

24. FAVORITE SMELL? My two angels after they've had a bath and also my hubby when he's wearing cologne...my oh my he always smells good.

25. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED WITH ON THE PHONE? The love of my life...Phil.

26. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU MEET? I'd say their eyes...it's always the eyes for some reason.

27. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?. Um...not really...I don't think I do...lol.

28. FAVORITE DRINK? Diet Coke/Pepsi either one.

29. FAVORITE SPORT? Tennis!

30. HAIR COLOR? Medium BROWN with highlights.

31. EYE COLOR? Brown

32. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? I used to but not anymore. I had the Lasik Surgery exactly a year ago this month and I highly recommend it to EVERYONE!!! I feel so free!!!!!

33. FAVORITE FOOD? Mexican

34. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy Endings!

35. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Nacho Libre! OMG! It was sooooo funny!

36. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? I'm wearing a nighty...going to bed as soon as I'm done.

37. SUMMER OR WINTER? I'm definitely a Summer Girl!

38. HUGS OR KISSES? I love both...gotta have BOTH...LOL>

39. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate Souffle...(um...getting hungry now...lol)

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? None at this time.

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Um...my mouse!

42. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My children laughing, listening to the waves at the beach and hearing my hubby telling me he loves me...

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles all the way baby!!!

44. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Mexico City and Acapulco.

45. IF YOU COULD PICK ANY TWO PEOPLE TO HAVE DINNER WITH, WHO WOULD THEY BE? It was so hard to just pick 2 people so I picked either The cast of Grey's Anatomy or LOST ...now that would soooooooooooo COOL!!!

Nathan's 5th Birthday!

2006-06-20T22:00:00.000-07:00

WOW...I can't believe my little Nathan is 5 years old already...it's amazing how time just flies when you're having FUN. We celebrated his B-day at the Sherman Oaks Castle Park Miniature Golf and we had the best time.

The next day he opened his presents because we got home so late from the party and Toni took this picture of him...I absolutely LOVE IT!! (Thanks Toni, Love ya :)

Click here to see the rest of the party pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/susyshearer/sets/72157594172633593/

My most recent Layouts!

2006-06-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

I know it took me FOREVER to finally start posting my Layouts...but here are my most recent ones. I will slowly but surely be posting all of them very soon. :)

The kids got new wheels!!

2006-06-06T20:51:00.000-07:00

Kaitlin and Nathan were in desperate need of new bikes...poor things. Nathan's old bike kept falling apart and Kaitlin's was too small for her. So for Nathan's B-Day we decided to get them both new bikes!

Thank Goodness Daddy is our "ToolMan"...he can fix and put together anything!

The kids loved their new bikes...they couldn't wait to ride them.

Ahhhh Toni, Toni, Toni...

2006-06-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

I was just looking through my pictures today and I came across some of my favorite pictures that I have taken of my Best Friend Toni and I just had to post them on my blog. I always tell her how beautiful she is and she never believes a word I say...WHATEVER TONI (the proof is in the pictures!!!)...LOL.

Just had to add this one in...because it's also one of my favorites of the two of us.

Lunch with Friends...

2006-05-28T16:25:00.000-07:00

My niece Katy and I were finally able to have lunch with our wonderful friend Sara who we hadn't seen in almost a year. She's a 911 Operator and has the worst schedule of anyone that I know...lol...but I never hear her complain. As we all know between being a mother, kids busy schedules, being a wife and having a job...getting together with friends is really hard to come by. Phil was in town and was able to spend some quality time with Kaitlin and Nathan and I was able to spend some quality time with friends...it was really nice. We were able to watch a movie, have a nice lunch and we shopped for a dress for Katy who is going to a wedding this Sunday.

Got my new Toy...yippie!!

2006-05-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to get my new Canon 30D...can ya tell...lol!!!

I had heard and read so many reviews about this camera and especially because it has a huge 2.5 LCD screen. I had the Canon Digital Rebel before and I liked the camera but I LOVE my new Canon 30D. Now for my next big purchase...another lens...ha....ha...ha... oh honey...lol!!

Look who couldn't wait to get his hands on it...LOL

Mother's Day!

2006-05-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

I had such a wonderful and relaxing Mother's Day. It started by Phil, Kaitlin and Nathan letting me sleep in until 10:30am...yes...you heard it right...10:30am. I woke up on my own without an alarm clock or hearing anyone's voices...it was HEAVEN.

Then as soon as I woke up they had breakfast ready for me...scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, fruit and orange juice...it was DELICIOUS!

Phil and Kaitlin washed the dishes...yippie!! I went and took a nice long shower and got ready. It was a very relaxing afternoon...ahhhhhh.

Phil and the kids got my mom and I these beautiful bouque of flowers.

We went to dinner @ Acapulco Restaurant in Burbank and we had such a wonderful dinner. I was just so happy to be spending the day with my beautiful family. I just missed Marissa (my Sister-in-Law) but she was spending the day with her mom and her family.

We came back and took a family shot.

Then my mom and I opened our cards and gifts. My favorite part of all was opening the gifts Kaitlin and Nathan made for me at school...I absolutely loved them.

Easter Weekend & celebrating Papi's B-Day!

2006-04-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time on Saturday, dying Easter Eggs. Miriam joined us...Katy had to work so boo hoo that she and Samantha couldn't join us...:( But we had a great time.

Then went to McCambrigde Park so that the kids could have some "FUN".

Then on Sunday we celebrated Easter and my Papi's 76th Birthday! We started out with our annual Easter Egg Hunt for the kids they had a BLAST.

I asked Toni to take a few pictures of my beautiful niece Vicky who's now 5 1/2 months pregnant...here are just a few of them.

And then we had an awesome dinner. Marissa made her awesome "Fish Tacos" with her secret sauce and Phil and I also made our delicious beef tacos that we're told are pretty delicious as well. All in all we had such a wonderful time with family and friends.

Went to Descanso Gardens!

2006-04-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

Toni, Marissa and I went to Descanso Gardens in La Cresenta last Sunday and we had the best time. The weather was a bit cold in the am and we actually thought it was going to rain...but it got warmer by noon...Thank goodness. We had to take photos for our photography class project. It was so beautiful there! It had been a very long time since I was there last which was with my dear friend Lynn who is not with us anymore. I guess that's why I hadn't been back there because I just wasn't ready and I didn't know how it was going to affect me. Just walking around this beautiful place brought back so many wonderful memories of Lynn and it made me happy. I really want to go back again soon so that I can take pictures of Phil and the kids and get better pix of Toni as well. I'm getting so excited because I'm finally understanding how to use my awesome camera and I can totally tell the difference in my pictures since we've started taking the class. Anyway, I had a blast with Toni and Marissa and I was just so happy to spend a couple of hours with my Foxy Friends. Here are some of the photographs that I took.

Mini Photo Shoot with Kaitlin and Nathan...

2006-03-18T22:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures that I took for my photography class. As we all know practice makes perfect and that's what I intend to do...keep taking lot's of pictures until I get it right (one of these days)...LOL. Kaitlin as usual was a ham for me and then Nathan actually surprised me and smiled without having to give him candy...LOL. These are just a few of my favorites!

I've Been Tagged!

2006-01-17T11:02:00.000-08:00

Toni tagged me so here we go...

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1st job I put up "Chain Link Fences" (if you can believe that). My friend Lynn (who has since passed) did it first and then got me into it. It was "Fun" but really hard work (only did it for a year).

Miller's Outpost
Fasano & Associates - Account Executive
Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank - Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital

Four movies you would watch over and over:
The Notebook
Pretty Woman
Grease
Steel Magnolias

Four places you have lived:
Los Angeles, CA
Burbank, CA
North Hollywood, CA
Burbank, CA (again)

Four TV shows you love to watch:
Grey's Anatomy
Lost
Boston Legal
Desperate Housewives

Four places you have been on vacation:
Mexico
Arizona
Utah
Florida

Four websites you visit daily:
Foxy Croppers
2 Peas In a Bucket
Toni's Blog
Lifetime Moments
(there are more that I visit on a daily basis but you only asked for four...lol)

Four of your favorite foods:
Mexican
Crab with lemon butter (I'm getting hungry)
My parents "Bacallao"
I just had "Sushi" again (didn't have it for almost 10 years now) but I really really liked it a lot

Four places you would rather be right now:
Hawaii with my hubby "Phil"
Cancun with my hubby
In a beach house scrappin with my friends
Looking out from the Eiffel Tower (ahhhh...one day)

Finally some pictures of our renovated rooms...

2006-01-09T16:18:00.000-08:00

It was really hard work renovating Kaitlin and Nathan's bedroom, their bathroom and our bedroom...but oh so worth it. We took out the old and disgusting carpet and put beautiful hard wood floors in both rooms and we painted as well. We purchased all the furniture from Ikea, even the rug. My favorite part of the whole room is the awesome wall unit which holds pretty much everything.

As usual the prep work took so much longer than the actual painting...lol...but I was just so happy not to have "white walls" anymore. We haven't hung any pictures back up on the walls yet but here are a few pictures to share of our hard work.

First the kids room!

And here is a "before" picture of our bedroom...yuck!!! The carpet was awful...stains...stains and more stains. We were so frekin happy to get rid of it.

Here are pictures of what our bedroom looks like now. We didn't have to purchase any new funiture for our room...Thank God. But we will eventually buy a new shelf to match with the rest of the furniture for our candles in the next few months. By the way, you will notice two different colors on the walls (Phil wanted one wall to have an accent color). At first I said "you want what" but I trusted my creative and very talented hubby and I have to say that it looks pretty "cool". Again we haven't had any time to hang any pictures but as soon as we do that - I'm sure the room will look much better.

Phil and I will finally have a bedroom that we can call our very own and have it exactly how we want it...yeesh how long did it take...lol.

Look out Florida...here we come!

2005-12-03T23:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been doing laundry and running last minute errands all day today...gosh I'm pooped but extremely excited that we're finally leaving for Orlando, Florida. I just need to finish packing and take care of last minute stuff and then we take off from LAX on Monday morning @ 7:00am.

Phil and I had been talking about taking this trip for years after we had the kids and we finally got the opportunity to do it for the Holidays. One of his associates named Bettina who he just worked with on the Brand new Simi Mall Opening worked for Disney for 24 years. Well she was able to get us a 5-Day Park Hopper Pass for the entire family to all the major parks. We couldn't believe her generousity and we of course couldn't pass up the opportunity. (It's good to know people...huh...LOL!!)

The Shearers' love Ms. Foxy Toni so much that we decided to get her a Park Hopper Pass for X-Mas and have her join us for the trip. Well she said "Yes" and we're all going to go and have a wonderful Holiday vacation together. Yippie!!!

Finally...Renovating our Home!

2005-11-20T22:50:00.000-08:00

We had been talking about renovating our home for about 2 years now and we finally had to schedule it in our calendars to finally get it done. We started with the kids room first because they really needed it...their room was an absolute disaster if you ask me... LOL. We're so happy with how it turned out. We chose the color "blue" first of all because it's my favorite color and secondly we thought it would be a great color for a girls/boy's room. We bought the flooring from Costco and we put it in ourselves. All the furniture is from Ikea - the only thing we had to stain was the wall unit and the tall toy bin. Oh I almost forgot to mention that it was Phil's brilliant idea to build a coat rack from scratch. So he built it and my Dad stained it. I think it turned out awesome and best of all the kids love it. We had the help of my wonderful "Papi...gosh he has helped us so much, my niece Katy and my Father-In-Law Miles. We couldn't have done it without you guys - Thank you for all your help...we love you very much. We're left with ordering their new bed comforter sets and hanging a few things on the walls. I'm slowly trying to add more pictures to share so please be patient with me...I'm kinda new at this...LOL.

The start of a new beginning...

2005-10-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it took me way too long to finally start one of these up...but I finally did it and I'm so happy that I did...

I grew up always having a journal but as our lives got busier and busier I just got out of the habit and I've missed it very much....so here I am.