Spring Breakin It

This past week was a busy one--but oh, so much fun. Ian's parents were in-town visiting from Memphis, TN for 7 nights, and Ava was so excited to see her Grandma and Papa. And Jim and Sheryl were happy to have time away from their busy jobs at Baptist Hospital and were looking forward to some AZ sunshine. This will always be home for them--and we certainly look forward to the day when they can move back to Phoenix so we can see them more often. Until then, we're just going to have to appreciate these little vacations together.

I'm lucky because I thoroughly enjoy the company of my in-laws. Jim and Sheryl truly enjoy the simple pleasures in life, like a good cup of coffee, a yummy dessert, or a smooth glass of wine. They are just easy to be with. And we had a great time with them as always--and I think we covered each corner of this big city!

Saturday (14th)- After we picked Jim and Sheryl up from the airport we headed over to The Legacy Golf Resort Clubhouse for some lunch and a nice glass of wine. It was so relaxing just sitting outside on the golf course, enjoying a beautiful day in Arizona.

Sunday- Made our way to Kierland Commons in Scottsdale for some shopping and dinner at Tommy Bahama's Tropical Cafe. One of my favorite restaurants in town--you feel like you're in the Caribbean!

Monday- Spring Training Game at the new Camelback Ranch Baseball Stadium. Beautiful stadium and Ian got a foul ball for Ava from the stands!


Tuesday- Ava went to Preschool for a few hours so the adults could enjoy a movie- Grand Torino (which was very good--I would highly recommend seeing it). That night--went to our neighbors house for St. Patty's Day celebration. On the menu- corned beef and cabbage, of course!

Wednesday- I unfortunately had to work during the day, so Ian took his parents and Ava to the zoo for a little while so I could try to get some work done. Later that evening, we met some of Sheryl's friends at California Pizza Kitchen for dinner, then browsed around Borders Bookstore at the Biltmore.

Thursday- Ian and his dad planted some fruit trees in our backyard. Then dinner at Glendale Westgate Center at the Yardhouse.

Friday- Breakfast at The Farm. Then me, Ava and Sheryl enjoyed some girl bonding time with manicures, and pedicures at the Spa.




Saturday- Bid a sad farewell to Jim and Sheryl. We wish they didn't live so far away from us.

Then Ava and I left for Tucson for the night to attend my cousin Michael's wedding. Ian stayed behind at home to take care of the pooches.


Me and my sweet Grandma Reynolds. Lookin good at almost 92 years old!
Watching the bride and groom dance.

Ava loves to dance!
My uncle Doug dancing with Ava.

Me and my daddy and brother.
Ava with "her Ethan"

The cousins- Ethan, Logan, Emma and Braden. They love each other so much!

Sunday- Returned home from Tucson and took a long nap. Now, back to work and reality. I just had to book a trip for work to Green Bay, WI for a week in April. Whoo Hoo!

This is for "A"

This is a picture of my dear friend Amy (who I like to refer to as "A"), with her handsome husband Dave. They live a very exciting and "jet-set" life in Washington, D.C. "A" works for the DOJ (that's short for Dept. of Justice), as a tax attorney; while Dave leads a top secret life and travels to scary places like Iraq. And then "A" gets to meet up with her hubby in exotic places like Egypt. Yep, this was their Christmas card photo and that really is the actual Sphinx behind them. Aren't they just so adorable in their matching outfits? I personally like to live vicariously through them, since my life is just not that exciting. I have to blog about planting flowers and post pictures of items from J. Crew. And to make matters even more unbearable for me, "A" just informed me that the two of them are heading to Russia in May.

On a separate note, Ian decided that he wants to bring Ava with him to school tomorrow so she can see his classroom. I'm not sure why he wants to do this because she's going to drive him crazy and he's not going to be able to get much accomplished, but I'm staying out of this one.
I get to spend the day trying to multi-task, (cleaning the house while facilitating conference calls for work). The in-laws arrive Saturday morning!

Happy Anniversary to Us!

The year we met- May 1999. We were young, naive and so in love.

Was it love at first site? I don't know about that--but you and I did connect instantly and became best friends. Such an exciting time in both of our lives...just beginning our careers and making our way in life. Anything seemed possible to us.

We made each other laugh. Still do.

No one "gets me" the way you do.

Our Engagement Photo.
You proposed in Catalina Island. On the beach. But I wasn't surprised of course--because I knew you had a ring box with you. And because we're horrible at keeping secrets from each other.

You promised to always love me and take care of me. And you have--thru good times and bad. You've never stopped fighting for me...for us.
Our rehearsal dinner at Oregano's in Scottsdale. March 9, 2001.

My dad giving a speech at the rehearsal dinner. March 9, 2001.

McCormick Ranch Golf Club Scottsdale, AZ. March 10, 2001. It was an unusually cold day in AZ for March--the sky threatened rain, but little rain actually fell.
A simple ceremony in front of 120 guests.
Our Honeymoon in Maui, Hawaii.
One of our favorite places in Maui-The Plantation House restaurant in Kapalua. We took Ava there as well the summer of 2007. Not quite as relaxing and romantic with a two year old.
Butchart Gardens, Victoria, British Columbia. October 2004.

Thank you, Ian for a wonderful 8 years of marriage. And for giving me such a beautiful little girl who I cherish.

Thank you for being such a great daddy to Ava and to Lola Jean and Nee Nee.

Thank you for being such a good man...for having your priorities in order, and for your unconditional love and friendship.

All I've ever wanted is a simple life and a happy home--and you continue to deliver both.

I love you so much! And I look forward to many more years together, laughing our way thru all of life's obstacles.

What Makes Me Happy

- Planting flowers in pots on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

What I Learned Today on Fox News

- As of today there have been 4.4 MILLION jobs lost.
- Unemployment is at 8.1%
- This is the highest unemployment rate since 1983.
- Stock market down again today.

Whoo Hoooo! Life is great!

High Blood Pressure

Apparently I have high blood pressure...My Dr. said so a couple of weeks ago. And I responded with a "Duh, I know. I'm a high-strung individual, with little tolerance or patience and I'm stressed with work." I guess my response wasn't a good explanation b/c now I have to go back to the Dr. for more tests. This should be fun.

In honor of my high blood pressure, I'm going to share with you a list of the people and/or things that cause my blood pressure to rise even more:

1- This woman. Can't stand Mrs. Pelosi. When she kept standing up during President Obama's speech in front of Congress last week, I wanted to slap her. Do me a favor Nancy, and hit yourself on the head with that mallet and knock yourself out.

2- The Octuplet Mom. She's an idiot and horribly irresponsible and I feel sorry for the kids. No one should have to be born into the world with that much working against them. Those poor babies don't have a chance with her as their role model. And the Dr. that enabled her to get pregnant with 8 babies should be shot...okay maybe not shot, just lose his license to practice medicine.

3- The Stock Market taking it's daily dive. Bye- Bye 401(k)...

4- Sean Penn's speech at the Oscars. Just act Sean and leave the political speeches to others. I liked you so much more when you were Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

5- Chris Brown. If Rihanna gets back together with him she deserves whatever beat downs come her way. Get a clue. And Chris, get some help.

6- Looking at the Ballard Designs Catalog. I want everything in it. And b/c I don't have the square footage in my home to accommodate any of the furniture in the catalog, it makes my blood boil. Ahhh, maybe someday...

7- Pigeons. A few of these flying rats have set-up a nice little home under our roof overhang, right outside my office window. I listen to them all day, every day, cooing and ruffling their feathers. I love all of God's creatures, but these fellas are ticking me off.

8- People who drive fast thru my neighborhood without any regard for the small kids riding their bikes nearby. I'll raise my hands at them and scream "Slow Down" every chance I get. I'm getting close to writing down license plate numbers and calling the police.

9- Waiting in any line. People need to move faster or get out of my way.

10- Adults who are Vice Presidents at work, who make A LOT of money and don't pay attention or follow my instructions. No, I'm not going to do your work for you and I will force you to be accountable. I don't care that I'm a 5 foot tall woman, with only a Director title...I won't kiss up to people that I don't respect.

See, I'm an angry little person. It's no wonder I have high blood pressure.

Keeping My Eyes on the Prize

Life can get monotonous. And when it does--I get restless. Don't get me wrong, I'm happiest when I'm home in my pajamas with my family...but there are times when I crave a change of scenery. And I'm feeling that right about now. The good news is I finally booked all of our reservations for our summer vacation to Wyoming. We're going on a road trip, heading north to Salt Lake City, then to Jackson Hole, then on to Yellowstone, and back home. Ten days of Flynn family fun. And thinking of this vacation is the only thing getting me thru my endless days of conference calls, e-mails, corporate politics and everything else that comes with being a working mom and wife. But July is soooo far away and I'm tired and feeling horribly uninspired...

Okay, enough whining. I'm much too grateful for my life to be depressed for more than two seconds. I'm just going to have to seek out the things in life that make me happy, and keep my eyes on the vacation prize coming my way. Maybe I just need to watch less Fox News. But that won't happen b/c Neil Cavuto, Glenn Beck, and (my beloved) Shep Smith keep me company all day while I work. And I swear I'm getting smarter just listening to them. But the reality of today's economic environment scares and frustrates me. What can I do? Should I be stimulating the economy with my frequent shopping sprees at J. Crew, Nordstrom and Target? Or should I be stockpiling money in my mattress? I'm CONFUSED!