Filled with Glee.....and other stuff

M2B =) days 100 - 105.  Saturday, May 15th - Thursday, May 20th.

I am gradually getting closer to catching up.  

Saturday, May 15th:  It was a LONG day.  I felt really lousy, but still had to run around all day doing errands.  By tonight I was completely exhausted and didn't really feel like going to the Glee show tonight.  I am soooo glad I did.  I had a great time - such a good performance.  And, as a HUGE plus, the opening act was the LXD (Legion of Extraordinary Dancers), who have previously been featured on So You Think You Can Dance.  An evening of both dancing AND singing.  I couldn't be happier.

Sunday, May 16th:  It was a cloudy day here in Arizona:
Actually, for being May and for virtually no clouds in the sky, the weather today was surprisingly nice.  I am happy that it is not unbearably hot yet.

Monday, May 17th happiness:  Speaking of gorgeous weather, today was perfect.  This afternoon I had a photo shoot planned with Jared Ammon.  I was worried it would be too sunny, but the sky was completely overcast, and there was a cool breeze.  Perfect.

I had a blast doing this photo shoot.  Jared Ammon is one cool kid.  It was fun to hang out with him all afternoon.  I am so proud of him.  I can't believe he is graduating.  What happened to the curly headed 2 year old that used to make me push him on the swings and hold him up to look over the fence to see the neighbors "goggies"?
Have you SEEN those leg muscles?  Whatever!  I guess that's what happens when you are a track star.


Jared Ammon was Joe's guitar teacher for a while.  Joe loved it.
This one was one of my favorites.  You can really see how gorgeous his eyes are.
Tuesday, May 18th:  Here is a photo of Joe with his new glasses.  At first I wasn't sure about them.  They are very 'Twitch'y.  (That is a SYTYCD reference, for those of you who don't know).  But, over the last few days, they have REALLY grown on me.  I think they fit him and his personality perfectly.
Wednesday, May 19th happiness:  Today I got to go see Dallin in his school talent show.  He sang "I'm Yours" while his friend played the guitar.  I'll admit, I was sooo nervous for him.  I mean, I've heard him sing before, so I know he is good, but I just didn't want him to be nervous in front of so many people, or mess up or anything.  No worries though, he did amazing - even better than I thought he would.  I was so impressed, and so proud.  He won second place.  Awesome.
Thursday, May 20th:  Went to a movie with my mom today.  Good company.  Good movie.
Also today, Brian got me a free punching bag off of Craig's list.  First a free lawn mower and now a free punching bag.  Woo Hoo!  I have been wanting a punching bag forever.  So happy.

Also today, I think this may be my favorite photo of this kid ever:

Happy Day!

More of May's Happiness

M2B =) days 92 - 99.  Friday, May 7th - Friday, May 14th.  

Friday, May 7th:  I went to Deseret Book today.  It has probably been a year since I set foot in there.  As much as I love the smell of Barnes and Noble (books & coffee), I forgot how great the smell in Deseret Book is.  I forgot that they have a Lion house bakery inside.  The smell of fresh baked rolls as you walk in the door - yum.  I almost caved and bought some homemade orange rolls, but I didn't.  I was so hungry at the time, I probably would have eaten them all in the car on the way home.  Instead, I just smelled them.  Almost as good as eating them.  It made me happy.  Also, a book that I have been really wanting to read was on sale for $4.99, so I just HAD to get it.  

Saw this today at my mom's.  How could a sunny, yellow flower NOT make you happy?

Saturday, May 8th happiness:  Went and saw Ironman 2 with Brian and Joe.  LOVED it.  I liked it better than the first one.  It's fun to find a movie that all of us can enjoy.
Also, Joe has taken up a new hobby.  It's called Jerkin'.  It's a type of hip-hop dancing.  He's been doing it for a few weeks now, and he's getting really good.  Some of the moves include the reject, pindrop,  sponge-bob, and footwork.  The next time you see him, ask him to show you some of his sweet moves. 
Sunday, May 9th:  Happy Mothers Day!  Brian and Joe made sure I had a very happy day.  And I got some awesome presents:  Glee tickets, and a new wedding ring that is freaking huge.   Also today we did lots of visiting.  We drove down to see Brian's mom and had a wonderful mother's day brunch.  Also, we found the hugest lady bug ever in her garden.  If I was smarter, I would have taken a picture of the ginormous lady bug next to a regular size one, so you could see the difference, but I didn't, so you will just have to imagine it.  It was about 2 - 3 times bigger than the regular ones.
On the way home I had to stop and take a picture of this awesome trees.  I guess I have a thing for tree's (and clouds).  
Next we went and visited my mom.  No, this isn't a photo of my mom, but Michael was too hilarious to pass up.

Monday, May 10th:  Finished reading 'Saving CeeCee Honeycutt'.  My mom recommended this one.  I loved it.  It makes me wish I lived in the south and was friends with all of these eccentric, strange, colorful women.  Good stuff.
Tuesday, May 11th:  No photos for this one.  I spent a lot of the day pulling weeds in the back yard.  It doesn't make for good photos, but It feels good to work.  And it wasn't too hot today, because if it was, you KNOW I would not be outside.

Wednesday, May 12th:  Got to go and watch Jared Ammon run tonight.  He is so awesome.  I am so impressed with his determination and his hard work.  He just started running track last year, and he is fantastic.  It was fun to be there and cheer him on.  
Thursday, May 13th:  Today was Krispy Kreme's anniversary.  $2.00 for a dozen doughnuts.  Brian got up early this morning and got us some.  Yum.

Friday, May 14th happiness:  Today when I stepped on the scale, I saw a number that I haven't seen since before I was married.  THAT is a GREAT feeling.  It's a good thing I DIDN'T eat those orange rolls from the Lion house bakery.  Woo hoo!

That's it for now.

Happy Day!

baseball, movies, family, and floss

M2B =) days 86 - 91.  Saturday, May 1st - Thursday May 6th.

Here we go again:

Saturday, May 1st happiness was watching James play baseball.  Brian, Joe and I all went together.  We got to hang with Jared. =)  We sat, we talked, we watched, the weather was nice - not too hot.   James is awesome!

Sunday, May 2nd happiness:  Since we missed our Friday night movie this week, Joe and I watched a Sunday afternoon movie.  We borrowed Fantastic Mr. Fox from the Gonzo's.  I never really had any desire at all to see this movie, but I really liked it.  There were a lot of clever moments in it.  My favorite had to be when the bully was picking on Mr. Fox's son.  His cousin comes over and takes of his shoe.  The bully asks: "why'd you take your shoes off?"  The fox responds: 'So I don't break your nose when I kick it."  He then proceeds to take out the bully with some precision karate moves.  The bully walks off crying.   Then the fox being picked on turns to his cousin and says: "I can fight my own fights."   "No you can't" his cousin responds. Good stuff.  
Also tonight, FHE.  I loved this photo of everyone crowded around Paul's laptop to watch a video of Jared's latest track win.  I love how intently Ro is watching the video.  I also love Addy's face in this photo too.
Later, during the talent portion of the evening, Michael and Alex performed a silly song from their upcoming school play.  It was great.
Ok, no photos for the next few days.   Oh, well.

Monday, May 3rd happiness:  Had a really busy day, but also got a lot accomplished.  I love feeling that at the end of the day.

Tuesday, May 4th:  So, I have had a song that keeps popping in my head lately.  It's been stuck in there a while, and I couldn't for the life of me remember who sang it.  That kind of thing really irritates me.  I know it's in there somewhere, I just can't make my brain remember.  Well, today, out of the blue, it came to me.  It just popped in my head.  Now it won't drive me crazy anymore.  Hey, it's the little things that make us happy, right?

Wednesday, May 5th:  Ok, so Brian and I both have allergies, and get bad sinus headaches, and congestion.  So, a while back, Brian bought this stuff called Sinus Buster.  It's got capsaicin pepper in it.  You shoot it up your nose, and believe me, it clears your sinuses.  It is painful and will make you cry - not kidding, but it totally works.  So, when I am desperate enough, or basically when I complain so much, that he makes me do it, I use it and then I cry while my sinuses clear.  Why the long story?  Because today, I had the pleasure of watching Brian spray the Sinus Buster up his nose.  Feel the pain baby!  (I know I am mean - don't judge me.  You aren't there when he is laughing at my pain).  

Also today - free lawn mower.  Gotta love Craig's list.  Brian did have to drive to Queen Creek to get it, but our lawn mower died about 2 weeks ago, so it was desperately needed.  Free = happy.

Thursday, May 6th happiness:  Yes, it is another photo of Joe at the doctor's office.  I think it is awesome.  I won't give up Dr. Gentile until I absolutely have to.

Also today, I watched Josh play with this wad of dental floss for about 30 minutes.  It's amazing how it doesn't take much to keep kids happy.

Tonight was awesome, because Joe sat and focused and did his homework non stop for like an hour.  This is huge people.  He usually tries to take a break every 5 or 10 minutes.  It really helped that it was a creative writing project for Language Arts.  He really loves that kind of stuff.  It was nice to know that he CAN focus.

That's it for today.  I'm out

Happy Day!

Happy April part 3. Finally!

M2B=) days 77 - 85.  Thursday April 22nd - Friday April 30th.  

Now that we are a third of the way into May, I thought I'd finish up April.  Someday I'll catch up.  Maybe, maybe not.  Oh well.

Thursday, April 22nd:  This morning I got to hang with this bunch.  We played toys and ate popcorn and watched a movie.  Good times.

This clown is making the rounds at my mom's house.  It is widely known that most of the Gonzales family is scared of clowns.  Someone at that house keeps moving this clown around, so that when you least, expect it....there he is - looking at you.  Creepy and hilarious at the same time.  He has been spotted in the window, on the mailbox, in a tree...today he was in a bush in the backyard.  
Also today:  Gorgeous clouds.  
Also today: Joe, Brian and I went to Oregano's for dinner.  Yeah, today was a pretty happy day all around.

Friday, April 23rd happiness:  Movie night again.  This week was Brian's pick - The Emperor's New Groove.  It is hands down my favorite Disney movie.  Funny stuff.
Saturday, April 24th happiness:  Brian, Joe and I, along with a number of people from our ward drove to see the new Gila Valley Temple.  The rough part was that we had to get up at 4:30 a.m.  The fun part was the road trip.  I love a good road trip.  We brought doughnuts, and listened to tunes, and had a good time.  We got to drive through the Tunnel in Superior.  You know what that means:  Windows down, lots of screaming, and horn honking.  

The temple was gorgeous and I am glad that Joe got to go through it.  He did get to see the Snowflake temple before it was dedicated, but he was 4 and didn't really appreciate the experience.  If I was smarter, I would have had someone take a picture of me, Brian and Joe together, but oh well.
There was snow on Mt. Graham.  It was gorgeous.
Sunday, April 25th happiness:  I really enjoyed the first speaker in church today.   Best sacrament meeting talk I've heard in a while.  It did a lot to lift my spirits.

Monday, April 26th was kind of a rough day.  I wasn't feeling very good.  I spent a lot of time on my big cozy couch today.  I love that couch and today it was my happiness.

Tuesday, April 27th I got to go see Max in his kindergarten "bug" play.  He was awesome of course.  I have such a soft spot for this kid.  Max is awesome.  As a plus, I also got to see Sami.  She was the cutest ladybug ever.  Sadly, my photo of Sami turned out blurry, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
Wednesday, April 28th happiness:  Brian and I were watching Letterman tonight, and caught his "small town news".  I think that's what it's called.  Anyway, they show things that have actually appeared in newspapers.  We could not stop laughing.  My favorites were an add for bananas that showed a picture of bananas, and the ad said "curved yellow fruit, on sale."  I also enjoyed the want ad that said: " Wanted:  Someone to travel back in time with me.  This is serious.  Safety NOT guaranteed.  I will pay you when we get back."  We could not stop laughing.  I love watching t.v. with Brian late at night.  Everything is hilarious when you are really tired.

Thursday, April 29th happiness:  Book club, or should I say: The Meeting of the Elite Literary Society.   I really enjoyed this month's book.  One of my favorite books EVER.  You know it had to be a good read because we actually spent the majority of the time discussing it.  
Friday, April 30th happiness:  I got to go to see Ben (aka: Pat Tillman).  He was awesome.
I also got to go watch Jared Ammon run tonight.  He did awesome.  He broke his personal best record, set a record for the meet, and beat everyone else by at least 10 seconds.  I've been watching the video's of him run that Paul has been posting on line, but being there is even better.  Woo hoo!
That's it for April.  And that's it for now.

Happy Day!

Happy April part 2

M2B =) days 67-76. Monday, April 12th - Wednesday, April 21st.


So, I'm still playing catch up here. Let's get to it. While I have been thinking about and writing down the little things that make me happy each day, I have not been very good about taking my photos. So, a lot of these are taken off the internet. I'm sure you'll be able to tell which I took and which I didn't.


Monday, April 12th: Today I finished reading book 4 in the Leven Thumps series. I love to read and I like this series. Not my favorite series of all time, but still fun to read. I love the character Clover. He has the best lines. I also enjoy Ezra, the angry toothpick who is trying to take over the world.
Tuesday April 13th: Had fun watching the boys freeze in the pool today. They were cold, but also having too much fun to get out.
Loved Michael's face in this photo. I couldn't resist posting it.
Also today - Looney Tunes. How I love Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck and all of those silly characters. When I came to my mom's today, Josh was watching. It made me think of watching those cartoons when I was growing up. Good times.
Wednesday, April 14th: Tonight I watched glee. It is finally back on. I realize that Glee airs on Tuesdays and it was actually back on yesterday, but I didn't watch it until tonight. Yes, it is a cheesy musical, and yes, I love it. Wouldn't life be hilarious if it was like a musical? Whenever you are angry, or happy, or sad, or confused, just bust out singing a song, do a little dancing, and all will be well.
Also tonight: As a preview for next week's Glee, which is a tribute to Madonna songs, there was a video at the end of the show: Sue Sylvester Vogue. Basically she has remade Madonna's Vogue video with herself in it. It was pretty funny. As an added plus, I spotted one of my favorite dancers from last season's "So You Think You Can Dance", in the video. He was one of the back up dancers. It was Nathan:
Thursday, April 15th: Tonight's happiness was Elmers for dinner. Need I say more? Also tonight, America's Best Dance Crew had the winners of the past 5 season's together all on one show. I got to see Quest Crew and the Jabbawockeez together on the same show. It did not disappoint. In case you can't tell, I love all things dance.

Friday, April 16th: Family movie night. I am loving this new tradition. Joe, Brian and I together, hanging out, watching a movie. Good stuff. This week was my pick. I chose "The Blind Side". I had never seen it. I liked it so much.
Saturday, April 17th: Tonight was game night at a friends house. And it is the perfect house for games. They've got a pool table, and a ping pong table. And, and area upstairs for the kids to play video games, or watch a movie. So, we send Joe upstairs to hang with the kids, while we hang out downstairs. Good food, fun people, awesome night.


Sunday, April 18th: Today I got to see Alex be ordained to the priesthood. Of all the things I missed taking photos of, I am kicking myself for this one the most. I can't believe I forgot my camera. Alex is an awesome kid. I'm glad we could be there on his special day. Afterwards, treats at Sheri's house. Yum.


Monday, April 19th: Today I did Tae Bo. I have totally slacked off in my exercising lately, so it felt really good. I also decided I need a punching bag. It would be a good way to release stress or anger. Also, it is really fun to punch stuff.


Tuesday, April 20th: Joe decided he would start exercising with me, so for the first time in a long time, we went to the gym today. It felt good. Hopefully we can keep it up.


Also today in the yard we had this little visitor:
We were trying to say our morning family prayer, and we heard the strangest noises coming from the yard. When we checked it out we found 3 ducks in the yard. 2 flew away, but this one stayed a while.


Wednesday April 21st: It's all about the clouds today. I loved how the sky in the background was so dark, but the sun was shining on the palm trees.
Clouds make for gorgeous sunsets, and tonight's did not disappoint.

Also tonight, I saw a commercial for "So You Think You Can Dance". It's funny, I was just telling Brian the other day that I was worried it wasn't going to be back on. I'm so glad that it is. Can't wait.
So, that's it for now. I'll finish up April soon, and then I can move on to May.


Happy Day!