WELCOME HOME HERO!!!!!!

love you for eternity

4, 3, 2, 1~love deeply...

it's been 8 long months since we've seen each other, been together, hugged each other.

what an experience.

we all grew from this experience.

life was truly hard without you.

birthdays, holy communion, holidays, anniversaries, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, dance, cheerleading,
1st day of 3rd grade, doctor visits, movie theaters, mini-vacations up North in the special house, sleepless nights, Sunday masses, house mishaps, family dramas, heavy storms, crashing trees,
new adventures...

longing for your letters...a surprise phone call, a welcomed e-mail...

were ways to keep our hearts going...

somehow we managed to live each day with a smile on our face.

praying for your safety,

hoping you'd come home~alive+well...

thank you God and Angel Sinead for keeping Daddy safe.

thank you Daddy and your fellow soldiers for keeping our Country free + safe.

we are so very proud of you!!!

thank you for safely coming home to us...

WELCOME HOME!

we can't wait until we can endlessly hug you, have non-stop kisses galore and...
start our new adventures~TOGETHER...

you are our COURAGEOUS HERO.

i am utterly and deeply in LOVE with you

and

we truly have FOUND A WAY...

love you for eternity...

xoxo

forever+for always no matter what...

16 years ago...

a fine, red-headed irishman + a sweet, tropical island gal+ a hundred year old church...

16 years later...

a red little house+3 little miracles+ a whole lot of lovin'...

happy anniversary, my love...

forever and for always...no matter what...

mahalkita

xoxo

9-5...

{location of picture: home of Thomas Jefferson, our trip to Montecello, Virginia}

thank you, God...for answering our prayers...
heard your voice really clear today.
cooler air+fluffy mattresses=happy camper!
we tend to take things for granted...
i'm gonna make sure we try our best over here!

one door, one step, one chapter is closed.

but that's ok since another door has

opened for each of us.

i love this quote by Alexander Graham Bell:

'when one door closes, another opens...'

so poignantly stated!

looking forward to the next few months...

can't wait to open a few more doors

a long-awaited hug+kiss

and just being...it won't be long...

bonne nuit

xoxo

09.11.01-09.11.10...we will NEVER FORGET...

‎09.11.10

To all our HEROES of 09.11.01:

To all those soules who have left this earth, who lent a hand, a kind heart, warm words, a hug, a smile or even a thought on 09.11.01

via the attacks in NYC, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. ...

you are ALL our HEROES...

we will NEVER FORGET 09.11.01...

this will always be a day we will NEVER FORGET and

will forever always be in our heart + soule.

{this is a repost of my September 11, 2008 entry}

(photos found on internet images by www.legallyarmed.com, coffin- www.flickr.com/photos/coffin911/2172917610/ )

15-10

happy tuesday!

hope your labour day weekend was fun...

had such a fab weekend!

spent time up north with my sis, Mary Ann and my adorable munchkins.

great cool weather.

it was so relaxing and serene.

went to an awesome farmer's market + had the chance to go see their version of

'taste of chicago' called 'taste of madison.'

it was packed with all sorts of vendors...

lots of fresh veggies/fruits, flowers, asian, smoothies, cheese + bakery booth galore.

the only weird thing was that it was a one-way walking traffic...

it really felt like lemmings to the sea...

try walking against traffic...it was like getting a death wish...or

like fighting to swim up stream (or even worse, getting brutal glares of

death from an angry mob...that was scary...)

{will post pics of our excursion soon...had to borrow my sissy's camera as i was such in a rush to get on the road,
i totally forgot my sweet camera, auggh!}

sis made a delicious mango salsa...wish i took pics of that but forgot my camera.

it was simply delectable!

my lil' mini trip with the kids was really nice.

nice hangin' with my sis+bro-in-law~an early wedding anniversary celebration for them-

8 beautiful years of wedded bliss...

{bonne anniversaire, sweet reya and big joe!}

good company, good rest...recharging the batteries to start working on many upcoming projects,

now that's a good thing.

very nice weekend...sad to end summer but will treasure those tiny but incredible moments...

moments of time...

lifetime of memories...

bons temps

xoxo

wedded bliss...

to my sweet sis, Mary Ann + darling hubby, Joe...

happy 8 years of wedded bliss!
enjoy your perfect day...

je'taime
xoxo

16...

ever meet someone who thinks they know it ALL?

and gloats because they know it all?

unfortunately, those types of people are all around us.

they bring such knowledge to the table but their personalities are

not something to write home about.

i try to stay away from those types.

i tend to gravitate towards people who are practical

and wise beyond their years.

these are the hearts that are able to share their wealth of information with

unconditional and genuine kindness.

i took this picture of this dandelion.

your typical wildflower.

there aren't any vivid colours on this flower.

however, the beauty it possesses is quite incredible.

the softness+fuzziness of its petals, the irregularities of its shape and

the way it bends with the wind.

this dandelion is beautiful in its own way.

does it boast vivid colours?

is it ever entered into a contest for the best-prized dandelion in the world?

does it ever get chosen first in a bouquet of flowers?

no.

but...

its beauty speaks beyond words.

to me it reminds me of being able to be humble.

being humble is a great quality to have.

not everyone has it.

but...

everyone can do their best to become one.

this is something i'd like my lil' ones to remember which

reminds me of what our priest said in church last week:

"some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last..."

N'est pas maintenant que la vérité!

{now, isn't that the truth?}
xoxo

happy weekend!

a new month...a new seed...

happy september!

a new month.

a new seed.

so many projects coming up.

excited for a HUGE package to arrive in a few weeks...

trying to start accomplishing some rusty ol' goals that have been put

on the back burner...

looking forward to autumn breezes, warm sweaters, crisp leaves...

the past 3 months have been such hot, sticky+whirlwind living.

loved those lazy, sunny, hot crazy days...but

to tell you the truth, i welcome some changing weather

to cooler breezes~

that would be such a refreshing pace.

as we welcome this change of seasons,

i'm hoping you'll find those seeds

you've planted or beginning to plant

harvesting into a bountiful feast!

plant a seed and watch it grow...

bons temps!

xoxo