No measure of time with you is long enough...

My mom left yesterday and I'm just a little sad. A month seems like a long time, but no time is ever enough with my mom. The time flew by and the house seems empty now. It didn't really hit me that she was gone until I got home yesterday and I saw the chair she sets in with the computer still set up for her. Even though there were many days we would sit here in comfortable silence, the house seemed oddly quiet. 

We did a lot of fun things; wine tasting, bbq, happy hours, a concert, shopping, dinners with friends, etc. But, the best times were the quality times together just talking or watching old videos. My mom is my very best friend in the whole world. I can talk to her about anything and know she will ALWAYS be there for me. There were times while she was here that I got a little frustrated with her and maybe snapped at her a little bit. When I went in her room yesterday, I wished I could take back all of those times I snapped at her. I don't know when I will get to see her again and I should have been cherishing the moments we got to spend with each other instead of getting frustrated. I'm sorry, Mom! 

A mother's love really is unconditional and I'm so happy that God chose her to be my mom!

I love you, Mom! I can't wait to see you again! 

Quick Update

I've been having so much fun spending time with my mom that I haven't had much time to blog. Sadly, she heads back to Missouri next Monday. I will be back to blog land full force then! For now, here's a little update on our recent endeavors. 

I got a new tattoo of my favorite bible verse

 We went shopping and I lusted over these TOMS! They are in my MIL's closet for Christmas. Too bad I can't wear them now! She said I can wear them one time this fall before going back in the box to get wrapped for Christmas. I just need to pick the perfect time to wear them. 

I tried and loved the bow bun

Went to Applebee's happy hour with these beautiful ladies

   Getting ready to head out to a little dive bar here in town

 Had a blast at this pretty girls wedding

Went on a boat ride in the bay

Golden Gate Bridge love

 

I miss all my wonderful blog friends and can't wait to catch up next week!!!  

 

 

Fabulous Fall

I don't know about y'all, but I absolutely LOVE Fall! Pumpkin, hoodies, boots, Starbucks seasonal drinks, chili, etc... 

It is still fairly warm here during the day, but the nights have totally seemed like fall. Every night, I want to light a fire in our fireplace. I am a sucker for fall decorations and almost couldn't wait for my mom to get here September 4 to get the decorations out. But... I thought it would be a fun thing for us to do together, so I reluctantly waited. The decorations have been up for almost two weeks now and as excited as I always am for Christmas decorations, I will be sad when it's time to pack up the Fall decor. 

When I got the new Fall Scentsy catalog and saw the owl warmer, I was in LOVE! But, seeing as I already have three full-size warmers and a wall plug-in, Jeremy was less than thrilled about the thought of spending $35 on ANOTHER warmer. We were at Wal-Mart and I found the owl warmer shown in the last picture for $15! And I even think it's cuter than the Scentsy warmer! Score!!! I'm warming Yankee Cranberry Zest now and it smells AMAZING!!! 

Only a few more days until it is officially Fall!!!

Update

Hello blog world!!! It's been awhile! I may be sporadically posting for awhile my mom is here. We've been having some fun times already and have three more weeks of fun times ahead!!! Here's a day-by-day update of the fun we've been having! 

Tuesday: I ran a bunch of last minute errands to get ready for mom's arrival. While I was in the car listening to the radio, I heard they were giving away tickets to see Rascal Flatts, Little Big Town, Eli Young Band and Eden's Edge. I NEVER win these things, but I thought I might as well give it a try and make the call. The first time I dialed the number it was busy. The second time they answered!!! I won two tickets to the concert! My mom and I both LOVE Little Big Town. I may or may not have seen them in concert five times already. So, I went to the radio station and picked up the tickets and then Jeremy and I headed to the airport to pick mom up. Boy was she surprised when I showed her the concert tickets. We headed to In-n-Out Burger for dinner and then came home to relax and have a glass of wine. 

Wednesday: Mom and I hung out around the house most of the day. That evening, we went across the street for pizza and beer to celebrate our anniversary. 

Thursday: We decided to go to our local grocery store Raley's for wine night. Every Thursday, they have a wine tasting for $3. For $3 you get to try a bunch of different wines and they have appetizers. This week, they threw a bridal shower for one of the employees I'm friends with. It was really fun! 

Friday: Mom and I headed to Trader Joe's to pick up some flowers for my friend Lacey for her last day of work. We stopped at Starbucks and got Lacey and Dianna a fun drink. Lacey was super surprised! Then mom and I headed to Olive Garden for a yummy lunch! Friday evening, we lounged around the house and geared up for our BBQ on Saturday.

Saturday: I baked cookies and made deviled eggs to get ready for our BBQ. My in-laws came over around 5 and I made pina coladas for everyone. Around 6, Lacey and Jorge got here and the guys started the BBQ. Dianna and Julio got here just in time to eat. After dinner, us girls set around chatting and the guys played poker. Somehow we decided to play flip cup and that definitely got the party started. After that, we played three man. We stayed up until 3 AM. I think we all thought we were in college again. It sure was a blast!!!

Sunday: We all slept in and then got up and headed to Santa Rosa to try out Five Guys. It was delicious! We went to Costco and CVS and then came home and lounged. We were all tuckered out from Saturday's activities. 

It has been a great almost week and I'm looking forward to the next three weeks! 

Today is the day...

My mom will be here in less than 12 hours!!! To say I'm excited is an understatement!!! I'm hoping these next 12 hours fly by with all the stuff I have left to do. I need to finish cleaning the house, get mom's room ready, go to the store and the post office, go get an anniversary card (did I mention tomorrow is our three year anniversary?), etc etc etc.... Here's to hoping I get everything done and don't forget anything.

Check the blog tomorrow for What I Wore Wedding Edition in honor of our anniversary.

Happy Tuesday!!!!

Do you ever...

Just not feel like blogging? Not know what to say or talk about? Well, I'm having one of those weeks. I have had no desire to sit here behind this computer and try to come up with something to say. I have even been slacking on my blog stalking reading. I have a lot of things I should be doing on the computer, but I just don't feel like doing any of them. Anyone else have weeks like this? Am I the only one? 

Anyway, I've been spending my days working out and getting ready for my mom to be here next week. She gets here Tuesday and will be here until October 1, that's almost a WHOLE month! I am beyond excited! I haven't seen her (or any of my family) in almost a year! I don't have much planned for us except for to just hang out and enjoy our time together. A few things I do have planned; go to the beach, have a bbq and have a Mom/MIL girls day. What are some of your favorite things to do with your moms? 

Missing Missouri

I don't know what's wrong with me right now, but I'm feeling a bit lonely. I'm thinking it's probably because it's been almost a year since I've been back to Missouri to see my family and friends. It's not that I don't have friends and family here in California, it's just different. I was born and raised in Missouri and have a very close family and close group of friends (some of whom I've known since kindergarten). Thankfully, my momma will be here two weeks from tomorrow for almost a WHOLE month. I can't wait to spend some quality time with my mommie dearest. I think it's just what I need to get back to feeling like me again. Until then, I will just look through old pictures and reminisce... 

My grandpa and me at the Mailes family reunion 2008

My grandma and me at my bridal shower 2009

My Aunt Shelly, cousin Staci, her son Jacob and me at my bridal shower 2009

My dad and me at my grandparents 2009

My beautiful cousins Michelle, Lesley and me at the Seneca Park during my last MO visit 2011

One of my best friends Art and me when he flew my mom out for a surprise visit January 2011

My beautiful best friend and roommate for life Tresh and me during my last MO visit 2011

And of course my beautiful mommy and me at my wedding September 2009

 

These are just a few of the MANY people that I'm missing terribly right now and cannot wait until I see them again!!! 

One day left to enter the giveaway for a custom canvas, $20 shop credit to adie's lovelies and a green and purple pattern makeup/jewelry pouch. Hurry on over and enter here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favorite Things July Edition

Can you believe it's the last day of July?!? Me neither! I'm not one to wish away summer, but..... I CAN'T WAIT FOR SEPTEMBER. Why can't I wait for September? Because my momma will be here for the WHOLE month! 

Today, I am linking up with the beautiful Ashley from Dancing with Ashley for her monthly favorite things. 

1. Getting to spend time with this girl

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you will know that I absolutely LOVE my sister-in-law! My brother-in-law and sister-in-law came for a visit a couple of weeks ago and we had almost four days full of Bitzer family fun. It was such a great weekend! 

2. Wine nights with the girls

I think we can all agree that ladies nights are the BEST! This girls night was spent eating yummy food, drinking yummy wine and listening to amazing live music. Complete with a toast to Channing Tatum, Melissa asking the bartender who his man crush was, me trying to get the singer to serenade me and me telling the bartender he looked like a woodsman/lumberjack and he needed an axe. 

3. Boy Meets World on MTV2

Who didn't love Boy Meets World? Watching this reminds me of T.G.I.F. on Friday nights when I was in Junior High and High School. Please tell me you remember this. How can you not love Cory and Topanga?

4. Big floppy hats and headwraps

Big floppy hats are perfect for keeping the sun out of your face on a gorgeous sunny day and headwraps are perfect for the days you don't wash your hair (and the days you do wash your hair, they are just perfect). Add a little dry shampoo, put on the headwrap and voila... instant cute hairdo.

6. The Sonoma County Fair

Every summer since I moved here we have gone to the fair. We get there around 11 AM and have our first round of food (turkey kabobs and roasted corn on the cob), then we walk around for awhile seeing all the animals, silly stuff they sell, etc and then we finish with another round of food (corn dogs and a huge brick of curly fries). My stomach hates me the next day, but it is sooooo worth it! 

Head on over and say hi to Ashley and get your link-up on! 

 

Me, Myself & I

Apparently, this is the week of link-ups for me. Today, it's the Me, Myself and I link up party with The Life of the Wife and her lovely co-hosts. Which you guessed it, is all about me me me... 

Yay for learning a little more about me! I know, I'm a huge dork. I just think this picture is hilarious! It was New Years Eve and I was super drunk excited!

1. What is your biggest phobia?

Bridges... well, the Bay bridge and the Richmond bridge actually.  Any bridge that is multi-level. A couple years ago, my friend Art flew my mom out here for a visit. On our way back from the airport, we had to drive over the Richmond bridge. I told my mom and Art that I hate being on the bottom level because I'm afraid if the top level fell down I would get squished. Art very politely said, "Honey, I think that would be the least of your worries." Which then made me laugh and laugh that instead of thinking of the huge drop down into the cold water, I thought of being squished. So maybe my phobia isn't really bridges, it's being squished. 

Via: Dan Heller

2. If you could relive any day of your life, what would it be and why? 

I know it sounds cheesy, but I'm gonna have to say my wedding day. It was such a fun day filled with love, laughter, friends and family! Yes, things went wrong, but looking back on it now it was still a perfect day! 

3. If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what would it be? 

 Honestly, there really isn't any age I would love to stay. There has been something that I have enjoyed about each year of my life and I look forward to seeing what the rest of my years have in store.  So far, I'm loving 30! 

4. Which celebrity do you get mistaken for?

Sophia Bush. A few years ago, I was out with some friends and my friend Chris told me I looked just like Sophia Bush from One Tree Hill. I had never seen One Tree Hill and had no idea who she was, so I started watching the show and got hooked. I'm so sad OTH is gone now.  Chris still calls me Sophia or Brooke Davis. 

Via: Vampire Book Club

5. What songs are included on the soundtrack of your life?

1. Springsteen - Eric Church

This song just makes me think of so many great memories throughout my life

2. My Best Friend - Tim McGraw

Our wedding song

3. Like My Mother Does - Lauren Alaina

This song makes me think of my mom and all she's done for me

4. Boondocks - Little Big Town

"I feel no shame... I'm proud of where I came from... I was born and raised in the boondocks" My friends and I changed this to "I feel no shame... I'm proud of where I came from... I was born and raised in Seneca"

5. Pray out Loud - Jessica Simpson

This song reminds me that no matter what happens, God is always there to listen. Don't be afraid to pray about it

There's a little bit about me in a nutshell. 

Head on over and link-up and learn a little more about some fellow bloggers

Say a Little Prayer

I was going to link up with Jenna at The Life of the Wife today for Last Things Thursdays, but decided to tell you about something that has been weighing on my mind lately. My mom. 

My mom is my very best friend in the whole world. When I was 11, my dad had double aneurysms in his brain and has been in a nursing home ever since. I have always been one to try to see the good in this instead of the bad. My family is extremely close, my cousins are more like my brothers and sisters. My grandparents are more like parents, my grandpa taught me how to drive. And my mom, like I said is my best friend. She sacrificed and did without so I could have everything I wanted; the coolest clothes, prom dresses, gymnastics lessons, cheerleading uniforms, gas money, money to go out with my friends, etc. Anytime I wanted or needed her, she was there. After high school, things changed. She wasn't getting a monthly social security check for me and money was tight. The roles had reversed and I was the one loaning her $20 when she needed it or buying her lunch. Still to this day, she will talk about how she has not been a good mom to me and that she can't buy me this or afford to come see me and I have to constantly remind her of all that she has done and is still doing for me. Her unconditional love is all that I ask for (and believe me, she has had to prove her unconditional love quite often). 

Fast forward to February 2010... 

I get a call at 6:00 AM from my mom's boyfriend telling me that he's at the ER with her. He doesn't really know what's going on, but that she had an ear ache and then she started acting really lethargic. He told me not to worry and that I didn't need to come, but of course I sat there wondering what I should do. I finally got a call from a family friend saying that I needed to book the next flight out, that it wasn't looking good. I left at 12:00 AM the next morning and got to the hospital around 9:00 AM. I was told that my mom was in a coma caused by severe meningitis. Apparently, they rarely see cases of meningitis that are that life-threatening. On the 8th day of my mom being in a coma, the nurses told me that I needed to be prepared to make a decision about my mom's life (I'm her next of kin). I knew what my choice would have to be, to take her off support. My mom has always said that she would not want to live like my dad and that she wouldn't wish that life on anyone. Luckily, on the 9th day, she woke up! The first things she said to me was, "What are you doing here?" and I told her she was in the hospital. Then she said, "I made you miss your Tahoe trip!" And I knew that she was ok. She didn't even think of herself or the fact that she was in ICU, all she cared about was that I had to miss my trip to Lake Tahoe. I stayed for the next week while they moved her to the rehabilitation center and was told that she should be out within the next week. A couple days after I got home, my mom called and told me she had a terrible rash and they were taking her back to the hospital. At the hospital, they found out that she had Stevens Johnson syndrome (which affects the skin and mucous membranes) caused by dilantin. She was in the hospital for a total of 6 weeks. The Stevens Johnson syndrome caused a condition called nystagmus, which is uncontrollable eye movements. She is constantly dizzy and has to use a walker to get around. The meningitis also caused her whole right side to go numb, so she has trouble moving her right arm and leg.  She had to quit her job and get on disability, so some days she feels like she has no purpose. I keep telling her that obviously God feels like she has a purpose or he would have taken her then. She now feels like she's not the same person she was because of these things, but to me she is still the same strong, sarcastic, optimistic woman she's always been.

Fast forward again to April 2012...

My mom went to the gynecologist for her yearly check up. During her mammogram, the dr found an abnormality and ordered additional testing. She went back in for another mammogram and the doctor found a small dense mass and scheduled a biopsy. She went in for the biopsy last week and goes to the dr for results today. She is very scared and it kills me not to be there for her. I have been praying like crazy that the results will come back negative and that everything will be just fine. My mom is the strongest woman I know (she lived with me for 19 years) and I know that she can make it through anything.

If you wouldn't mind, please say a little prayer for my mom.