Anything But Gray

Birthday…

July 28, 2009

Zak's birthday was Sunday and we had a little get together here at the house on Saturday night….

It was all of us and a few of my friends and we had a really good time. Mom, Niki, Rick, Shelly, Scott, Steve and me and Zak. Scotty and Shelly brought their boys and the kids all played together while the grown ups visited and had a few drinks…it was a really fun time. Zak got to kick back and have a few more beers than he normally would because he's usually the driver, which was really cool. I love when he gets to kick back and have a really good time. And a really good time he had, let me tell you. 🙂

Sunday, it was just me, zak, the kids and my mom….Zak made his cake (he makes a WAY better cake than I can, so he does the cake thing….but less you think the poor man got screwed, I DID make him a cheesecake, for his present…:-) ) The kids helped him decorate it…..

Babe Birthday 2009 (4)

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Don't you just love this??…can you see the adoration in my daughter's eyes? That kid LOOOOVES chocolate….in fact, love is an understatement…I think she'd marry a chocolate bar, if she could! LOL I think the fact that we limit how much chocolate she has, does not help the matter, either. LOL

Babe Birthday 2009 (20)

Isn't it pretty??? LOL

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This picture just cracks me up….I love Ben's look and Jaime trying to be all slick like with the cake…..too funny.

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Ben helping Zak blow out his candles…

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Love this picture…..

Babe Birthday 2009 (35)

it was a fun birthday…..but of course…..we missed Ceci terribly…..

This birthday was tough without her. It just wasn't the same this year, it just didn't feel the way his birthday feels when we were up in Alaska….it wasn't a bad birthday, by any means…it was just different. Up in Alaska, it's just felt bigger. Everyone gets involved, everyone hangs out all day, getting ready for it…even if someone has to work, we would still keep in touch all throughout the day, in preperation for the PAHTAAAAYYY!!

it's an EVENT and something we plan and look forward to, for a long time…..

So while we had a really good time and it was fun…..Ceci and our Alaska people were definitely missed. 🙂

Sometimes it's so hard to put things into words without hurting someone's feelings…..I want Ceci and our Alaska people to know they were missed, but I don't want the people that are here to feel like it wasn't a fun birthday, because it was….it was just different….

Really, I don't know what I'm so worried about…most of my family doesn't read this blog, anyway…..LOL
But just in case, I wanted to point that out……:-)

Happy, Happy Birthday, husband!!! Love you!!!
Our Wedding Part 2.

July 24, 2009

So pretty much everyone knows Zak and I plan on renewing our vows on our 22nd anniversary…and if you didn't know, you do now. LOL

It's kind of scary that it's only 5 years away…2014…

Anyway, our plan is to do a big wedding again. I so want this to be a FUN wedding….and I want it to scream…"That is SO Zak and Joanna!" I want it to be a true celebration of our marriage and of us….the people we have become by being together, who we are together…

So I always keep my eyes out for cool ideas…..I have a bunch already…..and I came across this, I actually saw it on Twitter. I don't know that we will do something quite like this….we don't plan on having a wedding party…..but I just had to share this!! I so want to know this couple!!!! LOL

But watch this….and the feeling you get when you watch it?? That's how I want our wedding to feel like….:-)
Just us being us and celebrating our love and sharing our joy with the people who mean the most to us!

I freakin' LOVE this!!

JK Wedding Entrance Dance
Princess Jonana Day…

July 23, 2009

I've talked about that on here before, so I won't go into all the details….here's a link to a post that describes what it is, exactly and how it started, if you don't know and would like to…..Princess Jonana Day defined.

When I first woke up yesterday, I remembered that it was Princess Jonana Day but then I immediately started thinking the rest of my day. What I needed to get done, what I wanted to get done, etc…..

A few hours later, I come up from starting laundry downstairs and I check my caller id to make sure I didn't miss a call while I was in the laundry room. I see that Kim called. I think "oh cool!" and I call her back, happy that I actually had a few minutes so I could call her back, right away.

As soon as she answers, she says "Happy Princess Jonana Day!" and I am thrilled because I had forgot! Even when I saw her name on the caller id, it didn't remind me of that. I was just so excited to be able to talk to her and happy that she had called and it just truly slipped my mind until she said it !!

We actually got to talk for quite awhile and fairly uninterrupted, which is a real treat for us. Both of us have kids at home so getting to have a long conversation is truly a treat that we do not get very often and it made me so, so happy!!

During our phone call, we talked about so much…..she got to tell me all about the adoption hearing for the boys, which gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes, it was wonderful being able to hear about that! We just talked about everything AND the best part of all….she sent me a picture of the gift she made me for Princess Jonana Day. It's not done yet, but I am so glad she sent the picture….

IMG_5947

How amazing is this?? It's a tapestry type thing to hang on my wall, with all of their handprints…..Kim, Tina, their mom (how I love that she gets into Princess Jonana Day, too!!!) and all the kids….Brandon, Daniel, Travis, Emerald, Jaden and Brady….I absolutely cannot WAIT to get this and hang it on my wall…..so can't wait.

Can I just say I really think I am the luckiest girl in the world…..I so have the best family and friends in the entire world and sometimes I don't feel worthy, they are all so incredibly good to me that I honestly don't know what I have done to deserve the love, kindness, joy and generousity that they all give me!!!

For whatever reason, though….I'll take it!!!!
LOL
Crazy busy and maybe a baby??

July 21, 2009

The last 3 days have been so busy, my head is spinning!!!

Saturday night around 5:30ish…..

Zak was heading to go grab a pizza for us for dinner, from Costco. They have such a kick ass deal on pizza. I try to keep our meals in the $10 range. When I grocery shop and budget and all that, that is the goal…$10. These pizzas are only $12…so it's a nice splurge but still within reason. So he's going to get it. Mom and I were sitting in the yard and just chatting and as Zak is pulling away, he pulls up, rolls down the window and asks me "Hey…you want to go see Elton John and Billy Joel" and before he's even done with the words, I'm nodding frantically…"Hell yeah!" I say. So he pulls away, on the phone. I figure he's trying to win tickets from a radio station. I say to Mom.."he's so gonna get the tickets, we are so going…." I just knew it. Knew it, knew it, knew it.

Now, the concert is in Foxboro, at GILLETTE STADIUM!!!! Very, VERY cool!! The downside….it's already 5:30, passed 5:30 and pushing 6pm, actually….Foxboro is an hour away..concert is gonna start at 7:30pm. But I'm thinking we can do this and we won't miss much of the show because there will be an opening act. And mom is cool with watching the kids. I can get dressed real quick and we can be out the door.

Zak calls back and he explains the situation a little more. Turns out he's not trying to win them, a client is giving them to him! (So my gut "I know we are going feeling" was so right!! LOL ) The people that had the tickets were sick, so they couldn't go and asked Zak's client if she knew someone that would like to go and she thought of me and Zak. NICE! Now the problem is, so we think, that the tickets are all the way in Sandown…which is an hour away….an hour away in the opposite direction of Foxboro….so now we're debating..are we going to be able to see enough of the concert to make it worth the drive….the gas. We hang up, still not certain what we're gonna do and Zak gets home. Turns out the tickets are actually in a town that is only about 20 minutes out of the way….WE ARE SO GOING!!

So I get dressed and we go. And I get to GO IN GILLETTE STADIUM….which made me cry. Because, as we've talked about before, I am a total wussbag. Anyway..the show was amazing, the seats were good and it was such a good time! And I got to call FOUR people from the show….

My brother, when they played "Daniel"….
Shelly, when they played "We Didn't Start the Fire"…
James, when they played "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues".
…"just stare into space/picture my face in your hands…."
And Ceci….just because I was so freakin' excited, I HAD to tell her!!!

And we got a little video of it…..it was too big for my blog, so I made a you tube account (like the name? Joeyish22…ha!! ) Here's the link.

We didn't start the fire….

Such an amazing gift! So thankful for this whole experience…..it's not something we would have been able to do and it's something I love doing so much!!!

AND..it was IMPULSIVE…how 'bout THAT! SEE! I can be impulsive! <wink>

Then Sunday…..we went and cleaned a client's house. It was construction type messy….the contractor just tore this house apart. It's ubelievable how they left this house..I'm amazed at the utter lack of consideration these guys displayed. Crazy. So we spent Sunday doing that, while the kids played in the yard and caught tadpoles and frogs and grasshoppers. A friend of the client was there and he spent a lot of time playing with the kids, which really, really helped us get a lot done. Very cool! AND I'm getting paid for this…..do you have any clue how cool it feels to earn my own money?? LOL

And then MONDAY…..My Auntie, my mom, me and the kids went and picked up my cousin Freddy, from jail. He was in there a very, very long time and it was so awesome to get to see him!!!! So happy he is out of there and it's all I have right now to not get in my car and go rush down to Boston to see him!!!!! LOL But he is getting settled and stuff, so I have to wait. Which sucks. But I am thankful that I at least got to be there when he got out. Poor Billiejo couldn't go beacuse she has her daycare……and with him getting out….yet another member of the family is "home".
We're all getting back home…..one by one. 🙂

AND….today is Danielle's due date!!! I am so thinking of her and sending her quick and easy delivery vibes!! LOL
I'll update when I know more….I think I am going to try to call Kim today. I wanted to call her this weekend, but it go too crazy…it's been about a month since we talked and that's just too long….I've been missing her. Plus, I want to see if she's knows Danielle's status. LOL I want to call Danielle, but I imagine her phone is going to be ringing endlessly, so I just emailed her to let her know we're thinking of her and I maybe MIGHT text her later…..we'll see!!!

Whew!!!!
And I didn't even talk about everything I wanted to !!!!

But I gotta get the kids ready to go to Shelly's for the afternoon and I need to call Tina back. 🙂
my heart runneth over….

July 18, 2009

the last day has just been so full of incredible "feel good" moments….

I have these days only once in awhile and I call them my "Oh come let us adore me" days!!! LOL

J and I have a plan to meet, finally…..and here wanting to meet my family, her wanting Jaime to go to the concert with us, her wanting to get to share a "first" with me and my daughter…..her saying…"of course I want to meet your family!" as if I would be crazy to think she wouldn't want them to come…..this is huge for me. My family is an extension of me, obviously…she loves me so much that she wants to meet the people most important to me. And I know this….of course she would want to meet them!!….but to hear her say it. And to hear her excited about me coming….and wanting my family to come…..it's just been a really amazing feeling. It makes me realize just how "big" our friendship really is……AND she has told me a couple of times in recent days that my advice has been spot on……and THAT makes me so happy, to know that my advice really helped! 🙂

I am part of a women's group…..it's a group of 6 of us. A childhood family friend of mine…..she's more like a cousin…..started it. It has been such a wonderful thing to have, this group. It has been enlightening and so, so fun! And I got a huge pat on the back last night…..for my writing, for my personality and for my passion…..just about all the things that I really love about myself, was appreciated and holy cow, did that feel GOOD. I could really go on and on about this because it is just so, so gratifying and humbling to have the parts of you that you happen to really like, liked and to be told that?? Amazing!!! AND it makes me want to WRITE more! LOL I second guess my writing, at times…like maybe it's actually not that great….or it's not "good" enough….am I really making people feel what I am saying? Are people "getting" it? Are they getting me? And over the last week and with last night's email….I have got so mnay validations that yeah….I'm doing things just fine! 🙂

I have been teasing Shelly about changing her birthday party for me. And through this teasing, it's making me see just how close we are. There aren't many people I would be able to say…."come on! change your birthday party, you know you won't have as much fun without me…." to, without feeling like I'm being a spoiled brat. LOL But with her….it's really true! and while I AM being a brat…..I'm diggin' that I can be "me" with her. I can ask her that and know she "gets" it……and the feeling is mutual. I would not have as much fun at my birthday party, without HER. This whole thing is just making me realize how well she knows me and just how close we are……funny how distance did not change a thing….we have fallen right back into our friendship as if I never left……

And then, as I was driving home last nigt, it was thundering and lightening BAD. Like briliant lighting that was blinding me, it was so bright! The thunder was just so incredibly LOUD. And it was POURING buckets….it was actually a little scary. I was driving and just wanting to get home so badly…..I had about 4 minutes of the drive left…..and "Joey" came on…..as corny as it is……it made me feel like Ceci and J were "with" me for those last few minutes…..and all of a sudden, I was lost in thoughts of both of them and before I knew it, I was pulling in my driveway. 🙂

Right before I pulled in…there was an exceptionally HUGE crack of thunder. I was just amazed at how loud it was…..so I park (I always back the truck in…even in a torrential downpour…OCD anyone?) text Shelly to let her know I was home and I rush into the house…..

to find my mommy upstairs, looking to see if I had made it home. Because she was worried with the storm….

I don't care how old you are, having your mommy waiting for you to come in late at night, makes you feel so loved…..

:And then this morning….I check my facebook and someone that I know pretty well up in Alaska, was "missing" me last night….now I miss her and have since we left but she isn't someone I would think would really "miss" me……surprises are a wonderful, wonderful thing!!!! LOL

Life is good…..really, really good sometimes!!! And I love to blog about these times so that during the "crappy" times, I can come back and read this and remember I have SO MUCH to be happy about and grateful for!!!!
the deep end…

July 16, 2009

There is a public pool, right around the corner from our house.
It's right beside Gabby's school….
Anyone can go and it's free. Very cool on those hot, hot summer days!

Jaime and Ben both took swimming lessons in Alaska and Jaime can swim….she isn't super proficient yet, but she can manage. Ben…nope. LOL But he still loves to go….

Now before you can go into the deep end of this pool, you have to pass a test for the lifeguards (FIVE lifeguards are on duty whenever the pool is open…LOVE IT!!! ). Jaime has not been able to pass it, so she has been in the shallow end. And she has wanted to pass this test because all her friends can go in the deep end.

Yesterday she went to the pool with Sabrina, one of her friends from the neighborhood. She tells me THIS MORNING that she passed the test yesterday and she can go in the deep end now!!!! I am so proud of her!! Why she didn't tell us this last night, I have no idea….LOL

So here's the catch….I'm super proud of her and I love how excited she is! But on the other hand….I kind of liked her staying in the shallow end. Between knowing she was in the shallow end and the fact that there are FIVE lifeguards on duty, made me feel comfortable with letting her go to the pool with her friends. Now I'm gonna be all nervous again…LOL I'll get passed it….but man, I hate that I am such a worrier, sometimes I wish I could just friggin' RELAX.

But then….I wouldn't be me, now would I ??? LOL

Yay for Jaime!!!!! So proud of my little girl!!!
4 hours and a tank of gas…

July 15, 2009

is all that is keeping me from meeting J….

A little history….

J and I met online, on a Bon Jovi message board, to be exact.
Now back when we met….it was still a little "weird" to say you were friends with someone online…..I know it's hard to imagine that, but really it USED to be that way….and we instantly felt a connection, there was an instant bond with us. And both of us felt a little weirded out by it….LOL A little scared, even.
But we figured as long as we didn't call each other, we'd be okay….

That lasted a couple weeks, at best.

And ever since then we have been very close friends. She is one of my best friends. She is my friend that I consider my soulmate….I know I was meant to meet this woman. Anyway, we have made plans over the years to meet in person and for one reason or another, they always fall through. Living in Alaska for almost all of our friendship, has not helped matters any….

One of the perks of moving back home was that I would get to meet J.
Well, we had a plan last summer for me to go there and beause of money….we just couldn't swing it.
I was heartbroken…again.

Mariah is perfoming on the Today Show Summer Concert series at the end of the summer. August 28th. J is telling me how she wants to go…so I start thinking well, me too!! LOL I mean come on, Mariah for free?? I am so there! And I'm thinking a ticket to NYC from Boston can't be that much….so I start looking some stuff up and J and I talk and look some more stuff up and then I talk to Zak…

So now we have another plan.
And I know J is going to be heisitant to be excited about it, as we have been here a million times before.
But I don't have quite the defense that she has….she's a bit tougher than me, in that regard.
I am BEYOND excited….

I get to see J..meet her, watch her talk…look at her mannerisms….her expressions….her eyes when she laughs…
I get to meet her son. I cannot wait to hold this little boy that she struggled so hard to have. It makes my heart happy just imaging it….
I get to meet her husband.
I get to meet her dogs. Shelby and Kenzi…
AND as if this wasn't enough…..there is more.
My family is coming.
She gets to meet the loves of my life….the things I am most proud of…..and she WANTS TO…she is happy they are coming..SHE actually is the one who suggested they come…..THAT makes me so beyond words happy!!

AND…oh yes, there's more!

WE'RE GOING TO SEE MARIAH CAREY ON THE TODAY SHOW SUMMER CONCERT SERIES!!!!!

aarrrggghhhhhhh!!!!

Could this BE any more AMAZING???

I have never gottten to see Mariah in concert….I have never been to New York City….I have never gotten to meet J….Jaime has never gotten to see a concert and J says to me "Can't Jaime come with us?" I. FREAKIN'. LOVE. THIS. WOMAN. !!!!!! I was talking about how Zak and the kids can go do something while J and I go to the concert….well J wasn't having any of that. LOL And OF COURSE I want Jaime to go! She is so going to love going to that!! And I am going to love taking her to her first concert…WITH J and her son, Drew.

I don't know if I'm going to make until then….I think I am going to die of excitement before I even GET there!

If you are the wishing or praying type….would you please, please, PLEASE…say a prayer, make a wish that this works out! We have done this so many times…..and although I'm excited…I know a lot can happen between now and then, so I need all the wishes/prayers I can get.

I so want to meet her. I so want to meet her son. I so want to see Mariah—FOR FREE!!!–I so want to see NYC…..I want this so bad. We have done nothing "big" since we have been here. Wait….the circus. Mom took us to the circus…but that is the only really big thing we have done…..we, as a family, so need this…

Pray and wish, baby!!!!
Pray and wish!

.
Back to us

July 13, 2009

So the last two posts were about other stuff and not us, so here's one about us….

It has been really busy the last almost week….the weather has finally changed and we have been enjoying the hell out of it!

Zak has been taking the kids up to the public pool, I've been getting back to my "to do" lists, so I have been super busy, puttering, cleaning and organizing. My auntie came this weekend. She came so she could visit and go see Freddy at the jail. So Mom, me and Ben dropped her off there and then we went to the old Fort Devens . We had to drive through Shirley to get to the jail and it actually made my stomach drop….I hadn't been through there in years and years….and that is where Chris lived…remember him? I talked about him, in this post. Driving through there just made me think of him and way back when and I was almost overwhelmed to tears, just thinking of him, his mother and his brother and thinking how incredibly sad it was that he was gone…I pulled myself together, quick though. I was just surprised how moved I was, just driving through there.

Ben also saw his very first freight train that day! Right through Shirley!! It was cool and he really dug it. That made me so happy!!!

Mom bought the kids a slip and slide and it was FINALLY nice enough to let them play with it….here's some pics.

Kids slip n slide july 13 2009 (4)

Kids slip n slide july 13 2009 (5)

Kids slip n slide july 13 2009

Kids slip n slide july 13 2009 (6)

Kids slip n slide july 13 2009 (3)

don't mind my crappy yard…..we really need to plant some grass seed for those bare spots, it' looks like such shit! I hate it….but at least I have a yard, right?

And here's one more….for everyone that wishes I would post a pic of me…..this is mummy and me. This is the "adult" part of the yard! LOL When Niki and Rick come over, when me and Zak are sitting outside, when Shelly and Steve come up to hang out, when I am on the phone with you and I say I am going outside to smoke, when the adults sit around an talk after a kid party….THIS is where we are sitting. 🙂 It's a mess in this picture and I look like hell…no make up, hair just thrown back, jeans and bummy tshirt….but you get the idea….

Mummy and me july 2009

Enjoy!
whimsy wishes…

July 12, 2009

I do a lot of "window shopping' on the internet…..and I find stuff that I like, a lot….but every once in awhile I come across something that I love soooo much it makes me have a literal physical reaction…..my jaw drops, I bounce up and down in my chair, point frantically at the monitor and plead passionately…

"I WANT THAT!!!"

Now…what I want and what I can have…2 very, very different things. Because I always find the most ridiculously expensive things to decide I am in love with…..so I do a lot of bookmarking and daydreaming of someday being in a position where I can indulge in my whimsy wishes…..I don't have a lot of them, so I would not feel guilty indulging…
but until then….a girl can dream, right??

Here's some pics for you….

Funky shelf 4

How insanely CUTE is this stuff??
It's like Dr. Seuss furniture and
I freakin' LOOOOVE it!!!

Funky shelf 3

Funky shelf 2

Funky shelf

I envision a whole ROOM of this stuff with a fun, funky door to match! How FUN would this stuff be in an art room for the kids? It's CRAZY how much I would love that room!! Just looking at this stuff makes me so happy!

if you are interested in checking out more of the same kind of thing…there is a clock there too that I just SOOO want….ugh!!

Here's a link for ya…
ENJOY!

Fun Stuff!
Spreading the word…

July 10, 2009

This guy got royally screwed by Bank Of America with overdraft fees.

This guy completely gets that he should pay a fee, for the overdraft…he gets that. But FIVE of them??
It's completely ridiculous….

If I were him, I'd go in there and demand to see what exactly happens when an overdraft happens.
Demand to see what exactly, does everyone have to do that should cost that much money.. Tell the bank I want to see for myself, what my fees are paying for. How much extra work do your employees have to do…..
One fee, sure. I can see how you should have to pay for that….but almost $300 in fees??
Fucking ridiculous and bullshit.

Soooo….he's asking that everyone spread the word. His goal is to make Bank of America lose customers.
I admire him taking ACTION, instead of just sitting around bitching about it and while I'm not a Bank of America customer, so I can't help him out much…this does OUTRAGE me, so I'll help spread the word……you should too!!

check is story out….

Outrageous bank fees SUCK!

And yet again, I want to point out that they guy sitting at the top is probably some greedy old white guy….that just fucked up his bank so bad that he had to get a government bail out, that WE will eventually pay for……but yet sees it fit to totally screw over his customers!!

pffft..of course, how else is he going to pay for his gold shower curtains….???

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