The summer in pictures!!! :)

It's been a while since I've blogged so I've decided to do just a few of the pictures in one or two or three different blogs!!! ;) This summer was definitly fun filled, part of me wishes that i had done this in a timely manner, since looking through the pictures has brought back all of the good times had by all!!! :) The Chaves' came down for a visit a couple of times, and we decided to go to a baseball game, what better choice than an Angel/Dodger one??? it was all of our favorite teams and we got to see Belisario!!!! :)

Go Angels!!! Go Dodgers!!!

The cousins!!!

The Adenheart Memorial amazes me every time!!

Vides and MJ

Let's go Giants!!! hahaha!!! The baby decided to start rooting for her home team, seeing how everyone else around her was rooting for either the Dodgers or the Angels.... at one point she even started saying Let's Go Belisario!!!! That's the player that my cousin, her uncle represents, so she's on a first name basis with him!! ;)

Vides with her Chato and Vero!! :)

She was telling them a story!!!!

Belisario

We also went to the movies to see UP, and afterwards we decided to do our own little photo shoot at the fountain outside the theater
The girls..... Say Cheese!!!

AWWWW..... she loves her mommy!!!

a silly one guys!!!! :)

Vides and her favorite tias!! :)

We also got to go and visit Tio Edu.... She was so excited to see him and give him a big hug!!! :)


And we got to visit with Coach Tract in Laguna Hills..... We had so much fun!

Me and Bea!!

Tract got down and dirty.... hahaha!! the things one will do in order to entertain a kid!! :)

Smile!!!

Right before we went in the water!! hahaha!! like I said, the things one will do to entertain a kid! ;)

She was so proud of herself!! hahaha

up, up, and away!!! :)

confused, annoyed, thoughtful, sad???

So I've been on "hiatus" for a few weeks now, I know this..... I think for me it's easier to go into "hiding" when the "going get's tough!!! :-) and that's kinda where I've been, trying to figure "life" out!!! well with a few chosen outings here and there, so this is your warning, you may want to stop reading now, because it may not be pretty!!! ;) I have debated how much I should write, if anything at all, for a while now, and today was kind of a not so good day, so I decided that I will share a bit of what's been going on in my own life for the last couple of months, with the hopes that it will help me understand why I feel the way I feel, and also because in the last couple of days I've encountered people who have told me that they've missed my blog..... why I have no idea, ;) but thank you guys for being avid readers!!! hahaha..... plus I guess I feel like I owe people an explanation!! :) first off something happened to the program for my camera on my computer, so I am unable to download pictures until I figure out what is wrong with the computer, and I don't see that happening soon!!! ;)
so here my summer in a nutshell!!!! :) I found out in July that my cousin is pregnant again!!! That was GREAT news, especially since we weren't sure she was going to be able to get pregnant again!!! Baby Chavez #2 is due to arrive sometime at the end of February, and we're all so EXCITED!!!! I can't wait to start planning the shower, oh wait I already started that!!! :) I also decided to throw a baby shower for one of my co-workers, and I'm so excited about how ALL that's turning out!!! I should upload the invitation pictures from my phone!! they turned out so cute!
Sometime in the middle of July my cousin and her husband came out for a weeks vacation, mainly so they could tell my parents the good news about being pregnant, it was right around that same time that my dad ended up in the hospital, and we almost lost him. YEP it's true, my dad almost died, weird how one takes life forgranted sometimes, I know I have. I mean I still live at home and sometimes I don't see him or should I say I wouldn't see him for a couple of days..... Oh how things have changed, now it seems I can't get enough of the guy.... hahaha!!!
My family and I are grateful EVERYDAY that my dad made it through that ordeal, and is now ok...... :) I do have to say that that must of been the LONGEST week of my entire life, the first couple of days were the worst, filled with so many "what if " moments, and many moments of not knowing, I think it was 2 days before they knew for sure if he was going to make it! Funny how we all react in different ways, I ended up going to work, had to keep myself busy, my brother too, while my sister held the morning hour duties, I came after work, and stayed until they kicked me out, it's amazing how it took that little stint in the hospital to notice that my dad is getting old, my mom too! :( and seeing the man who in my eyes has ALWAYS been one of the strongest hard working men that I know laying in a hospital bed unable to do anything is heartwrenching..... that was probably the hardest thing for me to see..... but somewhere high above God decided that it wasn't my dad's time to go, and for that we will be eternally grateful, because we weren't ready to let him go either, I wasn't ready!!!! the weird thing about this is that one of my co-workers lost her dad to the same thing on the day that my dad came home from the hospital, I think that's when it clicked, WOW!!! it was VERY serious, more serious than any of us ever made it!!!
For years my mom has been the unofficial nominee in the family to start a prayer and light a candle when someone is sick, it's an ongoing joke with friends and family alike...... but we believe in it, and it works, it totally works.... so off I set to send out my prayer request, I didn't tell more than a handful of people, no need to put everyone out, just a select few!!! ;) I'm not sure what I expected?? Maybe more from some people and not nearly as much from others?? hmmmmm..... maybe that's my problem???? my expectations are too high??? then again maybe not.... so I think that I've decided that it's ok to be a little withdrawn and maybe sometimes a little selfish with my time?? this experience taught me that I really should try and spend more time with my parents, since I don't know when the end will get here, it is for that reason I think that I've also not blogged, the computer is outside in the office, which means I'm outside by myself, while everyone else is inside enjoying each other's company..... so I may not blog as often as I used to, unless of course I break down and get a laptop!!! :)
I know so far kind of a sad beginning of the summer, don't worry though, there have been happy times too, like seeing the look 0f happiness on my dad's face when he found out he was going to have another "grandchild" sometime next year, we think this was the turning point and what set him well on his way to recovery, that, my mom's candle, and all of the prayers!!! ;) then there was a summer time movie with Vides, we saw UP, she wasn't so sure about it, and visits with lots of family and friends, Ella Bella had a birthday, so her, Jessica, and I went and got pedi's and then off to dinner at Chik-a-fila... ;) and I can't forget about the candyland party so much fun... then Jessica turned 30, and that came with a spa day and a surprise dinner party at the winery!!! I can't wait to go wine tasting again!!!! Oh and I can't forget about the most amazing Angel's tickets Isaac, Tracey and I scored on, That one deserves it's own post!!!! wait 'till you see pictures!!! :) oh and somewhere in between there was a vintage summer picnic party, and just recently I attended the Jensen Children annual b-day party, that was a lot of fun, I got to see people I hadn't seen in ages and Todd and I got to stuff the annual cupcake in our mouths..... hahaha.... don't ask!!!
And there are many other events coming up soon that I'm looking forward to.... On september 12th my dad turns 60, so we're going to San Diego for the weekend, and he will have a surprise visit!!! ;) then there is my birthday, I never thought I'd say this but I'm ready for 31 to be over....... It's definitly been a roller coaster ride that I can't wait to see come to an end, and hopefully 32 is much better!!! and of course there are the holidays, I can't wait for Christmas, my MOST favorite time of the year, and then there is the nnew year, hopefully filled with new "things" including a baby and maybe hopefully two or three???? ;) we'll see ;)
pheeeewwww!!! I'm tired of writing and I'm sure you're tired of reading, but I do feel better, well sort of, It's funny today was a bad day for me.... I hate to admit it, but it was kind of a sad one, and all day I kept "adding" to the blog in my head.... funny how doing that sort of helped me "sort" things out..... WOW!!!! now if only I could learn to not take the things some people say so personal then everything would probably be much better!!!! That's a good goal to work up to... ;) and with that I'm done!!! :)

what an awesome quote! i just ran across this.... and i thought it was AMAZING! Amazing enough to share it with everyone! :)

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My hometown tour!! :-)

So here I was on my way home from my friend's house, after hearing all about the hometown tour that Melissa was going to be hosting!!! Now I'll admit that I wasn't sure that I would participate in this one, it sounded time consuming...... BUT on my way home I hit a few "must" talk about places, so I started shooting with my trusty camera, and this is what I came up with.... It was really fun and I must say that I actually came across places that I haven't visited in a long time, and I think it's time to go back!!! So please follow me through a tour of Lake Elsinore, a small town nestled at the bottom of the Ortega Mountains, with a distance of about an hour to just about anywhere!!! ;-) Lake Elsinore is town that continues to grow, it is now at a population of just over 50,000.Because of our location at the bottom of the mountains, and because of the glare of the lake.... sounds good doesn't it??? ;) we sometimes get the most amazing sunsets, people who know me well know that I have a VERY big appreciation of sunsets, these next few pictures were taken at various locations, while I was on my "picture" tour!!! arent' they AMAZING???

Just look at those clouds and that AWESOME afternoon sky!!!

Lake Elsinore is a small town off the 15 fwy in Riverside County, it serves as the "entryway" for different communities in the area, one of the most popular is Canyon Lake, I didn't make it up there though, but I did make it to the farm, that is another small community in the outskirts of the country!!! can you tell??

This Lama had to be in here as a landmark, because I pass it EVERYTIME i'm on that road, and everytime I think that it's the oddest "billboard" I've ever seen, well maybe not as odd as the cardboard family that sits in the fields on the way to Hemet!!! hahaha!!! ;)

Lake Elsinore is one of the most popular places for people to go skydiving! I would love to do this one day, but I have a terrible fear of heights.... Maybe one day I will work up the courage and ACTUALLY go through with it before I get cold feet!

Lake Elsinore is home to the Lake Elsinore Storm a minor league baseball team that is affiliated with the San Diego Padres, I think, at least that's who they used to be affiliated with years ago!!!

The stadium is used for all kinds of other things throughout the year, I t hink once a year or maybe it's twice they have the circus come out, they also hold farmers markets, I found this out while taking pictures!! ;) and this year they're going to be hosting the wagonwheel festival, it's a bunch of country music artists that will perform during the weekend, it's the first time they will be doing this, so we will see how it turns out!!!

A ginormous baseball, I apologize, but I had too!!!!

Lake Elsinore also has it's own casino, and even though I've never actually been in it, I heard today that they serve a mean steak for dinner, and that their lunches are pretty good too, maybe I'll have to go check it out! And YES people do win big here!!! at least that's what I was told.

People from surrounding cities come out to Lake Elsinore over the weekends to ride their boats, The seaport boat launch is where they come....

Lake Elsinore's main street is part of the famous Route 395

Our City is also known for its famous outlets, recently they opened a Pottery Barn and a guess outlet here, something that made people in the community VERY excited!!! :)

This is the famous four corners, I tried my best to get a good picture, but I didn't really do that well!!! Four corners consists of a chevron gas station on one corner, an auto zone and random other shops on another, followed by an AM PM on the third corner, and a liquor store, nail place, tattoo shop, and restaurant on the other..... Anyone who grew up in Lake Elsinore knows exactly where four corners is.....

And what is a hometown tour without a few "favorite" places to eat??? I will start with Vista donuts, a favorite of our host, Melissa, and the rest of her family and friends. If you've ever visited with us, chances are you've had a vista donut, they are heavenly!!! and very conveniently located on the main road!!

The next place is Pizza Bowl, I still remember this being my brother's first job, and man did we enjoy ourselves!!!! Their pizza is good and I think they have the best ranch I've ever had!! Definitly a place to visit!

And last but certainly not least, my most favorite palce is this little mexican restaurant that serves the BEST shrimp ceviche tostadas EVER!!! I could eat one everyday!!!

And since I was already there taking a picture of the establishment, I decided to treat myself to a tostada!!!! why not.... right???? ;)

I mentioned we are nestled at the bottom of the ortega mountains, I remember as a kid raking this road into orange county a lot to go to the beach, on the way back or sometimes on the way there my parents always stopped at the lookout point so we could rest, play, and enjoy the scenery. I decided that my hometown tour would not be complete without taking you for a drive up there, so off to the middle/top of the hill I went...... I think it's about 15 minutes up, or maybe it was less??? I don't know...... so here we go... Jessica and Melissa the Windmill picture was taken in your honor, it rests at the bottom of the mountains in the middle of nowhere, literaly, but it was VERY good looking, I appreciated it myself as well!!! :)

..... and here we are, at the lookout! a long time ago it used to be a restaurant, then it was something like a gift shop, now it just sits there empty, or maybe it was jsut the time I got there??

The view is AMAZING the picture below shows how developed our town has gotten, I know I have pictures that we took years ago, when it wasn't nearly as developed as this, but I'm not sure where they are now.... If you look in the middle right side of the picture you'll notice the new highschool that was build jsut a few years ago..... and my house is sort of behind it and to the right.... now that I'm writing this I wish I would of circled it on the pic..... Oh well next time!!! :)

The lake

I actually caught a boat in the picture!!! :) what a beautiful day to be out on the lake too!

and how funny that while I was up there BY MYSELF taking pictures this car of people pulled up, I guess they had the same idea!!! and the one guy decided to take his picture with me!!! hahaha!!! He said they were from Kuwait, and they came out to Lake Elsinore to go SKYDIVING!!! they were on their way to Laguna Beach, and they told me that skydiving was amazing, and that I should give it a try!!! what are the odds that I would run into someone who had actually planned their vacation to come out to "beautiful Lake Elsinore", that's what they called it, and after driving around town I must say that I agree..... The scenery is perfect!!!

Now a solo picture of me..... Your tourguide!!!

and a group picture with my new friends from Kuwait!! :)

might as well do another solo, with the lake as the background!!! it was windy up there.... can you tell??

This concludes my tour of Lake Elsinore, I hope you enjoyed taking the tour as much as I enjoyed taking it!!! :) Thanks again for coming along!!!