Zona, the Frikin' Trooper!

My fish is bad ass. I got Zona to celebrate being hired permanently. That was 2 1/2 years ago. He is a blue Beta and has always been really cool. It's like we have similar personalities because he is a bit spastic too. =)

I am not sure how long fish live but I love this little guy and will be sad to see the day...

Happy 2 1/2 years, Zona! Love you!

Congrats to Two Lovely Ladies

I wanted to give a shout out and congratulations to my mom and good friend Christine. These two ladies have really been going the extra mile to be healthy. Both have changed their diets dramatically, cut out fast food, and have kept it up!!! They both got excellent reviews from their doctor, all their levels (cholesterol, blood pressure, etc) have gone down, and they were told to keep up the good work. HOORAY!

Way to go you two!!! I am so proud. Not only are you helping yourselves but you are helping to keep me inspired to help myself. Thank you both and congrats!!! =)

Welcome to the World, Bryce!

Elaine and Mike welcomed their little bundle of joy into the world on July 26, 2010. His name is Bryce and he is VERY handsome. Congratulations you two! We love you and I cannot wait to meet the little guy! Happy Birthday, little buddy!

=) Hooray!

Help the Kiddos!

Family Link is an awesome organization that helps find foster and adoption homes for kids in need. Check out their website and help spread the word about this amazing service.

www.familylinkkids.com

Adoption does not have to be outrageously expensive; Family Link guides the way through adoption and fostering services and makes it easy and pain free. If you or anyone you know has ever thought about fostering or adopting children, please share this website and encourage others to do some additional investigation. Visit the website and ask questions. The support group with this organization is incredible and they help so many kiddos.

If you are not able to adopt or foster, no worries; help spread the word to others. You never know who may have thought about this so share it with your friends and family and encourage them to share it as well. Visit Family Link and spread the word. Thanks for thinking of the kiddos who need a loving family. =)

Congrats, Elaine and Mike!

Bryce Stephen is due on July 30th but he may come into this beautiful world a tad bit early. For Elaine and Mike's sake, I hope he does! Mommy and Daddy are SO excited to meet him and I am too!

Congrats you two! You're going to be greeeeeeeeat parents! Enjoy every second and make sure, as my Dad always says, to have fun every single day; as long as you do that, you're going to do juuuuust fine.

Woo hoo! This is the last stretch! Have fun and I can't wait to see you three. =)

Happy 80th!

Happy Birthday, Nana! My Nana turned 80 on July 9, 2010. I couldn't be there but almost everyone else in my family was. I was very sorry I couldn't make it but they had an awesome time and Nana really enjoyed her very special day. =)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOORAY! We love you Nana.

Saying Goodbye to a Legend

The Legend... He will always be in our hearts and forever missed.

We love you SO MUCH, Shadow.

September 5, 1995 - June 23, 2010

Baby Fever is Everywhere...

and I don't have it!

But everyone else seems to! I can say that maybe 5 of my friends are not pregnant or with child at this moment... it is kind of strange. Sure, I want kids; I have the absolute perfect father for them and am truly excited to have them one day. I can't wait... but I can and will. Ha.

It is crazy to see all my friends having kiddos because I thought I would be in the same place at this point in my life. I always said I wanted to have kids around age 28 but as the time rapidly approaches, I have started thinking otherwise. I keep thinking that I haven't even had time with my husband and I really want to be selfish and lazy (or as lazy as a full time job while working on a Master's degree will allow).

My husband and I have been together for almost 5 years with our 1st marriage anniversary coming in October. I can honestly say that these years have been the best of my life. I know that children will be a huge blessing and that I will be happier than I could ever imagine... but I think I want to get the most out of what I have right now and let the future be awesome in the future. =)

To all the mothers and mothers-to-be out there, God bless you and congratulations! I'll be there one day! Until then, I'm sure you've got this under control. =)

Our Shadow is Sick =(

We have been dealing with some sad issues and ask for any prayers and good thoughts you'd like to send our way. Shadow has been pretty sick and despite numerous tests, the reason is yet to be determined. We have pretty much ruled out everything except cancer. Not cool; I am devastated because I honestly thought he'd live forever. I am trying to come to terms with this but it is very hard for me. He is too old to really get extensive on any type of treatment and sedation isn't really all that safe for a cat of 15 either (he'll be 15 in September). We are hoping for the best and are giving him all the loving he can stand. He is still in good spirits but is very thin and jumping and walking is getting harder for him. =( He is my best friend and little boy all in one; he has been through every major stage in my life and has been there for me in ways he will never ever know. I am really at a loss for what to do at this point but am trying to stay strong.

Please send out some good vibes. =) I want him to enjoy all the life he has to live and will be taking so many pictures that he may go blind before I'm through. He'll be good and when it's his time, it's just his time.

I guess... =(

We love you Shadow. =)

Hang in there Auntie Lynn!

Aunt Lynn is recovering well. Keep it up Aunt Lynn! You sound like you're getting better every day. Keep taking it easy while having some fun as much as possible... cautious fun!

WE LOVE YOU! I can't wait to come visit. We'll see you very soon! MUAH!

Good Luck Aunt Lynn!

Aunt Lynn,

Our prayers and love are with you and we'll be thinking of you all day. Don't worry about a thing; just take it easy and know we're there with you. =)

WE LOVE YOU!!!!

A Formal Welcome for My Niece

As her 1 month birthday approaches, I would like to give a formal Amy'tude welcome to my best friend's baby girl.

Welcome to the world Miss January Sky Hernandez!

Born at 1:13 pm on January 9, 2010, weighing 7 pounds 11 ounces.

I had the honor of being able to be there to see her first minutes in this world. There were lots of smiles and lots of tears... it wasn't too long of a day, although I bet Emilie would beg to differ. Jonathan and I left to be there at 6:30 am and got there just in time to wait with the family, get some pictures, eat, laugh and smile. They had just broken her water and she was good to go!

Gettin' ready! We were just in time!


We just had a few minutes with her before she had to be taken to get cleaned up. I shot pictures like a mad woman while trying stay back to let the family get in close.


The January sky minutes after January Sky came into this world. Beautiful - not a cloud in site!

Elated Dad says I'm next! Oh boy! (Look at the little January's foot prints on Daddy Nelson!)

The gorgeous sunset in the January sky on January Sky's first day here! Our trip back was beautiful but bitter sweet - we didn't get to see Emilie before we left. =(

:) Hoooooray! Welcome January! Happy almost 1 month birthday! We love you! And thanks for waiting for your Tia Amy!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

Thank you to every one who had a hand in our wedding. From the vendors, to the friends, and our wonderful family. Thank you all for your thoughts, your prayers, your kindness, your touching gifts...

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!

We love you all very much.

:)

My Mom's Here!

And she is ready to work!

Lots to do. Wooo hooo hooooooooo!

It's so frikin' near; the thought brings a tear; for the crowd there's lots of beer; 4 days, it's almost here!

Hehehe. Excitement is oozing from my pores. And glad to have my mama here! :)

Update: Dad's Life Motto

"Never let a day go by that you don't have fun."

AND

"Party, party, party."

I wanted to update my wonderful father's awesome life motto because it is definitely something he lives by each and everyday and is so ingrained in my head that I will always be a fun loving fool.

Please, read and heed! Enjoy life; what the hell else is it for?

I Outta Be Ashamed

My little Jefferson has not been mentioned on my blog! What the heck is wrong with me??? I started with Peaches (because we had just gotten her). Then I posted on Shadow. And then, I must have gotten side tracked because I totally forgot Jefferson!

Jefferson is our little Tiger- he was our second cat and we got him because we really thought Shadow needed a good friend. (I've had Shadow since I was 13 and he's been a lone cat as long as I've had him.) Jefferson was a Craig's List baby; we looked for kittens for months and I usually only looked at the ones with pictures- I figured it would take some of the guess out of it. One day, I decided to look at a post about 2 orange kittens and it didn't have a picture. Jon said he'd like an orange one and I just thought that was the cutest thing.

We called the woman and set up a time to meet. Jonathan immediately bonded with one of cats when we finally got in front of them and started interacting. They were adorable and they looked exactly alike. I tried to interact with both of them as much as possible, but after a few minutes it was apparent that Jon was in love. I loved them both the same and so it was decided- we took Jon's first choice home.

Jefferson Sidney

We named him Jefferson Sidney because we brought him home on July 4th, 2007- Jefferson because it was in fact Independence Day and Sidney after my wonderful Grandfather whose birthday was July 4th.

He bonded with us quickly. He loved to lay over our shoulders and would stay curled up in my lap for hours! He bonded with Shadow quickly as well. I think Shadow was excited and then quite shocked that the little guy didn't leave- it took Shadow a full day and then they were the BEST of buds and have been ever since.

Jefferson will be 2 years old on may 12th. As he's grown, he's fallen in love with Television, boxes, and chairs.

TV - First week home.


Boxes - His next obsession.


Chairs - His all time favorite.



What a doll. And that's our Jefferson.

My Mom Is Here!!!!!

We've been having a blast; doing things here and there and being lazy lots in between.

It's so nice to have her here but the time is going waaaaaaay too fast. Boo.

Also, she brought her Shingles pictures and I will definitely be posting them. If you haven't already told everyone you know about the horrible-ness that is Shingles, you WILL after you see these pictures.

Everyone, have the best weekend! I know I will. =)

Legal

It's official.

Jer is 21.

So......

Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Jeremmmmmmy, Happy birthday to yoOOOooOOOOoOooOOooooOOOooooOOOoooOOoOu!

I didnt get to finish this yesterday! I am so ashamed and may never forgive myself.

Happy Birthday to the coolest bro-n-law in the world. You rock our socks off.

My Mama Kicked Shingles' Butt!

In June, my mom got Shingles. Her case of Shingles attacked in her brain and came out through her face and eyes- She suffered for weeks with the blisters, extreme eye pain, and lots of face pain even after they healed. She's been in extreme pain for months but it is slowly but surely getting better. Very slowly.

She was out for several months but eventually had to go back to work. She didn't have feeling in parts of her face for months and is still recovering. And she got Cataracts from the steroids after everything else and had to deal with that while trying to go back to work! But she is getting better every day.

We are very blessed because her eye had no permanent damage! She just had the Cataracts removed and her eye will be just fine!!! She's dealt with so much and said it was the absolute worst experience of her life.

Mom's one piece of advice is to get the vaccine when you are of age!!! It's available to those 50 and older but I'm sure in the next few years, there will be more available to all ages. Just keep checking up on it and make it a priority! Mom said she wouldn't have hesitated if she had known; she was told about the vaccine one week after getting Shingles.

Please do it. You wont regret it. And please, tell everyone you know.

Shadow: The Legend

I realized that I praised sweet little Peaches when she first arrived, but I hadn't introduced my sweet boys! Well, here's fixin' that! I'm pleased to introduce the legend- my wise ole Shadow and the coolest cat you'll ever know...

He's quite the handsome fellow and is one smart kitty.

Shadow just turned 13 on 9.5.2008. My Mom and I got him when he was about 1 year old. He was an outside cat turned stray, needed a home and we fell in love with him. It took him about a week to adjust but he finally fell in love with us too. Since then, he has been such an important part of my life. My Mom moved to Florida and I got to keep Shadow; he lived through my first apartment experience, my first roommate experience, my first multiple roommate and pet experience, and so much more. He actually got outside once (thanks to my roommates leaving the window open!!!) and got lost; he was gone for 3 months and then I saw him one day when I was walking home from class.

"If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it is yours. If it doesn't, it never was."

He's been a little different ever since but he's still Shadow; he got a little nick on his ear and has a small limp from trying to protect himself, no doubt. He's a legend and the sweetest kitty in the world! He's been through a lot with us and we've been through a lot with him. He's our baby and a true part of our entire family. I love him sooooooooooooooooooo much!!!

Happy Birthday Shadow!!!