Sydney’s Boyfriend

On December 10, 2011December 11, 2011 By AngeliaIn Angelia's Photography, Beautiful Life13 Comments

I don’t talk about Sydney’s boyfriend a lot. And it’s not because, I don’t like him. I really do.

It’s just that sometimes teenage love is fleeting, and I don’t want to get too attached.

But this one has been around since April so I already am (attached that is).

He is eighteen and lives in the next suburb over.

When we needed help after the car accident, he helped us, and would not let us repay him in any way. When I think about what kind of person he is, that always stands out. He hasn’t had an easy life, but he sure used what he had to make himself the best person possible.

It’s not often you find a teen-age boy with so much heart for giving and caring for others.

I got to take pictures of him (it’s his Senior year) and I hope that is a small repayment for all the good deeds he has done for us.

The best part is, a photograph of both of them together.

© Angelia's Photography — Sydney & Brandon - December 2011

Saying Good-bye to Summer

On September 26, 2011September 26, 2011 By AngeliaIn Life is what you make it.25 Comments

Yesterday, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park closed it’s doors for the summer. I bet you didn’t even know they stayed open until the last weekend in September. Well, in North Texas they do.

You could say it marks the end of summer here.

I am so proud of my daughter Sydney. This was her first job. She got it all on her own. She filled out the application. She aced the interview. She did it all herself.

She got hired working as ride attendant at the park. She had to go through CPR training before she even started. And this summer? Hottest summer on record in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. I think we cracked over 69 days of being over 100 degrees, but I lost count.

It was still near 100 yesterday – 97 – close enough. But she did it. She worked in the heat, in the sun, and she looked pretty darn cute doing it.

Did I mention I am proud of her?

And look at her tan…holy cow!

Thank goodness she didn’t have to save anyone. No heart attacks, slips, or seizures.

But she was prepared, just in case.

This is the shirt they gave all the employees on the last day. It is soooo appropriate.

Congrats Sydney on your first job!

She actually still has a job now that the water park is closed. They send them all over to Six Flags over Texas (across the street) to work a haunted house.

Her next job? A scary clown (shudder!).

Thank goodness, they do their make-up there (I hope!).

Oh, and by the way…….

We got a NEW car!

No more car pooling.

No more long days at work waiting for a ride; no more swapping.

It’s our first Kia. But I tell ya, so far, this car is SWEET. And most importantly, smaller than the other car we have, which is MUCH easier for me to drive.

2012 Kia Soul

And yes, I may pretend I’m a dancing hamster in it (one of my favorite commercials of all time -PARTY ROCK!).

It has lights around the speakers. They change colors from red to yellow to purple to green and beat with the music. It’s way too cool.

It also has a back-up camera for driver-challenged folks like me.

I am so thrilled with it. We, finally, have TWO cars again. Plus, I love BOTH of the cars and can drive either one.

I will probably drive the Kia Soul the most. My work is farther and it has an Eco System to save gas.

The car buying process only took a few hours. I have to thank the good peeps at Kia Patterson of Arlington. There was only a small hiccup because Jason’s ex still has the house they bought in his name. It doesn’t look so good on your credit when you have two houses and a car. Thankfully, we were able to convince them it wasn’t his in the decree. But still……scary stuff when you have no control over your credit because of someone’s actions, or inaction in this case (it’s been almost four years since the divorce).

So….a very close call on getting another car, but it all worked out in the end. We got a REALLY good deal and I highly recommend this dealership (told you I was a blogger!).

Happy Monday everyone! You know I’m smiling and cruising in my own set of wheels. 🙂

Celebrating Life

On May 8, 2011 By AngeliaIn Angelia's Photography, Beautiful Life19 Comments

I’ve started this post so many times in my head, but it never got anywhere. Between prescription runs, child drop-offs, working, and party planning – not to mention being emotionally and physically exhausted – I haven’t had much time.

But we did celebrate life. We celebrated my daughter’s 17th birthday. She made it. Despite the toocloseforcomfort call, I got to see her smiling face at 17. I swore THIS year, I would not cry on her birthday.

Because last year?…… Sixteen? WAS SO HARD. I cried a contact right out of my eye in the Hallmark store trying to find a card (Dang you! Hallmark!).

I just knew seventeen would be easier than sixteen, and the age itself is, just not the events leading up to it.

We were in such a shock state this past week. Everything was autopilot and scary. There were many emotional battles I faced – from being angry at the driver of the truck that hurt my family – to cringing at my husband’s cries of pain and worrying about my daughter’s hand. Worrying when she drove, and especially worrying when we were all in the car together.

I hadn’t planned or thought of her birthday at all. But at the last-minute, I took Friday off to get a pedicure with her after-school and do a little surprise birthday planning which included picking up her sisters from school and having them overnight.

What a surprise it was when she got home. And yes, she laughed. We laughed (at silly, fun decorations). Because life is sooo precious and laughter is sooo healing.

Party decorations for Sydney’s 17th (yes, she does LOVE Justin Bieber).

Seventeen years young and absolutely gorgeous!

Two of our very VIP guests. My beautiful step-daughters.

Molly gets into the decorations and has a ball being a mini-teen (just like her idol sister). Note- outfit in above pic complete with phone in hand.

Bridget, the youngest step-daughter, always gives me a smile no matter what she does. The smile lollipops are for Justin Bieber’s song, You smile, I smile which also played at our wedding.

Sydney’s favorite cake…..Cold Stone Chocolate Chip Cookie dough…….HEAVENLY!

Another year, I will never forget.

Birthday card by Molly. Complete with her favorite animal the Cheetah. Isn’t that the cutest thing??

This is Sydney’s sweet boyfriend Brandon. He did the best job wrapping a gift for her and picking out cute stuff. I was very impressed!

All the girls on Sydney’s birthday.

It meant the world to me to have them all together for Syd’s birthday (I really can’t thank their mom enough to give them up on her weekend). I kept counting them, looking at them, and hugging them. We had this wonderful night to celebrate life and give thanks for our family…. truly amazing memories.

Our lives may never be the same, but we are all here and we celebrated that.

Today, Mother’s day, was also incredibly special; being mom to Sydney and getting to spend the day with her. It was also my first year as step-mom, and although I didn’t get to see the little girls, I have them in my heart, along with every precious moment we have shared.

My heart is so very, very full.

Celebrating every second.

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend.

There’s an App for THAT?!?

On January 20, 2011January 21, 2011 By AngeliaIn Welcome to my data world13 Comments

Oh yes, my friends, there is an app for the girly time of the month. If you are male, you should probably stop reading, go pick up a hammer, and do some grunting.

Now back to the girls, my sixteen-year old daughter, of all people, told me about this app. You input your time of the month start date into your handy-dandy calendar. Like so…

It will then track your length, time, duration and everything else you hate about having a period.

Then, it does the other times of the month. Ovulation, fertility, and a few other things *wink wink*. I wish there had been one of these when I was trying to get pregnant fifteen years ago.

You can input your aches and pains. Not real sure why this is important. A form of memory torture? Yeah, I remember the cramps that day. Owww……. %$&*(…..and the zit that month was a HUGE-O-MUNGUS.

You can even pick an icon to represent the day. Now personally for me, I would pick the angry icon. I mean, hello?!, period – feel crappy for five days – yeah.

So I have used the app for a few months, and being I am almost *coughcough* forty. I tend to forget things like WHEN my period is. I can usually tell by [insert angry icon here]. And how prickly my skin gets in a crowd of people.

Now, it’s brilliant! I don’t have to rely on my spidey sense. I can just go to my app; aka Period Tracker (aptly named-heh).

I’ll admit it comes in handy and it’s kinda fun. A little girly time of the month techno geek style.

Until you see this……..um

Gulp?

Now before you do flips and start rubbing my tummy and giving me that look, you know? That one……

The one I got a few weeks ago at Wendy’s eating lunch with Jason and the girls. I hadn’t seen the nice older Church couple since before the wedding. When she asked if congratulations were in order, I thought (wrongly) she meant the wedding. Um. Oops. Yeah, sorry. I went hypothyroid last endocrinologist visit. That’s the one that makes you GAIN weight. Nice, huh? I hadn’t seen her in a while and she thought…..yeah…..soooooo embarrassing.

And how do you move out of that situation? Um, have a nice lunch (awkward!).

But back to the app, which is totally and absolutely OFF it’s rocker.

I am not late (well I might be), but I am most definitely not pregnant like the screen screams – late! late! late!

I don’t have the “plumbing” to have any more babies (fallopian tubes). So if I was, it would be Jesus Jr.

Sometimes, maybe there shouldn’t be an app for THAT?!? Or at least add a heart defibrillator for that moment of what?!?.