Argh... the insomia

Charlie works at 4 a.m. and gets of at 12:30. Every morning, I get up (to get him up) and have a few moments before he has to go to work. Like now... He left about 20 minutes ago, and I'm up... still... Yesterday I was up from 3:15 till 5:30 in the morning, then had to wake up at 7:45 to get Kiale ready for school. Thank goodness he doesn't start until 9:10! Now when Maia comes home from her dads, that's another story. She starts school at 8:15 and it's about a 1/2 hour drive. She's super independent, though. I just have to wake her up at 6:30 so that she can get ready (you know, the girly stuff... clothes, hair, etc...) and she pretty much takes care of herself. She'll even pop in a bagel or something if she does eat breakfast. Not sure what the deal is with pre-teens not eating breakfast these days! Ok, off track... I must be tired... Maybe I'll attempt to go back to sleep ;)

So you all know that I love a bargain...

At the same time, I do love nice things. Lately, my jeans craze has been with Joe's Jeans. Charlie bought me one day after Thanksgiving. Scored that one for about $100 with tax, not too bad because they are usually $160. Today, I went to Macy's because I had a couple of gift cards. So I peeked in Impulse to see if I could find anything. Low and behold, there was a clearance rack... 60% off original price. And there was 1 pair of Joe's Jeans there... Just my size... Just the style that I like.. Different color than the one that I have. It was originally $158, and it was marked down to $98. I figured it had to be a little lower than that. So when the clerk rang it up, it was $58.00!!! So after my 2 gift cards, I ended up paying like $14 for a $160 pair of jeans!!!! SCORE!!!

Time and Friendship...

Time lets us know that we're getting older... Specifically, gaps of time. While in Hawai'i, I posted about getting to see my oldest "BFF" Simone. On Friday, I got to see another long lost friend.

My Senior year in High School, a quiet country girl from Honoka'a came to St. Josephs. Instantly, Tanya Sanchez and I clicked. I don't know if it was our small-town upbringing or our likes in the same music (strictly reggae back then) that connected us at first, but whatever it was, it layed the foundation for a lifelong friendship.

I remember that one year that we spent together in High School. Yup, just one. Lots of fun nights where all the details can't be remembered due to "extra-curricular activities"... Cruzing aimlessly down at 4-mile till the wee hours of the morning... Sneeking off to Hilo when we were supposed to be in Honoka'a... Hanging with our "crew", where she and I were the only girls and the guys saw us as equals... Both of us almost getting kicked out of school, on different occasions... Aah, the memories that create a unending friendship...

After graduation, she immediately got married and I left for Oregon. Still, we kept in touch. Everytime I came home, we were together. Phone calls from wherever I was to wherever she was.

The last time she and I saw each other was when my Maia and her Kayla were 1 year old. They're 5 months apart. We can never forget that first meeting of the girls since Maia got bit by Kayla :)

On Friday night, I got to sit with my friend and remenisce and talk about where our lives have brought us. I got to meet her better half, Shawn, and she got to finally meet Charlie. We sat and ate our sushi as though we had done just that the week before, like no time had passed whatsoever. As we walked around the Muckleshoot Casino, we just kept looking at each other saying, "I can't believe we're here, just cruzing...". Just like 15 years ago, I look to my side, and there she is... Still...My best friend, just like before... Same smile... Same gorgeous green eyes...

At the end of the night, we left with big hugs and kisses and the phrase, "Not another 11 years, ok!!!" LUV U TANYA!!! I'll see you again soon...

Whew!!!

Wow... Where did the time go! The Holidays came and went (Thankfully). Our New Years Eve was just as eventful and blessed as every other day, spent with family and friends (pics to be posted laster!). It just couldn't have been any better!!!

When the big rains came last week, we were hit HARD! Mother Nature unleashed her fury on Washington and we caught the brunt of it. Our basement flooded out, about 4 inches of water and things floating by... Our driveway turned into a RIVER... And our front lawn turned into a lake!!! We spent about 3 days pumping out the downstairs and actually couldn't drive thru all that water on Thursday. Made for a nice relaxing day at home :)

Kiale's Wrestling season has come to an end, and it ended with VICTORY!!! His last 3 tournaments he placed 2nd, 1st and 1st!!! He has come such a long way from when he started. He's got the knack for picking up on sports quickly and for being able to execute what he learns. His coaches were both proud and impressed. We're totally looking forward to next season.

I'm a bit under the weather right now, so I'll do more blogs with pics about specific stuff once I stop sneezing and my nose stops running!!!