I went to my parent’s house for Thanksgiving this year. Admittedly I didn’t take a lot of photos. I guess I was just looking for a real break! But I can share with you some yummy food shots…and it sure was yummy! So here are some photos from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, in Harlingen, where my parents live now…

My favorite wine…..Riesling…mmmm.

On another note, I have been very sick this past week, which might account for some unanswered emails and calls. I lost my voice, so not really a good time to pick up the phone! But I will be returning emails and calls this weekend and early next week. Just trying to finish recovering!

I can….

It smells like Lays potato chips, french onion dip, hot dogs, burgers, Italian sausage, subs….mmmm…it smells like football season is here!

My Saturdays and Sundays will now be officially taken up by Michigan Wolverine football and the Arizona Cardinals! GO BLUE!

OK OK maybe not totally…I’m still open to meetings with potential clients and existing clients. It just means I’m a bit limited on my availability on the weekends. It just depends on the schedules…what can I say? I love football!

But please don’t fret, I’m always able to accommodate my brides and grooms, it’s never been a problem in the past, and it certainly won’t be now =)

And don’t forget my yummy September offer of 15% off your wedding collection! Call and make your appointment today!

As you all know, I’m catching up on my posts. And this is definitely one that is more than overdue…it’s late. But what can I say…I’ve been a busy bee =)

So this year we went to my parent’s new house in Harlingen, Texas…near McAllen, Texas for those of you familiar. We had such a great time let me tell you! It was a marathon of games and I of course did pretty well…well except for the first night….

My sister and her husband came in from Chicago, IL. We went out to the store to buy some games for the week to keep us busy. While it’s really nice out there…there isn’t a whole lot to do! So instead of maybe one or two games…we bought 5….yes 5. You can tell our family likes games…and likes competition!

So we played Trivial Pursuit first. And of course, I thought, well with my superior intellect I was sure to win….eh wrong! I totally came in last! But to my defense I got the hardest questions ever and I knew almost ALL of the questions everyone else got! I think it was a conspiracy….no I know it was! It had to be! I mean seriously, how could I have lost?

I digress…so let me set up the scene….four players….Lin, Davido, Estevo and me. ( I was behind the camera, thus the semi self portrait in the ornament)

A gnarly game of Trivial Pursuit…and the winner is….my sister! OK so if you knew my family and knew the people at the table….she would have been the last person you would have expected to win. Yes I know…harsh…but the truth hurts mama and I gotta tell it like it is! Haha, but no, she had a valiant game with a little help from the hubs (obvious hints)…so again, I so should have had this game…but oh well it wasn’t in the cards for me.

This is Estevo listening to my mom and grandma talk about our usual holiday activities.

The next morning we rocket out Cranium…yes that is my mom making my sis look like a surfer….that’s how we do it in Texas….we don’t play games…well I mean, you know what i mean.

Christmas morning….ahh the fresh smell of wrapping paper!

Mom and Dad asked Estevo and Davido to hand out presents this year.

So this was a special Christmas because we all chipped in and gave my Vita (grandma) a big flat screen TV. She loves watching TV and she’s always had these crappy huge TVs. So she got a little emotional…and so did we. But she deserves it for everything she has done for us. Love you Vita!

For Estevo’s gift…we all chipped in and got him an XBox 360. We had gone to the store weeks before hand and he thought about buying one…but decided not to because they were a bit expensive. And then he looks at me and says…”Now don’t go and buy me this for Christmas, it’s too expensive.” And I shyly said “Ok sure.” Haha well too bad, I got it for you anway! And some shoes.

Here is Estevo and Davido enjoying a game of Madden.

Of course I got guitar hero for Estevo….or me…whatever.

In closing. I wanted to leave a few photos of my beloved Romeo. He’s getting up there in age and he has cancer. But he’s doing pretty well and we hope he stays around for years to come. Isn’t he the cutest with his little santa scarf?

So I know…I’m catching up on my blogging! So you’re going to see some posts that are like WAAAYYYYY over due! But I’m posting them! Well give me a bit of a break, it’s been a busy month….but I promise it will be worth the wait!

So back to the post….Estevo and I had a great time at the Super Bowl…even though we lost, well kind of…but we won’t go into that! On Saturday night we met up with a bunch of Cardinal’s fans from all over at Friday’s. It was a lot of fun and great to be surrounded by fellow die hard fans! We met a lot of cool people and just enjoyed the Super Bowl high. Some legends at the Stadium were there like the face painter….Shock The World banner guy and the Cowboy guy…yeah I know, have no idea what everyone calls them, but that’s what I call them and I’m sticking to it!

I think this might have been the highlight for Estevo, he was able to surround himself with fans in absence of our normal crew…which warmed my heart because I know he was sad our friends weren’t with us. I hope he had a good time, and I think he did. Thanks everyone who organized the night! We had such a fun time getting to know all of you…putting real faces to some Stadium legends, and just having fun throwing back some beers.

I am going to post the Super Bowl day photos tomorrow…so stay tuned for part duo.

So I think giving back is awesome. So I have dedicated myself to do just that this year. I hope to attach to a great organization this year and this might just be one of them. Fresh Start Women’s Foundation is a local not-for-profit in Phoenix, Arizona. They give women who are in need of help, the opportunity to get information, resources and assistance in their quest for emotional and financial independence. There are no qualifying criteria to be met before women can obtain assistance at the center. So if you are a woman who needs help preparing for an interview, finding a job and learning what to wear, this is the place for you. It’s a wonderful place with numerous classes taught by women who want to give back.

Recently, Saverio Custom Clothiers, one of my business friends, donated a suit to one of their clients. Every quarter they will be giving a suit to a woman who needs one and earns one by her dedication to improving her life. I was there donating my photos to the organization for their purposes – documenting this wonderful moment for the recipient. Good Evening Arizona featured the donation of the suit on their evening broadcast tonight. Check out the video below!

fresh start video