For My Cali Family!!!!!

MERRY WHITE CHRISTMAS! Miss you! Love you! Wish you were here!!!

Dinner at Daniel's!

Last month, two of our Young Adult Guys who started their own business and are doing very well decided that they wanted to take a group of about 40 of us out for a delicious dinner at Daniel's Broiler on Lake Union in Seattle and then to a Transiberian Orchestra concert at Key Arena to thank us for supporting them through out the last year as they started their business. It was 2 months ago that they reached their first million in sales! Whoo hoo hoo! It was such an incredibly fun night to be with friends and laugh and eat delicious food! Thanks, Steve Stratton and Derek! We are so proud of you guys! Keep it up!

Janessa, Me, Nicole and Michelle

Ben's face cracks me up in this picture...

I absolutely love this family!

The Ladies

The Guys... So good-looking! (especially the one on the right!)

My Girls

Cara and I trying to take a serious picture together for probably the first time since MC...

Sigh... Nevermind....The Space Needle

Hubby and I under the Space Needle... What a good-looking man!

*****ORLANDO!!!*****

Last month Steven had to go to Orlando for work (poor guy) and I decided that I had to tag along (poor me). Our good friends Sean and Stacia met up with us and we spent a week in the sunshine and heat! We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel which is on the grounds of Universal Studios Florida and we worked, and then played and ate and played and ate and then played and ate some more! It was so much fun to be like a kid again and go on a bunch of roller coaster rides with my hubby and scream my head off! Loved it! And it was great to spend time with Sean and Stacia. They are such a FUN-loving couple and I love fun and I love them. :) The end...

The guys soaking wet after a water ride... I don't think Steven knew he was going to be dripping afterwards...
Me and Stace

At the Bucs game in Tampa Bay watching our Seahawks lose, yet again... Man, we're devoted fans...

We rented a car and drove an hour and a half to Tampa to watch the game. What were the odds that the Hawks would be in Tampa when we were in Orlando? It was a good memory, even if we did lose and we were in a stadium full of red jerseys... yikes!

Steven loved the experience of being in another Pro Football stadium for the first time. My hubby loves sports and I love that about him... He's so cute... And he's really great at sports, too... which I also love. :)

Sean loves his iPhone. :) We got lessons on all the cool apps while we were there. I want an iPhone now... Thanks alot, Sean!
Sean and Stacia at the best restaurant we went to while we were in Orlando, Emeril's Chop Chop. Seriously, the food was crazy delicious! Isn't Stacia beautious???

Love the palm frond in the back... hahahaha...

I love my hot hubby!

Steven and I outside the Blue Man Group Theater in Orlando. One of the BEST highlights of Orlando by far. It was such a quirky, amazing, fun show. If you ever have a chance you should absolutely go see Blue Man Group. I actually got picked by them to go up onstage and perform with them for like 15 minutes! It was crazy! I absolutely loved it... I'm a performer at heart. I love the stage.

Me and Stacia at The Palm Restaurant. I would like to note that this was BEFORE dinner. We were so excited. This restaurant was supposed to be amazing and a place where famous people go to eat when they are in town... Bleck! The famous people can keep eating there all they want, but I won't be going back. The food was aweful. Seriously the worst steak I've ever had. Steven and Sean had the worst lobster they ever had. Stacia's steak was still moo-ing so they cooked it longer and then it was a chunk of leather. So sad... Bye Bye Palm Restaurant. My advice: Go eat at Emeril's Chop Chop and pass on the Palm. Yea for Universal!

At the Hard Rock's Guitar Fountain

Love this man!

Eating yummy Mexican food in the warm evening air. I loved the weather in Orlando. It wasn't even humid while we were there. It was perfectly warm, even at night time. Love it.

Happy memories of getting away and enjoying the sunshine and having lots of fun!

Please go VOTE today...

For all you undecided voters out there... please watch this video and go vote today...

http://www.valuevotersusa.com

Sarah for President!

I just couldn't help myself...

Sister Got Engaged!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shawn and Natalie are getting married!!!!! Shawn took Nat out to "their" bridge in the Buttes at sunset on Tuesday night and asked her to marry him! We are so happy for them both and love them so much. We knew this would be coming at some point, but it is SO exciting that it's actually here! Looks like we'll be having a wedding next Summer! Nat and Shawn, we love you very much and are thrilled that you are going to be Husband and Wife! Whoo hoo hoo! P.S. I think you are going to having the cutest ring bearer EVER! :)

Birthday Girl!!!!

Hey everyone, it's my baby sister's birthday today! She's 22!!!! Send her some love!

Sissy:

you are beautiful, fun-loving and an AMAZING mom! I love being your sister and I can't tell you how proud I am of you for allowing God to help you grow and mature as a woman and as a mom. Elijah is one blessed little boy to have you for his mommy! So hot and stylish! And full of love! Thank you for being such a treasured friend in my life, for laughing about things that only you and I think are funny and for understanding me in a unique way that only sisters can. I can't wait to see you next month! Carrie Underwood and So You Think You Can Dance, here we come! Happy happy birthday, Baby Sis! You are loved by your family, by Shawn, by your son and by God. I'm proud of you, I love you, I will always be there for you and I support you 100%. All my love, Alie

I'll see you again, Gramma...

As many of you know, my Grandma Raye (my dad's mom) went to be with Jesus on July 29th. I was blessed to be able to go home a couple weeks ago and make it in time to see my grandma one last time to tell her how much I loved her and thank her for being such a wonderful grandma. Those final moments I was able to spend with her will always be precious to me. And we, her family, were with her at her bedside singing and praying when the time came, which is exactly what she wanted. This last weekend, Steven and I were in California with my family to attend her memorial. What a beautiful service! It was a celebration of her life here on earth and a homegoing for her since she is now in Heaven with Jesus. It was wonderful to hear her be publicly honored for her servant's heart and the love of Jesus that she displayed to everyone she came in contact with. I am extremely proud to be her granddaughter and I am grateful for the spiritual inheritance and legacy that she has left for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
I love you so much, Grandma, and I am so excited that I get to see you again in Heaven some day. I can't wait to ask you all the questions I never got to ask and hear all the stories I never got to hear. You were one amazing woman who loved Jesus with all her heart and only wanted to please Him. You truly did just that. And now you see Him face to face. How beautiful! I will always miss you until I get to see you again, but I'm glad that you are out of pain and you have that new body you've been wanting. Just like the song at your memorial, you're dancing with the angels now in the very presence of Jesus.
One of my favorite memories of my grandma is a funny one. It's from my wedding day. We had just finished taking pictures out at the golf course where my reception would be and it was just about time to head to the church for the wedding ceremony when we couldn't find either of my grandmas. Then all of a sudden, my Grandma Raye comes tearing around in a golf cart that she had hijacked somehow. By this time, my grandma didn't have the best eyesite either, and my other grandma is sitting in the passenger seat of the cart with a look of complete terror on her face. It was absolutely hilarious to see my Grandma Raye driving like a dare devil all over the course with her dress hiked up enough to show her knee-high nylons. It's a memory I'll cherish forever... I love you, Grandma and I'll see you again.

Cutest Nephew Ever!!!

Is he ridiculously adorable or what???