Happy Birthday Shane!

So my good buddy Shane turned 30 this weekend and the boys put on a big bash! It was a semi-surprise... He knew that we were all getting together but had no idea that his parents and sisters were going to be in town to help celebrate... He looked shocked when he walked in the door to 30+ people yelling surprise!

There was tons of delicious food and lots of booze and everyone was having a great time... Shane took a moment to say thanks to everyone and then "Shane Stories" ensued... everyone got a good laugh out of that...

Mimi came up for the party as my date and she was a total hit with the boys!

Shane truly looked happy to be surrounded by family and friends... gotta love a house full of people who love you...

All the friends were there and everyone had a blast...

Cake and singing and much more drinking ensued as the night went on...

After they got really tossed Mimi and Shane jumped in the pool for a sobering dip...

We all partied hardy and I still made it to church in the morning! ;-)

Happy birthday man!

Egg Rolls and Chow Mien...

I woke up feeling a little Asian on Saturday and decided to make Egg Rolls for lunch... Carmen was delighted ;-)

I made the filling with cabbage, sprouts, celery, carrot, and some yummy pork sausage grilled in a kung pao seasoning. Wrapped them up in the egg roll wrappers and deep dried them to golden perfection... so good


I used to the same ingredients added to some cooked spaghetti with fresh n easy stir fry sauce to make a savory chow mien... a lovely and very filling lunch...

Happy Birthday Sheri!

So in keeping with our Disney birthday tradition we went to the park for Sheri's birthday a couple weeks ago and had a super fun time. I always have so much fun with my girls and the kids!

Apparently I had been living under a rock because I had never been on Tower of Terrors at California Adventure so Maria, Catherine and Bryce drug me on board... I had no idea what the ride was about so Bryce explained to me that it was like and elevator... Boy was I surprised; you get thrown up and down the tower and even get to see the outside at night... it was crazy!

I love how we all squished into this picture... we almost lost the birthday girl!

As part of her birthday extravaganza week, Keith came out to visit Sheri and I got to meet him over dinner one of the nights he was in town... seems like a very nice man and it really blesses me that he makes Sheri so happy...

Color Change...

So I got a little bored with my lemon water and red straw. Today I decided on a switch to lime and green... the change has quelled my boredom...

Chicken Wings...

I so love chicken wings, second to a succulent breast, they are my favorite part of the chicken... I made these deep fried wings coated in home made buffalo sauce the other day... oh so scrumptious...

Go Sharks! er Ducks!

So last Sunday Sheri's friend Stacy and her husband Jeremy were in town and we all had tickets to go see the Ducks and the Sharks play... I am not a hockey fan by any stretch of the imagination but was totally down to get out of the house and be among good friends... We got to the Honda Center and they has just resurfaced the ice...

Our seats were really close and we could see all the action!

Although Stacy and Jeremy were total Sharks fans, the Ducks did prevail in this match up...

We ended up eating a ton and having a great time before having to bid them goodbye... fun times...

Friends Mean The World...

Something I have learned in the last 30+ years of my humble existence is that your friends should mean the world to you.... and mine most definitely do... So many people have turned their backs on me in the last 6 months that I am full of pain inside... I thank the Lord Jesus for his providence everyday... and recently I have been thanking Him for the people in my life that rally around me and hold me up when times are tough...

The other night I was having a really hard day after some family exclusion and my friends scooped me up, took me out and showed me a great time... We went out for karaoke and despite my foul mood my buddies pushed me to sing and relax and have a blast... Thank God for people who really care...

Even when they do a Mexican hat dance in front of you singing La Bamba...

Vegas Fun Time!

So Mimi and I have been telling each other that we were going to go to Vegas for her birthday since December... Last month we finally made it!

Mimi drove us all out there... besides the two of us her sister Sony, boyfriend Elliot, Charles, Jenn and Spencer tagged along...

We got into town and relaxed for a while while enjoying cocktails from my "bar in a bag" I brought Bacardi and Kettle with all the fixings in a nice little suitcase...

Once everyone was ready to go we ended up at the Rock House bar on the strip... we all danced the night away...

Mimi even got into the cage at the bar and shook it for all the onlookers...

Everyone had a great time dancing and drinking and hooping it up...

After we had danced till dawn we were all pretty hungry so we went to a cool little restaurant where the portions were HUGE! Sony had the BAP... (Big *** Pancake) she tried, but couldn't finish...

Elliot and I each had this amazing fried chicken sandwich... a whole fried breast on Texas toast with everything you could imagine stuffed inside...

We were full and tired by the end of the night...

The next morning was recovery day and we mostly laid around...

We did venture out to the worlds largest gift shop to pick up some choice souvenirs...

I think Elliot looks good as a blond...

A great and exhausting time was had by all! I barely made it home in time for church on Sunday...