Happy Birthday Awburn!!!

Today, my best friend turns 22. Twenty two years ago, on Tuesday, August 25th at 4:55 p.m my life forever changed. My best friend was born. My soul mate was handed to me and my heart quadrupled in size. I think back on the sweet little girl, whose sensitivity, compassion and joy, drew people in. I think back on the timid, laid back, unaware of her beauty, young woman, awed people. I now see a strong willed, independent women still unaware of her beauty. God blessed me with this magnificent person and all I can say is I will, forever, be grateful. She has brought me more joy, love, admiration and happiness that I ever thought possible. And today, on her birthday, I just want her to know that i love her more then she will ever know. I want to thank her for being the grown up when I couldn't be and she is who I wished I could be. My wish for her is that , one day, she will have the awesome experience of having a relationship with her own daughter. Similar to the one that I have with her, because for me, there hasn't been a better gift. I love you Awburn. Happy Birthday, Love Mom.

Summer Cont.: Kalah's b.d

Once we got back from the beach, dove right into getting ready for Kalah's Luau Party. This beautiful girl of mine turned 20 on the 18th and celebrated with a big family and close friend party. Everyone had their Pooka Shells and Leis on along with some brightly colored attire. We had some delicious Hawaiian food (and some not so delicious food) but lots of fun conversation and lots of fun Pina Colada's.
Of course Kalah, making her grand entrance, like only Kalah can, came down stairs looking too cute. I couldn't help but go back to the day she was born: On Monday, July 17th -22 hours prior to her arrival- Awburn and I are at Target (of course) when my water sprung a leak. Went home, called Aunt Laurie, who took me to the hospital. Toby was at a softball game and actually asked if he could stay and finish. ( Needless to say he came pretty quick!) The rest is how I remember it: Contractions started, gave me Demerol to let me and Dr Kramer sleep. Toby went home. He came back sometime in the morning. Dr. Kramer coming in to check on me. Laurie coming by on her lunch hour. Young and Restless playing on the TV. Dr. Kramer coming in to check on me. A nurse insisting on shoving her fist up my crotch. Arguing with the same nurse about using a bed pan. Dr. Kramer coming back to tell me that he will be back to check on me. Same nurse shoving her fist inside of me. Getting an epidural. Dr Kramer telling me its time to push. Pushing twice. Toby telling me that I crapped on the table. Dr. Kramer telling me that we can wait and deliver her at 4:55 like Awburn. (Awburn was born at 4:55 on a Tuesday too.) Me telling him something like " *#@% off" and then him holding up the tiniest, little baby that I had seen. (Keep in mind that she was 7lbs. 15 oz. 20 inches long. Her head measured 13.5 and her chest measured 13.5 but compared to Awburns 8lbs. 1 oz. 20 inches long, head 14 and chest 13.75, Kalah seemed so small.) And, as they say, the rest is history.
Like all my girls, Kalah is truly a gift from God, but there is no doubt that God spared her life in June of '89 for a reason. With each passing day, since and to come, I know that she won't let him down.

LIFE'S A BEACH
I promise that one of these days when Toby and I hit the lotto we are moving to Pismo opening up a RV park. Having a section reserved for "Family Only" and live the life. We have it all planned. Toby and Dickie will be the camp hosts and maintenance people. Laurie and I will run the office and I will be in charge of camp events. Yep, just you wait and see. One of these years you will be making your reservation at "Life's a Beach RV Park".

Didn't get to spend nearly enough time there but had a great time still. Left at 3:oo a.m Saturday arrived about 10 a.m. Left for Avila Beach at 11 and got to the hotel at 4:30. Took showers and realized that I had 2 very fried little girls. Did apply sunscreen but nearly not enough and of course Kalah, my "coppertone baby" INSISTED on using sunoil and fried in it! Went for Pizza at 7:00 and by the time we left at 9:00, Tarin had met her "Summer Love". A 17 year old, mind you, who I thought was 20 and who fell head over heels in love with my baby!!!!




The next morning walked the pier and DJ and Tarin got talked into eating chocolate covered worms







Their faces and the water tell it all.

Pretty much ate, when to the fruit barn,ate, hung out, ate and shopped after that. Left on Tuesday saying "We should've stayed longer", especially when we left and it was only 62 degrees (we even asked them to turn the patio furnaces on as we ate our lunch) and drove back into town with the temperature reading a blazing 113 degrees. That sucked big time!!!

A few more shots of our vacation:

My sweet girls lovin' eachother

and one lovin' her daddy

Toby with hair.

Tarin, Kalah, Dj, Camryn & Cortney

So once again, I find out how easy it is to get behind on these things. I better start with the 4th of July and go from there.



On Thursday the 2nd we went to Seastrand park for the firework show. This is our second year doing this and I have to tell you, I just love it. Everything is pretty kicked back. A band plays and there is always plenty enough food and drinks. Then at about 9:30ish the fireworks start. This isn't a 5 minute deal either. It lasts a good 15 minutes if not more and its all done to music. Last year we lucked out cause our favorite band "Yellow Brick Road" was there. This year was a really good band too, unfortunately I never got their name. They sang a lot of Doobie Brothers, Michael Jackson, Michael McDonald songs. It was Toby, Kalah, Tarin, Tarin's friend, Brandi (my niece) Kylie Jo, Camdyn, Joe and Uncle Bill (daycare kids and their dad and uncle) and myself all there so it was pretty fun. We've been trying to talk Josh, Awburn and Aunt Laurie to join us, but they have yet to venture. Maybe next year. The next morning we left at 5 to head to Bakersfield for the weekend. Had a great time staying with Josh and LeAnn. Went to Crystal Palace for dinner and danced. Kalah had never been so she was happy and of course Tarin loves doing the pretzel with her brother so she was good once she got to do that. Spent the fourth with Dick, Theresa and the gang at their house. Swimming. eating, bbqing, eating, visiting, eating, gossiping, eating and of course the firework show that cousin Andy put on for us. It was a lot of fun but I was exhausted. Came home on Sunday and started getting ready to head back out the next weekend for the beach.

THE MINTER FAMILY TREE

So I am told that you can write just about anything on these bloggy things so I thought I would share the story or our "Family Tree." About 5 years ago there was a little twig that started growing in my planter. I would pull it out and a couple of months later, it would reappear. This went on for about 3 years. Finally I decided I'd put it in KC's side yard and see what happens. With out any direct drip system, to it, that tree grew about 7 ft tall. Well Toby was getting nervous that it was going to get too big so he and his son, Josh, dug it up and pulled it out last April ('08). Well guess what's back and bigger then ever? That's right, the Minter Family Tree. I have taken a piece of it to a nursery to try and find out what kind of tree it is but no one seems to know. We are not sure why it keeps growing, because each time we have pulled it out, we have pulled out the roots and all, but for some reason it grows back. We are not sure what we are going to do with it, but for now it continues to grow and is doing a nice job on shading KC's poop.

GUESS WHAT MISS KANDI GOT????

So got this little pool at Kmart yesterday and the kids had so much fun in it. Amazing what a little water does for bored kids. These are my 4 Musketeers. Katherine, Kylie Jo, Steven and Miss Camdyn. It doesn't take a lot to entertain them (thank God), but they sure enjoyed something new to do.

MY 3 GIRLS

So with the wedding and all that entails coming up, I've been doing a lot of thinking and the other day it hit me that when Kalah comes home, on Wednesday, this will be the last time that all 3 of my girls will be living under the same roof. You figure by the time Kalah moves back, in December, Awburn will be a married woman in her own house. How crazy is that? Where has the time gone? My 3 girls are my life and when I think back on all their firsts and think about all the firsts yet to come, for them, I can only pray that GOD will continue to keep them in his care. I pray that HE will help them remember that they are not sisters by accident but that HE chose the three of them to be sisters. How can anyone mess with that?

To my 3 girls;
"When you find yourself looking for a friend;

When life looks so dark; When you feel that you are all alone;

Remember that there are 2 people who share your blood,

memories and heart and together you have a bond that could

not and SHOULD not be broken. Remember how blessed you are that you have one another. That is my prayer."

Love, Mom.