Check. Check. One. Two.

Heyyyy Yoooooo...

And the crowd yells back....heyyyyy yoooo--

Where you been girl?  Ah, just put a oxygen mask on for a few days.

(no worries kids, our phones were still buzzin' and our emails were still flowing in and out...that's just life for us)

Did ya miss me?

Yea...no?  haha jk

Nah, not really.  I'm not popular like that.  But I can kinda imagine you're all just wondering how the heck our week away was.  

Ahhhmazzing.  And so needed.

I'll say (but don't tell Kris and Kali-jussst kiddin' they will always be happy for us) that our Easter Sunday was the best tucked away in the boat in our favorite cove with highs at 95, cold water, cold beers and blue mountains was everything that my best friend and I needed.  And deserved.

I haven't laughed that hard in years.  We had nothing fancy. We had no dinner to attend.  

Sure we missed our kids (kinda-lol) 

Sure we missed the traditional food served on such a beautiful day.

Sure we missed the cute little Easter dresses and outfits (not really, because we were in sundresses and bathing suits, lined with sunblock and big hugs and kisses)

Easter.

So different.  So beautiful.

I'll spare you the photo shoot in our cove.  Pretty much deleted after roaring with laughter the next day.  Like, what happened?! 

And then the week rolled on with kind of the opposite of what we had in our minds.

The best part was not having plans. For us.

No pressures. No schedules.  

Me:  We need to ride our bikes every day. 

Bill:  Yes, we do!

Reality: Rode bikes once.

Me:  We need to work out every day.

Bill:  Honey, for sure, it will make us feel so good, trust me!

Reality: Worked out once.

Me:  We need to cook healthy meals at home

Bill:  We always do though.

Reality:  Cooked breakfast, but not dinners-not once.

We gardened. (finally got my olive trees)

Got in trouble for over watering and staining the concrete. HAHAHA!

So you come home with a full heart.  A guilty cholesterol level. 

A liver that is probably swollen. But healin' up nicely, so don't fret for us kids.

Full hearts.

Le' Fruits Of Our Hard Labor.

That's what that week was.

I need to eat almonds for the entire rest of this week.  I can't stand sideways in the mirror naked right now ---cringgggee.  ew.

Full souls.

Sure we woke up with the butterflies we always endure when running a company.  Sure we cringed every time the shop called, because nothing surprises us these days-  

BUT, as always they handled it like champs.  Making us proud by Friday.  Goals met, and nobody got hurt. LOL. 

Both kids were gallivanting in Stagecoach.  A place that holds a LOT of fun for both of them.
Thank you to my tribe for taking such good care of Kali and Grant.
To those that kept my big birdie Kris safe, thank you!
To Maura for watching his doggo's.  You are one heck-of-a-girl...xo

Madison 276 Months
Kali Mae 275 Months

HAHA! Cute little cowgirls...

They've got some great connects there-Holla!!! Rox (Queen of Spoil Thee Children), Shell and Maria- so their environment is nothing short of a GOOD DAMN TIME.  And for that I am so happy!   

(Kris can't count on his hands how many reminder messages his mom sent about NOT sharing ANYTHING....) he replies with "Mom, I know I fist bump and wear my bandana".  LOL. Whew.

So glad someone invented bandana's.  HAHAHAHA!

Anyway kids.  I missed ya. 

Can't wait to jump back on the blogging train.  

My desk wasn't as bad as my mind told me it would be. (Again, THANK YOU TEAM!)

Some customers actually left nice messages about "hope you're having fun, you guys deserve it"-

All of this to say, EVERY hour and every minute was worth it.

"It's always better when we're together"

Keep it real, and stay away from the evil ones.

To you Bill, you make my world a brighter place.

It Takes Two

Keep it spicy, keep it good.

Mozy-the most spoiled kitten in Seal Beach-

Just be kind.

This Mama Lisa

Happy Birthday to Mike --  He would have been 52 today.  Gone too soon, but he's hopefully up in the Heavens making them all laugh.  Sitting with his wife.  Doing what they loved to do.  Being together. Giving all the animals he ever had, so much love.  Still have his ashes and the kids and I are pondering on when and where to spread them.  I said the trail he loved so much to go find lizards. Kris said the ocean.  Thank you for giving me two amazing birdies.  Forever grateful. 

A Picture And Its Worth.

Lets file this one under [find a way to fix my moms forehead from the tear off]

You know when you remove pictures from frames from years past, there's a high chance they're not going to come out with 100% ease. 

Such is the case here.

My mom didn't care.

She took this 8X10 out of the frame, and slid it into her youngest daughters birthday folder.

Here Lisa, have a piece of our life. 

Memories.

The days a photographer in an  RV would make his way around Westminster capturing families in front of their homes.  This particular home held some weird memories, that's for sure. 

But some goodness came out of it.

As most of our childhood.

This being no different.

I can remember this like it was yesterday.

More proof that we held it all together.

Well, they did.

For us.

Nineteen seventy five.

The Trabue's. 

Holding onto love.

To vows.

To making the best.

For us.

For them.

In this picture, notice my moms necklace.

Found under the Seal Beach pier by my dad.

Strands of shells, little beads..and coral. 

She wore it for years. Never taking if off.

Memories.

Family of four. 

Mike, Pam, Tina and Lisa.....

You better believe I'll find a way to have my mom's forehead fixed.  I see myself in my mom. I see my dads handsome eyes, hair and body.  Same goes for my mom.

It's why they fell in love.

It's why they held on tight, even through the hardest months and years.

For us.

Get ready for my pictures kids.

They're good.

Oh, so good.

Hope your Monday went off without a hitch.  As for me and my bunny Bill...we snuck away for a much needed breather.  A place that refills our reason behind hardwork. 

Fruits of thy labor...as they say. 

Much needed time alone.

Together.

I hope you find as much joy in old pictures as I do.

There's a lot of worth in my humble chubby faced opinion.

And my nose looked so small.

womp. 

ps.  And if you've called, texted or sent a message I left my charger at home and so, as irony would have it, I am not attached to my phone as I normally am. 

I am still working remotely, just not staring at random customers, and shuffling paper and numbers as I do on the daily.

Can I get a helllyaaa??

Helllllyaaaa.

This Mama Lisa 

Peace To You On Easter.

With love,

This Mama Lisa

Lisa's Gratitude.

Happy Good Friday friends...

Gratitude.

Forty Nine. 

My birthday was one of the best ones in a very very long time.

And you wanna know why?  

No plans turned out to be the best plans.

Which meant a manicure with my littlest.  Topped with a lunch at The Boathouse.

Arriving home to see Kris and the doggo's on the patio. 

Sitting out on the dock together.  After a very long strange week with Kris feeling poopy, we all sat in the warm sun.  

Together.

To be told later that dad had planned a dinner at 7:00pm at one of my favorite places around.

And there we were. 

Our little family of 4.

In a car, headed to Captain Jacks.

Together.

Staring at my birdies faces in that dim lit restaurant.  Eating good food.

Alive.

Smiling back at their mama. 

Abiding by my wish to not sing, and do not tell them it's my birthday.

Just to be together.

What a day.

To my family and friends whom sent cards. I sat on the couch and read and touched every single one. 

I laughed at some, and teared up with others.  

My parents sent my request of childhood pictures.  I sat in awe.  Taking me back to the seventies, and through the eighties. 

Laughing at my bucked teeth, and not so perfect bang-trimmed hair cuts.  

My favorite shirts as a little girl.  The small little Avon pennants you'd stick on your clothes and could snap a little compartment open and put the creamy perfume on.  

The Easter dresses we wore.

The homemade dresses by my moms bestfriend at the time Julie Douglas-

To my friends and family that actually called and left voicemails singing to me...I love you. Forever.

Roxanne, you are a gem.  I filed that voicemail away for a rainy day.  

My brother-in-law Wayne dropped off a beautiful mermaid and balloons at my desk, sending me a message the day of "you played hooky today!"--yes, I did. 

My niece put together the most beautiful homemade bouquet, dropping that with the sweetest card.

LOVE.

Our traditional birthday dinner with the Six-Pack-

Forty Nine feels good.  It feels tired, but it feels content.  It feels scared, and yet it feels ready.

The next forty nine will be a blessing to be allowed to see more of this great planet.  Or if I can't explore the planet, to just be with those that I love, and those that love me back.

Thank you, thank you....with all of me, thank you---

I love you Bill, Kris and Kali... you are my everything.  Til the end of time.  

This Mama Lisa 

Back to the grind....

Here's an example of some daily tasks I tackle-  Lid arrived at my customer in VA, pretty much destroyed.  

WOMP-WOMP.  

Is it time for a vacation??!!!  I chink sooooooooo

Whiskey, served "Neat", will in fact bite yo ass the next day......so take notes kids.

Come on big FIVE OHHHH.   

Skirtttt Skirrrttttt...................................................later nerdzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Selfishness? Self Care.

 

Tomorrow at 4:29am I turn forty nine.

I am taking the day off.

It feels selfish.

It feels worth it. 

It feels good.

It feels like walking into another day.

Kris is sick again.  Back to the doctors we went yesterday.  Shortness of breath.  Lost 5 more pounds. Body cramping up.  Fingers, legs and arms the most.  

These nurses and doctors go down their list of "could-be's" and suggestions for the cramping (he's possibly lacking nutrients *duh*)  His lungs look rather clear, yet he can hardly walk from one section to another without sitting down to catch his breath. 

Argument ensued as we made our way back to the car because when I get anxious and worried I tend to nag.  I want him to be away from sick people, and sick people to be away from him. I want those that visit him shouldn't come over sick.  I want him to go to the gym and yet I want him to wear a mask and WASH HIS GAWDDAMNHANDSBETTER.

I drove home with him mad at me. 

Me mad at the situation.

#boyinabubble

I tell the doctors what I want done. What I think is the culprit as they hastily take notes.

He's cramping because he's dehydrated. 

One oncologist says to take one less Tacrolimus (anti-rejection med)

While the other says go to ER.

One nurse who've I respect for her duties in treating us, is becoming more and more of a beyatch.  

#timetoretirelady

#youdontknowhowitfeelsuntilitsyourkid

#watchoutforthatmom

I am taking a day off.

Another year around the sun and moon.  Another year to express my wishes to those that ask. A birthday.  When in reality, I just want peace.

I am taking the day off. 

It feels selfish.

To leave my work load for others to take messages.

It feels weird.

And yet it's very much needed right now.

There's a special vibe in the air on your birthday. A day OF you.  For you.  Made just for you.  And to be able to wake again is a gift. 

Some do not get this chance.

And so I will take the day for me.  I'll do my walk and pray.  I'll slowly emerge into my day. 

I'll text my son over and over checking on fever and body cramps.

It's a day of reflecting back to all the former birthdays.  The year I had a Easter Bunny cake.  Thank you mom!  Another cake was her famous chocolate cake.  One year Bill had my family come up and surprise me at the lake.  One year I cried all day.  Year before last I think I woke up at the lake and Bill had a massage set up for me.  

I am taking the day off.

  If you've sent me a card I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  They're tucked into my purse to open quietly while sipping coffee so I can soak it up. 

Pray for my boy.

Be grateful for your health kids.

It is not something everyone is blessed with.

This Mama Lisa 

Forty Nine. 

Five foot probably 3" now.

Nose still growing.

Loves Yogurtland.

Loves a good dirty martini.
Loves good cheese.
And good red wine.
Doesn't sleep well.

Weighs more than she has ever.  But hey, my spine, shoulders and heart have held alot.

Loves long walks on the beach alone. 

Loves to people watch.

Loves to see people laugh. 

Loves to see love.

More than anything....Loves her babies, and loves her Bill. 

The most.

Happy Birthday to my fellow Aries....

Cheers big ears!

A day I will waive my right to answer many phone calls, emails and paper shufflin'...

See ya on the flip-side Thursday Mo-Fo's!

xoxo

Can I get an AMEN?  Amen.............

A.M.E.N.

If you know, you know....

Happy Anniversary to my Aunt and Uncle Trabue...

Your love is admirable.

Pictures.

My parents ask me every year what I want for my birthday.

Seems so weird and rude to say a Range Rover. 

Just kidding.

Because even if I said Range Rover my parents would most likely stare at eachother and say...wha..?

Now if I said, a Tieeeeyyota, as my dad says, they'd say, "oh Lisa, good car, excellent 4WD traction".

None of these conversations ever exist between my parents.

When we talk lately, it's mostly about weather. 

They hate the rain, then they hate the hot weather.

LOL.

Deep down I always think when people ask, or while I see candles being lit, I would wish to see my birdies well, and safe.  To see them happy and at peace.  The world is a cruel place, and sickness and the cloud it leaves behind has now brought me to "wishing" for wellness.  And safety.

Birthdays aren't the material hype these days. 

Give me life.

Give me smiles from those I love and take care of.

Give me good labs.

Give me good interviews.

Give me good laughter. 

For those that know me will say, she doesn't like to be sung to. I don't do attention like that well at all.  Also, don't try to throw me a surprise party, because it will most likely backfire than glow with a happy fire. LOL.  

I love messages.  I love notes.  I love cards.  I love the fact that on my actual birthday, people think of me.  That my young parents drove to a hospital to give me life.  I didn't have a name for a few days.  But according to my mom today in a message that read:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lisa, you were the EASIEST BABY to raise (insert baby head emoji)-Always had a big smile (insert another smiley emoji) for everyone. Happy baby Lisa.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I can remember for as long as I can reminisce back of making myself happy, along with trying to make others happy.  Riding my bike for hours and hours...dreaming of making something for myself one day.

My reply to my parents' request this year is to just send me baby pictures.

Childhood.

Pictures of us. Me with them.  Them with me. Anything. 

Childhood. 

In the 70's and the 80's.

Boy, one day I'll share more of my childhood.  For now, I'll keep the moderate life in the forefront.

Parents. 

Albeit, no one has a perfect one. They gave their best.

And the perfect gift for my soul this year is to see myself happy.

The peace maker of the home.

I love when she tells me happy stories of me.

I am lucky to be here.  I am lucky to blow more candles out.

I pray God keeps my family safe.

I pray that I am able to be just as strong as I was last year, and the year before that....

I pray I have the wisdom to read through other humans evil sides, versus loaning my trust out so easily.

I pray I am able to dress up grandbabies in Halloween costumes someday.....

I pray I can help others survive through shit creeks.  

That I can share fun times with family at the lake.....

To some day be a shotgun rider in one of these bad boys....  Gives me chills!

I pray I continue to have my girlfriends through the storms in this life....

For this man right here has shown me what love is.

He carries patience when I don't.

He loves me with my flaws. With my fears. With my feisty tood' somedays.

"I love the way you love me Bill"

Love always wins.

Can't wait to see the pictures my mom and dad have dropped in the mail to their littlest bird in the family.  As my dad calls me, #2.

Well, okay then. 

Almost Forty Nine. 

This Mama Lisa

Truth.

Another lesson in practicing kindness. 

For me, it's patience.

I lack patience. 

Happy Truth Thursday.  

Kindness matters, 

Lisa Lynn

ps.  Had a customer read off her email yesterday and added the underscore _ nonsense.

Lisa, be nice. 

okay.