this girl

 allie and antonio Cancun 2012

this girl was actually the second baby I ever witnessed being born up close

this girl is all laughter and light...until she becomes the moodiest person on the planet

this girl is kindhearted and easily offended

this girl is just beginning

this girl turned my wild sister into a mother at 19

this girl has given me a taste of motherhood...and yeah, i'll pass:)

this girl is loved

 today I am celebrating her and my sister as they both achieve one of life's finest milestones.

straight outta tucson

Oro Valley to be exact. Enjoying a loud, fun, raucous, insane, delicious, hilarious holiday with my family. All of us in one big house. The good times are almost over though...we're coming back tomorrow and the home stretch begins bright and early Monday morning. Hope you're having as much fun.

roadtrips and trees

So, I am off to enjoy a few days of fine family fun. Looking forward to it since this may be the last time we are all together for a little while. Don't want to get all weepy...but this girls voice is making me bawl. Makes me think of my grandfather and how much I miss him.

One of my favorite memories is unpacking all the Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving while my mom baked and my grandfather and I would dance. He was over 6 feet so it was awkward...but fun, oh so fun.

On to happier fare...






don't know why but I'm really into Christmas trees right now. In addition to the idea on my previous post, I found two more ideas here. I love that these would work if you're going low budge this year or just don't have the space or time to do it up big. Wouldn't it be nice to have a few of these of varying sizes in different areas? My furniture won't arrive until the 15th so that will give me enough time to try at least one of these ideas.

back

I am finally back from my whirlwind trip to Argentina and it was fabulous. Although I am happy to be home, Buenos Aires is an amazing city. I was also surprised at how captivated the people were by our politics. The first question we were asked by a waiter in a small cafe upon finding out we were American...

"McCain or Obama?" Well, you know my answer...interestingly enough...he agreed. I could go on and on about everything I saw...but since I'm back to work...I'll just leave you with a visual sampling:


What I loved about Argentina:

The nightlife. Things are just getting started at 10:00pm.

The Architecture

The Cafes

The view from Todd's balcony.

Tango.

The Antique Fair.

Just being with my family. Thanks guys for the trip of a lifetime.

I'm here...

...and it's fabulous. It's such a cosmopolitan city and my brother lives in an area of Buenos Aires that reminds me a great deal of the West Village in NYC. It's not too far from the capital building which is an architectural beast. Although it's spring here the air is crisp so it feels just like fall. He has done so much to his home. I will definitely have to share pictures when I get back. It looks like something that could be featured in a magazine with stainless steel features and exposed brick walls. My favorite part is the rooftop balcony complete with fire pit.

Ciao for now

wide open spaces

Arizona is definitely the land of wide open spaces, breathtaking sunsets and my sister. I've been here for a while now and although I'm ready to go home, it has been amazing. My sis lives in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains and so far I've seen a tarantula and all manner of desert creatures. It's hot, I won't lie and there have been a few crazy thunderstorms but it sure beats hurricane weather. My plans were to spend this week in central Louisiana, but work issues required that I stay a bit closer to home. Good thing since I would have had to do some major battle with mother nature just to get a flight out. I guess everything happens for a reason. I will be back soon and so will regularly scheduled programming.

till then
xo