Spring time

Kids love to jump...
Shua looks like he is suspended on a hanger or on the wall...
Guess, Jim will have to show him some parkour moves next time he sees him - he loves to jump!
Kozak or spread eagle - practicing for some skiing tricks (only on Wii)
the only Tulips left in my garden from 5 years ago. The bugs has gotten a better of my bulbs this time.
Sweet!!!

It's been warming up in Oregon - we've finally seen the yellow orb! Nothing exciting has been going on here lately. We have the usual, boy scout, after school activities and house work routine. We took it easy last weekend and didn't do much. We did check out a nearby nursery since our yard is in dire need of some life and color. Well, I guess moss has life but Pat prefers them out of our yard.

Also, Shua had his first sleepover on Saturday. His friend Lola stayed with us overnight. The two has been begging us since last year so we decided to finally agree. The two had so much fun, they stayed up til almost midnight. They rode their bikes, jumped around in the backyard, climbed the tree, played wrestling, pillow fights and made a fort in his bedroom where they were suppose to sleep but decided that the couch is more comfy. They woke up at 7AM and played Wii Ski and Snowboard then had a big breakfast before we headed out to church. His first sleepover did not exhaust me at all, it was a good distraction and for once we didn't have to do all of that with him.

My birthday has been nice too. A couple of my girlfriends took me out for coffee in the morning and then one made me a nice lunch. In the evening Pat made us a tasty dinner and we all shared a fudge cake. Then, we all went to bed early. We had a light dinner and a good night sleep. It was really nice. My boys are the best!

Birthday on Rocket day

Lift off!
Ready for the next flight...
Birthday boy with the scouts.

Pat's birthday was really low key this time. We had a lot going on with the scouts. They watched the Trailblazer vs Mavericks game and stayed overnight at the Rose Garden with the scouts. Pat said that they only had less than 3 hours of sleep that night. On Saturday, they slept most of the morning and then we headed out to a birthday party in the afternoon. Sunday, we went to mass in the morning then headed out to the school field with the scouts again for Rocket day. Needless to say there was little time spent on celebrating Pat's birthday. Shua and I made him pancakes for breakfast and ordered pizza for dinner. Really lame but that was what he asked for - low key and no fuss! I did go out to lunch with him on Monday which was really nice - so got to squeeze in a little one on one time.

Happy Easter!

Family

It was great to be with family in New York. We had such a wonderful time. I couldn't decide on which one is my favorite but after browsing through over 800 pictures, I realized that the one that captivates my heart is the ones with family. I am thankful to be part of such a wonderful family. The Caraher's rock! Love you all and miss you already!

Pictures will be posted soon!

Happy Birthday!

Today is Katie's 1st birthday and also my brother Richie's 29th birthday. Well, actually his birthday is March 19 which is tomorrow for us here but for him it is already 19th Philippines time.

It's sunny outside and I think I should celebrate it with a big smile. Smiles has been rare here lately, just too stressed out and bummed about things and stuff...but I decided to move on and be happy!

I can't wait to be with family in New York, it's always great to connect with them and catch up. One more night of sleep and New York here we come!

Caught

I had my first experience of being pulled over by a cop today. It felt terrible and I guess in some ways at least I knew why I was being pulled over so that took the nervousness a bit. I was caught doing 50mph on a 35 mph speed limit. I don't speed typically because I am just too scared to do so but today I was trying to merge to the left and the lady in front was too slow and the lady behind her didn't want me to get in, so in the great scheme of things - I acted stupidly and decided to just pass both of them and speed up. I got what I wanted, I did end up on the left lane only to see a cop hiding behind a bush ready to pull me over - ah so frustrating! I knew he was going to go after me so, I once again changed lane to the right and this time people were nice enough to free up a space for me so the cop can talk to me and hand me the $242 speeding ticket - NICE!

At least the cop even complimented me for having a very clean record - first offense and I hope never to have another. I just wonder how much it will cost for those who frequently get caught. Ah now my day is shaky and I do feel bad about the ticket. I guess I'll have to pass on buying a new cross training shoes and pea coat for another year. That's what I get for my lack of better judgment. Darn!