Where have I been you ask? I have been insanely busy at work, sometimes working 12 hour days and keeping just as busy on the weekends. Here’s the rundown in a nutshell:

WORK
The economic conditions are tough on everyone right now. That’s a given. However, I still have sales numbers to meet so I am getting A LOT of pressure from upper management to make these numbers which means there have been many long, stressful nights at work. So stressful that on one occasion I just came home and cried. It felt good to let it all out.

PLAY
We have kept very busy on the weekends. Throughout the past few:
- I went to a 1st birthday party for my high school friend’s little boy Louis. She had a circus theme and went ALL out. Tubs of animal crackers, candy apples, face painters, popcorn and games, oh my! I went solo since my poor husband wasn’t feeling well that entire weekend. I had a great time and I’m sure little Louis did too.

- Gerric and I met up with our good friends The Gardners for a picnic in the park. Kay spoiled us with fresh chicken salad sandwiches (which she made of course), Kettle potato chips and Crush orange soda. It was a perfect afternoon. We finished it off with dessert at Pinkberry. Raffaella is getting so big and too cute for words. Her little personality is definitely starting to develop. She is precious.
- I met up with my Mom, 2 sisters and my niece and nephew for breakfast at Grounds. It was something that my eldest sister thought of doing. There was no particular reason, just some time to sit, drink some coffee and catch up. It was perfect.

- My sisters and I planned a surprise birthday party for our only brother, who turned 40 on March 22nd. We really wanted him to have a memorable birthday with his closest friends and family so even though we were planning everything last minute, I think it was really a lovely evening and one that my brother will remember always. We had dinner at Pane E Vino in the city of Brea. As much as “surprise parties” are not always truly a surprise, this one was. I think my brother was genuinely surprised. It was so amazing being able to see him so happy. Happy Birthday to him. - Last weekend, I celebrated a birthday myself (March 29th). It started on Friday with a nice celebration at work and continued on Saturday with a BBQ with my close friends and family at our house. The weather was really on our side that day as the sun was shining and there was a nice breeze. Everything was perfect. I had a great time and I loved nothing more than being surrounded by those I love most….and the good food didn’t hurt either! :) Thank you to everyone that helped to bring this together. Happy birthday to me!

That's me on my 1st birthday!

Thank you to my friends Mike and Ruby for buying me these adorable cookies as my favors. They were a hit!

So here I am again…all caught up. April is going to be a busy month. I actually just got home today after working all day (it's almost 4pm). I have a one day trip to New York on the 13th. That evening, I fly from New York to Panama for a week. I’m not looking forward to that trip whatsoever but here’s hoping it’s a successful trip. Then I have my husband’s birthday at the end of the month to look forward to. That should be really fun.

So that’s it in a nutshell! Whew! It feels good to be all caught up. :)