11/43

Cryptic huh? So what do those numbers mean? Well the first is this: 11 years. 4015 days. 96,360 hours. You get the idea. That's how long I've been married to this man. My lobster. Why lobster? Friends moment: Phoebe explaining that lobsters stay with the same mate for life. Well it took me 2 husbands and quite a few broken hearts to find my lobster. I'm his butter. Get it? Haha! Anyway, through the ups and downs, ins and outs, joys and sorrows, we managed to hang in there and have a better marriage now than I ever thought we would. Now don't get me wrong. This man drives me NUTS. And I don't mean in like a mad passionate way. I mean, he makes me INSANE. But he also balances me out. When I am stressed he knows how to calm me down. When I need a hug, he sees that. He is the bread to my butter and the breath to my life. This darling Irish boy. And I adore him. So that being said, happy 11th anniversary my adorable McFly.

Now on to the 43. Well I'm sure you can guess. I turned 43 this year. I must be getting old because I actually forgot it was my birthday this month. Sad I know. So I look in the mirror and I see this girl (Yes I still see a girl) and think, I look tired, I look out of shape. But I don't look 43. Do I? And while I stand there picking my 43 year old ass apart I stop. And I think, hey dammit, this 43 year old body has been through A LOT! I've been married 3 times. This lovely body has given birth to not one but TWO sets of twins and 3 single births. 6 Boys and one girl. This body has ran, bungee jumped twice, suffered many spills on my dirt bike with my brother (ah the life of a tomboy), been hit by a line drive by the biggest 10 year old girl I've ever seen. This heart has been broken more times than I care to count. I've survived on little or no sleep and managed to function. This body kept me going when my diet was crappy and I got little or no exercise. And I realize at 43, that maybe I need to give myself a break. I look damn good considering. And hey, I'm still alive and kicking. Still got some get up and go in me. I'm funny as hell, I have a wonderful family, great friends that fill my life with joy and laughter. All in all, 43 is OK. Plus if I can still give my 17 year old son a piggy back ride, I think I'm doing great.
Anyway, enough about me. We were very happy to have my brother return safely from overseas and even happier that he was able to come home again for a longer visit. As always, he looked fantastic and we were able to spend some great family time together. We all had a great cooking lesson from my step-mother Licia on how to make papusas from her native Guatemala. Yummy!!

Vincent got a lesson on self-defense courtesy of my brother. And the kids got a kick out of seeing Uncle Beto take their big brother down. And some great family pictures. I can't believe how much my dad and brother look alike. I am so proud of all that my brother has accomplished and what an amazing guy he has turned out to be. I also had to opportunity to introduce him to a group of ladies at Scrap Diva who regularly organize care packages shipped to soldiers overseas. I couldn't be prouder to introduce this man as my younger brother who now towers over me.School is back in and we are enjoying our first break of the year. Yes, we have one of those wacky school districts where we get breaks every couple of months. But I love having some time off with these boys. It has been unbearably hot and we are all anxious for Autumn to arrive. 105 in the end of September? Seriously? UGH!

Looking forward to a productive weekend. Pictures, sewing, crafting. Anything to keep my hands busy and the creative juices flowing. It's been too long since I took my camera out and I need to hit the city again soon. Maybe Chinatown, maybe North Beach. But I am headed over the bridge to some hopefully cooler weather. Wish me luck! Have a great weekend!!