Easter 2010

Thanks to God, 

we get to celebrate a beautiful holiday known as Easter.  Everything about the day is beautiful.  This Easter has to have been one of my favorites.  It's days like this that make me realize how lucky ,or maybe what I should say is BLESSED, to have the life I live.  The cherry on top was when Brad said he'd go to church with me and he said it all on his own (without any pressuring from me :o)  That just made the day even more beautiful!  My husband sat through one hour of service that was entirely in Spanish and he did it for me!  I was so happy!  All in all, it was a beautiful Easter.  We gave thanks to God for His sacrifice, enjoyed time with family, ate some yummy tostadas, and rummaged through the green grass for some good O'  Easter eggs.

A knock at the door, but no one was there.

All that was left was a basket full of goodies and a BIG O' SMILE.

 

 Scattered eggs brought scattered brains...

 and the sweetest moments.

May the beauty of Easter 

shine with each passing day.

The Million Dollar Question

Today at the Five Moms and a Blog, Tarah posed a very interesting question.

What would you do with a $20 MILLION DOLLAR lottery ticket?

Wow! 20 million dollars!!! I know people say money doesn't buy happiness but it would make life a little easier. There's so much I would want to do, especially for my parents.

The first thing I would do is buy my daddy a brand new car. He hasn't driven anything with a new car smell in 28 years, maybe longer. He's always having car trouble and I always think, wow, if only I could buy him one. He really deserves it.

Then I would buy my parents a beautiful home. Something they could truly call their own, worry free. Not only would I make sure they were mortgage free but also I'd make sure they had water coming out of their ears. You see, my parents' well dried out a couple of years ago and a new well doesn't come cheap. At the age of 66 my daddy must constantly lift heavy buckets of water for everything, in a house of five. Makes me treasure every drop that comes out of my faucets.

As soon as they're settled into their new home and driving in style, I would take them to Costa Rica. They haven't returned in 28 years and in those years my daddy had to miss my grandmother's funeral. Breaks my heart every time I think about it.

They dream of winning the lottery all the time, but they always say the first thing they would do is build my sisters and I new homes and make a family neighborhood. We always joke about. I call that dream the Pochet Compound after my maiden name. It's a lovely thought but I think that might be a little too close for comfort. I love my family but y'all know what I'm talking about.

My dream is to take care of my parents first because no one deserves the goodwill more than them. Their comfort would mean the world to me.

From the Bottom of My Heart - Thank You

Just wanted to write a quick post to say thank you to all of you for leaving me such sweet words of comfort regarding the loss of Petey. Losing someone you love is always hard, but when you hear the kindness coming from others, it seems to cushion the blow. So, thank you all.

Remembering Petey

Saturday morning we lost a very special member of our family. Our little dog of 8 years passed away unexpectedly. Petey had been with us since he was a little pup. I sit here thinking of the many sweet memories I have of him. It's hard to think of him with dry eyes. He was the epitome of goodness & loyalty and he gave me my first role as a mother.

One of the fond memories I have of Petey was when he was brand new to us. Following the care of his birth mother, Maddie, we welcomed him into our home. It was my husband's idea to get a doggie and so, I was all up for it. In the very first days, he would wake up whining in the middle of the night and being in a new home made it understandable. My husband had very early mornings and so not to wake him up, I would slip out of bed and rock Petey back and forth, back and forth until he'd finally fall back to sleep. Then I would gently lay him in his laundry basket cradle. Many times, though, all he wanted to do was play. But I didn't mind it one bit.

Little did I know, he wasn't just going to be a pet, he was going to be a special part of our family and extended family as well. My niece and nephews always asked how Petey was doing and he seemed to be the main attraction with their every visit. He loved his family and was so protective of us. This I knew from the very beginning.

One evening, when he was still just a little pup, he did something I'll never forget. We were outside, just the two of us, when two strange dogs began approaching. I was oblivious to them. All I was thinking was how much I loved this little dog. As I held Petey he began to growl. I had heard him growl before in a playful manner but this time I knew he wasn't in any mood to play. As I turned around, there stood the two large dogs. Petey kept growling til they turned their backs and went the other way. He defended me as if he were a K-9 and I was his partner.

In a way, it was true. We were a team. I taught him how to dance, how to roll over and sit and lay down, and how to put his paw out to say howdy in true gentleman style.

There's a stillness and silence in the air that makes our hearts hurt. Mason knows he's gone to doggie Heaven, but I don't think he really understands. No longer will we be be warned of the arrival of visitors or greeted by his smiling face. He is irreplaceable and will forever be missed.

Rest in peace, Petey. We love you.
{January 15, 2002 - January 16, 2010}

Snow Was in the Air

A week before Christmas, a snow storm came through our neck of the woods and we enjoyed every little snowflake. It kept coming down, burying us 1ft deep. And it lingered.... And lingered.... And lingered..... It's three weeks later and the yard is still patchy with the stuff. I think I've got my fix for this winter.

PS. Today I'm chatting at the Five Moms. Hope to see ya there!

A Special Delivery

Yesterday, we welcomed a new little member into our family. My sister, Danizza, had a beautiful little girl. She's so precious and sweet; and if she didn't have to eat, I'd still be there holding her now.

Unfortunately, her big brother and sister will have to wait til she comes home to meet her. The hospital isn't allowing visitors under the age of 18 as a precaution during the flu season.

We took lots of pictures...

and some video so they could see her in all her glory.

So precious!!!!

I asked them what they thought of their little sister and my niece just simply said with a smile, "I love her."

We love her too and we're so happy she's here.

Going to the Chapel

Last weekend family and friends gathered in Piegon Forge, TN to celebrate the wedding of my sister, Josette and my new brother-in-law, Robbie. We stayed in a beautiful log cabin over looking the Great Smokey Mountains. It was absolutely breathe-taking. Waiting on top of our luxurious beds was a lovely gift of toiletries, along with a picture framed photo, a bag of goodies for the kids and a sweet thank you card. I should have been the one thanking them because the cabin was so beautiful! Each floor had a wrap around porch, a hot tub, and endless ammenities . We stayed on the third floor which was all about fun and games with a pool table, air hockey, foosball, and a tv perfect for some Guitar Hero action.

The fun didn't end there! We even had a theater room to enjoy and an elevator to take us back and forth! The place was pretty amazing! I now know why they call it, It Has It All. It truly did have it all. As I was making my rounds checking the place out, I stumbled upon something totally unexpected and very scary - A BLACK BEAR! I was on the ground level enjoying the view when I saw something moving underneath the deck of the neighboring house.

I literally did a double take. I thought to myself, "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?!!!" YES I WAS!!! I couldn't believe my eyes! It started getting a little closer and closer. Knowing that the deck I was standing on was just a few steps away from a possible bear invasion, I RAN as fast as I could to higher ground, screaming and hollering "A BEAR! A BEAR!". No one believed me until they took a look for themselves. By that time it was fading away into the wilderness. If ever I wished I had a camera, it would have been that exact moment I encountered a bear and lived to tell about it. Just think what could have happened if that bear would have taken a detour towards our cabin. It's certainly a memory I will always remember. Luckily for everyone, the men decided to go on a charcoal run at the time and were not in the middle of grilling when the bear came along. It surely would have come straight towards them. Fortunately, the bear never returned and the men were able to fire up the grill without any WILD interruptions. It was smooth sailing the rest of the evening. We ate. We played. And we relaxed, or at least I tried to relax, in the hot tub. My sister Annette convinced me that it would be totally safe to let our little guys try it out. Honestly, I was so worried and tensed about Mason being in there that I did more stressing than relaxing. But, just like she said, he survived. Morning came and we had a BIG day ahead of us. We were finally going to the chapel. First, we had to make lots of preparations. Of course, I brought along the cake for the great occasion. Thankfully, it made the 3 hr. trip safe and sound. All that was left to do was to stack the tiers and put some final finishing touches and VIOLA, a little bit of batter and icing turned into a wedding cake.

I was so honored that they included me in such a special part of the preparations. Then, as things got marked off the list, we all headed to our rooms and g0t all guzzied up, the women in little black dresses and the men in suits and ties.

But no one looked as beautiful nor more handsome than the bride and groom. They were a site for sore eyes. Off to the chapel we went.

It was a beautiful ceremony followed by a reception at the cabin.

The caterers set out a feast for our eyes.

I know things didn't turn out exactly how my sister had hoped for because of complications, but I hope it gives her comfort to know that as the years go by, those complications seem to fade away and what you will always remember is that moment when the two of you say "I Do".

Congratulations
Josette & Robbie!

Always remember to hold on to the love and respect you share today and you will truly live happily ever after.

Love you both!

God Bless the USA!

I hope everyone had a great time celebrating the 4th of July. We celebrated by watching a good ole game of baseball and rooting for our hometown team, the Hickory Crawdads. Sadly, their opponents, the Hagerstown Suns, were left without a win to celebrate. But nevertheless, it was still the 4th of July and that in itself is still cause for a celebration. We had so much fun! Patriotism was in the air.