my life in pictures

well, not really. just a fun mosaic about me!!

QUESTIONS:
1. What is your name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What is your hometown?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. What is your favorite movie?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What is one word to describe yourself?
10. How are you feeling right now?
11. What do you love most in the world?
12. What do you want to be when you grow up?



here were my silly answers:
1. jeannette
2. flautas
3. fremont, ca
4. pink sparkles (tee hee!)
5. duh
6. note the purple straw. this is not from starbucks. ice blended yumminess from the coffee bean.
7. paris
8. strawberries and raspberries smothering a small scoop of vanilla. this was as close as i could get.
9. giggles !!
10. tired. i was going to say pregnant...but more tired right now.
11. love love love <3
12. my answer has always been: a mommy

DIRECTIONS:
- Go to Google image search.
- Type in your answer to each question.
- Choose a picture
- Use this website ( http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php ) to make your collage.
- Save the image for use in this note.

totally. spoiled. rotten.

i met up with my mommy yesterday to get a bit of early birthday celebrating in, and man we know how to have fun!! please keep in mind that fun while pregnant means something a bit different to all!!

we started off by seeing monsters vs. aliens. my mommy picked it out and i went along thinking it would be another cute kid movie. also, it was in 3-d which didn't excite me much. growing up, i couldn't understand how kids were viewing things in 3-d with those annoying red and blue glasses. my eyes are kinda jacked up, so every time i tried to peer into the glasses, i either saw a totally blue or totally red screen and missed out on all the OOOOHHH and AHHHHH moments. the glasses for this movie are clear which makes for a very excited netties!! i was able to view my first movie in 3-d and felt like a kid again. or as always. :)

after that, we headed over to palo alto to do some major shopping. nordy's likes to reward good shoppers with gift certificates, so naturally, that's where we started. i found some cute yet inexpensive scarfs and lots of comfy shirts in BP. i was about to pay when my mommy stepped in and said she'd pay because it was my birthday present. happy birthday to me!!

we had a ball at the perfume counter even though my crazy sense of smell was in full force. we found my mom a great bvlgari scent that reminds me of her putting on paris while getting ready for an outing. they're so similar and rosey; i just loved smelling it!! i got the newer juicy scent as it was something i could stomach, at least for the day.

we also got some essentials at victoria's secret, kiehl's, and of course sprinkles!! i honestly don't think i've eaten a cupcake since i've been pregnant, and it was great to enjoy one for dessert. i split a red velvet and peanut butter chip since i can never decide between the two. oh cupcakes, how i've missed you!!

all in all, it was an incredibly fun and girly day, but i was beat by the end. i didn't end up napping, but i feel like i'm totally unprepared for kids if i can't even take care of myself after a day of shopping!! granted, i'm not a big shopper to begin with, but goodness gracious me. how will i handle things with multiple kids?? the older i get, the more i appreciate my mom and how she was able to do it all. :)

my grandma's obituary

i'm not sure why, but the local newspaper took out the line about her being the happiest person in the world. i'ma go down there and smack em!! anyway, here's what the fam put together about my granny. and yes, the .5 great grandchild is my baby boy. :)

Jeanne Eva Wilson (85), formerly of San Lorenzo passed away on Wednesday, April 8, 2008. Jeanne's big heart got too tired and finally let go. She is survived by her loving children, daughters: Eileen Boyce (Ken), and Mary Ann Bryant (Jeff), and her son Rob Wilson (Beth), six grand children: Stacy, Jeremy, Jeannette, Erik, Caitlin and Megan, 4½ great grandchildren: Sienna, Landon, Audriana, Warren and one on the way. Jeanne is also survived by her recently deceased sister, Betty Mann's, children: Julie, Denise and Debbie. Jeanne was born on Feb 29, 1924 and as a leap year baby officially celebrated her 21st birthday last year with her first "legal" drink alongside her legal grandchildren. She grew up in Oakland attending Oakland Tech High School (Wildcats) where she made and kept many lifetime friends. Her maiden name was Katz so she was literally a wildkatz. She married Jim Wilson in 1947 and they eventually settled in San Lorenzo where they raised their family. Jeanne led an active life including teaching swimming to adults until 2007. She worked for 50 years as a swimming instructor for the City of San Leandro, and was recognized for 65 years with the Red Cross as a swim instructor. Jeanne was also recognized with a presidential citation for teaching swimming to military nurses during WWll. She loved to travel and took many trips to Hawaii and Europe including visiting relatives in Belgium and France. She was also quite a talented artist with her watercolor paintings gracing many homes. Jeanne loved her family and friends, and took great pleasure in her interactions with them. She was a very special lady who left behind wonderful memories for those who knew her. Jeanne requested that a memorial service not be held. This request and her obituary are just like Jeanne, a lack of self-importance with a good dose of humor. Donations in her name may be made to the American Red Cross.

it is with a very heavy heart that i blog about my grandmother's death.

as i blogged below, she had made this total 180 degree turn after being admitted to the hospital on sunday when she was told she only had a few hours to live. yesterday, my mom came over to mountain view to hang out with me for the day. we knew my granny's friends and some more family members were visiting along with a few more tests, so we decided to give others some time to be with her now that she was up, talking, and very happy.

actually, our first item of business was to get a mani/pedi. the moment my mom picked out her color, her phone rang. it was the discharge nurse at the hospital telling my mom that my granny was being released and asking when could she pick her up. my mom just said, "well, i'm out with my daughter now, so i'll have to call you back when we can figure out a few more details." we also thought that there was no way she should be released so early, so we decided that wednesday would be a better day for her.

this morning, right as my auntie and uncle went to pick her up from the hospital, she complained to the nurse that she was feeling short of breath. a few minutes later, she stopped breathing and peacefully went to heaven.

i wanted to take some time to remember one of the most important ladies in my life, and the wonderful things she did that made her my wonderful grandma.

*she would make red cabbage special for me because she knew i was a weirdo who would eat it all up.

*i'd always call and say, "it's your favorite graaaanddaaaaaughter!!" and she always knew it was me. :)

*she came to all the grandkid events and always supported us. she used to take pictures at my swim meets or water polo games and make copies for me by the next day.

*she was born on leap year day, and just turned "21" last year. my brother, cousin, and i took her out for her first "legal" drink that night. someone from the local newspaper came and wrote a story about it, and the waitress asked for her I.D. she loooved it!!

*she reminded us of how things were when times were tough and how well we have it now. she also reminded us of our past and what sacrifices our family made to be where they are today. a little past helps define who you are today, and i won't forget that.

*she always gave us money at christmas, but the best part was it always came in some really cheesy container. this year, she gave the girls little jeweled purses that i kept on my dresser.

*her house always smelled like gardenias, and for the longest time, she had the most amazing raspberry bush in her backyard. when i was younger, she'd give me a bowl and have me pick some fruit for her. i'd always come back with a red face and half a bowl since i liked raspberries the most.

*she knew what made her happy. she loved random hole in the wall dim sum places or some ice cream for dessert every night. she said ice cream every night made her happy all day long.

*she loved having me over to spend the night when i was little. my mom would throw me on bart when i was like 7, and i'd ride up to her station and she'd take me out for dinner and we'd have little slumber parties.

*i loved going shopping with her and my mom. we'd go out for a nice lunch and a stroll through nordy's where i'd proclaim to everyone that we were triplets.

*she taught swim lessons/classes with the red cross for 50 years, and i always remember her taking me to her classes when i was younger. she used to teach classes to ladies her age, and it was always a hoot and a holler with her.

*she travelled more than anyone i knew, and could count each and every time she went to hawaii...which i believe we figured out was 17 times.

*she used to play music from the 40's or 50's on her old radio when she'd make me breakfast in the morning.

*she told me that if i didn't sweat the small things in my marriage, i'd be the happiest wife.

*she really loved everything about life and always was laughing, helping others grow, giving, and loving.

some of the last things i'll remember about her was from the day we spend with my mommy on sunday. we stayed at the hospital pretty much all day. she went from not being able to communicate to talking to us be the evening. my mommy and i chatted next to granny while she was resting, and every now and then granny would pipe up and we'd ask her some questions. we bought her a little stuffed animal which she loved and gave lots of kisses to. hee hee!! we also made sure to give her a few pieces of chocolate when nobody was around and my granny thanked us profusely. when we were leaving, i told her to relax and pretend she was on the beach, just relaxing. she got the biggest smile and later told my aunt that she had great dreams of hawaii. :)

on a final note, my auntie had a great little story to share with me. when i was younger, my aunt apparently said something about how sad she was the my cousin meggie wouldn't get to meet my grandfather who had passed away the year before. i was 8 at the time and said, "don't worry, auntie...grandpa is in heaven picking out the right baby for you." today my auntie told me that my granny was up in heaven, picking out the right baby for me. :D

feeling very thankful...

i received a call from my dad very early on sunday morning, telling me that my grandma had been rushed to the hospital. he also told me that the doctors said she wouldn't make it through the day. james was such a dear sweetheart and drove us quickly to castro valley to visit with my granny before it was too late.

from my understanding, she had pressed her life alert button at around 4 in the morning because her heart wasn't feeling well. they call her back and ask what's wrong so they can call 911, or i guess they do it automatically if she's not able to answer the phone. she was able to talk, and said her heart wasn't feeling right. when the paramedics arrived, her heart rate was at 20 bpm, and they resuscitated her in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, not knowing my granny had a DNR note at the apt complex.

i saw her in the emergency room, and she looked out of breath with an big oxygen mask on her. the docs said her heartbeat was back up to normal, but that she had pneumonia/water in the lungs, and moved her to ICU. after about an hour there, she looked quite better, so my family decided to go ahead and treat the pneumonia and take other blood tests to see if they could find out what was wrong with her, as she looked to be getting her color back.

at about 1pm, they took the oxygen mask off, and just gave her a small breathing tube for her nose, and her breathing levels went back to normal. she also opened her eyes when we were talking to her, and started saying words, then phrases. she also wanted water (which she never ever drinks) and my mom and i may have snuck her a small piece of chocolate to suck on. :D

my mom visited her this morning, and she was sitting up, eating a normal breakfast, and chatting. thankfully, she doesn't remember much of yesterday. i'm incredibly grateful that the ambulance workers were unaware of her DNR note, because if they had known that, she probably wouldn't be with us right now. we still have no idea what happened, and are waiting for results, but it just boggles the mind that she could go from so uncertain, back to her normal self in about 24 hours. here's hoping, wishing, and praying that she makes a full recovery, and they can find out what happened to her, because my granny is the best!! :)