Just my thoughts

 

 I thought it was cute - my husband writing our names in the sand. In 2023, we will be celebrating 25 years married. Insane!!! It went so fast. Easy to do when you are married to your best friend and life is always easy. 

I am so thankful, God gave me you 💜

So, our plan is to renew our vows in Puerto Rico- we got married in St. Martin, so very close. One of my best friends will be the officiant. 

Loved you from the first day I met you .

My forever. 

My lobster. 

Birthday celebration

 

I love that some of the closest people in our lives are always up for a great time in September- AND lucky for me, it is to celebrate my birthday!! 

The guys are super chill. The women are divas. It works. Our men take care of us and treat us, like the princesses 👸 we are. 

All I know - I am blessed beyond to have all these fabulous people in my life! 

Here’s to another trip around the sun ☀️ 

My First Born Is Graduating

 

I think back to my graduation ... a small fish in a pool of so many others. I look at Spencer and smile. This kid, so independent, so ready to conquer the world. He has a vision and he knows what he wants in life. I love that - seriously makes me so happy. 

When I was 18, I was trying to sneak into bars, was not thinking about anything healthy or even running to the store let alone a 5K. I was so not ready for adulthood! 

I am so proud of the young man he is. He has it together. Going to the gym, school and holding down a job. He has his priorities in life and nothing gets in his way. He calls us often. He calls the grandparents. ❤️  He gets this thing called life and that 10 minutes out of his day to call Gram/Gram and Papa is nothing in the scheme of life. AND wants to hang with us. I love that! 

2021 and our first born will be a graduate 👨‍🎓 . We could not be more proud ! Love you to the moon and back Spencer. 

Walden Grove Graduate 2021

The ones that are always there

 

  You don’t need a lot of friends - just some really good ones. 

When you find your forever friends - you just know! The ones that do not need explanation - the ones that forgive - the ones that are just good fun!! 

They’ve been there for you through the good times, the rough moments, and everything in between. They pick you up when you’re feeling down and lift you up even higher when you’re on top of the world. They’re the first person to like and comment on your Instagram posts or send you a text when you need it most. 

Maybe you're lucky enough to see your BFF every day, or perhaps you don't see them nearly as often as you'd like (especially in this season of social distancing)—but none of that matters when it comes to a true bestie. 

We often forget to tell people—especially those closest to us—just how important they are to our lives - a reminder to my gals .... 

I have been blessed to find some of the most fabulous friends ever. Some I have known forever, some I have only known for a few years  - I cherish them all. 

Life is so much more fun with great girlfriends. 💙

Baseball is life

 There is no better way to pass an afternoon. Sitting in the bleachers, with the warm sun beating down on you. The National Anthem being sung. The crack of the bat. The smiles on the faces of the boys. 

I will be enjoying the game of baseball long after my son stops playing. We have been pitching balls to the boys since they were little. It’s part of who we are. Baseball just brings out the joy in everyone. Watching Alex grow into the young man that he is, knowing that part of who he is, is because of the game of baseball. 

Thankful for all the lessons learned, the bumps along the way and the many more to come. You see, for us, baseball is more than just a game. It’s part of who we are. 

xoxo Joni

For the love of your child

     I remember everyone telling me to cherish every little milestone in your babies life. They grow up fast and in the blink of an eye, they will be grown and gone. As I am approaching one entering his senior year, I look back and think it was just yesterday, he was learning to roll over. Learning to crawl. Learning to walk. Now, he’s ready to take flight.

     We left Arizona in the middle of his freshman year. To say, that we were all less than excited to be leaving a predominately sunny state to go to a predominantly rainy state, is an understatement. We sat the boys down and they both accepted our new adventure. Spencer’s exact words after 6 months of living in our new state were - “ it’s not what any of us wanted, but it is exactly what we all needed. “  We have all learned to appreciate sunny days and taking for granted that it will always be shining. I sometimes think God must have a sick sense of humor, because just when we thought we had life figured out, bam! “ Hey, how about I send you all to West Virginia?”

     I guess it was last year sometime, Spencer started to talk to us about finishing his senior year in Arizona. To graduate with his kindergarten buddies. To live with his friend, since kindergarten and our third son, Jakob. His parents love Spencer and we love Jakob as our own. I was absolutely against this at first. Coming from a purely selfish reason. I didn’t want to see him go. I knew it was going to happen some day, just not THIS soon.

     Fast forward to now - Spencer is enrolled at Walden Grove High School  in Sahuarita, Az for his senior year. He will leave West Virginia this summer, as we make our trek back west.  Jakob’s parents have agreed to let Spencer live with them to attend the school. This brings me much comfort and am so very appreciative to them always opening up their home. We will make it work. I’m sure I will still have those moments. You know the ones - looking at pictures of when he was little. Tears forming in the eyes. And then it starts to flow.

     I’m excited for him. I love that he is so independent. A great student. A good kid. Thank heaven for FaceTime and cheap fares to Arizona. I love you Spencer and am so proud of the man you are becoming. I’m going to cherish these last few months we have together - bare with me .

Xoxo... mom

Just good people

I think, anytime you can be with people that make you feel fabulous, you should.  Those are your people. The ones that celebrate life. They celebrate you. All you successes. They are there for you when you slip and they are there for you when you excel. The kind of people that are always happy for you and never throw shade your way. 

I have been blessed in my life to have many of these individuals in my life. I am so thankful for all of them. Life is just so much easier when you do not have to watch what you say and you are free to be you.  No drama type of gals. I have long lost touch with high maintenance friendships. I just don’t have the time to babysit them. It is exhausting. 

Life is too short to be checking in on someone all the  time. Get with the people that love you and are genuinely happy for you - those are your forever friends. Your genuine friends.

Love them and thank them . 

I hope you all come across kind hearted people and know how very special they are. They are angels walking among us. 

Love J