Welcome Back Kotter ... er Kai & Nick

the Swallows are returning to Capistrano ...

the Chickens are coming home to roost ...

(etcetera ... etcetera)

Yes ... I can hardly believe it!

Complicated Kai and her beloved ... Nicholas ...

are leaving  Newport Beach  (sigh...)

and moving in with

"Yours Truly".

(well just for a few weeks...till their place is ready)

Don Corleone made Nick ... 

"an offer he couldn't refuse".

(okay ... please tell me you got the Godfather reference.)

Seriously though ... Nick got a great job offer here ... and ... somewhat reluctantly ...

(and who wouldn't think twice about leaving the beach) ...

they are moving home to  Bakersfield.

I say home ... at least it is home for Kai.  

Nick has yet to savor all that is "Bakersfield" ... including ... our

"sizzling summers".

(temperatures should hit 100on Mothers' Day... yikes)

So Nick & Kai hit town tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

As I have been without family here for over 8 years ... 

I am "over the moon" ... to say the least.

I just wanted to make sure they got this "little agenda" so 

the transition from Newport to Bakersfield will be a smooth one.

For my new "roomies" perusal:

Yeah...it'll be an easy transition!

Truly though ... I am so excited my baby is coming home.  I miss my family

so much and it will be soooo nice to have her closer.

I already have everything planned out ...

Mani - Pedis

Twilight Movie Marathon

Yoga

Dog Walking

S'more Making

Country Line Dancing

Swim Aerobics

Hunger Games Movie Marathon

.....

what?   

Too much?

Just kidding guys .  Seriously ... 

Congrats Nick ... and

welcome home Kai!

I love you!

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A Three Hour Tour ... Happy Birthday Gilligan!

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale ... 

the tale of a birthday trip ...

that started from this tropic port ...

 aboard this tiny ship!" 
"Yada yada yada ... on Gilligan's Isle."
Okay ... enough of my corny 60's sitcom tune.

Just got back from ...
 my son's terrific birthday party
aboard the ...
USS Minnow ... er ... the  Newport Tiki Cruise.
And it honestly was ... "a three-hour cruise" ... around Newport Harbor.

Bryn...the Birthday Boy...
and 50 friends and family ...

helped him celebrate the  Big 3-0.

"The "skipper" brave and true ..."
 (no this was not actually the boat captain ... just a friend)
along with his Dad and "Brother-in-Law" Nick.
(sorry Nick)
set sail for the three-hour tour... heck no ... party!

Shea & Sarah
(Bryn's brother and Sister-in-Law) 

Kai & Nick
(Bryn's sister and ... well you already met Nick)

 And ... of course ... Bryn's beautiful girlfriend ... Erynne.

Dancing away to "Party DJ Party" ...
(I know that's suppose to be from a song or something ... haven't got a clue tho) 

 Mom  did create a few decorations ... including super-large  BRYN letters ... and ...

these "Bryn Faces".
(Aw...wasn't he a cute little boy)

A lot of "mugging" took place ...

The award for
"Gettn' Into The Party Theme" ...
went to  Grant.
A good time was had by all the shipmates.

Bryn ... Kai ... & Shea ... 
as per usual ... absolutely cannot miss mugging for the camera.

 Of course ... if I were as photogenic as these kids ... I'd be in every picture!
(BTW...I'm never in the picture...enough said)

Birthday candles blown out ...

 and after three hours of fine food ...
 great dance moves ...
awesome decorations ...
(okay I had to throw in a shameless plug for my super party decor talent)
and three hours of "uninterrupted"fun  with family and friends ...
we arrived back to port.

Not all  three-hour tours  end up stranded on
Gilligan's Isle.

Happy Birthday to my Baby Boy.

Thanks for letting your "old" mom tag along.
It was an amazing party and you are an amazing son!

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Fur Baby Friday on Wednesday ...

Well this isn't exactly ...   Fur Baby Friday ...

(for those of you that remember Fur Baby Friday) ...

but let's just call it ... long overdue ...

Fur Baby 2 Days Before Friday.

(Lame I know)

Here are my two fur babies ... Blake & Roddick.

 "Smile Squirt.  Mom loves these collars."

"You lookin at me?"

"I am definitely not lookin at you squirt."

Today I'm linking up with Mallory from

"From California to Kansas."

www.fromcaliforniatokansas.com

Mallory is having a  Pet Giveway with lots of great goodies being offered ...

including one of my  ...

Pet Feeding Mats.

One Pet Lover that links up over at

www.fromcaliforniatokansas.com

will get a Personalized Pet Feeding Mat 

from my very own  Etsy Shop ... Reinventing Ordinary

www.reinventingordinary.etsy.com

These mats are really great ... but there are some other pet items as well.

Pet Silhouettes on Canvas

Fleece Blanket Sets

Minky and Fleece Crate Covers

Anyhoo ... welcome all you linkees and I can't wait to

enjoy all your Fur Babies.

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Monday Morning Music...Judith Hill & Karina Iglesia

The Voice

The talented artists on  The Voice  continue to amaze.

Of course my fave ... Judith Hill ... gets better and better.

(You can check her out  HERE)

Last night ... she doubled up with another awesome talent ... Karina Iglesia.

This song ... "This is a Man's World" was originally a  No. 1 Hit

for the legendary ...  James Brown.

"This is a Man's World"

sung by Judith Hill &  Karina Iglesia

This Battle Round pits two teammates against each other ... the winner moving on 

in the competition.  Of course ... the judges can opt to "steal" the loser

in a kind of "second chance".

My gal Judith was the winner ... of course ... but Karina was immediately

picked up by one of the other judges.

As you know ... from my last post ... I LOVE  this show.

No backbiting ... lots of joking around ... and super talent.

Check it out!

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The Voice is back ... Judith Hill amazes!

The Voice

 Oh my gosh ... I almost forgot how much I love this show.
I thought it was amazing last year ... but this year ... with the exit of Christina Aguilera and Ceelo ...
and the entrance of  Shakira  and  Usher ... I'm in heaven all over.

Shakira  and  Usher  eased in seamlessly last night on the  Season 4 Premiere.
They fit right in with the good-natured banter and jockeying all the judges ... including ...
Blake Shelton  and  Adam Levine ...
 are known for and it made for such a fun program.
It's that hilarious interaction between all the four judges that makes this show so much more
appealing than American Idol ... which became tiresome with its nastiness.
If you haven't seen this show ... give it a try and let me know if you don't think it's not only filled
with talented performers and humor ... but with positive encouragement and suggestions.

The last performer of the night blew me away!
Judith Hill will be a SUPER STAR.
Remember you heard it here.


She is an amazing performer with an out-of-this-world voice and the stage presence to
excel her to the top of the music industry.
(In my humble opinion)
But ... don't take my opinion ...  Michael Jackson  picked  Hill  to perform with him on his
 This Is It Tour.

 Singing ... I Just Can't Stop Loving You.

Michael Jackson & Judith Hill

Obviously ... his tour never happened ... but this rehearsal shows the talent that
  Michael  saw in Judith Hill.
(MJ doesn't perform with slouches)

Judith Hill 
What a Girl Wants

Last night  Judith Hill  absolutely rocked  the house with her version of this
Aguilera tune.
 Adam Levine  said she performed the song just as good as  Christina.


I thought I was done with these "talent reality shows" until I saw
The Voice.
Every single contestant is talented and the Judges really  make  the show ...
and keep it funny and definitely upbeat.
Another benefit of  The Voice ... is the ability to immediately download any song
 performed on the show from  iTunes.
Let me tell ya ... I downloaded some amazing songs last year and probably
will do the same this year. 
My first download this year ... Judith Hill's  blockbuster last night!


I'll leave you with  Judith Hill's  performance at
Michael Jackson's Memorial.

Judith Hill (lead)

Heal the World

Michael Jackson ... RIP.

Miss you!

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