Some things you can just never take back

A little piece of history....

My wedding invitation circa 2004

Return to Sender. Postmarked June 14 2004. There is a second postmark on the back-from a second attempted delivery on August 2, 2004.

10 years ago my dad & his wife chose to NOT attend my wedding. His first born and first wedding in our family. I walked myself down the aisle.

Our photographer captured the moment that I realized that I was being lied to. When my uncle got up to read a poem my dad had sent "from Afghanistan". Behind my uncle is where my sisters were sitting with the MOST uncomfortable looks on their faces. I instantly started to cry and the photographer thought he was capturing a tender moment. Mike felt HORRIBLE that I was living this moment and he started to cry too. Thus the 2nd picture. I look at these pictures and those are the memories that were captured...forever. My suspicions confirmed directly after when I confronted my sisters and all they could say was "sorry".

Yesterday those same people made sure that 10 years ago was the last time THIS kind of picture would ever be captured at a sibling wedding again. So sad. The path of destruction caused since the day Dad & Kathleen decided to have an affair in turn destroying 2 marriages and 2 families-has caused & obviously continues to leave a plethora of chaos and agony in its wake.

I hope the memories that were made at my baby sisters wedding yesterday were wonderful. The choice to not invite anyone but my dad, is one she will live with for the rest of her life. The choice to purposely make sure that others were aware that under no circumstance were Mom, Hollie or I to know when or where the wedding was to take place, so there was no chance of us coming, is just disgusting. Who would EVER advise someone to do that? No one with character-and no one I want to associate with. Who wins in situations like this? Nobody. Just like the hurt my dad caused by deciding to be deceitful a decade ago. Hopefully having the wedding of her dreams paid for by people who would influence such atrocity was a price that was worth it for the relationships she has forever broken. 

Choices. 

It's what life is all about. 

I will miss my sister. I wish her the best as she continues in her new life. Through pregnancies that will come, and babies, to birthdays and holidays-she will be on my mind but not in my life. It is sad that she has chosen to not know my children or continue the sisterhood that we were born into, but that is the person she has become, surrounded by those who lack integrity. 

It is just sad. 

One day when my children are older and ask why they don't know the girl on the right in this picture, or who my dad is-I will explain it to them. For now-with broken hearts, we start a new chapter and move on.

BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!

When I got to work yesterday, I went to my office and sat down to check my emails as I normally do. Within minutes, one of my colleagues came in and told me I was needed in the work room. So she and I walked down there....THIS is what I found! 

Our staff room had been completely transformed into my favorite place 

"Old Town San Diego" 

in honor of my birthday. Bunches of staff were in there wishing me well and enjoying the festive fun. It was a FABULOUS start to my day. Every little detail was attended to. It was OVER THE TOP.

One of the 3rd grade teachers made my favorite desert in miniature....Key Lime Cheesecake bites with Coconut crumb crust! YUUUUUMMMM! One of my favorite work buddies baked some Key Lime Bars from scratch for the event. Everyone was talking about it because that is something she NEVER does. Needless to say, I felt pretty darn special!

Shannon made the painstaking piñata fringe table cloth & display box.

Even down to the flower vases made with various ENCHILADA cans! LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Sombreros lined the chairs & covered the walls. Margarita glasses filled with Hot Tamales, chocolate "mexican" mustaches and maracas!

Another teacher made me this balloon hat to match the party decor! SOOOOO fun! Emma's teacher downloaded "fiesta" songs and made me a playlist on the iPod that was playing all day in the background.

My favorite chips & mango salsa! Someone knows me well!

Shannon's beautiful chalkboard that she made me. I am in love with it! At lunch Mike showed up with gobs of mexican food fixin's for the ENTIRE STAFF! Thanks to my in-laws for that. What a FUN birthday gift. I got to sit there and gab all afternoon with my school family. It was the BEST birthday EVER! Mike said he remembered when I threw him his 30th birthday and it was a surprise mexican fiesta in the backyard. All his staff were there & he loved it. When he & Shannon got to thinking who I would invite to a party, they knew it would be all my peeps at school-so they just put the party THERE! I'm still on cloud 9. 

Teacher of the Year Celebration

It turned out better than I could have imagined it. When the kindergarten students got up and surprised Shannon with a serenade of "Aloha Oe", she was a bundle of sobs. Then the end of the song grew near and the entire Valley View staff present stood, faced Shannon and finished singing the song together with the 5 year olds. It was PRICELESS and she could barely breathe at that point. Our staff really came together and bonded through this party planning process. Being reminded of each others forgotten talents and collaborating like never before. We are STILL riding that high-and it is AMAZING!

The Force is 6 YEARS Strong with this one!