Old friends, new beginnings...

We called each other 'sister in law' for many years and refuse to add on the 'ex'. After experiencing 20 years of raising kids together, dealing with life--and death--together and now being 'single' together, today we call each other 'friend'.
Last night my friend Tiffany and I met to talk about fresh starts and new beginnings! We talked about learning through our mistakes and leaving the past behind. We talked about trusting our instincts and listening to friends' (and our kids'!) advise...and about loving ourselves enough to know and admit when it's time to let go, move on and allow ourselves to imagine all the wonderful things that still await us!
Of course we enjoyed a GREAT dinner at El Torito as well and devoured an incredible chocolate caramel dessert to top off the evening!
Life is good! Here's to all that good stuff up ahead!

So much left to see!

Allison made this map for me a couple of years ago. There is a red pin with a star on every place I have visited and postcards from a few of the cities make a nice frame.

A one month trip across the United States and up to Montreal when I was 15 provided me with lots of 'pin' opportunities and TONS of memories!

I LOVE that I have so many pins in Europe and amazing memories of those trips.
There are a several yellow pins up there too...those are places I hope to see someday.
I actually ran out of yellow pins.

Cheerio Joshua Michael!

Our friend Josh is leaving for London...
we met tonight to wish him the best of luck and say one last goodbye.

Annie and Josh (I love these people)

Annie and Ryanne...
(I've known Ryanne since she was in 7th grade)

And of course, my buddy Francisco was there to celebrate Josh too...

WISHING YOU THE BEST JOSH!
Can't wait to come visit you in London!

Common Scents

My name is Julie and I am addicted to lotions. I just can't get enough bottles of beautiful fragrances and I like wearing a different "flavor" every day. I have Almond, Pear and Fig. Gardenia, Plumeria and Vanilla. I love to use sweet smelling creams in holiday scents like pumpkin and peppermint too. I also have certain lotions to prevent wrinkles, one to dissolve cellulite and a big bottle of self tanner. I have special lotions for my face, one just for my eye area and some with SPF 15 to wear when I will be outside.
The picture of my medicine cabinet (lotion cabinet?) is a small representation of my addiction. There are a few lotions on my sink as well...and several under my sink. OK...and a few in the other bathroom...and under that sink.
Can I help it if I like to smell good and have soft skin?
I know. I promise I am going to (try to) stop buying them.

Tennis Lessons

I started taking tennis lessons a few weeks ago...and I love it! I have taken lessons before and actually use to play quite a bit (and I was pretty good!) Admittedly, that was a few years ago...OK--30 years ago.
But it's all quickly coming back to me! And this time I am playing with an amazing, light weight, gigantic Prince tennis racket (borrowed) instead of my 10 pound wooden Chris Evert racket (circa 1974.)
Truthfully, it's been fun to just be out on the court with the other "adult beginners" learning and laughing with the instructor who is currently working on an HBO show about how tough it is to teach adults to play sports!
Nope, I do not wear a tennis skirt.
Though when I met my friend after my lesson this week, he said I looked "very athletic."
Totally worth the cost of the class.

iLife '08

I would really really really like to have this...

Across the Universe

Beautiful
Creative
Uplifting
Amazing
Encouraging

I loved this movie

Me, the Bee and Stephanie

Met my good friend, Stephanie at Cedar Creek for dinner tonight...had a yummy Ahi salad, which I think might be my favorite meal now...

While at dinner, one of the waitresses came up to our table and said, "I know you!"
This is Heather...she went to preschool and elementary school with Allison.
But she is better known for this...

Storing up treasures....

Well, not so much actual treasures....My sister Gina and I went to clean out our mom's storage units today. (Yes, units--plural.)
We started at 8:30am and finished up around 4:30...only we definitely have to meet again next week to actually finish the job.

I found the treasured fur coat and Gina found her wedding dress. Yep, she still fit into it! And she wore the tiara all day...even when she drove through Jack in the Box.

This is years and years of my parents and my sisters AND my grandparents stuff. We made a total of FIVE car loads of stuff to the Goodwill and loaded up TWO dumpsters!
And organized SO much of it!

We moved boxes and dressers and hutches and desks...and Gina did a great job of bungy-ing them all down for the trips down El Toro Road!

I'd say we made a LOT of progress (our friend Mary was a GOD-send!)
Can't wait til next Monday! Let me know if you'd like to join us!

Tis the Season...

Ange and I have been friends for over 10 years...since she was a teenager! I have always loved Ange's love for people and travel and especially love her genuine, deep and hearty, out-loud laughter! (Plus the fact that she thinks I'm really funny) After emailing each other and commenting on each others' blogs for the last year or so, today we met for breakfast and sat and talked til lunch time. As odd as it might seem, Ange and I are in similar seasons of life, and there is nothing more comforting than being with someone who can understand your feelings, relate to your confusion and listen without judging. Ange is definitely one of these people in my life.
Ange is (and always was) wise beyond her years. She has an incredible sense of humor to go with that great laugher and a sincere loving heart for people which I have literally seen thousands of times over the last 10 years.
I felt that loving heart this morning...and am so grateful to be sharing this season--and really look forward to sharing the next!--with someone as amazing as Ange.

Postcards from Budapest

Allison and I mailed several postcards from Budapest on August 23rd.
I kept asking, and no one had received them! I was convinced that the guy at the hotel front desk had thrown them in the trash
"Stupid tourist" I could hear him saying...in Hungarian, of course.
My mom just called to tell me that theirs arrived today!
Seriously, it takes a MONTH for a postcard to be delivered?
It must have been put on a boat, then a train and then pony expressed to Lake Forest. Ridiculous for 2007
But she did say that she was really glad we were enjoying our trip.

Friday Family Fun

There are just a few of the DiLallo Family left in the OC and thankfully, we still find reasons to gather and eat together! Tonight my mom and dad and Gina and Thatcher and I met for Japanese food at Minato's in Lake Forest. The food was great though the service was terrible. (I am sure Gina will be blogging about it!)

WHAT UP, BUM!

(SHE DOESN'T EVEN DRINK!)

Thatcher thought it was hilarious! (That's green tea ice cream soup)

Whose neck is skinnier? Who do you think is older?

My favorite Pops...he was laughing so hard he nearly spit out his beer!

Thatcher is overjoyed to be taller than both Gina and me now...
(And we are SO tall!)
Super fun night full of sushi, sarcasm and silliness!

Guess what's out on my front porch...

I was SO happy to see pumpkins out in front of the market today!
(I always try to get the ones with the longest stems)
Now I feel like it's officially Fall.

No place I'd rather be...

Went to the Angel Game last night with my friends
Chris, Laura and Mark. We were at the Diamond Club...WOW!
What an amazing experience...
So fun to watch a great game with good friends who LOVE baseball and very enjoyable to actually root root root for a winning team!

Mark is a die-hard Yankee fan. Should be a really fun week for him!!

No hot dog or peanuts on the Diamond Club Menu.
I had Prime Rib and Lemon Berry Shortcake.
I didn't care if I ever got back.

It's September 21st

Happy Birthday Kelly!!

When Baseball lets you down...

I had just finished watching the Dodgers lose again today (and all but eliminate themselves from playoff contention) when I received these in an email from my dad.
Seriously, I don't even like dogs but these definitely made me smile.
Thanks Dad!

It's September 20th

Happy Birthday Dillon!

Classic 45s

Trying to settle a bet the other day, I went through my 45 records. I have about 200...no way to play them, but they look cool in a big basket in my den. I hadn't looked through them in a while...the songs crack me up. Most of these were probably purchased when I was between 10 and 14 and some still have the 64cent K-Mart price tag on them. A couple have my sisters' names on them (No, you can not have them back!) I can remember us playing the records over and over and singing and dancing to every single one. For some reason, I don't have many of these songs on my ipod...yeah, they are that good. Here are a few of the titles...see if you recognize any of them. Some of these were the "one hit" of many "wonders". But others...classics in any one's book.
"I'd really love to see you tonight", "You are the Sunshine of my Life", "The Pina Colada Song", "Love is like Oxygen", "Chevy Van", "I love you just the way you are", "Dancing Queen", "Sugar, Sugar", "Bad Leroy Brown", "That's Rock n' Roll", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree", "My girl, Bill", "Walk this Way", "Afternoon Delight", "Spiders and Snakes", "I just want to be your everything", "Billy don't be a hero", "Delta Dawn", "Bennie and the Jets", "Shake Shake Shake, Shake your Booty"....and OH SO many more. Then there is my very favorite song ever, the first 45 I ever owned, "Julie, Julie, Julie do ya love me?"

Eliane's new bumper sticker

And I am OH so happy for her!

Happy Birthday Sherri Marie!

Hope it's a great day Sherri!
Remember how much we used to cry when we watched "Born Free"?
Tears Tears Tears
Love you cousin!

Monopoly cashes out...

Monopoly has ALWAYS been one of my favorite games...I loved to build houses on Boardwalk and Park Place always liked to be the thimble or the boot. And I LOVED counting my money!
Apparently in keeping up with our cashless society, Monopoly no longer comes with its coveted rainbow colored money! Instead...bring and swipe your Visa debit card!

Here's the new look, complete with debit card machine...I guess the railroads have been replaced with airlines too...it's definitely a completely updated look. Seems like the thimble might have gotten the boot too!
Wonder how you get your $200 when you pass go? Direct Deposit?
I think it's hilarious that the ONLY thing that looks exactly the same is that poor guy in jail.
Be sure you stay in the "just visiting" part...

Is this Heaven?*

*Bonus points if you understand the title of the post.Sing it with me...
Take me out to the ballgame, no place I'd rather be
Buy me a foot long, and ice cold beer
I'm with my friend Sarah in our Dodger Gear!

We did root root root for Dodgers,
they just didn't win--a true shame!
But we ate, drank and had a great time
at the ol' ball game!

Our lids

TRUE Dodgers fans!

Sarah and I sat 15 rows back on the first base side...GREAT place to take in the game and really good place to ALMOST catch a fly ball...ONE OF THESE DAYS!
Hang in there Dodger Fans! We can still do it!

Fulfilling a Craving

Josh Dana Me Cisco and Jana

There is something about being around people who totally put you at ease...people who know you deeply--and love you and support you and constantly encourage you. This group is made up of those people--the team of youth workers who I was totally blessed to work with in "Crave", the college ministry at Saddleback Church.

We have quite literally laughed and cried and worked and played together...and put together services and songs and skits and bulletins and visuals and art rooms and social nights and prayer groups. We skied together in Brian Head and "tubed" together at Lake Mead.
(And Francisco & I danced together every single day!) At the end of our stint as a team we had nights of 500 plus college students attending our Thursday night services! Those were the days.
Tonight we gathered at Leigh and Jana's home to say "Cheerio" to Josh who is leaving to work at a church in London. The night was filled with memories of GREAT times together...of things we accomplished together...of encouragement and support and love and laughter. It was an amazing reminder to each of us of the true friendships we have in one another. I am blessed to have quite a few incredible friends...but these just might truly be my favorites...

#500!

Yep, this is my 500th post.