Thursday, September 25, 2008

The last of the pictures...for now!

The Ladies...

The Dudes!!!

Seriously...more 80's...

Snacks a plenty

Me & Darlene...love the blue!!
Ariel & Dana...the Bopsy Twins!
Chris...nice Hawk! Such a sport...

80's continued...

Crazy Erin...She hearts NYC!
Wendy...WOW!!
Michelle, Me, & Echo
I know...I'm the Favorite!!
Bexley & Echo...ready to PARTY!!

THE 80'S...IT WAS AWESOME!!!!

It was so much fun...I have the best friends! Willing to make themselves look ridiculous to make the party a huge success. Can't wait for the next party...Anyone remember the 70's?

Looking oh so HOT!!

My cute BOYS...I am very LUCKY!

Tubbs called...He wants his jacket back...I love you Mark!!

More pictures to follow...

What was I thinking?...PTA Carnival

Cotton candy...bigger than his head...
My first dunk!! It was cold!!
Seriously...why am I doing this???
COLD!! Am I done yet!??!?!
As PTA President of the elementary school, it was my honor to be in the Dunk Tank for about 30-45 min. It was really cold, but an absolute BLAST!! Glad I could help out... Lots of people turned out to support the PTA. Thanks!!

Have you been in a Hot Air Balloon???

This is the picture on the cover of the Davis County Clipper!!


A view from inside the basket

the view from the top...we only went 40 ft in the air...


The pilot and me

Okay...so the balloon was tethered, but I got in a basket and went 40 feet into the air above Meadowbrook Elementary School as part of the assembly about balloons.

I am the PTA president and the pilot insisted I get a ride. The principal, Mrs. Fillmore, called me the morning of and said get over to the school. How could I say no and not do it in front of the whole student body.

I am actually terrified of heights...I won't let anyone I am with get near the windows in a tall building. I never look out the window when I fly. But I was brave and it was a big deal for me.

Because I was willing to do this I got my picture on the front page of the Davis County Clipper with Mrs. Fillmore. I am a celebrity in Bountiful :) Not really, but it was cool to buy the paper and tell the gal behind the counter that the picture was of me!

Needless to say, turning 31 has made me appreciate life a little more and be thankful for the little things I do.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Birthday stories...

Me and Mama Lu

Adriane, Phyillis, LuAnn, Elayne

Tomorrow (the 14th) is my birthday! I love birthdays and want to share about a couple of the most memorable. Okay...so the 1st one I don't actually remember, but I think it is worth talking about the day I was born. It is quite a remarkable little story.

On Wednesday, September 14th, 1977, a 15 year old girl did one of the bravest things she would ever do. I was born in the early morning. LuAnn Iturrino saw me for only a moment. She knew that at 15 she wasn't ready to raise a baby. I am sure that part of it was that her mom, Phyillis, wasn't ready for her 15 year old daughter to raise a baby.

LuAnn, all on her own I might add, took care of finding a family for her little girl. She kept her pregnancy a secret from everyone except her sister, Elayne, and her best friend. Phyillis found out only 1 week before I was born. It was too late for an abortion...thank goodness!!! Okay this may not all be clear and doesn't have much detail, but as a little girl I always knew I was adopted which in my mind made me extra special. Because I have always known, there was always a curiosity about where I had come from. Who did I look like...Did I have any other siblings?

When I was 18 or 19 my mom (Martha...she got me when I was 3 days old and raised me) gave me a letter that LuAnn had written for me when I was born. It is a beautiful letter. In it she explained why she wasn't with me and that it was not that she didn't love me, she just knew that she probably couldn't provide me all the things that I would need. In her mind adoption was an ugly word. (I understand what she meant) She loved me and wanted me. How incredibly amazing!!! She was so selfless. And beautiful...I say that because I had to get it somewhere... :)

Cut to 30 years later...

Because I have always known and because I knew her name and circumstances, it had crossed my mind numerous times to find her and thank her for giving me life and for being brave enought to give me more. So in July of 2007, while watching a special on VH1 about Darryl of Run DMC and his journey to find his birth mother, I was inspired to look LuAnn up. Hello...we have the internet and it can find just about anything!!

I googled her name...not much was coming up...Somehow I ended up on a peoplelookup.com. A LuAnn Iturrino was listed with a couple of different cities and states. It also listed a Pyhillis Iturrino (her mom) and Elayne Iturrino (her sister). Of course, if I wanted more info I would have to pay to get any actual addresses or phone #'s. Dang! I wasn't about to throw money away on potentially useless info. Now what?

I kept searching around and eventually ended up on freewhitepages.com with a listing for Phyillis Iturrino...in Miami. To make a long story longer...I wrote a quick note stating who I was, that I had been adopted and was looking for my birth mom. I just wanted to say thanks and learn about my family. Nothing more. I included my address, phone #, and email. Didn't really know what to expect, but what was the harm?

I mailed the letter on Monday, July 16th, 2007. I almost forgot about it until the phone rang on Sunday of that same week. P Iturrino was calling...Holy CRAP!! Mark grabbed the phone. I couldn't believe it. What would I say?! I let the voice mail get it...

She left a message saying that she was calling in regards to a letter and that if I liked I could call her back. I cried! Well first I showered...then I cried...then I called her back...

AWESOME!!! I will write more about that later, but I want to get to my birthday.

On September 13th, 2007 I boarded a plane in Salt Lake City headed for Miami. I was going to spend my 30th birthday with the woman who had carried me for 9 months and seen me for 5 minutes before giving me up. I was very nervous and emotional. I bawled on the plane when we were about to land in Atlanta for a lay over. I was about to change my life forever!! After a 3+ hour delay in Atlanta...stupid rain...I got on a plane again for Miami. LuAnn was waiting patitiently at the gate for my arrival. We laughed and cried and hugged. I joked about the "long labor", but that I was finally there! It was BEAUTIFUL!! Mixed emotions and a lot more to tell about...later.

Bottom line...I am EXTREMELY blessed. I know that everything about LuAnn and I was arranged in heaven long before we were on this earth. I am so thankful everyday for who I am and where I have been. I love and adore all of my family. More about them all later too.

So...Happy Birthday to ME tomorrow!! 31 wonderful years under my belt so far...many more to come...

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

They're perfect...


I am so "stoked" about these shoes I found at Target...perfect for the big 80's bash. I have already worn them twice. Comfortable and cute!! Can't wait to show them off...

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Like...totally...Dude!!


Jealous much?? I am going to look so AWESOME!!
Possibly one of the great movies of all time...for the genre.
It's all coming back to me now...oh the stinky feet I had growing up...could the 6 pair of socks per foot be to blame?

I am so flippin' excited in a far out kinda way for the Awesome 80's bash I am throwing for my birthday this year!! I love the 80's!! There will be big, crimped hair, lots of bright pink cheeks and wicked blue eyes, and of course, the best clothes ever!! Thanks for the skirt Dana! Can't wait to party like it's 1987!! And seeing how in 1987 I turned 10, it's "going to be so awesome" (as my cute Maddie says). If you want to be a part of this nostalgia email me arcbelievesATyahooDOTcom... "I know you are, but what am I?"