Day 249: Another Family Feast

Tonight we hosted a dinner with friends & family to celebrate some holiday cheer. I gotta hand it to my son Harrison who made from scratch, delicious ginger & carrot soup, and roasted a pork shoulder roast ... oh my goodness, so yummy! I made my mother's mashed potatoes and our favorite vegetable, brussel sprouts. Wow! What a dinner.

Pictured here is college boy Brandon with his Papa Joe.

I sipped my yummy champagne and Brian poured delicious wine for all. We had 12 teenagers and one pre-teen (our niece Esme).... can you imagine the energy in the house with all these teens. I of course LOVED it!

Pictured here are my gorgeous nieces Olivia (17), Esme (11) and Zoe (19)

I love the house being full of friends & family, especially the kids.... and I love entertaining. I spent days decorating the house to make it festive and it brings me great pleasure to have a warm and cozy home.

Pictured here are three of my favorite boys Son Harrison, good friend Ryan, and good friend Griffin. Love these boys!

And below is a picture of good friend Justin Ruder mowing on a yummy lamb chop that Harrison made for appetizers!

Between last night's dinner at Lawry's and tonight's beautiful party at home, it's beginning to feel like the holidays for me! And I'm lovin' it!

Day 241: 24 Hours

What I Accomplished in 24 Hours

Drafted & emailed to 75 media outlets a Press Release announcing gal pal Marisa Perez' candidacy for Lakewood City Council *Ran 7 miles *Worried about Bailey (our gorgeous Golden Retriever of 9 years) while he underwent surgery for a growth that had to be biopsied * Attended niece Esme's musical Broadway performance * Wrote Letter of Recommendation for gal pal Candace * Visited the podiatrist * Picked up custom orthodics* Grocery shopped at Trader Joe's *Packed 2 lunches * Cooked breakfast & dinner * Celebrated boys making Palisades Charter High School Baseball team * Sent Good Luck note to college boy for finals* Picked up and dropped off teenage sons Harrison & Spencer from school in the Palisades * Took son Spencer to physical therapy * Made coffee for hubby Brian * Washed dishes * Folded laundry * Got gas in the Cadillac * Went to the bank * Posted to my Birthday Blog * Made Holiday reservations * Made dental appointments for boy's * Had eyebrows waxed & colored * Spoke to numerous people on the phone * Wrote & responded to numerous emails * Sent multiple texts *Picked up college boy from airport .... and I question why I'm always tired!

Day 204: 15 Years Today

Crazy to imagine, but my mom, the beautiful Suzanne Sherman, passed away 15 years ago today, November 7th. She was 55 years young when her dreadful cancer got the best of her.

I know I join with my sisters and family & friends in saying that we all miss her. I went to the cemetery today with a huge bouquet of orange flowers. Like me, she loved Fall and all it had to offer. She was born in October, had auburn hair and loved Halloween & Thanksgiving as much as I do.

She loved the beach too. This picture is taken in front of her home (the grey one with the yellow staircase in the background) in Santa Monica. I am pregnant with my twin boys. I gave birth two weeks after this photo was taken. She died 3 months after this picture was captured.

When someone dies so young, you have to hold on tight to the memories you created together when they were alive, otherwise your mind drifts to all that was missed in their absence. Like how my twin sons Harrison & Spencer were only 3 months old when she died ... or that my niece Esme, wasn't even born. But she carries Mom's name, Suzanne, as her middle name. Or that she never got to see her daughter Jennifer graduate from college or fall in love. How many things she missed out on, and how much we all missed out on not having her here.

All of Suzanne's children and grandchildren carry on her memory & legacy - that's what they mean about the circle of life. So invest everything you can in making memories with your loved one's so that when they are gone the warm thoughts of you being together will carry you through on dark days like today.

Rest in peace Susu.