Day 27: Our Boys Are Back In Town

Yay! The college boy's are home for the summer! My son, Brandon Simon, and gal pal Suzee's son Brandon Bank both returned this week from their respective colleges.

In honor of their completion of two years of college mama bears Suzee & Robyn took the big boys to their favorite meal of sushi!

Check out these beautiful boys. Here's Suzee with my son Brandon... Gorgeous!

If you haven't heard the story over the past twenty years... here goes... Suzee and I gave birth the same day twenty years ago, both to beautiful sons and we both named them Brandon!

Pictured here is me with Brandon Bank... what a handsome young man!

They've been pals ever since and Suzee and I have shared a bond of raising them together. I feel as if her son is like my son and I know the feeling is reciprocated on her part.

We laughed, talked about the time we took them skiing when they were barley three years old, how they have grown, how proud we are of them... it was a moment... our Brandon's out on a date with their Mama's...

Day 365: Happy 50 Years to Me

50 ROBYNISMS

Pink is my signature color

When listening to Gospel Music I cry because I’m so moved

I’m obsessed with cocktail napkins & you having one under your drink

I light candles every night in my house even if it’s just me home alone

I say intentions for the day ahead every morning when I wake up

I drink gallons of water a day

I won most Vivacious in High School, Brian won most Understanding, they still hold true

I get anxiety going to Costco

I would have my hair styled everyday if I could afford to

I have worn the same fragrance for 25 years, Tiffany

My favorite designer is Coco Chanel

I’m obsessed with your beverage being served in the correct stemware

The more bling & glitz, the better

My favorite sport is of course Baseball

I hold a Master’s Degree in Broadcast Management from Pepperdine University

I expect a lot, because I give a lot

Fine is never acceptable, you should aim for outstanding

I drink vodka martinis up, cold and with olives

I believe in equal rights for all

I would die for my children

I hosted my own public affairs television show at the age of 27

I wish we could all be foster parents

I’m passionate about more women in public office

. I cry watching the news

I believe being graceful is always in style

I believe intelligence is sexy

I was born a blonde & believe we do have more fun

Peonies are my favorite flowers

I adore my big & blended family & feel blessed to have them in my life

I love my children to the moon & the stars & back again

I believe motherhood is a job, and the best one to hold

I love drinking champagne anytime of the day or night

I miss my mom Suzanne everyday

I believe we can all do better

I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without my partner Brian

I love to travel, but always miss home

I believe in Sisterhood

My daily beverages include coffee, water, vodka & wine

I am passionate about food

I love to dress up

I love to soak in a swimming pool with a cocktail

I’m too old to drink cheap wine & it must be chilled

I’m blessed to have a circle of friends who enrich my life

I’m grateful for my beautiful home built my builder hubby

I have no regrets about running for office, except maybe that I didn’t win

I feel like a winner in life because I at least tried

It has been a colorful 50 years

I have a long to do list for the next 50

I hope you will all be with me on the journey

I’m at peace, but not finished

Day 364: On the Eve of One Year

Wow, I can't believe tonight is the eve of ONE year since I launched my Birthday Blog! One year of sharing my life from the most mundane activities or thoughts, to the extravagant & outrageous. It's been a fabulous journey to chronicle my daily life.

The beauty of this Blog is that I now I have a living diary full of animation and color and it makes me so happy. I set this goal and stuck to it and now I can review everything I did, felt, and experienced from my 49th Birthday celebration in New York until tonight.

Many of you have asked if I was going to continue posting about my life and the answer is YES! I want to keep this living, open book alive. Writing daily gives me an outlet to reflect, share, grow, explore and give shout outs to special people in my life.

I set many goals on my 49th Birthday ... to launch a daily blog, to run a marathon, to get healthy & fit, to be strong, to help women run for office, to attend as many of my boy's baseball games as possible, and I have accomplished all of this.

WOW! it feels amazing!

Day 184: Half Way Through

Wow, hard to believe I have hit the half way mark of my year long Birthday Blog!

Think about this? How many things do you do EVERYDAY? Hopefully bath & brush your teeth! But most of us don't exercise 7 days a week or work 7 days a week, or participate in our hobbies 7 days a week. But I have written an entry in my public life diary EVERYDAY since my 49th Birthday on April 17, 2010. That's a pretty cool accomplishment. I made a goal, a commitment and I have stuck with it.

Got me thinking about the goals we set for ourselves and how many of us really stick to them. I feel as if I'm on a roll sticking to commitments. I made a commitment some time ago to train to run a Marathon in advance of turning 50. I'm on my way with 6 months to go. If my body hangs on, then I'll be running 26.2 miles on March 20, 2011.

I made a goal to write daily about my life's musings ... even if the posts are mundane or silly or serious ... I wanted to keep a daily record of how I spent the year leading up to 50 years old. I made a commitment to be the ultimate support system for my three sons and their education and baseball activities. That means driving all over the county if need be to attend games or traveling to Oregon to watch my oldest son play ball. That means rising before 6 every morning to cook them a hot breakfast so their minds can function better. It means taking an active role in their homework and all school activities. Don't ever underestimate your role as a parent and the influence you carry over your children's lives.

So today I celebrate sticking to my daily entries. It hasn't been easy to always write, there are days that I'd rather not chronicle, but that too is why I write. Because the Blog project is about logging the good the bad the ugly, because that is real and honest.

So I'm toasting my half way mark today! Thank you to all my followers who have joined me on this journey and my celebration!

Day 112: Signifigant Friendships In Death

I attended a Celebration of Life today for a special friend of someone I care about. This woman was one of the original walking trainers for the very first Avon 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk back in 1998. That was the year that sister Michele and family gal pal Cheri and I all took this amazing journey together.


Our Mom had passed away just a few years before and it felt like the right project to throw our energy into. It was the VERY FIRST of the "walk" type charities that you now hear about daily. It was 25 miles per day for three days straight. We walked from Santa Barbara to Malibu, California. We slept in tents the two nights we were on the road. It was an amazing experience.

So there was a woman named Suzanne (which happens to be our Mom's name!) who put together training sessions in advance of our walk in order to train the folks participating on this trek. We would meet at Coldwater Canyon Park and walk up the trails. I was not a regular, choosing to train on my own time schedule as I had three little tots and needed to work around their schedules, but Cheri was a regular and remained friends with Suzanne until her unfortunate death a few months ago.

Cheri was left the executor of Suzanne's estate and today she hosted a beautiful memory to Suzanne's life. Women who were involved in the Avon walk for the past dozen years were all in attendance sharing their thoughts and memories of Suzanne.

Suzanne had been a survivor of breast cancer. When the horrible disease reared its ugly head again in her life, she knew it was just too much for her to fight. She opted for another course.

Suzanne didn't have any family in the area, and trusted Cheri enough to give her the difficult task of taking care of her effects after her death. Suzanne would be proud with what Cheri has accomplished. Today was a lovely ceremony about the beautiful life Suzanne lived, not the tragic circumstances in which she left us.

We should all have a friend who will be so committed, loving, kind, respectful and sensitive when we pass. Especially in the absence of family. Cheri has been that person to Suzanne and so today I attended to support both Suzanne's life and Cheri's commitment to the value of a life.

May we all live our life so that it is rich with friendship and with people who are willing to care for us even when we are absent from the earth.

May Suzanne rest in peace wherever her soul and spirit have landed.