{♥17 Years of Happiness!♥}

Happy 17th Anniversary!!

{Awwww...we were BABIES!}

17 years ago, I married my best friend! Many people were naysayers because of our age, because we were both in the military, because we knew each other for ONE month before we got engaged (married 10 months after meeting)...but here we are, 17 years later! Through thick and thin we have endured...because ♥ endures ALL things! We have grown together and become the people that we are today BECAUSE of everything we have gone through by each other's side. I love you more now than I did then...Mike, you are my life, my best friend, my everything! Happy Anniversary!

{Couple of Updates!}

Firstly...no change in Mike's back yet. Though they say it takes 3-5 days to know if the epidural works. Today is 3 days after the injection...so if it doesn't work by Saturday, we'll have to get him scheduled for a 2nd one. The waiting is hard...but we're hopeful. We've heard from MANY people that their 1st one didn't work but the 2nd one does.

Secondly...11 more days before I leave for Canada to rock Halifax with the Band of America's Few! There's been a slight instrumentation change for me...I will no longer be playing the clarinet, but instead will be a percussionist clanging my 'ol favorites...the cymbals! We had 2 snare drummers drop out, so we had to be creative. 2 other musicians jumped over to snare and my friend Shannon's son, Derek, will be joining us on bass drum and then I'm filling a cymbalist spot. I WAS trained by the Corps to do it...and did my fair share of it @ MCRD San Diego, so it's nothing new! It's ALL good because the needs of the band come FIRST...and it's about being with all my brothers and sisters in the Corps again for a wonderful musicial time in Nova Scotia! Can't wait until Megs joins us and we have a wonderful time together!

Thirdly...hoping that all the illnesses that keep on plaguing my lovely Momma will just QUIT! You are in our prayers and we ♥ you!

{Happy Mother's Day!!}

♥Happy Mother's Day Mom!♥

We hope you guys are enjoying your cruise so far...I know it's only the 2nd day! I'm glad that you get to spend Mother's Day with Darren & Sepi! We're taking good care of your "other baby", Bitsy! Her and Lani are having a good time! We moved her crate into our room @ night on Mike's side of the bed so that everyone gets to sleep in the room with "Mom and Dad"! Hee, hee! Enjoy your day...hopefully they will do something special @ dinner tonight for all the Moms! Much ♥ for all that you have done and continue to do for us! We ♥ you so much for being such a wonderful guiding light in our lives!

♥Happy Mother's Day Mom!♥

♥, MMM

{My AWESOME Brother...and his cool job!!}

{Meghann's 15th Birthday Party @ Grandma & Papa's House!!}

We got VERY lucky this year on Meghann's 15th birthday...it fell on a Saturday so that we could spend the whole day with Grandma & Papa in Hemet! Grandma planned out a whole day of fun for her party! We played games, ate WONDERFUL food, and enjoyed the BEST company! Meghann loves that her Grandma & Papa are so thoughtful and think of her all the time! We invited David to come and enjoy the day with us as well so that Grandma & Papa could meet him, since she's met both of his Grandmas...had to even up the playing field and subject David to the "once over"! Hee, hee! Of course he passed with flying colors...Grandma & Papa can see how happy he makes their granddaughter! Thanks again, Mom & Dad for your wonderfulness and for always making home such a happy place to be! We love you! ♥

{Decorations on the table}

{David and Meghann sitting on the couch}{Meghann and David swimming}

{Meghann peeking @ me...}

{Papa, David & Mike on the patio for lunch}

{David trying his best to "mail the lost invitations"! Sorry David...I beat you!}

{Megs making an effort to "deliver the lost invitations"! Sorry Megs...I beat you too!}

{Lani just laid there while all the envelopes were flying towards her...she didn't care!}

{David and Meghann getting ready to open the presents}

{AWESOME Grandma & Papa bought Megs an iTouch! They also bought her some wonderful watercolor pencils and paper for her to practice her art. She didn't look so good in that picture, so she can thank me for not posting it!}

{Nice green cover for your iTouch Megs...oh, wait, why don't you just hand that over to Daddy since you've been using HIS since Christmas and have all YOUR crap on it! Hee, hee!}

{Squinty Lani in the sunshine of Hemet}

{WTG Papa...distracting Mike with your antics so that NEITHER of you are looking @ the camera!
What AM I gonna do with you?!?!?}

{She huffs...she puffs...she gets all 15 candles blown out! PHEW! Yummy FunFetti cake...thanks Grandma, it was TASTY!}

{On the patio for lunch...couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather!}

Another year down...{SIGH!}...where HAS the time gone?? Our little girl is so grown up now...next year she'll be able to DRIVE! {YIKES!} We ♥ you baby girl and are so glad that you're ours!
♥,
Dad & Mom

{♥Fred & Rosie's 50th Anniversary Par-Tay!♥}

Family and friends all got together on 13 March 2010 to celebrate 50 years of marriage between Fred & Rosie Hernandez. These are 2 of the most WONDERFUL people in the world! They have overcome obstacles with love and patience and dedication to family. What BEAUTIFUL role models they are to everyone that meets them and is blessed enough to have them in their lives! We are SO lucky to be included in that bunch of people!{The 3 Walkers}{Dan, Elvis & Cindi}

{Joey, Roseanne, Fred, Rosie, Cindi, Kelsey & Dan Hernandez}

{All of the married couples dancing...the couple in front; Ana & Nathan, have been married over 50 years as well and just happen to be Fred's brother and Rosie's sister! That's right! The 2 brothers married 2 sisters! How AWESOME is that?}

{The newest married couple in the family}

{Meghann DRIVING? Oh NO!}{Kelsey is pretty sure Megs doesn't know where she's going!}

{Sisters @ ♥}

{Oh...those "teenie-boppers"!}

{Oh...those "teenie-boppers"...AGAIN!}

{Oh...those "teenie-boppers"! Oh wait...Mike, Michelle, Dan, Cindi, Denise, Robert}

{Fred, Rosie, Roseanne, Michelle, Meghann, Mike & Joey}

{Meghann's 15th Birthday Celebration....Continued!}

We're SOOOO excited for Megs' birthday next Saturday! Our young lady will be 15 years old...{SIGH!} She wanted to spend her birthday with "The Boy". Last Saturday we went to dinner with his family (parents, Grandmas, Aunts/Uncles) so we thought it would be fun for HIM to meet some more of OUR family! So we'll be heading out to Hemet so "The Boy" can meet Megs' Grandma and Papa! It should be a fun day filled with playing games, good food, and a nice family time! Pictures will be posted...

Thanks for your wonderful hospitality Mom & Dad! :-D

{Home Sweet Home from the High Seas!}

{Mike on the gangplank to the Carnival Paradise!}

{The view up into the Atrium Plaza from the 7th deck}

{The Long Beach Cruise Terminal}

{View back towards our lovely Long Beach with the Queen Mary in the foreground}

{Night 1's turndown service and rabbit? towel animal...Mike's favorite part? The chocolate mints on the bed every night!}

{The view out of our cabin window of Avalon, Catalina Island}

{Mike on the tender over to Catalina}

{Hamilton Cove...friends of Janet's had her and I over to their place last summer that is right under the Wrigley's penthouse and has a BEAUTIFUL view back towards Avalon!}

{The view of the ship as we were tendered over to Avalon}

{My friend, Capt. Jim, lives in Avalon and does the Glass Bottom Boat tours for the Catalina Island Company. He was over on the mainland when we were there and let us borrow his golf cart to get all around the island! How nice to not have to rent one for $40 an hour! We have GENEROUS friends!}

{What a beautiful view of Avalon from the back side!}

{Another view of just mainly the harbor and the green pier}

{Look! It's our home!}

{Mike is SUCH a stud! That's a big ship you're lifting, babe!}

{Descanso Beach where Lesley and I took our Girl Scouts a few years back to kayak and play!}

{We saw a TON of woodpeckers on our way to the Wrigley Memorial!}

{William Wrigley Jr. Memorial}

{Mike and I at the top of the memorial...lots of stairs!}

{A beautiful tree in bloom}

{Mike and I in the famous bathroom doors @ the Marlin Club where Janet and I have closed the bar down and done dishes a few nights! (Oh wait...I think Janet was playing POOL while I did dishes!)}

{Mike on the deck of the Emerald, the UnderSea Tour that our friend, Capt. Mike, does in Catalina! We got to do all of our tours for free...once again, we have VERY nice friends!}

{Shot of the beautiful artwork and lighting in the Casino's theater}

{Me @ the top of the Casino building with the ship in the background}

{Towel animal and turndown for night 2}

{Looking over the bow towards Ensenada, Mexico. Mike and I didn't get off the ship because we've been to Mexico before and didn't need a bunch of touristy stuff and there really wasn't anything we were excited about seeing...so we just relaxed!}

{Mike and Ensenada}

{That's ONE BIG flag! Look how small the people are @ the base of the pole! NUTS!}

{Mike and I played a round of mini-golf on the top deck of the ship. He won...poop!}

{Towel animal and turndown for night 3}

{Towel animal and turndown for night 4}

We really enjoyed our time reconnecting with each other on this relaxing vacation! We are SO blessed to have such wonderful friends that took care of Meghann and Lani while we were gone. And a wonderfully grown-up daughter that came to the house each morning to get ready and brought in the mail, made sure everything was okay, etc. What a young lady we've raised...so responsible and loving! We look forward to taking another cruise with some friends sometime soon...that would be REALLY fun to do! But like always...there's NO PLACE LIKE HOME! ♥♥