spring fever

when i say spring fever i do not mean oooo baby! get your mind out of the gutter! i mean spring training games with hot dogs, cold cokes and tank tops. i mean swim suit shopping, running outside, flowers, laying by the pool, new sandals, better get a tan on those pasty legs kind of spring fever.

and yesterday.... i was feeling it! it was beautiful out and that is why we Arizonans live here. today it is back to overcast and chilly but i got a taste of it and I'm ready for more! now if i could just figure out a way to look like a Victoria's secret model in that swim suit, have time for the spring training games and had good lungs for running outside... we would be all set!

wildlife world zoo

Truth be told----brandon should have been a zoologist! the man loves animals. when he was little he would collect bugs and put them in his pockets, he was always rescuing hurt animals and is fascinated with animal planet. his daughter---has these same genes. she has "babies" that she carries everywhere with her. they are plastic animals of all different sizes. she insists on sleeping with them, eating with them and having them in her pockets even at the store or church.

Soooo when brandon said he wanted to go to the zoo on one of his days off of work i was game. we went to wildlife world zoo which is just a few miles down the road and i have to say it made me sad! im so used to the phoenix zoo. big, open, lots of green trees and space. brandon had to calm me down by explaining this is a rescue zoo and that they help the animals get well. but because of the "smaller" zoo setting we did get to see some of the animals up close. londy even got to feed the giraffes which was my favorite part. they are such elegant beautiful creatures!

LAM

can you say Lymphangioleiomyomatosis? this is the disease that i have that most of you know about! i have a seperate blog that i write about things pertaining to my health but thought this was such a great post i needed to inform you all here. officially.... it has been one year and 8 days since i last left the hospital. how desperately i needed this year to spend with my family, breathe freely, excercize, get my head straight and try to work through this hell i have been living with for the last two years. wow... i can not beleive i have been diagnosed for two whole years!!!!!! i have...knock on wood... been feeling really pretty good...knock on wood and really needed that. the doctors are fairly hopeful about a drug treatment trial that has started this past month. if the drugs work we could possibly have a way to slow the progression of this terrible disease or to stop it all together. what a miracle that would be!!!! this is my best chance at living a full life and watching my daughter grow up, get married and hopefully.... give me some grandbabies ( in that order please). we are hopeful and praying for that miracle. in the mean time i continue on trying to take care of myself as best i can and praying that i will be able to keep out of the hospital and the looney bin. thanks to all of you for loving me and my family, for sticking by me through this trial and for simply being there when i need you. for this i am truely grateful. im not dying today and with lots of miracles...i will be here for a long time to come.
xoxo and lots of love- bri

Birthday boy

so this weekend was brandons birthday and the poor guy got hosed last year. it was his 31st birthday this year and he still looks 16. i can not tell you how many times i get asked if he is even 21??? yea people we have a 3 year old, im 28 and he is 18.... THATS RIGHT??!!!?

anywho... we went out with the mercers and the ashtons to our favortie mexican food. El Encanto.

this place is amazing and built around a beautiful pond with a great atmosphere. a family favorite... in fact this is where brandon and i met years ago!!! we had a great time eating playing games, talking, surprising brandon with presents and eating some more!

these cute girls can sure talk non stop! our poor husbands can barely get a word in edge wise when we are together! but they can hold their own when they need to and it is pure laughter once dan-o starts in with the jokes.

tonight brandons family came over for dinner and a good visit with "better than sex cake" for dessert. my boy sure loves chocolate cake and this recipe is too good!!!!!!

all in all i think it was a better birthday than the last one where his poor wife had just gotten out of the hospital 8 days earlier and was having drug withdrawls. i was more than a little crazy and a lot tired. horray for a birthday with a healthier girl and a happy hubby!

Happy birthday brandon! oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

super bowl weekend

so the super bowl is in az this weekend and the FDR (golf) as well. let me tell you... phoenix is a happenin place right now! we live very close to the cardinal stadium where the superbowl takes place, so we have been able to see some of the action up close. now mind you we are poor and can not afford the super bowl but we did take in the crazyness this weekend. we went to

and had some yummy eats with our friends the ashtons. the food was oh soo good and they had a local band "the walkens" playing. they were an amazing cover band and played all the goods... "the refreshments", "sublime" and "zeplin". I could have watched the people for hours! what are people thinking when they get dressed and head out for the night??? can i look like a freak? how short is too short a skirt and do i need a bra for these puppies? seriously? seriously?


we on the other hand looked dang cute and i started feeling pretty good about myself! terrible... i know... but come on people!!! meg i know you are laughing at this by now... i kept calling people boofy.( brandon had to explain to dustin what a boof boof was!) im bad i know! we even met some cute paramedics who had been there since 10am and were gonna be there til it all closed down at 2am! poor guys! but they did get to meet the playboy girls and watch the pro womens volleyball tournament that morning so really not too bad of scenery for them. all of the beautiful must have gone home early or went to scottsdale by the time we got there. but the boys were so nice and even took some pictures for us.

and that brings us to today and the big game. chicken nachos, homemade oreo truffles and good freinds! who needs to be there in person??? not me!

the kiddos even had their own party!