Josh on USC: Back From The Edge

It’s now Friday, and I have successfully walked myself back from the edge that was last weekends’ debacle (1). That desert out there in the armpit of a town they call “Tempe” can really do some strange stuff to people (2). We managed to keep the game interesting through four quarters despite spotting them 7 on the first drive (3), trading touchdowns for field goals the whole first half (4) before reaching head-scratchingly new heights of ineptitude inside 30 yards after looking all-world for the previous 70 in the second half, and finding a way to kick your whole fanbase in the proverbial groin by failing a 2 point conversion at least 15:00 before you should even think about attempting one, all while starting 6 kids in their first road game ever (5). We lost to a team we probably should have beat, or at the very least, we should have lost to in last-minute, game-ending, heart-breaking fashion on a terribly shanked field goal that I have been promised will not happen anymore now that we have one of those kitcher (6) guys.

Part of me wants to say, “but 6 starters just played their first road game” or “we’re so thin on the o-line that only one of our back-ups was actually recruited out of high school (7)”, but the other part of me knows that a great coach won’t let his kids beat themselves. A few weeks ago, I wrote that I want Kiffin to let them play fast and free, and I’m fully aware of the mistakes that will come. But there’s got to be a balance, especially in Barkley’s “senior” year (8), and there’s nothing balanced about a 4 to zero loss in the turnover battle.

If it sounds like I’m being overly critical of Kiffin, it isn’t because I don’t believe in him. It’s just that there’s always something – the hiding behind the playsheet, the deadpan lack of all enthusiasm or emotion, the HC vs OC struggles you can see all throughout his playcalling as he “tries to do it all”, or what he is or is not to the media – and there will always be “something” because until he’s held that crystal ball, eight and five is simply not good enough. I guess the best way to describe my worry with Kiffin is that I’m not sure if he has the indescribable “it”. Urban, Saban, and Pete have “it”. Tressel had “it”, and Ricky doesn’t know there’s an “it” not to have (9). But Kiffin keeps drawing me back. He keeps showing these glimpses of genius, and deep down I know *if* he makes it and becomes the leader we all want him to be, we could be standing at the beginning of something great (10). He just needs to turn the corner. He needs his '03 at Auburn moment.

I promise, next week I will write about something besides Kiffin. That is, unless he does something worth writing about again this Saturday.

(1) With the help of a lot of this.

(2) Right, Matt?

(3) After five days, that was the nicest way I could describe Starling’s “tackle”.

(4) The anti-Pete Carroll strategy – back in ’04 and ’05, Pete would gladly give up a quick 3 in order to get the ball back to Reggie, Lendale, Matt, Dwayne, Steve, BMW, et. al. And yes, I do understand Pete was a defensive coach, but how else do you explain the Ting’s?

(5) Apparently, MS Word didn’t think this was a run-on – no green squiggles. Redeemer Elementary should be proud. No comment on my use of footnotes though.

(6) chicker? kitzker? kick-or? Can one of you bruins out there help me out with this one? It’s a relatively new word for me.

(7) I know Pete (and since Kiffin and CEO we’re his main recruiters, this includes them) used to say that kids that want to come to SC don’t ask to look at the depth chart, but come on, can’t some of these high school o-linemen look at the depth chart?

(8) He’s been a 3 and out kid since the 9^th grade. Doesn’t mean I won’t start dreaming of what could be the moment we win the UCLA game at the end of this year.

(9) For the umpteenth time.. I’m going to miss that guy.

(10) He’s 36. Saban is 59; Urban is 47; and Joe Pa is 137. 

Illuminescent

I am going ga-ga over these lights! 

Found here, here, and here.

They (I've always wondered who "they" were) say that lights are the jewelry of the room. I don't even know what that means but I can tell you this - I love these lights.

"We've Had Lift-Off"

I'm so excited. Last night Josh and I attended our first bible study with MPPC. A few weeks ago we happened to catch the second half of Pastor John Ortberg's message on the vision of the church. At the end he talked about these Launch groups that are beginning to help newcomers connect. They are short term classes that happen once a week to essentially make a big church smaller.

I didn't jump all over that because I wanted to see what Josh thought. As we were walking out he asked if we should go over to the booth and see if there was something for us. Inside I was so stoked but I totally played it cool. :p There were different groups but we had to pick something mid-week since we're not up here that many weekends. We ended up signing up for "Early Church: Journey and Letters" on Monday night. After we put pen to paper I teared up. So much for the cool factor.

Last night we had a HUGE historical lesson in order to help us understand the readings better. I learned more in one night that I have in the past 5 years. It was soo much information that it was a little overwhelming for this note-taker. I actually zoned out about 3/4ths of the way through for about 5 minutes because it was so much information! After catching up on the News Feed and the current events from CNN I tuned back in. Josh said I am incredibly distracting to sit next to. =) ooops. I hope my neighbor Alice didn't feel the same way. :/ ha.

On the way home Josh and I talked all about the class. It was intellectually stimulating for him and contextual for me. It left us with a lot of questions and a bit of hesitant excitement about the next 8 weeks.

After being up here for 4 months, we have finally begun to get involved. People, we've had lift-off. =)

Top 10 (+1) Final Fling Before The Ring

This past weekend we celebrated Aimee's last few weeks as a single gal together. We rented this little studio in Venice and pretended to be tourists for a few days. Our time was full of great memories. I enlisted Bridesmaid #2 (Melissa) and Bridesmaid #3 (Grace) to narrow the highlights down to the top 10 (+1). And here they are in somewhat of an order but not really:

1. Aimee's quest to find the bathroom at Islands. YES, the Islands in the Marina that we have grown up going to. Yes, that same Islands.
2. After the 9th re-take, "At some point you have to accept that it's the faces that are the problem."
3. Bridesmaid #4's (who will remain nameless) marriage advice + more. Great lessons for all of us. I think...
4. Nightly fashion show. We done good for a girl, all I'm say'in.
5. Realizing that because of this weekend one of us will make it big and be hugely rich and famous. We went to eat at Huckleberry Cafe and randomly they were being filmed for the Cooking Channel. Somehow they asked us to do food segments for them and before you know it we spent the next hour stuffing our faces with pastries and telling the camera how "amazing it is".
6. Melissa taking a HUGE leap of faith and choosing a different color nail polish at the Pedi Salon. Just call her crazy! (Seriously though, so proud of you girl.)
7. The most wonderful truffles I've ever tasted and vodka chocolates from here. How was this the first time I've heard of these things? If it wasn't a whooping $40 for a bag that held like ten chocolates I would have bought one for all of my friends for Christmas. Thank you to the choco girl who happily gave us like $80 worth of samples. Didn't even buy anything out of courtesy. Plleeaaasssee people! I'm from the get-toe! That's how we r-o-l-e.
8. Tory Burch. WHAT.
9. A memorable night spent here. Fabulous place. Fabulous food. Fabulous company. Fabulous toasts. Fabulous Big Band + dancing. My personal weekend favorite.
10. Cruising on our beach cruisers gangsta style. Sorry Gracelle!
11. And to close it out - a simple dinner party and movie screening with some beautiful ladies (and surprise massages for all!)

Thanks for the help #2 and #3. And to the bride, hope you felt crazy loved on because you're crazy loved.

Girlie Shenanigans

A memorable weekend. A few hints at our festivities.

More to come. Still celebrating!

Sneak Peak: Aimee's Bachelorette

R.O.D.

Preface: Now before anyone freaks out, let me state for the record, I AM NOT PREGNANT. I can see the gossip catching on like a forrest fire in the wind. This person tells that person and then that person, and before you know it when I fly down this weekend my teary eyed mother will greet me at the gate with a baby rattle in hand. I'm just thinking about the future in this post and that's it. Now please continue...

When we were growing up every night was family dinner night. It didn't matter what we were eating or what was going on. Every night my sister and parents would sit and eat together. We had two rules at family dinner. 1. Manners - You had to have them. Elbows on the table meant we had to go count to 25 in the hallway (quite effective means of teaching actually), no smacking, and so on. 2. No one had to do anything else - that included answering the phone (back them there were no cells), doing homework, attending meetings, and so on. It was just the four of us.

I saw this over at DALS blog and I totally agree and want to adapt this for my own family. Just makes sense. I think many of you may have tried Rule #8. Am I right?

Looking back I love the concept of family dinners. I believe, as they do, that it brings a family together. I also believe that "if you cook it they will come". Which is one of the reasons I am so intent on learning how to cook.

And this kind of stuff, right here is the reason motherhood freaks me out. I wouldn't have ever thought of doing something like that. Did ya see the little "Be a Builder" cut outs on their plates? I mean, how do you build the builder? Intimidating.

In the Dark

I used to have bad dreams when I was little. When I'd wake up it would be so dark and quiet and I would be frozen in fear. I can remember trying not to move so I wouldn't make any noise, just in case. I would whisper "mom" or "dad" hoping they would hear me. And inevitably, when they didn't, I would inch my hands up to my ears, cover them, and yell out one of their names. Something about covering my ears made it seem safer*. Whoever heard me would come to my room, tell me it was okay, pray for me, and stay until I fell asleep again.

As I got older the bad dreams became more intense. I would have this one re-occurring dream about falling and this other one where I'm trying to protect Aimee from gunfire but I wasn't able to. Insane right? Once I woke up, I'd have to make sure I was fully awake and concentrating on something else otherwise I'd fall back asleep and my dreams would pick up right where they left off. I would sit there in the dark for a long time till my heart beat would slow down, with my hands over my ears. If it was really bad I would call Josh. A few times he stayed on the phone with me till I fell asleep.

It's been a while since I've had a bad dream. But it happened a few days ago. I dreamed that there were some guys from a gang after me. Some big, menacing black guys with guns. I was living in Scott and Sam's house (Josh's friends in the valley) (hey, it's a dream okay - they're meant to be messed up) and they chased me with a gun. I ended up at a gas station and I thought I had lost them when all of a sudden they appeared on the other side of the car. The doors weren't locked and they were trying to get in and I couldn't get the car to go. As they were getting in the car I finally got the clutch to catch and we jerked forward and they fell out. I parked at a 7-Eleven, and there was a church group there, along with Josh. No one had any idea what was happening, they were just there. I thought I could hide between all the people until the coast was clear. But the bad guys showed up again and chased me around the outside of the 7-Eleven. I ended up back at my house (Scott and Sam's) and my Willis cousins were sitting in the front yard. I was frantic. They said not to worry, they would take care of them. I went inside the house and my Father-In-Law was there eating dinner at the table. I was still frantic. I told him how my Willis cousins may get hurt and he looked at me without a care in the world and told me, "Then don't worry, they'll take care of it." and he went back to eating. I had a sick feeling they didn't know who they were dealing with.

That's when I woke up. My heart was beating so fast and it was dark and quiet. Just like every other time I wanted to cover my ears but I didn't want to make noise so I whispered so lightly, "Josh". He turned to me, half sleeping, and asked what was wrong. I whispered that I had a bad dream. Then he turned and tucked me into him and told me, "You're okay, it was just a dream. You're safe." "You're safe." And he fell back asleep holding me.

I lay there with my eyes opened for a few more minutes. Just like that, I felt safe and protected. I prayed a prayer of thanks to Jesus for giving me a protector on this earth. Someone who would tuck me in and hold me tight and whisper that I was safe. Thank you Jesus.



*I actually still cover my ears in scary movies or intense situations. Not sure why it helps but it does. 

A Taste of the City

This weekend we went into the city and tried Frances, one of the restaurants on our list. The menu is new every night and is based on what is fresh from the local farms and farmers markets. It is impossible to get a reservation but yelp said there were ten bar seats up for grabs. We took our chances. We ended up waiting twenty minutes. Score.

From the outside looking in.

It was a tiny place. The bar seating was to the left. Not a bar really, more called that because they used stools. You know what was odd? The people were so nice. Just uncommonly nice. Is that how it is in San Fran? I'm used to hostesses with a mentality that you owe them something to get your name on the list. Here the people could not be more gracious. Made the evening that much better. And the conversation from my date could not have been more engaging. I'm so lucky.

The food was simple and delicious. Josh had a perfectly seasoned and cooked duck. Even I had a second bite. I had yummy fish. We took our time and enjoyed the night. A beautiful evening. 

I would live in SF. I'm intrigued by its culture and fascinated by the creativity. Things are well done, the air always fresh, and the houses incredible. I was grateful for unrushed time with Josh and the chance to explore and experience a new city. Thanks for a great night SF. You're a pretty cool kid.

Josh on USC: The Missing Intro

J tells me this blog is supposed to be somewhat of a personal thing. So here’s some background. I was welcomed into my first family by my mom and dad back in ’86. I joined my second family in ’92 when I accepted the everlasting love, eternal grace, and miraculous gift that is Jesus Christ into my heart. I became a part of my third family in ’04 when I returned the letter that came in the “big envelope” to the University of Southern California. My fourth family.. well, my fourth family is what the rest of this blog is about, and I’ll leave that telling up to J. I’m here to discuss that third family.

USC is a private university located in the heart of Los Angeles and the 23rd ranked college in the US (1). The recent university brass (Sample and now Nikias) have taken it upon themselves to push USC into becoming one of the top educational schools in the nation (2). I say educational because we have always been the top football school in the nation (3). We have 11 national championships and have put more kids into the NFL than any other university (4). From the Juice, to Allen, to White, Garrett, AD, Palmer, Seau, Lott, Swann, Del Rio, Haden, Leinart, Bush, Palmer, Polamalu, etc., etc., we have more than enough tradition and heritage for that claim.

I was welcomed into the Trojan family in ’04 and graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering in ’08 before going back for a master’s degree through ’10. I bleed cardinal and gold and care (5) about college football in a way only those from the old confederate would understand (6). I graduated, maybe for the last time, from USC in ‘10, but I’ll never really leave. Like they say, “You’re a bruin for 4 years but a Trojan for life.”

Now, it’s gametime. Fight on. I leave you all with this:

(1) http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/spp+25 Bruins, I understand these rankings “don’t mean anything”, but that’s not what you were saying up until 2 years ago. Although I must say, I am impressed with your ability to stay at the top of the nation with the same budget my high school operated under.
(2) They have been doing a very good job. http://uscnews.usc.edu/university/usc_announces_largest_fundraising_campaign_in_higher_education_history.html Money isn’t everything, but it does matter. Most of the universities in the top 25 can also be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_the_United_States_by_endowment
(3) arguably – settle down Texas, ND, OSU, Ok, Fl St., and Bama fans
(4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USC_Trojans_football
(5) http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/07/sports/la-sp-0908-ucla-football-20110908 I'm going to miss that guy.
(6) hi willis’.

Something Beautiful

Do you do Etsy? I've bought a few gifts from there. Some stuff is so so and some stuff is great. It's a bit like going to Nordstroms Rack and sifting through the stuff to find the gems. Well, I saw these beautiful photos by Kari Herer and realized she's a gem. Aren't they beautiful?

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:14

Happy Friday.

A New Fall Favorite

I love the Rachel Zoe show. It's on auto-record for our DVR*. I don't like admitting it but there's something about her that I find enduring. A bit of a brilliant designer paired with a total basket-case. She's confident yet insecure, brilliant yet hesitant, somewhat of a narcissistic tramp but also gentle and easily hurt. Like a lost little lamb. Did anyone see it last night? She debuted her first collection and I liked it. 

My favorites

others if you're interested

Do you watch reality t.v.? I used to be a huge Giuliana and Bill fan but not so much anymore. I know authentic isn't synonymous with reality tv but I feel like they've lost exactly that. I try to only do one reality tv show - too many and I might turn into my little friend Michelle W. =)

P.S. If this reading is too surfacy for you and you need something with more depth, grammatically correct, with footnotes, and a bit more self-assured sounding? Don't worry, another Josh post coming up soon. :p

*We also DVR The Colbert Report. Hmm, can you guess who watches what? =) 

The Vultures Are Out!

It's the 13th! Today the Missioni for Target line is was available in stores. I decided to get up early, peruse the website, and then hit my local target. I was most interested in the luggage (I bet resale would be double), potentially a beautiful throw, and maybe a few clothing items. This morning I checked the website and this is what I found.

It made me a little nervous. If the site was too busy, would the stores have anything? By the time I got there at 8:30 (store opened at 8) they had practically been cleaned out. All the vultures had come and gone. No luggage, toiletries, throws, adult shoes, and duvets. They had a few pieces of clothing left, a bunch of kids clothes and shoes, and the remnants of something great. It was like MAC lovers when a new iPhone is coming out except these were all women shopaholics. Yikes. 

I nabbed a few pieces but I may return them. I wasn't over-the-moon excited. When I was in the dressing room a few ladies were trying to take the stuff out of my cart! Vultures I tell you. The checkout guy said the website crashed as soon as the line was put up. He also mentioned he's never seen merchandise go that quickly. 

Did you get to Target in time? If so, I'd be curious to hear what you got. Maybe one of these limited edition bikes? :p 

Happy hunting!

Dollars and Cents

I'm not one to make political statements on this thing. I will never tell you who I voted for, which party I lean towards, or ask you to vote one way on any proposition. That's just not my bag. However, Josh sent me this and it just drives me nuts. For the sake of my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, can we please be fiscally responsible?

Last scene of the weekend. 

So happy to be home.

2 for 2, Phew!

During the 3rd. Obviously a crucial moment. =)

"Josh let's take a picture, please?" 

"Right now with two minutes left in the fourth?"

Note his facial expression. haha

The Girls

A, me, and mom on a Thursday night. Priceless. Thanks iPad.

Pretty Things

Something beautiful to brighten your Thursday. 

This picture is so pretty I can't stand it.

Pinterest

I have become addicted to Pinterest. It is the worst thing that has happened to me. It has encouraged my insatiable addiction to home decor. Here are a few quotes I found either amusing, true, or appropriate for a situation on Pinterest. Do you pin too? I don't have completely pure reasons for asking you this. I'm hoping my time waster will become yours too. =p Then I might not feel so bad. Terrible!

Always a balance. 

When I'm cooking.. 

Nasty little icon. I thought texting was supposed to replace that?

 About that thing that keeps bothering me.

The Book > The Movie 

 Must Dash. Get it? =)

And almost lastly and most unfortunately,

A rationale perhaps?

Meet my Husband

Do you ever wonder about the other side? I'm always wondering about the husband's of all these bloggers I follow. Are they really who they are made out to be? 

I have a treat for you (and me). Here's your chance to meet my husband. As I've recently shared, Josh loves USC. And he has agreed to share his opinions about USC football (once a week or so) for the duration of the season. I'm happy that you'll have a chance to get to know him through his love for SC football...and maybe, just maybe, you'll start to lean towards his beloved team as well. Hold tight, this ain't for the weak of mind.

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Game 1 vs Minnesota


One tenant of the PC era was that if you were the better player, you would play – regardless of age, experience, star rating, size, speed, or recruitment.1 This, in a time of redshirts and “paying your dues”, was a refreshing way to look at college football rosters. Whether or not Pete actually played all that many freshmen, this tenant created a competitive energy around the program that was impossible not to watch.2 Kids from all over the nation would come to SC because they knew they could play here. This same mindset was reflected in the play-calling which could be summed up as “getting those athletes the ball in space”. There wasn’t a whole lot of trickeration; there were no gimmicky schemes. We simply out-manned you – out-ran, out-jumped, out-toughed you. Pete knew it. The team knew it. The other players knew it.3

The 2011 season is one game old, and you can never tell too much from one game.4 However, the most telling statement from Kiffin’s post-game press conference and the biggest take away from game one was this:

Unfortunately, the game being so tight, there’s some guys we didn’t get in. We wanted to, two of the freshmen d linemen [Heyward and Tavai] and Lamar [Dawson].5

In a nutshell, this is the potential downfall of the Lane Kiffin era. Heyward and Tavai are two random names for Kiffin to be mentioning6, and I wouldn’t mind if both redshirted. But Dawson? Mr. Kentucky is the stud inside linebacker who started for most of training camp as Galippo nursed his hurt shoulder. Sure, he’s a true freshman, and at SC, the MIKE isn’t an easy position to play. But it’s not like he’s never played the position before. Heck, we started Kennard there all of last season. He was the second best MIKE on the field that day and probably the most athletic. He should have gotten some burn – if only to save Galippo’s 22 or 23 remaining independently-rotating vertebrae.

However, it is the greater implications of this statement that are most worrisome. Why bother recruiting 5-star talent if you’re going to be afraid to play them in a real game. These kids are born play-makers. Let them make plays. Who cares if they don’t know the playbook cover to cover. No one is asking them to play a full 60 minutes, read schemes / formations, or call plays. Just put them in the right position and trust that they have “it”. That is why you spent 100 hours a week breaking down their film last recruiting cycle, right? 

I like Kiffin. I think he’s a great offensive mind, and he’s obviously an all-world recruiter. The kids believe in him. I just hope he quits over-coaching and out-thinking himself to realize that we are SC, and you can take those chances because we are bigger, faster, stronger, and better. Man up and beat your assignment. We ain’t Boise.

Fight on.

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1. Obviously there were exceptions (though mostly in his later days), see McKnight, Joe and possibly Barkley, Matt (though that was Sanchez’s fault). Also, this was largely played up by the media types, see ESPN, but for the most part, it held true - “always compete”.
2. It is now impossible to watch. Thanks, Paul Dee.
3.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw4_4H83Pok
4. Although, UCLA and ND did both find their 2011 starting quarterbacks – no small feat.
5. http://www.usctrojans.com/blog/Kiffin-Call-MN.mp3
6. http://usc.ocregister.com/2011/09/06/usc-football-kiffin-regrets-postgame-comment/75083/ Apparently, Kiffin is misinterpreted a lot in his post-game reactions.

F-r-e-e-d-o-m! + Chipotle

We have logged a handful of miles since our move up north. We drive when we can and the 5 is the quickest way to go. Whenever we come near Harris Ranch we circulate the air. Doesn't work completely but I'll take any help when it comes to not smelling that nasty smell. The last time we drove by, it was dry and hot so there was a gross dust migration going on. ugh. I feel bad for those cows. All packed in there, dirty, and overfed. On the contrary, there are also many places along the 5 where cows roam freely, happily grazing on grass and minding their own business. I've taken to saying, "F-r-e-e-d-o-m!" (think Braveheart) whenever we pass the free cows. It's become our little joke and we often chuckle about it.

Why am I telling you this? Well, I ran across this cute animation today and it gave me pause to think knowing our little joke. Have you seen it? Now, I'm not making some huge change in my diet or taking a stand for anything. To be honest, I don't even buy organic produce because it's usually too expensive. :/ I'm just saying my heart goes out to those little cows. =)  Enjoy!

Our Pastors

Saw this on Youtube. These are two up and coming pastors in our conference. The narrator is Katsuya, from Westlight - gifted teacher of the Bible, and the contestant is Hisashi, from Venice - who will one day be a great head pastor.

I didn't realize these two had so many other spiritual gifts. =) I feel much safer in their care now. :p  Congrats Hisashi. Impressive.

Vegas Bound...Without Me

This is the picture on my desktop. We were supposed to be on our way to Vegas to celebrate my girl Leah hitting her 30's. Sadly Josh decided we couldn't go because I'm not well enough, Dr.'s orders. 

My dear Leah, wishing plenty of fond memories as you dance the night away! 

For Better or Worse, It's Back.

There are only three things that can put Josh in a bad mood; hot weather, the LA Lakers, and USC Football. Today is the start of college football. He could not be more excited and I could not be more nervous. I know that this next season will be filled with USC t-shirts, Saturday football, stats galore, a bunch of time lost on his new love - Rivals, and lots and lots of football talk that I really don't understand. Like this,

"J, Curtis McNeal was not in the magnet program."
"I'm happy with the start considering our first play of the season was a bubble screen and we missed the two point conversion."
"Oh, #10 is Hayes Pullard."
"Two dumb off tackle runs. I want a little more creativity out of Kiffin there."

Right now, he could not be happier. The season has started and already his beloved team has shown excellent defense and consistent offense in the first half. I am hoping this solid start is a taste of the whole season. Does your man love a team like mine does? If so, I am wishing you lots and lots of wins...unless they're playing my husband's team. Then I wish for your ultimate demise. :p Go Trojans.

A Love Shower

Melissa kindly sent me some pictures from Aimee's shower. I've been wanting to share with you but failed to take any photos. This is Aimee's Bridal Party and the team that put it all together. L to R: Grace (mentee), Dawn (high school friend and beyond), A in the middle, Melissa (best friend) and me (sister).

The room. We booked the Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach. They have this huge private room that was so great. The server was perfect for a bunch of women. He hung each one of those white things for us and would change the temperature every time a lady would complain. =) Oh, and the food was so delicious especially those who picked the vegetarian lasagna. 

 Grace led this phenomenal game. She would say a generic question like, "Who will do the chores?" and everyone voted with a paddle that had Blane and Aimee's names on either side. Quite hilarious actually. 

 The ladies voting.

 A precious time of prayer that Aimee thought went a bit too long. hahahaha 

 These are the ladies who are near and dear to her heart. 

 A few highlights - Denise T. crying the entire time because she just loves Aimee so much. Sandi, Aimee's MIL, for praying out loud (something she absolutely hates to do) because it was for Aimee. Grace stepping up and doing a more than awesome job. Aimee's joy at Denise H.'s food processor gift. Linda and her electric blue lingerie - hahaha! Leah who drove all the way to Glendale to pick up Aimee's blue dress and for coming over early to do her hair and makeup. My mom and Helen put so much love into decorating. Mom had her words of wisdom. Michelle laughing so hard she just kept snorting. Melissa for tediously making Aimee's favorite sea salt caramel macaroon as favors - so yummy! Madeleine, her college roommate, who knew absolutely no one and yet came anyway... and so on. 

You know, Aimee has a tendency to draw people who have a harder time going through life than others. And even though they may have not brought the best gifts or said the nicest things - the very fact that they pulled themselves together, found something to wear, and made it was telling enough. The effort shows you how much they love her. 

As someone who wants all the best and more for her sister, I hope that she felt comfortable, special, loved, and appreciated for all that she is because a girl only gets this once. I love you A.