disneyland

i got to spend the last 5 days with my sister and her three babes. i love when my family comes to visit. they came to vegas, shopped, swam, saw my show, and then we all packed up and headed to the happiest place on earth. we had to leave the husband and pup behind:( 

california was not too welcoming our first day. 

but by the time we got to this place the sun was shining. yippee! it was the twin's first time at disneyland, california, and the beach....their faces were priceless.

first time on splash mountain for the babes...by our second run we were all camera ready

her new face paint friends...getting ready to watch the parade.

they were in heaven...waving and blowing kisses the entire time. ha.

i couldn't believe the kids lasted ALL day. lil troopers. 

i can't forget about the beach. my favorite. im pretty sure the kids could have lasted the entire week just at the beach. we only had a few hours. bummer. it was such a pretty day and the perfect way to spend our last hours in ca. 

what an adventure. 

im so happy i got to go with this cute fam. i couldn't imagine my sis doing it alone. 

shout out to all you single moms....you amaze me. seriously.

such great memories and new experiences for all.

success!

xo

happy birthday

i have to dedicate a special blog post for this special lady on her special day (wow, how many times can you say special in one sentence?....one more, because she is pretty dang special!).

my mother is the strongest person i know. i have always appreciated her love and support, but as i am growing up i am realizing more and more of her tremendous ability to power through life with her quiet strength and unwavering faith

....and i am in awe.

she is beautiful. she is selfless. she is independent. she is spontaneous. she is spiritual. she is smart. she is forgiving. she is a fighter. she is caring. she is a teacher. she is an example. she is compassionate. she is enduring. 

i am amazed at her attitude on life when life continues to battle on. she has had more trials than most will ever see in a lifetime. she has lost a father, a son, and a marriage. she has seen her children through their addictions and trials and helped them get out. she fights her cancerous battle daily with a smile. she has taught me what it means when they say, "life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain."

she is a rock. 

i am beyond grateful for the example i have as a mother. i hope to be half as strong as she is one day.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

i wish i could be with you to celebrate you on your special day. 

i love you.

xo

march madness

there is a reason they call it march madness....and it has nothing to do with basketball over here. how is it already mid march? 

we went to utah the beginning of march to celebrate this now 10 year old, pick up our little baby/puppy...who got his manhood taken away while we were gone, sorry little guy. i also got to teach dance, which always makes me inspired and happy, and we got to spend time with family and with the mountains....two of our favorite things. 

we hit the craziest sandstorm on the way back to vegas and got this beauty on our windshield (and thats only half of it). it was intense though...couldn't even see the car ahead of you the sand was so thick.

we dog/house sat for one of my producers over the weekend.

 just call me caesar milan.

mowgli was loving his new doggy friends.

we ventured out to red rock. 

the weather couldn't be nicer here in sin city right now and i am taking full advantage. 

all tuckered out after our long hike:)

so its mid march and i still have 4 birthdays ahead of me, a trip to disneyland with three little ones and a mama, house hunting (still renting...dont think we can settle here forever), and all the little tasks of daily life. how do mothers do it all? 

...and since we are doing another 21 day meditation challenge from the wise deepak chopra i will leave you with some of his wisdom...

“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.”

meditation is cool.

xo

bahama cruisin

the last two weeks were almost as intense as the massive sandstorm we drove back to las vegas in last night. we dropped our baby boy/puppy off and headed out to ft lauderdale to cruise with d&m through the bahamas. get ready for a lot of pictures....no for real. a lot.

 ready...set...go

first day we literally cruised around the entire island on our awesome scooter the husband thought was a motorcycle. we ended up in a shady shady part of town, snuck over to atlantis for lunch, explored our favorite beach, jaws beach, found a market with diet dr pepper, and got  back to the ship in time for some sock hoppin.

70s themed sock hop. 

they made me dress up as princess leia. the husband pulled stuff out of his closet and came up with this awesomeness. ha. 

ymca anyone?

andy getting ready for our formal dinner

  

 the weather was amazing. the first time the husband and i have ever been on a cruise together, and it was quite the experience cruising with over a thousand d&m fans. all i can say is, we made a lot of new memories:)

we got to explore cococay for a few hours before i had to get back to judge the talent show. the water was beyond pretty. we kayaked and swam as much as we could with the little time we had. i think i would be ok if i got stranded on an island, especially this one;)

no joke. 

not one but two sting rays came right up to us. the husband of course tried to grab it. umm...remember steve irwin? luckily it was too fast and swam away. and then to top that off, a real live reef shark swam right in between us. i wasn't even afraid. i thought i would be, because any time i go surfing i won't even let my feet dangle off my board in fear of sharks. this one was just a little guy though.
can you see him?
so freakin cool.