Ranaldi Way of Life

I’ve written a few posts recently but they have all been related to our Foster Dogs or life and marriage but not really about what’s been going on with me lately!

Currently the Foster Dog is drooling all over my couch watching me munch on some homemade popcorn. Its disgusting, but giving him a piece only makes it worse, so im attempting to ignore the issue.

My thumb feels like i’ve somehow managed to bruise it so every time I try to grab my pencil or push a button or turn the page in a book the tip of my thumb has a sharp pain. OOwwwwiiieeeee!!

For you, I will push through the pain!

Let’s see… what have I been up to?…

In case you haven’t noticed, ITS SUMMER!!! My kids are all out of school and are home for the rest of Summer. The big kiddos just got back from spending some much needed time with their Mema and Papa. The kids typically spend a week or two, sometimes more during the summer and always come back smelling of sunscreen and tanned beyond belief. I sometimes wonder if they went to Hawaii without me instead of Modesto. We went up there for 4th of July and spent some much needed vacation time relaxing with family. It was so wonderful to sit in the sun and watch the kids play in the pool. Peytne was hilarious giggling and chattering away while her little feet kicked a million miles a minute- despite barely moving forward at all. By the last day in the pool she gave up trying to move forward and just enjoyed laying on her back and sticking her feet in the air, then floating around the water in that position the entire time. Haylee was determined to pull off the most amazing 4th of July Party EVER and after dipping strawberries in white chocholate and blue fleck sprinkles, decorating strawberry soda cupcakes with blue fondant stars and cutting patriotic shapes for the watermelon, strawberry and blueberry fruit salad- topped with marshmallows and white chocolate stars. We had tri-tip, potato salad and so much more! I think Haylee was VERY pleased with her party planning skills (I must say mommy was proud!).

I also spent some much needed GIRL time with a good friend of mine who just recently moved back to the West Coast. Last year I took a fun-filled trip to her destination wedding in Key West and enjoyed myself SO much as we spent the weekend drinking, celebrating and enjoying the tropical island! I was SO proud to be one of her bridesmaids and to be there to celebrate with her. My heart was saddened when I received a message from her saying her husband had fallen ill and was currently unconscious in the ICU. I was so angry that I couldn’t be there to support her during that time. She handled it so gracefully and I admire her for staying by his side and loving him and being so strong in those horribly tough final moments. Despite their time together being cut short, they blessed each other and she emerged on the other side a new woman. She is stronger, happier and open to experiencing love again. I am SO overjoyed that she found a wonderful man here in California to begin sharing her new life with! I love seeing her smile and literally shrink before my very eyes!! She joined us for our 4th of July party with this new man in her life and I loved every minute of the time we spent together. I’ve got to say a little movie date with Magic Mike and some illegal Starbucks was the highlight of our time together!

Now that we are home from our mini-vacation we will be diving into FOOTBALL SEASON!!! August 1st Kaelob begins his very first ever season of pop warner football! Eric has swallowed his pride and allowed his only son to register for La Costa Canyon Mavericks Pop Warner despite spending a lifetime playing for Carlsbad Lancer’s Football himself. Ahhhh old school rivalry. Poor guy, Let’s just hope he doesn’t have a major panic attack if Lancers ever play the Mavericks haha!

NEXT WEEK MY BEST FRIEND IS COMING!!!!!! – need I say more???- okay I will! She is coming out for a work conference (top secret super cool stuff, cuz shes THAT awesome!) Although she will be spending the majority of her first week in town stuck in meetings and conference stuff I know that the Earth will feel like it is rotating perfectly on it’s axis because once again she has found her way (even if temporarily) to the West Coast… with me. I can’t wait to be able to spontaneously decide to go out for 9pm cocktails or an impromptu sleepover! Even more than that, I can’t wait to watch my kids climb all over her and enjoy what little time they have with their Nana. Haylee has been coloring pictures for her to take home and decorate her work space with for weeks now!

Speaking of Haylee… I can’t believe that Friday at 3pm My little princess will be graduating from Preschool!! It takes every ounce of strength in me to overcome my issue with the little fashionable narcissist developing within her and take her shopping for a pretty new graduation outfit for the party. I also have been trying to think of what kind of gift would be apropriate for the woman who has nurtured, loved, educated and cared for my daughter this last year. Not only has she spent countless hours encouraging her to grow and learn to the point where she is fully prepared for kindergarten but she also taught and nurtured me. I remember spending those precious moments of my youth at her preschool, eagerly learning how to sign the alphabet or the days of the week. What gift is worthy of that kind of commitment and success?? Any suggestions?

I am embarking on the final 8-9 months of school. We are coming up on the halfway point and I am begining to feel the overwhelming pressure of an accelerated Bachelore’s program and desperately trying to stay afloat. I am working hard on my capstone project which will result in a well written research masterpiece that spans about 50-70 pages! I will be progressivly collecting data over the next few months and diving deeper and deeper into the scientific world of Kidney Transplants and Stem Cell Research! It’s a lot of pressure put on one written project, but already I can’t wait to be finished and sigh that sigh of relief!!

In about two weeks I will be celebrating ten years of hard work, dedication, joy, laughter and love to my high school sweetheart. Gosh, I don’t know why I hate that term: “high school sweetheart” but I do. We met in High School and began dating my Junior year, got engaged summer before my Senior year and married a month after graduation…. that fit’s the definition but the term makes me cringe, same with “fiance” I hated that term as well, never said it… it gives me the chills just thinking about it haha! ANYWAY, I have been teasing Eric for years about having a wedding re-do for our ten year anniversary. Now, ten years later we can drink alcohol legally and simply celebrate the event as actual adults rather than 18 year old kids that are permanently twiterpated with each other. I had big plans to have a party planner set up the entire thing, lay out a beautiful rustic event and celebrate our lives together now in our home with the farm animals and everything. Turns out at the end of the day we made the hard decision to scrap that plan and spend our money that was budgeted for this big outdoor party on being together as a family this summer. We chose to put our family first and Eric committed to staying home for the Summer knowing it would create a tight budget for now till he returned to work. We truly believe that we made the right decision because the kids have been really struggling lately and getting the much needed quality time with daddy is exactly what they need.

That being said, the closer we get to July 27th the more I struggle with not having the party I have been planning for years. Having to let go of a dream, despite the justified reason is really much harder than I expected. I feel like I still need to do something but my mind is so drained I can’t think of what. We still want to enjoy dinner with friends and family…especially those of you who have been supporting us from the very begining! I want still celebrate in some way that will be memorable and maybe go somewhere for a night or two just Eric and I… any suggestions for a great romantic local “stay-cation”? Advice and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Anyway, now that I’ve typed till my poor injured thumb was numb and the pain was gone I think it’s time for bed! 🙂

Thanks for Keepin up with the Ranaldi’s!