Day 60

I slept on Dominic's bed, which was the top bunk. Its really high up there. I was afraid all night that I would roll over and fall to my death. LOL not really, but I was scared. I got up and got to showered. Waited for Dominic to get up. He didn't sleep well either. We went to the movies and saw the Vow. I loved this movie. Every girl should be so lucky to have a guy love her that much. Dominic had wanted to take me to the UClub, but it closes at 1:30 and the movie got out at 1:25, so we went to 5 guys burgers. They are yummy. Track practice starts at 2:30 so we rushed back so he could change and I could get on the road. I was a little sad that I was coming home. I don't like leaving California. But I have to come back to reality. And Yes Audrey, I may be in a funk for a couple of days, but I'll get over it. Just wait till all my kids are gone. I hope you are still here to cheer me up with your wonderful comments. I put gas in. Can you believe how freakin expensive it is? In Vegas its $3.94. Cali its $4.50. I found diesel for $4.19 could not pass that up. my tank is 42 gallons so you can only imagine how much it takes to fill up. I got home around 5:45 we went to dinner at Macaroni Grill because there was no way I was going to cook. Came home and went to bed with a killer tension headache. Robert gave me some good muscle relaxers. knocked me out.

Day 59

I was hoping Dominic would over sleep and I wouldn't have to take him back today. But we both got up and started to get ready. We loaded up the car, stopped to get gas and headed out. It normally takes me about 3 hrs 15 min to get there. We stopped in Barstow for a potty break and something to eat. Had we not stopped Dominic would have been right on time for track practice. He was 10 min late but no one noticed since they just started. I wanted to see my cousin but she was busy. I was able to drive to Palm Springs to visit my dear friend Diana. These are the wind turbines on the way up there. I hung out at her work until 5 when she got off. We picked up her daughter and drove back to Redlands to get Dominic to take to dinner. She wanted to take me out for my birthday. My birthday is Friday and I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate that with her. We had a nice dinner, some margaritas and fun catching up. She had to head back home cause she was tired and cha cha still had homework to do. Me and Dominic went back to his dorm. Popped some popcorn made some hot chocolate and watched a movie. It's going to be fun having a sleep over with him.

Day 58

Last full day of Dominic being here. It has gone by way too fast. I took him to get his eyes checked. He needed a new prescription for his contacts. Im so glad they fit him in at such short notice. After that Christopher and Kirstin wanted to go to lunch. We ended up at Buffalo Wild Wings. I wish you all could have been there for the conversation we were having. I am really open with my kids and we talk about every subject under the sun. I love it when we can put one another on the hot seat. You can sometimes really see a person squirm. ;) I often wonder if other families are as open as we are. Austin said the thing he will miss most when he goes off to college is our dinner talks. I can't even think about that just yet. Its going to break my heart when its his turn to leave. We were sitting around watching the Voice, when I looked over and Austin was sound asleep. I couldn't resist taking his picture.
Happy Birthday Uncle Don :)

Day 57

Got up and went to church. After we got Dominic's hair cut. He hasn't had his cut in a few months. Its funny cause even though there looks like a lot of hair on the floor when he's done it still looks the same. I wonder if he will ever cut it off? Not anytime soon according to Dominic. Today is the Oscars, so I printed out the ballots again. We all filled one out except Christopher and Kirstin they were at work. I love Billy Crystal as the host. He always makes it fun. Well me and Brandon tied. We eached picked 10 winners. Dominic got 6, Robert 5 and Austin only got 4. Its really hard to pick when you haven't heard of most of the movies. I've only see 2 of the 9 nominated. So we all just go with our gut. Best Picture: The Artist. Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist, Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady, Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginnings, Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help.

Day 56

Dominic wanted to go see a movie today. He picked Act of Valor. I had not heard of it before today. I actually was listening to some of the soundtrack on Itunes right before he asked to see it. Its a really good movie, but I thought the acting wasn't that great. Well I had no idea it was made with active duty US Navy Seals. PLOT: An unprecedented blend of real-life heroism and original filmmaking, 'Act of Valor' stars a group of active-duty U.S. Navy SEALs in a film like no other in Hollywood's history. A fictionalized account of real life Navy SEAL operations, 'Act of Valor' features a gripping story that takes audiences on an adrenaline-fueled, edge-of-their-seat journey.

When a mission to recover a kidnapped CIA operative unexpectedly results in the discovery of an imminent, terrifying global threat, an elite team of highly trained Navy SEALs must immediately embark on a heart-stopping secret operation, the outcome of which will determine the fate of us all.

'Act of Valor' combines stunning combat sequences, up-to-the-minute battlefield technology, and heart-pumping emotion for the ultimate action adventure film-showcasing the skills, training and tenacity of the greatest action heroes of them all: real Navy SEALs.
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Austin went with his friends and played ultimate frisbee and we stayed in and watched another movie. Rum Diaries with Johnny Depp. This one was pretty good too. Based on a true story. We are getting pretty boring around here. Can't wait until it warms up and we can get out and do fun outdoor things.

Day 55

I woke up so excited knowing I was going to go pick up Dominic and bring him home for a few days. its been a while since he's been home. Well it sure feels like it. My mom wanted to go with me since she hasn't left Las Vegas in about 7 yrs. I said sure why not. We left around 11 since Dominic doesn't get out of class until 2:30. It was nice having company going down. That drive can be pretty boring when you are by yourself. Luckily I usually have a good friend I can talk to on the phone when im driving. Today was no exception. We got to Redlands about 2:45 and waited while Dominic finished packing up. It was such a beautiful day there. 85 degrees and there were a bunch of kids sunbathing out in the Quad. I wanted to join them so bad. One of the girls that came down to visit my mom (Edy) the other day wanted to meet for dinner. We all wanted to get back on the road as soon as possible so we would miss the traffic and get home at a decent time. I felt really bad cause I think she felt let down. I promised we would get together next time. Well we headed out and Dominic with the kind heart that he has wanted to turn around and go back to the school after driving 15 min or so, so he could leave a donation for a worker in the cafeteria that died in a car crash earlier in the week. Wow you don't know how much that warmed my heart. So we went back to the school and he did that and then realized he left his wallet in the dorm. Picked that up and headed home. We stopped in Hesperia at Sizzlers ate and started back on our way. Dominic and my mom fell asleep. Story of my life. Drive while everyone gets to sleep. Dropped my mom off got a text from the kids wanting DQ. picked it up for them. Me and Dominic did not get anything because he gave up sweets for Lent and I just didn't want anything so late. We are all so happy to have Dominic home.

Day 54

You know some days there just isn't much going on here at the Lopi house. This morning I had to ditch going to the gym in order to get 2 new tires on my car. Im driving to Cali tomorrow and Robert didn't want me to drive on bald tires. I didn't think it was that big a deal until I drove the car home and could tell the difference in the traction. I didn't feel like I was sliding when I would turn the corners. Then there was a track meeting at 1:30. I got there a little late, thinking the coach told me 1:30 and really meant 2:00. Nope it was really at 1:30. Oh well. Not like my kids will be running. I had a long talk with the boys and I told them that its up to them if they want to or not. I don't want to put any added pressure on them. I will still help out with taking pics and running the website and do my best with whatever they need help with. I picked the kids up and we drove thru In and Out. Rented 3 movies. Brandon went to Genica's to do homework, Kirstin and Christopher went to look at a motorcycle and Robert had another providers dinner. So that left me and Austin. We watched Friends with Benefits and made chili. Had I know that the other kids would not have been home for dinner, me and Austin would have gone out. Oh well. It was just nice hanging with my baby.

Day 53

My mom grew up in a convent in Los Angeles. The Convent of the Good Shepard. When she got out she eventually went back to work for them. She would take me and my brother there while she worked. It was pretty fun. Well she has kept in touch with a few of the Nuns and some of the girls she went to school with back then. Well a bunch of them are planning a reunion in June and have started looking up people. She has since gotten in contact with a few more girls from the old days. Well a couple of them drove out from California today to visit her. I was at the gym when she called to have me come by, but I told her I would after I picked up the kids. I went over and got to see Virginia who I use to hang out with her kids Sabrina and Paul. And Edy** Edwina, was a little younger than my mom, and they didn't know each other. But because they went to the Convent, they share a strong bond. How cool that they would drive out to hang out with her for the day. My mom even let me take a picture of her with the girls. We had to leave, but stopped to get some dinner before heading home. OMG you should have heard the conversation at the table. Austin was trying to explain the moral of the story of some of the fairy tales/nursery rhymes to Genica. It was Hilarious and he was getting so loud that other tables were laughing at him too. I just love my kids and how funny they are. Do you know what the moral of the story is for the isty bitsy spider? Run cause that spider won't die. LOL ok sounds funnier coming out of Austin's mouth.
Oh and its the start of lent, hence the ashes on their forheads. lol Im giving up cussing. The kids said I won't make it 20 min. Will see!

Day 52

The kids and I drove out to town square today to see a movie. Who knew at The Rave theatre its only $6 on Tues. I think I have found my new place to go on Tuesdays. We saw Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance with Nicholas Cage. I slept thru most of it. That's how bad it was. LOL I know that Austin was the only one who liked it. From there I was taking the kids home so me and Glenda could have our girls night out. Tues Robert goes to CAP. Well they wanted to go to the Mac Shack and it was on our way home. We called Glenda and had her meet us over there. While there we saw Mark from Mark and Mercedes in the morning. Our local radio show. I wanted to go over and say hi, but didn't want to interrupt his dinner with his family. One day I will go over and say hi since I tend to run into him a lot around town. I had the kids take my car home and I rode with Glenda. We stopped by Micheles house. She sells Scentsy and Glenda was getting a gift for a friend of hers. We sat in front of my house until 11:30 talking. We can talk for hrs. Back to school routine tomorrow.

Day 51

Everyday Graciela and I go to the gym, well almost everyday. As you walk into the place there is a spot for motorcycles to park. Well she is a Harley and Victory type of girl. So this one Victory is always parked outside. She asked me to take her picture next to it. I told her to sit on it and she said that would be disrespectful. Who knew? I would have. lol All my boys want to get a motorcycle. Im kind of scared to let them, not because I don't trust them Its all the other drivers out there. Heck I use to ride dirt bikes all the time back in the day. Anyway the boys have today and tomorrow off from school. Brandon spent a lot of today over at Genica's doing homework. Man those kids sure do get a lot of homework. Must be all those AP classes they are taking.

Day 50

It was so nice to wake up and not be hurried. Me and the boys just took our time getting ready this morning. We decided to go to the movies and see Chronicle. What a great movie. But first we went to Wing Stop. We ordered our food, but it was getting close to our movie starting so we asked them to bag it up and we had hoped to sneak it into the movie theatre. No such luck. The guy made me throw my drink away and then told us we had to throw our food away. OH HECK NO, so we went to the corner of the theatre and sat on the floor and ate it. I've been hearing how good this movie was, so I'm glad we finally got to go see it. The plot follows Andrew (DeHaan), his cousin Matt (Russell) and their fellow high school student Steve (Jordan), as they form a close bond after receiving telekinetic abilities from an unknown object. The group use their abilities for mischief and personal gain until Andrew begins to use them for darker purposes. The film is visually presented from the perspective of various video recording devices, primarily from a hand-held camcorder used by Andrew to document the events in his life. If you get the chance to see it I totally recommend it if you like Sci-fi. Gotta get dinner made.

Day 49

Sadies :) But first Robert left for Tonopah for interviews for the CAP promotion. He will be gone overnight. :) I can't even remember the last time he took an overnight trip. I get the bed all to myself. YAY!!!!!!
Brandon got ready to head over to Genica's house by 12:30. I had texted her to see if it was ok to have Austin come a long with me since he would be left home until later in the evening. Not that I don't trust him, but I wanted my own date. LOL There were 4 couples, Emma and Chance, Karli and Wil, Austin B and Marelise and Genica and Brandon. It was cute. 2 couples were in blue and the other 2 were in green but in different shades. We all headed over to the Springs Preserves for picture taking. You would think with as many dances as these kids go to they would be prepared for taking pics. They started to get into it by the end. I took 202 pics. From there we drove down to the strip to The Imperial Palace, where they were all supposed to meet for dinner at Hash House a Go Go. Well 3 of the couples got lost. Since Genica had bought tickets to see a Beatles show at Planet Hollywood and it started at 5:30 they had to get their food ordered and eaten so we could head down the strip to Planet Hollywood. Austin and I went to the Buffet. $20. per person. And it sucked. We should have waited till we got to Planet Hollywood to eat. Oh well. The guy at IP told me Planet Hollywood was to the Right when it was really left on the strip. I had to do some quick maneuvering to get where I needed to be only to get stuck in major traffic in the parking lot due to a concert that was going on at the time. We barely made it to the show. While G & B were in the Beatles show, Austin and I walked around. We had 2 hrs to kill. We watched an indoor rain show, we learned a new magic trick, I bought some clothes at this store that was going out of business(pants, 2 shirts, necklace earrings and a ring for $13.) and Austin's highlight of the night was getting a big Blue crayon for free. LOL After the show G&B also got to get a crayon. Which were banks. We got back in the car drove to Caesar's Palace and went to Serendipity to have some delicious ice cream. Came home dropped Brandon off at Genica's to watch a movie and me and Austin came home watched our own movie. Picked Brandon up at 12. I think the kids had a really great time. So did me and Austin.

here are a few more pics that I posted on FB

Day 48

Pre Sadies activities. Brandon went over to Genicas had dinner and played Speed with her. One of her favorites. I haven't played that in forever. They also tried building card houses. Genica pointed out that Brandons was strong enough to hold his cell phone. She made their shirts for tomorrow. They came out really good. Austin went with a group of kids and Mr Douglas to play ultimate frisbee. After that they went to Yogurtland. Didn't I tell you what a great guy Mr. Douglas is. How many teachers hang out with their students after hrs playing frisbee and just having fun? Only the cool ones.

Day 47

Went out last night then headed back to Glendas house. She was getting together some food and snacks for the kids. She is driving down there this weekend. Im so sad im not going, but Brandon and Genica have Sadies tomorrow and I wouldn't miss that for anything. Plus I'll be seeing Dominic next week. :) While there Dan came over. He's a friend of the kids. He is set to leave for Tokyo next week on his mission. He's a really sweet young man. I wish him the best as he sets out on this new chapter of his life.

Day 46

Its good to have great friends that keep you accountable. Graciela made me get my butt out of bed and head over to the gym. I haven't been in the mood lately, but she has made sure I get there everyday. Some days I have to talk her into it. Its a great partnership. I was all set to finish our class and come home and pay bills. Fun, not. She "made" me get on the treadmill and do 2 miles and then go upstairs and do some crunches. I HATE THOSE! I came home and then showered headed up to the school to pick up the kids. Austin will be doing the chant for the Polynesian club dance. He's pretty excited about that. Genica has a new phone with a cool camera on it so she took one of my pics of the day. It was rainy here and it snowed up at the school earlier in the day. It makes our mtns so pretty. We went to taco bell for a snack. I can tell you I use to live on their Enchiritos when I was younger, but their food has changed a lot since then. Maybe thats why we don't go there, ever. YUCK!!!! sorry Genica. lol I went to Starbucks to meet up with Glenda for a bit. I love hanging out with her. From there Robert and I made it to Nora's. Its one of the best Italian restaurants in Vegas. Came home and the kids wanted me to fix them dinner. Are you for realz? Come on you lazy boys, make yourself something. I told them they were on their own for dinner. You would think they didn't know their way around the kitchen. They are just spoiled.

Day 45

Happy Valentines Day to all you love birds out there. We did absolutely nothing here. Robert felt really bad about that, but like I always say why spend the extra $$$ on stuff you can get any other day for less. I went to the gym and took a kick boxing class that really kick my behind. I felt like I was going to pass out. The guy teaching the class was like a drill instructor. At one point he turned the music off and asked if we wanted to go home I said YES!!!! lol Im glad I stuck with it. It was a great workout. Kirstin and I made dinner. Chicken Parmesan and she got chocolate covered strawberries. Yum. Robert went to CAP. Guess those guys don't mind not celebrating too. Im sure their wives were not happy about that.

Day 44

Do you ever have one of those days when you just don't want to be bothered? Well I have been having them a lot lately. Not sure why, well I do, but not going to share here. Today Robert asked if I wanted to go to dinner at this really nice place Nora's. I said ok, guess that wasn't specific enough for him. Needless to say we did not end up going instead it turned into another argument. What's new.

Day 43

Grammy Night. My Family loves music, so we look forward to this awards show each year. I printed out a ballot and me and Austin sat and picked who we thought would win. Brandon was at Genica's doing homework so he didn't get to pick his winners. I think I beat him with my picks. I guessed Adele would win all she was up for. He went with Bruno Mars. If she wasnt up against him, I would have picked him too. Congrats Adele on winning all 6 awards. There were some great performances. Adele of course. Bruno Mars rocked the house. (Austin now wants a gold suit and gold bow tie lol). Foo fighters, Blake Shelton singing Glen Campbells song. And Jennifer Hudson did a wonderful tribute to Whitney by singing I will Always love you. It was a pretty good show.

Day 42

What a very sad day in music history. Whitney Houston passes away at 48 yrs old. Not much older than I am. I grew up listening to her beautiful voice. Many of her songs define some part of my life. I Will Always Love you, one of her biggest hits means a lot to me. As do many of her other songs. Loved the movie the Bodyguard. The soundtrack is one of the best ever. I think her life took a turn for the worse when she married Bobby Brown. Its such a shame she got hooked on drugs. I had always hoped she would be able to turn her life around. RIP Whitney. Your amazing voice will be missed.

Day 41

What an eventful day. Started off at the gym. Yes Im trying to go everyday. I'll even be going tomorrow. After that I had some errands to do. This part is a little hurtful, but I understand. As I was leaving the Best of the West, I saw a very dear friend of mine,(well she use to be) in front of me in her car. Im pretty sure she saw me, I could be wrong, but it seemed like she could not get as far and as fast away from me. It really made me sad. I miss her friendship so much, but like I tell my kids you can't make someone like you if they don't. Well I headed home cause another friend wanted to get together for lunch. I couldn't go all sweaty. I haven't hung out with Massiel in forever. It was so good to sit there and get caught up. She told me about Kassidy getting her Make a Wish granted. How cool is that. The whole family will be going to Australia at the end of March. They so need this after the yr they have had. From there I went up to the school to get the boys. Guess what they did? They joined Polynesian club. Can you just see my boys dancing in front of the whole school? LOL I can't wait to watch this. Went to dinner just the 4 of us. Christopher and Kirstin were still at work. Then Glenda, Michele and I went to see Thunder From Down Under. Genica's mom was so sweet to get me 4 tickets to see it. Thank you Jenny :) Graciela was feeling sick so she didn't come. Girl you sure missed out on a lot of HOTNESS!!!!!! There was this one guy who I thought was super Sexy. They all were, but he just stood out to me. He's the only bald one in the pic. I guess I have a thing for bald guys these days ;) Oh and the guy on the far right has some amazing blue eyes. Got home around 1:30. Was a great day.

Day 40

Super work out today. I am loving the girl Lucy, who does the zumba class on Thursdays. I am going to be looking into maybe becoming an instructor. I love it, I just need to get over my fear of being in front of people. Drove Austin around after school to help him find road signs for his drivers ed class. Oh man I can't believe he will be old enough soon to drive. Not that I will let him or Brandon drive before they turn 18. LOL

Day 39

I finally got myself a new desk calendar. I asked for one for Christmas, but didn't get it. It really helps me to remember what I need to do and also has a wonderful countdown on it to help with P365/6. Yes you will see that I put a big heart and crossed it out. I DON'T DO VALENTINES DAY! Its so over rated.

Day 38

I don't know what came over me today, but I decided to clean. Shocker, Right? Well half of the master bedroom is my craft room. I've been meaning to get it cleaned up for a while. Well I started on it today and its looking pretty darn good. In the meantime my mom calls me and asks what am I doing. Am I at the gym or home? I say home getting ready to go get the boys. She says fine, I say did you need anything she says no and hangs up. well 2 min later I get this lovely text from her. Obviously meant for someone else. I could not help but laugh because I've made the mistake of sending a text to someone who it wasn't meant for, but never have I ever been mean. Well if you want to know what the ***** stands for its BITCH! Yep. Oh so nice. This is what I have had to live with my whole life. But I take it. This all started on Superbowl because I told her I would not give her money to buy cigarettes. She left the house pissed off. Oh well. I just can't do that. Im sure she'll get over being mad soon cause she has no one else to take her to run her errands. LOL The picture for those of you with an IPhone, Im the green and she is the white. Oh and im going to the movies tonight with Glenda to see the descendants with George Clooney. I hope its good. :) It was good and we even snuck into another movie. We saw A Man on the Ledge. Very good.

Day 37

Lazy day here again. Got to the gym about 1:30. Had to pick up the kids at 3:30. But in the mean time I met up with Genica at Barnes and Nobles and we discussed Sadies among other things. Its coming up on the 18th. I think she is going to have a fun day planned for her and Brandon. After that I went to get the boys. Dropped them off and headed to Nail Quest to get a pedi with Glenda. I love going there. The girls there are so nice. Especially LA. Thanks Glenda for the Pedi. my toes look so pretty. Now time to watch one of our Favorite shows ever. The voice. you should really check it out. Love Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.

Day 36

Super Bowl Sunday. The Patriots vs the Giants. Me and Dominic are for the Giants and everyone else thinks the Patriots are going to win. We all helped get the food ready. We had our usual wings minus the fingers this yr since Sams didn't have any. 6 Foot long sandwiches with the works, ham, turkey, roast beef, pepperoni, swiss, provolone, avocado, bacon lettuce and tomatoes. We had 4 different dips w/chips. Deviled eggs and some southwest pinrolls that Glenda made. Chips and salsa, veggies, and lots of desserts. This yr was weird not having Dominic home. I guess I am going to have to get use to that. And Both Christopher and Kirstin had to work. So we had so much food left over. My mom, Glenda and Stan came over. Paula and Tyler came by too. Genica even stopped by for the half time show. Her and I texted each other after she left after all the good plays or when that SEXY Car commercial came on. The Accura NSX. Dang I really want that car now. It was nice just kicking back and watching a really good game. It was one of the better games in recent Superbowl history. So close. Way to go Giants. 21-17. Thanks to all of you for coming over and bringing such good food to share with all.