Life...

Life has been mighty busy in The Perillo House. My MIL has officially been in some sort of hospital type facility for two months today. As of the 9th she will be on a ventilator for two months. Needless to say the last two months have felt like an eternity. Rich has spent as much time as possible with his mother, which I totally believe is the best thing for both of them but it has been hard on all of us. Rich is exhausted from trying to balance work, family time, and sitting by his mom's side. The girls often miss their Daddy as we have spent a lot of time at my Mom's or just us girls. I have been running like crazy with the girls and still working my normal crazy days and hours. 

We continue to pray for Jackie's health and healing. We have seen a few improvements over the last week or so. We are hopeful this will continue. 

Right now the girls and I are all sick. We all went to the doctor today. The little girls have sinusitis. While Mommy has infected lymph nodes in my jaw area. In fact my face is swollen and in tons of pain. Why do I always end up with the oddest illnesses?  So we are all on antibiotics. In fact it is about 8pm and we are all curdled up in our own bed with our TV's on and medicines taken. We all hope to be feeling better tomorrow. We are all trying to stay away from Daddy as he can't see his mom if he gets sick and we don't want that. 

Our lives have been crazy and busy and stressful and full but we are hanging in there. Rich and I talk often about when and how we will ever get back to normal but somehow it is starting to seem like this might be our new normal. In my nearly 34 year life I have learned that it is best to embrace every season of life. While this is not the best part of life nor will it go down as my favorite season of my life, I have to say it has taught me a lot. I have learned that Rich and I have a true partnership and we truly are each other's rocks. We have now truly begun to live our wedding vows. For better, for worse have brought new meanings to the things we have seen over the last two months. I could have never imagined the things we have been through but the fact we have been through it all together is probably the most important thing. I hope that Rich truly knows I am his rock, that I will be there for him no matter what. That when things are at their toughest our relationship is at its best. 

I hope my next post, whenever that is, is on happier topics but this was my chance to just let my mind put its thoughts on paper. Thanks for listening, well reading but you get what j am saying. 

The Season

I know it has been awhile since I posted again but we have been in a very difficult season of our life. 

My mother in law was been very ill, she has been in the hospital since Dec. 3rd and in ICU since the 9th. We already know that we will not be having a normal Christmas. We have already celebrated Avery's 3rd birthday without her and it has been so difficult on all of us but especially my husband. 

My kids have stayed with my parents more than they have been home. Rich has practically run himself into the ground  staying by his mom's side. And I have tried to work and support Rich. As you can imagine we are exhausted. In fact the girls stayed at Mom's last night and I slept 11 hours and haven't done much today. I did finish Christmas shopping with my final run to Target. 

At this point we have no idea what the future will hold or when life will get back to normal. We don't know when Jackie will get better and that is the hard part. This is supposed to be a season of family, friends, and fun but I feel as though we have had none of that. 

I am grateful for my Mom who has helped me beyond measure and done everything in her power to make this Christmas Season special for my girls. She has done their Elf in a Shelf with them, bought and done their North Pole Communicator everyday with them, she has taken them and picked them up from school countless times, she attended Winter Concerts, and has helped us decorate our house or Christmas. I could never have made it through all this without her. 

Probably won't post much until our life is a little calmer and back to normal. In the meantime from our family to yours we wish you the happiest of holiday seasons!!!

Thankful

As usual for me my post is several days late, for this busy working Mama late is far better than never. 

This week I reflected on all I had to be Thankful for with Thanksgiving being on Thursday.  And that is when I realized I am blessed beyond belief. Here are just a few of the things I am so thankful for this week and daily. Hope your Thanksgiving as full of family, friends, and terrific memories. 

What I am most Thankful for:

My Husband. My Daughters. An amazing family. My parents - they truly are the best. My freedom, it is awesome to be an Americian. Great Friends. Health. A steady, well paying job. The opportunity to be a female leader in a Fortune 500 Company.  Our home. Spending the holidays with family. Living a life with minimal regrets. Love. Hugs and kisses from my girls. Time to spend with the girls. My husband's support. My recovery from my surgery. Spending part of Thanksgiving with my MIL. Cool weather. And a million more things that would take forever to continue to write. 

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend, go out and enjoy it with family and friends!

The end of the softball season...

So today was the last day of our fall softball season. I have to say it was a great time. Jolie made a ton of friends and learned so much about softball. Our girls improved and did amazing all season. I made some amazing friends as well with some of the other mom's and we even have a huge Mom's weekend coming up in two weekends, I am so looking forward to that. Here are a few pictures. 

Tis the Season

As you can probably tell by the number of post I have written this week I am back at work and I has been so incredibly busy. I will give you a little recap of the week Monday was a meeting with a Publix District Manager plus normal catch up. Tuesday was a trade visit with my regional VP. Wednesday was supposed to be another trade visit but they ended up elsewhere. Thursday was my one normal day of the entire week. Friday was deal with opportunities and problems leading into the holiday season and a meeting until 6pm. It was a wild week to say the very least. Now it is super early Saturday morning and I am up and getting ready for softball, pretty thankful this is our last game for the season. This Mama is just ready for some quiet in a season of craziness. 

Next week both Rich and the girl's will be home and will be sleeping in and finding fun Thanksgiving/Fall things to do as this very busy working Mom finds a way to lead and motivate a sales force to drive sales and in outlet execution. In other words this is one of those times of years that I totally wish I wasn't in my power career and could be off and stay home and play with my kids and enjoy the season. But I know the girls will be happy and having a ton of fun with their Daddy as well as my parents. 

Hope your holiday season is going well thus far and I will try to keep posting regularly. 

Last Day of Vacation

Why is it when you are on vacation and not working the week goes by so fast?  Yet somehow when I am working the weeks feel so long. I think it might be one of the great mysteries. 

Today was officially the last day I am off for 2013. Well except for Thanksgiving and Christmas but those are holidays not vacation days. But I digress and get off topic.  

Today I went to Jolie's school for her pizza party that celebrated all the children in the school that were on Principals Honor Roll and Honor Roll. From all the information I had received from the school I thought I was just going to be there for her 30 minute time slot, sit with her, celebrate with her, and then go home. However, I knew better. Things are never that simple when it comes to the school. 

So I arrived at the school about 15 minutes early with a delicious low calorie of course Starbucks drink in hand. I sign in and head to the MPR. I get there and there is one poor Mom trying to set up plates, drinks in coolers, and cupcakes all by herself. If course I jumped in to assist her and we ready for the kids as they walked in. Jolie was in the first group of children as they started with K and 1st grade as they had the party during their lunch. The kids loved it and even got up on the stage and danced all around to the music. I didn't get pics of Jolie breaking it down but I did include a sweet pic of Jolie and I as well as one of here and her best friends. 

Once Jolie's group was done I found myself yet again pitching in and cleaning up and resetting up for the next group. Then it was happening group after group until I had been at the school for more than 3 hours. When I was finally finished I signed myself out and then made a trip to Walmart to kill the last hour Jolie was in school. While at the Walmart I purchased myself a yoga mat so I could really get into the stretching and relaxation parts of yoga, my surgeon suggested this as part of the healing/recovery process. Then I picked Jolie up some great little long sleeve Danskin dry fit shirts. In fact I think I need a couple that them for me. But I think I will be adding them to my Christmas Wish List as I am on a self imposed anti-spending spree. But again I digress. Once done with my quick WalMart run I went back to the school and got in car line. I was only about 10 cars from the front so once the kids were out I got her quickly. In the way home we got her a milkshake at Chick Fil A and me a Diet Lemonade. Once home we did a 20 minute yoga workout together. I have decided she needs a yoga mat of her own because she basically hogged mine when we did our workout. So Daddy says she can have one but I think I am going to give her the one I just bought and get myself a thicker one.

So that sums up the final vacation day. Now it is another Saturday at the softball field tomorrow, we only have 2 games left in the season. Tomorrow and one more. Then it will be quiet and low key the rest of the weekend as I gear back up for work next week. I have l two days of Regional VP's next week so there is no slow returning. 

Time with My Girls

I have been on vacation this week, which has been so nice. I needed the break. I love my job but it is hard and demanding so time off is totally necessary. While on vacation I have had the opportunity to spend some quality time with both of my girls. 

Monday Jolie and I spent the day running some errands and getting mani/pedi's. And had some lunch together. It was really fun to spend the time with her, she really is so grown up now. It was especially funny having lunch with her as she lost both of her top front teeth over the last week so she is adjusting how she eats with her big gap. 

Tuesday evening Rich and Jolie were at softball so Avery and I got to eat dinner out together. Avery wanted McDonalds and wanted to eat at the restaurant so that was fun. She ate so well and was hilarious. As we ate I asked her what she did at school and she told me she needed to eat first. It was too funny!  She ate well though and even got an ice cream as a treat. 

I have really enjoyed my time off and extra time with the girls. Tonight will be all about the family. I am cleaning the house now and then making a nice family dinner and then maybe we can play a game or watch a movie, who knows. Without the pressure of work it is easy to be flexible. 

Weight

Oh a topic I struggle with yet know so much about. Since the age of about 12 I have struggled with weight. I have wished and dreamed for skinny genes but I just simply don't have them. So instead I have gone on and off diets since I was in middle school. In high school I was so athletic I didn't worry that much. Then I went to college and gained 45 pounds my freshman year. It was then I knew weight would be my life's battle. 

So all through my late teens and early to mid 20's I went up and down and dieted off and on.  Then I got pregnant with Jolie and that is where my weight just spiraled out of control. I gained over 60lbs while pregnant, it was an awful feeling to get on the scale at my OB appointments. I had this crazy idea that once I had her weight would just melt off and all of a sudden I would just be skinny again, needless to say when Jolie was about 3 months old and I was heavier than when I got pregnant that dream died.  Fast forward through another pregnancy (at least I only gained 35 pounds this time), several failed diets, one crash diet that somehow took off 60lbs (and I have kept them off for nearly 2 years), 2 hernia repair surgeries that gets us to today. 

When I went for this second hernia surgery (about a month ago) the doctor had one of the most honest conversations about weight with me I have ever had in my entire life. The doctor flat told me if I did this repair and didn't want to be redoing it again then I had to stay the weight I was on the day of surgery or less the rest of my life. Wow, I have to say that scared me beyond belief. This dr was telling a girl who struggled with weight her entire adult life she couldn't gain a pound. This was crazy talk!  I was more scared about the weight then the surgery. I spent the month between when I met with the doctor and my scheduled surgery not worrying about weight. I figured I would give myself the highest number possible, just in case. So I had the surgery, was in the hospital for three days, came home and it was then that I freaked out. How in the world was I really going to do this?  How was I can make myself the person I wanted to be for so long but had failed at so many times?  I thought about and like any modern women would do I started researching from my iPhone as I laid in bed recovering. I knew at the beginning it wasn't going to be about some elaborate workout schedule, because I couldn't work out at least not yet and let's face it I don't have a ton of free time. So I kept thinking and researching. And then it came to me....I have my iPhone all the time, I use it for everything anyways. Why not make it a part of my journey?  So that's what I did, I started downloading every diet/calorie counting app I could find that was either free or offered a free trial. One by one I tested them out and I finally settled last week on the one to use. It is Lose It and so far I love it. It counts calories for me, it gives me a budget of calories every day while taking into account my goal, which at this point it is get under where I have to be. I tell it if/when I exercise. I can even look up food on menus at fast food restaurants and chains. It is perfect for me. I know someone else out there needs help with this topic so I am sharing my story one little tidbit at a time. You will never see me post actual numbers because frankly I am just not that open, my husband doesn't even know exactly how much I weight. But I will share some updates as I lose. I am down a few pounds since surgery, I will know for sure when I step on the dr's scale on Thursday. Below is a snapshot of the app I am using. Feel free to join me, having friends on the same mission makes these life hurdles seem a little easier!

Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day!  I have to say this year I have thought more about Veteran's Day than any other year of my life. I would like to say that in my old age I have gained perspective but instead I owe my deeper thoughts to my 6 year old. Jolie never ceases to amaze me, she has such a big heart and a forward thinking thought process. On Saturday morning as we got dressed for softball she asked me what our plans for the day were. I explained that we were going to softball and then bath at home and some lunch then a nap for her sister, then maybe we could play a game or watch a Netflix movie but we really didn't have solid plans. She proceeded to explain to me what she wanted to do for the day, this is where my Mommy heart swelled with pride and soared at the young girl she is becoming. She asked if we could go to Welo's house ( Welo is my 92 year old Grandfather) because she wanted to listen to his stories about the Navy and the war. She said it was important to know history and learn the stories of our veterans. It was then that I thought about Veteran's Day in a whole new way. Through my child's eyes I gained perspective on this important day. Today is about more than a day off of work or no mail service. It is about thanking the men and women that have sacrificed their lives to ensure our freedom. It is about listening to the war stories of a proud 92 year old and thanking him. So we didn't go to Welo's house kn Saturday, he had other plans, but we have him an extra hug at the softball field on Saturday morning and we will be calling him today. 

So please join me and my family in thanking a veteran today for all they have giving to make your life better!  I salute all members of the armed forces and their families today, thank you!

Let's Try This Again....

As I am sure anyone who has stopped by my blog can tell I have had several failed attempts at blogging on a regular basis. I have come up with a host of reasons why my blogging never works out. The reasons involve I am just too busy, I don't have that much to say, people don't care what I have to say, and frankly the list could go on for days. So I will just leave it at those reasons. The biggest reason being I just don't have time to get my laptop out everyday and sit down and blog. So I just stopped. Well, I figured since I have started using my iPhone for everything under the sun why can't I blog from it. Well, turns out there is an app for that, I know it's shocking!  Not really but it is making this post, and hopefully the post following this possible. So here I am, giving blogging a try again. I am not going to pressure myself to an everyday post or even every week but just posted when I feel like it for now. So stayed tune. 

So, in order to play catch up here is a quick update on the happenings around here. 

Jolie is 6 and in first grade. She is super smart and a little sassy. She is in gifted at an IB Primary Magnet School and has never brought home a report card with anything other than Principal's Honor Roll. Like her mother she is a bit of a perfectionist and a little dramatic. She plays softball for West Tampa and loves it there. 

Avery will be 3 in December. She is our wild child. She is full of life and says some of the funniest things. She goes to a little Montessori School and is working to finish potty training before her birthday. She has an incredibly large vocabulary she wants to be big like her sister and gets very mad if she can't do something. She is a fit thrower and can turn on the water works to get her way. 

Things with Rich and I don't really change like with the kids so we are pretty much the same as the last time I wrote a blog post. 

Not sure what the posts will look like or really what my plan is for the blog but here is to having some fun!

Hard Day

Today is the three year anniversary of the day my Grandmother died, every year I dread this day, every year I think it will be easier and the pain will be a little less but it isn't, in fact I think it gets a little harder.  As each year passes there are more and more big things that happen in my life that I want her to know all about and the little things start to pile up too. Today I sent my husband a text that went a little something like this...."I miss Wel,it hurts right down to my bones.  I miss her more than even I realize sometimes.  I want her to meet and know Avery. I want her to see how smart, amazing, beautiful, and big Jolie has gotten.  I want her to know the women I have become. I want her to know that I have the same work ethic she instilled in my Dad because he too instilled it in me.  I want to be able to call her because I need a pair of pants hemmed or a dress fixed and know she will gladly do it.  I want her fashion advice that she always got from soap operas. I just miss her and want her back.". I cried when I sent that earlier, I have tears in my eyes now but Rich's response made me laughter...he said "What about my socks?". You see she gave him socks for every occasion and any chanc she got and now he doesn't have the supply he once did. But that's just it...she was kind and thoughtful, and such a part of my life for 30 years that the last 3 without her have seemed long and hard. I know this is all a part of life but a part I know I am not fond of. I will never forget the greatest lesson I ever learned from her and my Grandfather, and that is love, not just any love but forever love.  For 62 years while my grandparents were married he bought her roses for Valentine's Day and she loved it, they weren't wonderful and huge but he went out each and every year and brought her flowers. When she passed away the day before Valentine's day three years ago it was heart breaking to sit with him at the funeral home on Valentine's Day and pick out roses for her casket for Valentine's Day. It was then that I learned what love was, it isn't the little fights, or the date nights, or even the hugs and the kisses, it is the until death do us part and then some. It is going through everything together, the good, the bad, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and still wanting to bring home flowers to your love no matter what. It is the until death do us part...they lived it for 62 years and showed my entire family how to love and for that I will be forever grateful but not good memories, quite moments alone, time, prayer, or wishing have made this day any easier.  I sure hope she knows how much I live her and how much I miss her!

Long Weekend

After having a 3 day weekend this past weekend I found myself wishing every weekend was a long weekend, it is so much easier to get things done and still enjoy time with family when you get that extra day. We had a great weekend, it started Friday night with a happy hour event with Rich's co-workers, it was a nice time and I had so much funny putting names with faces of all the people he tells stories from work about.  The kids spent the night with the grandparents and it was nice to have a few cocktails, unwind, and have adult conversation with friends. Saturday we picked up the kids, hung out at home for awhile and then took the kids up to the mall for a little shopping, mall play area time, and a kid friendly food court meal. Rich and I waited to eat and did a little mini date night at home after the kid's went to bed. That was a great time too!  Sunday we did a little cleaning, grocery shopping, and PJ at home time. Then went to my parent's house for a nice Sunday dinner. Monday Avery went to school, Rich and Jolie played a round of golf at the little executive course near our house, she got a new club Saturday at the mall so she was thrilled to try it out with her Dad, and I got to have lunch and shop with my Mom. It was amazing to have some quality time with my Mom and we got some great deals!  All in all it was a fabulous weekend and makes me want TI have three day weekends more often!  Hope yours was fabulous too!

A New Year

Just a couple of days ago we said goodbye to 2012 and hello to 2013.  Rich and I didn't have any wild NYE plans this year and even though the girls were on vacation with my parents. We did have a great time though with a great meal at home and the movie New Year's Eve.  I fell asleep early and didn't make it to midnight but in my own way I ushered Ina new year. 2012 was full of a lot of great memories for our family. Avery started preschool, Jolie gratuated VPK and started Kindergarten, Jolie lost her first tooth, Avery started talking....a ton, the girls got bigger and prettier and made their Daddy and I proud! I had a great year....started my job at Coke last January, finished an extension to the sorority house, and wonHouse Corporation award!

Now, I just have so much hope for 2013....I hope for love and peace for all of us.  I hope for the girls to be happy, have fun, and learn much. I hope for Rich and I to continue to build our relationship and find more ways to celebrate the small moments. My word of 2013 will be hope and with it I planto find myself even more in 2013. Happy New Year!

Not really MIA....

I know it appears as though I have been totally MIA but I have at least been posting on Twitter, so if you follow me there you know my life has been crazy. I have dealt with a sinkhole at my house, a crazy job, a few illnesses of the children and MIL, Jolie starting kindergarten, a crazy job, adding an addition on to the sorority house, did I mention the crazy job?  I know work isn't everything and as much as I try to stop and smell the roses I am consumed with work. I really swear I am going to change that in 2013. But we had a fabulous holiday and hope you did as well. I promise to try for more regular post, we'll see if I can do it!

Great Weekend

Rich and I have made it a point to start doing more on the weekend to get the kids out of the house and doing more. So this weekend on Saturday we took a family trip to the mall. We started in Dick's getting Jolie signed up for cheerleading, she is so excited. From there we walked around, browsed a few stores, I bought 2 shirts at Macy's one orange and one blue to gear up for football season. Then we took the kids to the play area to run and jump and have fun, they lived it. We then ate lunch at the food court. After that we came home for naps and I straightened the house up a little. Jolie then went for a sleepover with my MIL. Rich and I enjoyed watching an exciting, extra innings baseball game. And then we went to bed! Today Rich played golf this morning, I am so glad he got out with the boys for a little while. While he was gone Avery and I hit Tarhget for some random stuff. Then it was nap time. After nap Rich was back and we went to the pool with the girls for a little while. We got about an hour of swimming in before the weather moved in. Then it was a quick bath for the girls and then the girls and Rich watched a kids movie while I cleaned the kitchen, made dinner and wrote this post. It was a great weekend! Now we are back to it all tomorrow and a super busy work week.

When it Rains it Pours....

So I have been meaning to write this post for well over a week and this is the title of the post I had in my head, although now it is not only fitting to all that is going on in our lives but also to the weather outside. The last two weeks have just been one crazy event after another. It started two weeks ago when we made some changes in positions and titles at work, it was a crazy few days but the good part is I still have a job with the same pay I had, I breathed a sigh of relieve there. Then it was the construction starting on our house to fix the builder defect we have lived with for 7 long years. Next month they will start drilling to repair the sinkhole we have at our house. Last week Monday, I came home from work to discover our AC has not working, super long story short it turns out the construction crew covered our AC unit and it couldn't get enough air so it blew up the capacitor. At 10:30 that night someone was here fixing it. My MIL has been in the hospital for 10 days as a result of her ongoing battle with COPD. My husband has been dividing his time between time with her and time at home, thank goodness he has been off work most the month. At the same time Rich's mom went to the hospital Jolie had her tonsils out. She has done great and should be fully recovered by Friday of this week, that will be her 2 week mark. There were a few rough days with her and some heart wrenching moments of her crying in pain but we are much better now. Avery has been good except for some reason last night when she wanted to play from 11:30 pm until 5 am, it was a long night. Thank goodness my husband took most of the time with her and I got the tail end. Needless to say we were moving super slow this morning, I am on vacation this week so at least I wasn't hearing the alarm this morning at 4am like normal. Yesterday I bought a new car so that was half the day in a car dealership but I will say going in the rain did proof beneficial as I got a great deal on a car I really like. I got a Chevy Equinox and it has the new car smell that makes me so happy, wish you could bottle that smell, the car wash has an air freshner called new car but it just isn't the same! While we are talking about shopping we also bought a new TV for our living room, that was Rich's Father's Day gift that he now refers to as the son he never had, too funny! I went furniture shopping on Saturday morning and got a console to put the TV on and to hold the equipment that goes with the TV, it is so nice, it has sliding doors and drawers and matches our other pieces well. We are going to do a little more rearranging this week so I plan to make a trip to Ikea later this week. The rest of the week I plan on cleaning up and cleaning out my house. With as busy as I have been the little things have been neglected so this is my chance. As you can see it has been a little crazy around here. The weather outside feels just like the storm of events that have been going on within our four walls.

Happy Father's Day

I am so lucky that I have an amazing father. Growing up my Dad loved me, went to tons of dance recitals and sporting events, and shaped me into the women I am today. My father instilled in me family values and a hard work ethic. Today my Dad is still there for me with an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, and good advice whenever I need it. Happy Father's Day, Daddy! My girls are also fortunate to have an amazing Dad. My husband is the best Dad I could have asked for, my girls adore their Dad and he adores them. The three of them play together, read together, and give the best hugs to each other. I thank God daily for my husband and the father he has become. Happy Father's Day, Rich! I love you!

Back....

I know, I know, I always say I am not going to be so long between post but somehow life just gets in the middle. I haven't posted since the end of March and here it is the beginning of June....to be honest I am not even sure where the time has gone. As we all know I started a new job in January and it is great and I love it but a ton of work that keeps me very busy. My job involves covering open routes and training and since we have had at least one open route since I began it has been a crazy time of running routes, selling, training, and learning myself. I have been anywhere between Sun City, Brandon, Springhill, Dade City, Tampa, and New Port Richey. So that about sums up my craziness there, plus I start working around 4 am every morning, it is so early, trust me I know! I turned 32 in April with a nice quiet birthday celebrated with my husband and children, I loved it. They gave me an awesome gift of a day at the spa so I was in heaven between the massage, Mani/Pedi, and just quiet time. At the end of April we had an amazing 5th Birthday Party for Jolie at Horse Power for Kids, they rode ponies, hung out at the petting zoo, rode a train, ran around like crazy, held snakes, chased chickens, and had the time of their lives. I will do a big dump of pictures soon and show you the party but it was a great time. I spent some time collected all the supplies for that, including a great invite I ordered from Vista Print (I love them). I ordered kid's cowboy hats and bandanas for the favors and we had a horse piñata for the kid's that was so fun. It was a great day, a little warm but so much fun! Then Jolie turned 5 on May 9th, since we had already done the big party it was just a small family pizza party on the actual day which was really nice. She got a 4 day trip to Disney with my parents and we gave her a really fun day with just Rich and I that consisted of a trip to the movies, Pinkberry, lunch, and shopping. I have to say our day with her was a great time that we all really enjoyed. I think we will be making this a birthday tradition for both girls. Rich and I think days like that and the memories made are so much better than the material gifts, plus these girls already have so much in the way of clothes and toys. Jolie was also accepted into the IB Primary Program at Rolland Park School for kindergarten next year so we are thrilled about that. It is a fantastic program with question based learning for the kids. She went to open house a few weeks ago and is thrilled about it. Jolie graduated from preschool on May 24th in a really cute little ceremony. I have to say it was a bittersweet moment for me as a parent. While I am so proud of her and all that she is accomplishing, I want her to stay little just a little longer. We also broke ground on the sorority house project with a ceremony in March and in real work mode in May. The entire project will be complete at the end of July and I have to say I can't wait. There is a lot going on but thank goodness for the house parents who have managed everything from the ground in Gainesville. Right now I am working on the invite to the dedication of the new chapter room in September so another project for completetion. I think that sums up where I have been but this time I promise not to stay away so long!!!

Date Day

Today hubby and I got a chance to get out and enjoy sometime together. We went down to Sarasota and saw a Spring Training game and on the way home did a little shopping at the outlet mall. It was a great day!

I took only one picture of us and I will add later when I am not typing on my iPhone.

Sick Little Girls

It has been a long 10 days or so in the Perillo House. Avery got super sick, sinus infection, ear infection, and a fever. From there it went to her lungs and she got thrush. So for the last 10 days we have been on two antibiotics, steroids, thrush medicine, breathing treatments, and all kinds of things. Avery is finally doing much better after a battle, she spent a week and two days out of school and with my Mom and Rich, I don't really have time off yet. Now, yesterday Jolie came home from school with a fever, so it looks like we are doing this all over again, hopefully not as bad though. Jolie, Avery, and Rich are all off of school next week with Spring Break so hopefully that will be enough time for recouping from the illness for the girls, and I pray Rich doesnt end up sick as well. I came down with something myself Thursday, so I have drank what feels like a hundred bottles of PowerAde, sucked on a ton of Cold-Ese, taking several Advil Cold, and some Nite Quil. Hopefully, all that will put me on the mend for Monday as I have another busy week ahead. I sure hope everyone in out house recovers quickly!!!!