Drive-ins and Horses

For our fifth anniversary Lorne planned a fun and romantic trip. Friday afternoon after dropping Jasmine off at Abuela and grandpa's house, we drove a few hours north to Dillsburg PA to go to a drive-in movie theater. We watched a double feature - The Simpsons movie and Harry Potter. It was so nice, I had never been to a drive-in and we ate junk food and laid in the back of our Pilot! Saturday morning we drove to Gettysburg and did a 3 hour horseback ride with a guide through the battlefields of Gettysburg. One of my favorite things is horseback riding and I really enjoyed it. Our joints hurt after riding and my butt was a bit sore but I loved it. After having an early dinner we drove back home to get our daughter. What a nice surprise!

In the back of the Pilot ready to watch some movies! It was very affordable - $7 a person for 2 movies!

View of the screen from the back of the car!

Mr. Potter!!

Giddy-up!

Union Soldiers!

5 Years Towards Eternity

Five years ago today I married the love of my life. I may have arrived a little late but I was ready to make this eternal commitment to the person I knew I could love forever and who I knew would love me forever as well. I want you all to know why I love this amazing person. Lorne makes me want to be the best woman I can be, the best mother I can be and the best daughter of God I can be. He makes me feel like I can do anything and I know I can if he is behind me. He is smart, insightful and makes me laugh. He is an amazing father to our little daughter and it brightens my life to see him be so gentle and loving to her. Marriage is not always easy, sometimes it seems impossible to oversome the hurdles in the way but Lorne and I come out better people and stronger in our relationship everytime we do. I am so blessed to be able to have him as the one I will walk through eternity with. Lorne, I love you and you make everything better! Yours eternally, Sabrina

There's a Bright Golden Haze on the Meadow

So last Friday night July 20, we left Jasmine in the care of the capable Turleys and went to the theatre with Sabrina's parents and grandmother to see a musical community theatre production of Oklahoma. It is such a fun show and Sabrina's dad's favorite musical of all time. The best part though, was that our fabulous friends Kevin & Cindy Zarcone were in the production and Kevin was Curly (the lead in case you don't know this musical). It was so fun seeing Kevin in the limelight and afterwards we went out to a diner for dessert and fun critiquing of the show. A fun night was had by all even though it meant getting home at 2 AM!

The whole gang after the show!

Cindy & Sabrina

Jasmine's Sandbox

Lorne's actual birthday was Monday July 23 and he wasn't going to be home on accouint of a business trip - one of many for the week. He asked us to come down Sunday afternoon to Virginia Beach and stay overnight until Monday when he had to attend a meeting. Unfortunately, we got a later start than we expected on Sunday afternoon and we didn't arrive at the beach until it was dark and time for Jasmine to go to sleep. Jasmine and I hit the beach Monday morning before we headed home and it was really nice. Jasmine referred to the beach as a sandbox and I thought that was so cute. We played in the water a little bit - Jasmine was still a bit scared of the water. All in all - despite the traffic going and coming we had a nice time and at least got to see Lorne on his actual birthday. Hopefully he will have more meetings there when we can join him again!

Jasmine ready to play in her sandbox!

Our hotel was right on the beach! Oceanfront Hilton

Mommy & Jasmine play in the sand and try to build a castle

After playing in the water Jasmine cuddles in a towel

Lorne's Birthday Party

So here I backtrack a little. We decided to celebrate Lorne's birthday on Saturday July 21 because our schedules are so full it was the only day we could manage it and hope to have our friends show up! Lorne decided that he wanted to have a party at home where we ate Popeyes fried chicken and played a game called Dance Dance Revolution (DDR for short) and then watch a movie. It was a blast of a time and I even made him the ice cream cake (no cakes were harmed in this creation) pictured in the previous post (as many of you know my husband does not like cake). Lorne was also heard exclaim at the end of the party how he had totally made out on the gifts people gave him - and indeed they were all very well thought out and perfect for him. Among the gifts were Andrew Lloyd Webber CDs, casual brown shoes, a DVD to update his navigation system, a book, and a light timer (to be explained by Lorne)! Thanks to all who attended and made the party so much fun!

Lorne's fine stash of gifts!

Jasmine & Ryan Child decided they were also going to join in on the fun while Sabrina played on the DDR mats!Jasmine and Abuela have a go!Lorne & Justin (impressive in a tie!) battle it out!Marcia & Jill make it all look so easy!Do you see the competitive edge in their eyes? Impressive as Shelly is expecting baby number 2 and her husband Matt doesn't just let her win!Matt & Jeff give it a go!Party guests

Happy Birthday My Love!

Happy Birthday Lorne!

You are the glue that holds our beautiful family together!

On July 23 in...

1632 - 300 colonists bound for New France depart Dieppe, France.
1793 - the Prussians conquer Mayence.
1829 - In the United States, William Austin Burt patents the Typographer, a precurser to the typewriter.
1833 - Corner stones laid for construction of the Kirtland Temple in Ohio
1840 - The Province of Canada is created by the Act of Union.
1862 - American Civil War: Henry W. Halleck takes command of the Union Army.
1874 - Aires de Ornelas e Vasconcelos is appointed the Archbishop of the Portuguese colonial enclave of Goa.
1881 - The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, the world's oldest international sport federation, was founded.
1903 - Ford Motor Company sold its first car.
1903 - Dr. Ernst Pfenning of Chicago becomes the first owner of a Ford Model A.
1914 - Austria-Hungary issues an ultimatum to Serbia allowing the Austrians to find out who killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand. When Serbia denies Austria-Hungary their demands World War I is sparked on July 28, 1914
1926 - Fox Film buys the patents of the Movietone sound system for recording sound onto film.
1929 - Fascist government in Italy ban the use of foreign words.
1936 - In Catalonia, Spain, the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia is founded through the merger of socialist and communist parties.
1940 - US Under Secretary of State Sumner Welles`s declaration on the US non-recognition policy of the Soviet annexation and incorporation of three Baltic States - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
1942 - The Holocaust: The Treblinka extermination camp is opened
1942 - World War II: Hitler signed the Operation Edelweiss.
1945 - The process against Philippe Pétain begins.
1952 - Establishment of the European Coal and Steel community.
1952 - General Muhammad Naguib leads the Free Officers Movement (formed by Gamal Abdel Nasser - the real power behind the coup) in the overthrow of King Farouk of Egypt.
1956 - The Loi Cadre is passed by the French Republic in order to order French overseas territory affairs.
1961 - Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) founded in Nicaragua.
1962 - Telstar relays the first live trans-Atlantic television signal.
1962 - The International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos was signed.
1970 - Qaboos ibn Sa’id, becomes Sultan of Oman.
1972 - The United States launches Landsat 1, first Earth-resources satellite.

1972 - Lorne Colin Campbell is born
1982 - The International Whaling Commission decides to end commercial whaling by 1985-86.
1983 - Gimli Glider: Air Canada flight 143 lands "dead-stick" in Gimli, Manitoba.
1984 - Vanessa Williams becomes the first Miss America to resign when she surrenders her crown after nude photos of her appeared in Penthouse magazine.
1986 - In London, Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey.
1988 - General Ne Win, effective ruler of Myanmar since 1962 resigns after pro-democracy protests.
1992 - A Vatican commission, led by Joseph Ratzinger, establishes it is necessary to limit rights of homosexual people and non-married couples.
1995 - Comet Hale-Bopp is discovered and is visibly seen with a naked eye nearly a year later.
1997 - Digital Equipment Company files antitrust charges against chipmaker Intel.
1999 - Crown Prince Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan, is crowned King Mohammed VI of Morroco at the death of his father.
2001 - Megawati Soekarnoputri becomes the fifth President of Indonesia, replacing Abdurrahman Wahid.
2003 - Operation Warrior Sweep is the first major military deployment of the Afghan National Army.
2004 - Eleven years after its destruction, Stari most (the Old Bridge) in Mostar is reopened.
2007 - Dennis Pagan is sacked from carlton Footbal club in Australian Football League

The Jasmine Flower

About a year ago when my grandmother returned from Uruguay she brought back a dried Jasmine flower from which she created a Jasmine tree that now sits on her balcony. She has also now grafted and made several more plants from the first one. She intends on giving it to us to have in our home since she specifically brought it back for our daughter. We are a little afraid however because our track record with plants is not that great - we run about 50/50 - meaning that 50% of our plants die on us. I wouldn't want it to be that special plant. Just the other day she cut off these flowers for us and sent them home with us. They have a most wonderful fragrance and I love having them in my house. So here it is - the Jasmine flower from Uruguay! *There are different varieties of the jasmine flower in different parts of the world - this on is the most beautiful to me and also resembles one of my most favorite flowers, the gardenia!*

So we think she can dance

So here is proof my daughter is amazingly cute and going to be a great dancer - I caught her on video dancing to her tio's music when we stopped by for a visit.

Happy Birthday Tio Robert!

We love you and are happy you are in our family!

Today, July 19 these events happened in:
711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic.
1333 - Wars of Scottish Independence: Battle of Halidon Hill - The final battle of the war.
1544 - Italian War of 1542: The Siege of Boulogne began.
1553 - Lady Jane Grey is replaced by Mary I of England as Queen of England after having that title for just nine days.
1588 - Anglo-Spanish War: Battle of Gravelines - The Spanish Armada sighted in the English Channel.
1692 - Salem Witch Trials: Five women are hanged for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts.
1760 - The formal request to found the later city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico is filed by its founders.
1848 - Women's rights: The two day Women's Rights Convention opens in Seneca Falls, New York and the "Bloomers" are introduced at the feminist convention.
1863 - American Civil War: Morgan's Raid - At Buffington Island in Ohio, Confederate General John Hunt Morgan's raid into the north is mostly thwarted when a large group of his men are captured while trying to escape across the Ohio River.
1870 - Franco-Prussian War: France declares war on Prussia.
1873 - William Gosse becomes the first European to discover Ayers Rock (Uluru) and names it in honour of South Australian Premier Sir Henry Ayers.
1879 - Doc Holliday kills for the first time after a man shoots up Holliday's New Mexico saloon.
1912 - A meteorite with an estimated mass of 190 kg explodes over the town of Holbrook in Navajo County, Arizona causing approximately 16,000 pieces of debris to rain down on the town.
1919 - Following Peace Day celebrations marking the end of World War I, ex-servicemen rioted and burnt down Luton Town Hall.
1940 - World War II: Battle of Cape Spada - The Royal Navy and the Regia Marina clash; the Italian light cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni sinks, with 121 casualties.
1940 - World War II: Army order 112 forms the Intelligence Corps of the British Army.
1942 - World War II: Battle of the Atlantic - German Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz orders the last U-boats to withdraw from their United States Atlantic coast positions in response to the effective American convoy system.
1945 - Montgomery Ward is seized by United States Army troops at the direction of Attorney General Francis Biddle because of its refusal to obey National War Labor Board orders. Montgomery Ward chairman Seward Avery is carried out of his office by troops.
1947 - Burmese nationalist Aung San and 6 of his cabinet members were assassinated.
1963 - Joe Walker flies a North American X-15 to a record altitude of 106,010 metres (347,800 feet) on X-15 Flight 90. Exceeding an altitude of 100 km, this flight qualifies as a human spaceflight under international convention.
1964 - Vietnam War: At a rally in Saigon, South Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Khanh calls for expanding the war into North Vietnam.
1967 - A Piedmont Airlines Boeing 727 and a Cessna 310 collided in mid-air over Hendersonville, North Carolina killing 82.
1976 - Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal is created.
1979 - The Sandinista rebels overthrow the U.S.-backed government of the Somoza family in Nicaragua.
1980 - Opening Ceremony of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, USSR.
1985 - The Val di Stava dam collapse killing 268 people in Val di Stava, Italy.
1989 - United Airlines flight 232 crashes in Sioux City, Iowa killing 112 of the 296 passengers.
1989 - Charles Sturt University, Australia established in honour of explorer Charles Sturt.
1994 - Four 26-pound ceiling tiles fall from the roof of the Kingdome in Seattle, Washington, just hours before a scheduled Seattle Mariners game.
1996 - Opening Cermonies of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
2006 - Dublin City FC cease trading and withdraw from the Eircom Premier League.

El Sol esta en mis ojos

Jasmine has recently said a rash of cute things which I will talk about in this post. In addition to her backseat driving phrase "Please Lady" she has now begun telling us to be careful and "Slow Down" when we are driving. We do not know where she has learned this since neither one of us tells the the other to slow down. It makes us laugh though - just today when driving over a speed bump she said "Mommy, be careful". We are glad she is looking out for our safety.

Jasmine has also expressed her dislike for the sun in her eyes. She will say "Sol en mis ojos" (sun in my eyes) and then promptly say "Go away Sol!". She has now begun asking for her lentes (glasses) when we go out in the sun. The she will say that it is all better as soon as she puts them on.

She is also learning good manners. She has always been good at saying please and thank you but now she has added, "Daddy, feet down" when her dad puts his feet on a chair and she asks him to sit down if he is standing while she is eating.

She likes to point out things to us by saying, "Look right there, behind you!" even if the object she is pointing out is not directly behind us. It could be in front of us, beside us or occasionally behind us! She has learned this from watching Blues Clues!

Some things she says we don't know where she has learned them from. But she is at an age where she interacts with others and so we don't always know what she is being exposed to. What we do know is that she is fully communicating and that makes life funny!

A 3 Cake weekend

Choclate Cake with ganache filling, Red Velvet with cream cheese filling, and White Almond Sour Cream Cake with raspberry filling!

So a week and a half ago Occasionally Cake was commissioned to do 3 cakes for an Army event welcoming soldiers back from Iraq and this was very exciting for us and our biggest account yet! Well, we made 3 massive sheet cakes for this past weekend and they were a huge success! Apparently people were asking for the info to order more cake and I have been told that we will probably be commissioned again in October for another welcome home cake! Business is good and exciting - check out http://www.occasionallycake/ to see the newest cakes that Marcia and I have made.

Picture Perfect

She totally posed like this on her own - too cute!
We had to do a picture with this toy because as soon as she saw it in the studio she climbed on and said, "Beep Beep! Please Lady!"

Today we did an activity we normally don't do on a Sunday which was to go have our picture taken. It as been a while for us and with Lorne travelling all the time, there was just no other day to do it. Also, we needed pictures of Jasmine now that she is 2 years old and we hadn't taken her to have a portrait done since her last birthday a year ago!We would love to hear your comments on our portraits!

Follow the Pocket

Our little girl has always loved music. If you know her you know music is everything to her. She screams for it in the car, she begs her dad to play music on the piano, she sings all day, you get the picture. She has been this way as long as we can remember, even beginning to dance and move to the music at 6 months of age. Well, since she has started going to nursery at church, her repetoire of songs has increased ten fold.

Last Friday night Lorne and I went to the movies and left her in the care of her grandparents. When we returned we found that she had sang through tons of songs in the children's songbook while her abuela played the piano for her and she was even requesting specific songs. She really wanted to sing Follow the Prophet (which we think is her new favorite Primary song) and she began to say Follow the Pocket! We thought that was really cute. She also likes Away in a Manger and requests it by saying, "Asleep, Asleep".

With all the dancing and singing this little wonder does, we will need to enroll her in a dancing and music class one of these days!

Jasmine Meets her Primo

So we took Jasmine to Ryan & Casey's place today to meet Roman and she just loved him. I think she was a bit put off that he didn't move much because she got distracted by other things easily. She was happy to give him kisses and hugs and begged to hold him a lot (Casey didn't approve) but other than that I think she found him boring. She did try to help feed him and I think she enjoyed that a lot.

Tia Sabrina & Tio Lorne

These pictures were from last night when we finally got to hold our nephew for the first time!

Welcome Roman Jason Ricks

Roman Jason Ricks

July 9, 2007 10:30 AM

7 lbs. 7 oz. 20.1/4 inches

Today the phone rang at 4:30 AM and Lorne and I awoke with a jump. It seems that Ryan and Casey were on their way to Fairfax Hospital for the impending birth of their son, Roman! Well, Lorne and I jumped out of bed after rubbing our eyes at the time and got our things together and also got Jasmine up and awake and were on our way to the hospital to wait with the rest of the family assembled there. After waiting only 5 hours (during that time we chatted, ate breakfast and watched Jasmine tear up the waiting room) Ryan came running down the hall to tell us that Roman Jason Ricks was born at 10:30 AM weighing in a 7 lbs. 7 oz. and 20.25 inches long! He was very alert when we finally got the chance to go up and see him and very cute! Ryan and Casey were so happy and glowing and it was awesome to see the "father" in Ryan kick in. We had to leave before we could hold him but we are going back at dinner time to spend our quality time with our new nephew! We love you, Roman!

Mommy & Roman

Daddy & Roman